7 Tips to Improve your Drawing Skills

I have met many aspiring artists who do not know where to start when it comes to drawing. Many times, they will get stuck in the rut of browsing art online, but they never make the effort to create their own art. Try following these 7 tips listed below to improve your drawing skills. The more you draw, the more creative improvement you will see.

1. Beginning

Many artists are afraid of making mistakes or will not start drawing because they want to be able to draw at a higher level. The only way to improve is actually putting your pencil to paper and creating art, regardless of the level you start at. 

2. Copy

When you first begin drawing, grab an art book or search online and try copying artwork you like. Copying art can help you learn how to draw various types of eyes, mouths, feet, cats, dogs, etc. After you practice drawing other artwork, you will gain the confidence and knowledge of how to draw your own illustrations without copying. Just remember, if you choose to upload a drawing you copied, make sure you credit the original artist!

3. Practice Life Drawing

Observe the world around you and draw what you see. Take a trip to the park and draw the trees, animals and people around you. You can also draw some of your friends, family and pets. Learning the anatomy of humans and 4 legged creatures will vastly improve your drawings.

4. Get Inspired

Watch movies, play video games, observe artwork and nature. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing, inspiration for your artwork will follow. Once inspired to create, drawing is much easier and comes as second nature.

5. Use Reference

Lets say you are trying to draw a cartoon whale. Look online for images of real whales and draw several different realistic sketches to get acquainted with their anatomy from different angles. After you learn the shapes of the whale, start to “cartoonify” your drawings by exaggerating some features and letting go of other details. Focus on what you see as the most prominent features of the whale.

6. Daily Sketches

Creating a drawing routine that you can stick to, such as one small sketch a day. It takes about 21 consecutive days of doing something for it to become a habit. See if you can go a month drawing each day and take it from there! Check out Sketch Dailies for daily inspiration.

7. Share Your Work!

Upload your work online and share it with professionals. This can be scary but will open doors for great feedback and opportunities. Just the other day, someone asked to see my sketchbook. I felt vulnerable handing it over but I got such great feedback on my work, I was asked to illustrate a children’s book! 

I hope these steps inspire you to tap into your creative side and draw the things that inspire you. If you have other tips you would like to add to this list, please share in the comments section!