SSSDrawingTutorials
Drawing is simply a line going for a walk ~Paul Klee
Here are my Top 5 Tips on how to become better at drawing! These are general suggestions to improve drawings which include advise for equipment and generally how to approach your drawings.
Tip 1 - Good Equipment
My first tip is have good equipment. I think the first step to being a good artist/drawer is to be well equipped when you are about to make a piece of art. It doesnt't need to be anything super fancy and expensive .Using decent pencils, better paper and good erasers and just having a blending stub can help you become better as it helps make the quality of the art better. Instead of drawing on some old printer paper with your standard HB pencil, I recommend going to an art shop (ask your art teacher or look on the internet to find a good one) and then buy a pad of thick, A3 or A4 drawing paper and a pencil set. If you don't have one then you could also buy a good eraser and blending stub. Using A3 drawing paper instead of A4 allows for you to work bigger and also allows you to draw multiple drawings on one page. You have a little bit more freedom with your drawings in that sense. You will find that using better equipment will make the quality of your drawings slightly better and then you will feel even more motivated to draw.
Tip 2 - Time
The next tip I have is to take your time with your drawings. There is no use in rushing your drawings as it can ruin it. You want to take it slow so that every piece, every aspect of your drawing is as good as you can make it. Even for the smallest of drawings I recommend you do this. This will help you improve the quality of your drawings and you will also learn and develop your own techniques and styles that are suited for how you draw. The more you draw, you will be able to realise your own style of drawing, different methods that work for you, and also what you like to draw. Drawing takes a long time to perfect and master so I suggest you start taking the time now.
Tip 3 - Always Finish your Drawing
The next tip I have is to always finish your drawing. Always. Even if you think it is going to turn out horribly or if you don't like the look of it, don't give up. As you keep on drawing you will learn and improve more. The best way to learn is to learn from your mistakes and then adapt from that. Also the more time you spend drawing the better your outcome will be. You might be surprised at the start you will think it is bad, but the final result might turn out into something extraordinary. Never throw away this opportunity to make something great! And if you don't like it after you have finished you can always keep on trying. I cannot even tell you how many times I scrapped a drawing before it was finished and regretted it later. I now make it a daily practice to always finish my work, to then reattempt it later. That is also why you will occassionally see reworks of a few tutorials as well.
Top 5 Tips
Tip 4 - Experiment
Experiment with your new skills! I recommend applying what you learned in drawing whether it be from a teacher, tutorial, or just something you saw while glancing at someone else doing work. Using different skills with different materials is also fun and can yield a very nice result! For example, I normally draw and shade just using pencil, but after I applied what I knew with chalk, charcoal and oil pastel and experimenting with those materials I got a very nice art piece! Have fun while you are working and try out new things, working out of your comfort zone can be useful and fun too! An example of such a work is my 'Dragon Eye', as I tested the idea of using line for the deails while I was in the middle of the recording (instead of the usual block shading), and the style turned out very well! I amanged to use this style in other drawings, and it has drastically improved the results of some of my works.
Tip 5 - Practice, Practice, Practice!
The last tip I have for you is to always practice. Practice, practice, practice! I cannot stress enough how important it is to practice. When I say practice I do not mean you sitting down for one hour looking through tutorials and learning and trying out new and old skills. Practicing can also be in the form of doodling in your notebook, or drawing some quick, rough sketches when you see something interesting. Of course it is also important to sit and do some longer, better, and bigger drawings to apply yor skills and get better, but doing the small practices can also be incredibly beneficial to your drawing skills. I recommend drawing anything interesting you see. For example, I only learned how to draw hands from observing them while I was in school, and drawing some rough sketches in my notebooks before I could actually sit down and do a long, good quality drawing. Reading can also be a source of great inspiration (or writing). Practice makes pefect! Drawing is an individual thing, try to develop your own tricks and techniques, something that works for you!
