Hello!
I’m Charlotte (AKA SketchbookDraws), if you are new here… I love drawing, reading, blogging, computer programming and other things.
Hey guys, welcome back!
Are you curious about small but useful art tips you can use? Do you like testing them out and rating them? Well, I have a bucket-load full of these up my sleeve. Let’s dive into them together!
(Please note that this post is not sponsored.)
1. Don’t draw an eye, and then the other.
This is something I know a lot of beginners do, including me when I just started drawing (I just wouldn't draw eyes at all).
I always loved the very first drawing of an eye, but when I tried doing the second one, it would turn up so bad! I nearly quit art because of that, too 🙄.
When you draw the outline of one eye, draw the outline of the other eye just after, using guide lines, if you need to. When you draw the pupil or the eyelashes, make sure you draw them on the other eye just after… you get it.
It’s going to save your life, trust me!
2. Take an ordinary blank sheet of paper and start drawing. Tell yourself you can throw it away if you don’t like it. And who knows? You might be surprised at what you can create when you remove pressure off your shoulders!
This tip was, and still is, one of my favorites. I love drawing in my sketchbook, but I always feel as if it has to be beautiful, and if it’s not, I have to rip the page out or hide the mistake.
When I discovered this tip, I went crazy, literally! I started drawing on a loose sheet of paper every day! Some of the drawings I didn’t like, and threw them away, but the majority were great *clears throat*. Now I always keep a spare sketchbook as a place were I can relax and be messy, create art without my brain pressuring me for it to be wonderful.
But remember, you should always keep some of your bad drawings to redraw them and reflect upon them later in your life. You might see enormous changes and improvements in your art!
3. Keep your art separated from everything else.
If you are thinking of making art your career, you must keep your art separated from your personal things. Sure, it’s lovely for clients to know you well as a person, but would you like them to see your funny memes, private videos, photos you share with your friends only? No? I though so.
If you want to to pursue art as a career, or hobby that makes you earn a little bit more money every month; create an Instagram, TikTok or Facebook account just for art. That (or those) account(s) can act as your online portfolio, a place were people can only see your art, and nothing else.
4. Find inspiration in art books.
To help you find ideas, in addition to studying other artist’s artworks and finding inspiration in your environment, try flipping through an art book.
It can just be an art encyclopedia, a museum exposition summary or a book with all the paintings and drawings of the great masters, such as Raphael, Michel-Angelo, Picasso… I personally recommend you reading and looking trough other contemporary artist’s art books, such as “The art of Loish” by Loish, “Sketch with Asia” by Asia Ladowska, “Draw great characters” by Beverly Johnson, and many more…
5. Before drawing, take fifteen to thirty minutes just to warm yourself up. Let’s say that it’s your “Waking hands up” time.
In order to warm up, create small, thumbnail size sketches, messy studies or even just random circles and squares!
Don’t spend more than five minutes on each sketch. You could practice drawing hands, simplify complicated objects into simpler shapes, draw random objects or animals that pop into your head…
Remember: concentrate on quantity, not quality. These are just your preparatory sketches to help you warm up before you finish a big illustration, or start an important commission.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end.
I hope these tips will help you throughout your art journey.
This is something I know a lot of beginners do, including me when I just started drawing (I just wouldn't draw eyes at all). to share with us, and who knows? You might see your art tips in another SketchbookDraws blog post!
Please consider liking this post and sharing it with your friends if it was helpful, it helps out a lot! See you next Sunday!
Best wishes,
SketchbookDraws
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The tips aregreat! I always warm up before drawing by drawing a drawing. Means, that I just quickly draw something I'm thinking about right now and after that, I actually foccus on an other drawing and start drawing. (Or I draw all day and night long without a break, XD) Some people also just take an empty sheet of paper and only draw circles (lines, stars, squares, ...) on it to warm up their hands - there are many different ways :)