Tips for becoming a better drawer.

[The Stonker]

Now, I'm a bit of a tosser, I can't put my pictures inside the mystifying miasma which we call internetz. So I want to ask you guys, verbally.
Because I took up drawing on any serious note about 2 months ago, where I could say for my self that I've improved since just drawing stick man figurines and knobs, then they've evolved into steam punk and dragons.
So, I just want to ask all the people that draw on the Escapist, what were some of the best things you picked up as a drawer and what could you give some advice to a bloke who needs a bit of a direction?
P.s.My friend says it's just practice, loads and loads of practice.

 

[Jonluw]

Read up on some anatomy, I guess. It helps.

Not that I'm a great drawer.

 

[Mechsoap]

practice everyday and when you do draw something, lets say a cup, don't think of it as a cup, just see the lines and shapes in it, do not think of its name or use.

 

[faspxina]

Here's my top 5 tips on becoming a decent drawer: xD

1
Practice the sh*t out of it!
I'm not joking, the more you draw the more you learn about your style and how to perfect it. Every time you go out, equip yourself with a nice small notebook and a pen or pencil, this way when your waiting, with nothing to do, or see something you would really like to draw, you have no excuse for not doing it.

2
Expand your horizons.
Don't limit yourself to that one thing you really like to draw, draw everything, draw buildings, machines, animals... (if you're having a hard time with live drawing, start off with pictures of the previous stuff I mentioned) Also...

3
You're too young to have your own style.
Don't focus on having your own style (that comes with time), but focus on good drawing. Here's a simplified example: just because you can't draw normal hands doesn't mean it's your style, it means you can't draw normal hands. So go draw some hands!

4
Suck it up. (translation: have patience)
One thing is certain: you will suck at it, at times, and you will feel frustrated. What you need to do is acknowledge your mistakes and understand that it's all part of the process to become a better drawer.

5
Have fun.
This is the most important part as it will determine if whether or not this is what you really want to do.


Hope it helps

 

[Penguinness]

Drawing is still something I need to brush up on, because I always go so long without drawing I just end up going backwards in terms of skill. I'm mostly doing 3d character modelling at the moment and I guess the same advice for that can be applied to drawing.

-Anatomy and references are important
-You have to practice constantly. Though I suck at being dedicated, I try to do these things called speedsculpts, where you just try to get a head sculpted in 45mins.. I suggest you try to turn this into something that you try to focus on for a set amount of time.
-Try your hand at competitions, it doesn't matter about winning but they are basically setting you a task and giving you the limitations and a dealine, thinks to get you going.

 

[teisjm]

To become a better drawer, you need to stand perfectly still, and let people palce their socks and udnerwear inside you, untill they need it.

To become a better at drawing, heres a few essential tips.

DRAW, DRAW, DRAW, DRAW! practice is your best way to improve.

Use references, what you learn from drawing something in front of you, or drawing (not tracing) an already existing picture brings you closer to doing it without references.

Study some anatomym croquis is good for studies, but getting peopel to pose clothed for you works as well.

Challenge yourself. Don't stick to stuff you know how to do, you will only improve slowly that way, if something is hard to do, don't change it to something easier, try, and try again. Ofc you can change stuff, if you realize this composition isn't working, you change it for a betetr picture, but don't change from your idea for the sake of avoiding stuff you're having a hard time with.
A great way to do this would be to do requests from people, if you don't consider yourself godo enough to offer yoru expertize online, ask your friends or familly for for an idea for a picture, it's not that you don't have ideas yourself, but it's so you have something to stick to, which you need to stick to.
I tend to fall in the avoid hard stuff pit sometimes, but when my mate told me he had gotten a time at the tattoo artist in a month and a half, and that i had to draw his tattoo for him, i sortof had to do it, and press myself to pass my limits, and learn new stuff (it was a tribal scorpion with his initials worked into the tribal stuff if anyone cares)

DRAW DRAW DRAW, i can only stress this. One of my teachers told me, that a rule of thumb is that everyone has to do around 1500-2000 drawings before they can make something worthwhile.

Keep your drawings, at least the ones you like, then you'll quickly see thyat what was the best one so far a month ago, has been outdone by a more recent one, and so forth. Seeing your improvement is motivating, especially cause you'll grow more and more critical about your own work as you get better.

Get critique, preferably from someone who knows how to draw, art boards online are a great place to get that, it may be rough, but if you embrace it, and choose to learn from it, it'll help you. While ass kissing can be nice once in a while, someone who just goes "Whoa thats so awesome" to everythiong you make (usually your mom) is not helping you improve, if you ask people who cannot draw, ask them for their honest oppinion, not whetehr it's good or bad as a whole, but where it could improve, they may not be able to tell youwhat you need to do, but they can tell you where it looks weird.
But again, asking someone better than yourself is always preferable.

Hope you can use this

 

[Cheesus333]

I use pencils pretty much exclusively for my art, and - although I'm certainly no expert - one thing I've learnt with the medium is to draw sketchy, light lines before committing to anything bold. I couldn't tell you how many years I wasted just grinding the end of my poor pencils against the paper, but when I realised that going lightly over to sketch out was a better method, my drawings improved massively.

I also use fine-liners to go over my work, and I would definitely recommend it, it can look really professional if the drawings are good I(and, sometimes, even if they're not so good).

EDIT: Post count: 1234 = mild thrill achieved

 

[Jedamethis]

Hmm...oil yourself regularly, don't stick and make people hit you...

On a serious note, I have no idea. Practice.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Keep practicing. Look to inspiration in every place. Go outside, and draw what you see. Draw everything around you. It will really help.

 

[Casual Shinji]

- Draw in a way that comes natural to you: If you need to force a certain style, then you'll only waste your own talent.

- Add thickness to the lines of certain areas of your drawing: This way you can simulate shadow or roundness without the need to shade.
Plus, it makes the drawing "pop" more.

- Expose yourself to whatever inspires you: Listening to your favourite music or watching your favourite movies is the perfect way to spark your imagination.

- Use images as reference if you're unsure about how something - like a car or a building - looks.

- This might sound odd, but try to look at your drawing in a mirror: Usually, a mirror image of your drawing can uncover flaws that you might not have noticed otherwise.

That's about all the advice I can give you as a struggling cartoonist.