The most frequent asked question on my instagram account (@febesketchbook) is: "I'm a beginner artist, how do I start?" or "I wish I was talented like you, I can't even hold a pencil", and my answer is always the same: "Start drawing what you see in real life", but... I know that this answer is too generic. So I want to write a more detailed answer for everyone who is asking himself the very same question: where to start?
As a myself, I've always been drawing as a child, and it felt natural to me joining an Art school and then the Academy of Fine Arts later on; most of drawing basics on real life objects and human shapes comes from those years and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to learn them in such a young age, so I kindly suggest you to join an Art School (if possible) or an Art Course; if joining an Art Course is out of your reach, don't despair: you can learn all the basics online too.
Youtube is a strong, free resource, and you can find billion of tutorials and videos for free for you to see anytime. I've learned a lot thanks to Youtube, from drawing to digital coloring. It's true that Youtube videos can't be easy to follow, and that's because artists prefer to share their secrets during private lessons and not for free; that's why I prefer Skillshare as a course. Teachers are payed to share their art secrets and you can learn everything, since they are created by professionals. Plus, since it's an online platform, you can pause anytime and complete one video when you can.
I've searched on Skillshare a class for a beginner artist to follow, and I suggest you to try this class made by Ethan Nguyen, Drawing Fundamentals Made Simple. Here are some of the things you'll learn in this course:
- How to set up your workspace for optimal drawing success.
- How to hold and control your pencil to create smooth, clean lines.
- The most common mistakes beginning artists make and how to avoid them.
- How to measure angles and use them to draw anything accurately!
- How to spot proportional errors in your drawing and fix them.
- How to use a variety of lines and marks to create dynamic drawings.
I've followed this course to see the content and I believe that it's a very complete course for a beginner artist, especially the very first 3 points. Learning how to hold a pencil and how to use it, and what kind of surface is better to draw, how to create smooth clean lines.... those are the very fundamentals of drawing and are so important to learn when you start!
In the course there are also very easy to follow exercises to start drawing from real life objects and 3D shapes! Doing exercises is so important to learn, and having a course that you can watch and re-watch is a great way to learn.
Skillshare is not a free platform; you can sign up for one month free and follow all the courses that you want during that month, and then decide if you want to subscribe paying around 10£ per month. I do believe that those are money well spent, considering the price of Art Courses (they could be very expensive).
I shared myself some tips for beginner artist on my Youtube channel:
I hope you can find this video useful! I share tips for beginners also on my instagram page too (@febesketchbook), so be sure to follow me to stay updated! What would you like to know next? Do you have a specific question? Let me know in the comment section below and see you next time with more tips!
xoxo
Fed
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