So you want to get started with drawing, huh? Good! It’s one of the best, most relaxing hobbies ever! I might be a bit biased, but especially in these times, drawing can be such a great way to get out of your head. In this blog I’ll describe ways to get started with drawing if you’re completely new. Enjoy!
Which materials should you get?
If you’ve never ever drawn before it’s easiest to get started with black and white materials, so you don’t have to worry about color just yet. This gives you the opportunity to get used to working with lines, shapes and contrast.
Materials you could consider getting are graphite pencils or charcoal pencils and some cheap white drawing paper. Don’t use cartridge paper though! It won’t have the texture to hold your graphite or charcoal. Choose a paper that is specifically meant for drawing.
Pastel pencils
Another option could be to start with grey scale pastel pencils(White, light grey, dark grey and black). Especially if you choose a grey colored paper with it, this is an awesome way to get used to working with lights and darks. One of my favorite ways to draw. On the left you can find an example of such a pastel drawing, which is also available as a lesson in the drawing club!
Which subjects to start with?
That’s a difficult one to answer, mainly because there are so many different courses, schools and online options that teach drawing in different ways. There is no wrong or specifically ‘correct’ way. Some teachers like to make students just work on basic shapes like cubes, circles, balls etc. For me personally that has never worked. I just wanted to draw the things I was interested in. This basically meant I was only drawing horses until I was 17, haha! But I never lost my passion, because I only drew what I wanted to draw.
This is something I would recommend my students or anyone wanting to get into drawing: Draw subjects you are very passionate about! If that’s cars, draw cars. If that’s cartoons, draw cartoons. The more you get into it, the more you will learn about proportions and basic shapes along the way and expand into other subjects. And of course if you like animals and nature you would have a lot of fun with my lessons!;)
The drawing on the right is from 2013. I was 18 back then, totally obsessed with drawing horses.
Do you NEED lessons?
I would say that depends on the way you learn best. That differs per person. One thing is clear: Taking drawing lessons is not the only way to get ‘good’ or experienced at it. Just like the fact you don’t need a degree in order to become a professional artist.
So you need to ask yourself how you like to learn! If you learn well in a classroom with peers and guidance, taking lessons somewhere at a physical school would be a great option. If you learn well in your own space/environment and by trial and error, experimenting and practicing on your own could work really well. If you like to learn in your own space but with guidance from a teacher, online lessons are great! Look for a teacher who does what you would like to get good at. Photorealism, pet portraits, illustration, manga. It’s all possible as there are loads of professional artists offering their lessons online.
If you’d like to learn how to create photo realistic wildlife and pet portraits, I’d love to welcome you to the drawing club membership! You can choose the animals you want to draw and learn at your own pace, while still having the option to share your work with me and the other members.
My question to you: How did you get started? I’d love to know!
I also spent my childhood drawing horses!! They were all I cared about!! I’m very excited to follow your tutorials 😊