14 Tips and Tricks for Beginners - How do I learn to draw?

Anyone who, as an absolute beginner in the field of drawing and painting, has decided to start this new hobby, is first looking for some tips that can help. Ultimately, you only learn a new skill through regular practice.

However, we would like to provide some help on this page, so that you do not practice drawing and painting haphazardly, but in a very targeted manner.

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1. ''Just'' start

Many aspiring artists tell themselves they are not good enough and don't even dare to start. But there is no journey without a first step. That's why you just have to get started, the result is not important at first, but practice makes perfect.

If you practice regularly, you will improve over time. Drawing is no different, of course. But just like with sports, it is important that you do not practice the same thing over and over again, but that you take on new challenges and specifically practice what you cannot do (very well) yet.

2. Motives for beginners

"Find an easy subject to draw" is good advice. But if you have never drawn before, it is not easy to judge what is an easy motif and what is more difficult than you initially thought.

As a rule, motifs consist of a few simple shapes and hardly anydetails easiest. Some examples? Everything round is very easy to draw (a ball, an apple, a melon, etc.). Motifs with few details can be, for example, a banana, a TV, a lamp or something similar.

Too many different motives at the same time can also be an obstacle. So instead of a whole bowl of fruit, try a single piece of fruit first. This also applies to a photo template from which you want to draw, as well as to motifs that you have directly in front of you or that you want to draw from memory.

3. Fun

If you have to force yourself to do something and you don't like it, we recommendimmediately advises you to stop. So if you don't like drawing at all, you have to honestly ask yourself why you want to learn it.

If a stressful everyday life takes the fun out of practicing drawing regularly, then you shouldn't force yourself to do it at all costs. Drawing should be a hobby that brings you pleasure and relaxation.

4. What materials do I need?

If you want to learn to draw as a beginner, the question quickly arises which materials you "should" use. Is a ballpoint pen and a lecture book enough or does it absolutely require a real artist's pencil and special sketch paper?

If you first want to see if drawing is the right hobby for you, you can take what you already have at home. But if you are sure that you want to draw more often and more ambitiously, special materials are certainly useful.

You don't need expensive, high-quality art supplies to make good drawings. Even discounted items or cheap brands result in good results. It's not the material that makes amakes a good drawing, but the skill of the draftsman. However, you should not be tempted by overly cheap offers from the internet. Low quality materials can quickly ruin the fun of drawing and painting!

It is advisable to invest in good paper. Sketching or drawing paper is better than printer paper or college notebooks. Good paper gives a completely different painting feeling than paper that is not designed for it.

Whether you use a ballpoint pen, pencil, chalk, fineliner or another material depends on the personal preference of the artist. Each material has its own charm and offers its owntechniques and possibilities.

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5. Talent

There are talented people who find it easier to learn something new, and there are those who are not so lucky. However, talent is not a requirement for learning anything - even if you learn to draw, talent is not a requirement.So-called untalented people simply need to practice more and more often than those who are talented. That's it!

6. Wrong expectations of yourself

You are often your own worst critic. Maar je moet niet te zelfkritisch zijn. Your own expectations should be realistic regarding your own skills. A photo can sometimes go completely wrong - if you allow mistakes, you can learn from them.

7. The right learning curve

Some illustrators immediately rush to all the details and shades of new motifs in order to sketch the most realistic picture possible as quickly as possible. But often basic things like perspective or clean contours are forgotten. Regular increases in difficulty are certainly helpful for learning.

Instead of starting right away with the entire head, including face, hair, details, and shading, practice drawing just the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears first. Once you're confident with this, practice getting the head shape and facial part placement right. Then you can start practicingkapsels en daarna kun je oefenen met het tekenen van schaduwen.

8. Het oog van de kunstenaar

Het ongetrainde oog ziet hieronder alleen de foto van een appel. But the artist sees much more. What do you see as a beginner?

Als je regelmatig tekent, ontwikkel je onvermijdelijk een oog voor detail. But you can train this specifically by being aware of what you observe and therefore what you can draw to make your drawing appear realistic.

Ten eerste is de appel niet perfect rond. Het zou dus verkeerd zijn om gewoon een cirkel te tekenen en er een stijl bovenop te zetten. Especially toThe shape of the apple tapers towards the bottom and the notch at the top, in the middle of which the style is located, cannot be overlooked. Moreover, the apple is not just green. If you look closely, you can see the many light spots and dark colours, which alternate with a sheet of light.

To draw the apple realistically, don't forget the cast shadow that has formed under the apple.

Recognizing so many details in a boring motif like this apple requires an attentive and patient eye. In everyday life we ​​tend to perceive things superficially and mostly distractedly. But if you plan to draw something, you have to look much more closely at what you see and expand it with the basic shape, perspective and details.

9. Too strong contours

Especially as a beginner, you tend to draw the contours too strongly. Either you press too hard when drawing, or you draw multiple lines next to each other. Here it is useful to do loosening exercises to train smooth lines. InIn general, the lines should be set loosely, lightly and unobtrusively at first. As you work out the sketch, add pressure little by little.

In order not to exert too much pressure when drawing, the pencil must be held firmly. See tip no. 13.

10. Beginner's mistake: too little contrast

Beginners are very reluctant to draw shadows. Although shadows are cast over a large area, there is usually no gradation; it is uniformly gray. More variety and variety bring stronger contrasts into focus. Here you would make areas that are clearly in shadow really dark.

11. Do not erase

Anyone who starts drawing and has a concrete image tends to erase too quickly and too much. You have to be able to stand it and leave lines, especially if your current skills are not sufficient to improve them. The call also applies here: Accept your mistakes.

De problemen met het gummen ontstaan meestal ook wanneer je je lijnen te hard hebt ingedrukt of een te zacht potlood hebt gebruikt. Beginners usually draw with pencils of HB strength, which corresponds to medium hardness and, depending on the brand, can be quite soft and dark. Sketches and preparatory drawings are best made with pencils of strength F and even better with hardness grades of H (as a beginner, low H values ​​such as H, H2 and H3 are sufficient - maximum H4).

Een ander probleem met gummen is gekreukt papier. Papier dat in huis wordt gebruikt (printerpapier, college-notitieboekjes) is slechts 80 g/m², dus erg dun,which also makes it wrinkle faster. Most drawing papers for hobbyists and students are slightly thicker (90 - 110 gsm). This is a particularly robust paper with a weight of over 110 g/m². Compared to conventional printer paper, these are considerably more expensive, but their purchase is worth it, because this creates a completely different painting feeling.

12. Don't compare yourself to others

A great motivator can be an unattainable role model. In general, it's good to find role models that you admire, that you can be inspired by, and that you might want to emulate.

But you have toRemember, especially when you're just starting out, that even your role models didn't learn to draw well overnight. Even the artists you admire sometimes take years to train their skills, gain knowledge and experience.

13.Drawing without hand pain

With writing instruments (fountain pens, ballpoint pens) people are used to holding the fingers of the pen as far down as possible, close to the paper. The pressure exerted on the pen, and therefore on the paper, is much greater than when you hold the pen higher. Logically, this makes your hand hurt more quickly.

Another disadvantage of holding the pen at the bottom of the barrel is that it blocks your own view of the paper. Ideally, the pen should rest loosely in the hand and the hand should span the entire length of the pen. The thumb and index finger should not be at the same height on the pencil, but the thumb should be slightly above it. For a little more precision when drawing, the thumb and index finger can be placed a little closer together.

To prevent you from dirtying your drawing with your hand, you can place a piece of paper under it or wear a special drawing glove.

14. Don't throw anything away!

Last but not least, a crucial beginner's tip: keep all your sketches and drawings - you can't throw ANYTHING away. Older photos are the only way to look back and see your progress. Older drawings can also be a good source of ideas.

Challenging yourself to redraw an older image every few years to see how your skills have improved over time is also a popular practice, especially on social media.

Additional tips from other artists

We asked some other cartoonists what tips they would give beginners:

1. Usagereference photos, even as a beginner - drawing subjects completely from memory slows down your drawing development enormously.
2. Tracing is okay, especially for beginners - it trains your fine motor skills and your sense of shapes, and it helps you see which lines are relevant to a motif and which you can leave out.
3. Acknowledge mistakes - just leave the eraser and continue drawing.