10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Drawing Skills

Do you remember a time when you could create any masterpiece with a crayon or colored pencil? We were confident and up for any challenge. As we grew in our skill, we may have started looking at our art with a critical eye. But, that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. We’ve compiled a list of 10 easy ways to improve your drawing skills to help get you started.

Doodle

The great thing about doodling is you don’t need a plan. There aren’t any rules so grab your favorite creative tool and free draw whatever comes to mind.

Draw Everyday Objects

Wherever you are, stop and look around you. What do you see? Most likely you’ll find a few familiar items. Try starting with something simple like a paintbrush, a book, or a bottle. See the object in a new way, noticing every detail like reflections and shadows.

Draw. Rinse. Repeat.

We received a great tip from artist Tiffany Dow on how to improve skills when rendering facial features. Tiffany suggests practice drawing the same object over and over. By narrowing your focus on one aspect of your drawing, you will see faster improvement.

Find Inspiration In Nature

One of the most accessible subjects in art is nature. Flora, fauna, and flowers feature in many of the worlds most famous works of art. You can find inspiration on the internet or take a walk. The inspiration you’re looking for might even be found in a tiny plant growing on your windowsill.

Draw Repeat Patterns

Have you ever taken a yoga class where you get into a flow of repeating the same poses over and over and suddenly it’s a bit easier? You can apply the same practice in drawing. Try a combination of shapes, squiggles, and lines. Once you’re comfortable with a simple design, add more elements to create complex patterns, such as mandalas.

The Human Form

So maybe stick figures are your thing but imagine a stick figure with a very realistic looking hand. Cool right? Or maybe that’s creepy. Whatever your skill level, drawing the human form (often referred to as “Life drawing”) can offer you a whole world of complexities and challenges. Whether you’re looking to learn to draw the body as a whole or focus on specific areas like hands, eyes, or the perfect mustache  – this is worth trying.

Keep A Journal

Keeping a journal or notebook with you means you’ll be able to draw when inspiration strikes. A journal is a great tool for tracking your progress, practicing and seeing how your art may have changed over time. Many artists will create new designs from older works.

Draw Shapes

Shapes were some of the earliest objects we may have learned to draw. Lining up the points on a triangle and adding stars to the crayon-ed sky felt like real success as a child. We can take this a step further by combining different shapes to create more complicated drawings. Check out how the Art Tutor uses basic shapes to create a flamingo.

Continuous Line Drawing

A continuous line drawing is a single, unbroken line used to create your design. Originally this was developed as an exercise to support hand-eye coordination and to help boost observation skills. If you haven’t tried this before, consider starting with a simple idea and work up to more complex designs. Many continuous line drawings have resulted in amazing finished works of art.

Practice

Finding time to draw can be a challenge. If you’re having difficulty creating some space in your busy day, set a reminder for a time when you’re less busy or, better yet, schedule dedicated time on your calendar.

Did you find these tips helpful? If you’d like to see more, check out what otherRedbubble artists suggest. Share your own tips in the comments below..