Manual drawing ability
We are born with the ability to draw, but we lose it as we grow up and get older. Many schools disregard manual drawing as unnecessary in the age of coding, digital art and devices that can do everything.
Sometimes, we lose our ability to draw when one compares their drawing with the best possible drawings on the internet and decides that they will never be able to do such a drawing. Therefore, it is easy to give up what did not even get a chance to unfold.
We forget that it is not what some internet sites will tell you: draw like a master in one day. For some unknown reason, it is believed that art does not take numerous hours of practicing and numerous attempts to improve our own results. Nobody becomes a master in one day.
Who can learn drawing?
Most people who have managed to learn manual writing shouldn’t have any problem with drawing also. In order to be able to just look at something and draw it, you must practice. It will not happen right away, and it will not happen on its own.
In fact, to acquire ability to draw, you must exercise your ability to see at first. If you want to see things artistically, you also need to know what to look for and what to pay attention to. We lose our ability to notice things, as well as our ability to maintain focus when we are always distracted by presence and interference of devises.
Don’t be perfectionist
Cravings for perfection can be irresistible; therefore, many people take credits for a drawing which they have simply traced from a photo or printout, reproduced on a larger scale using grid, display on a wall, or photo editing software. I would still suggest: learn manual drawing and don’t depend on devices. Be driven by just the desire to capture your subject.
Drawing is a base for any more or less realistic painting. Painting is drawing with a brush.
What is important when you start drawing?
Draw big: that is the most important part when starting drawing.
Choose big size paper. For beginners, 12 x 16 in (30.5 x 41 cm) is a good size, later go up to 20 x 24 in (51 x 61 cm) or create value drawings as big as your painting is. Even with smaller size paper, draw your subject large. Small things do not allow implementing much of what is important: values, shadows, direction of light and contrast.
In order to show something special that your subject has, you have to stay away from tiny things. Large drawing has also more impact. It is simply much more effective and noticeable.
Best subjects
The absolutely best way to learn about values, shadows, direction of light, contrast, size and shape relationships is starting with still life. Still life can consist of anything: your favorite things, toys, souvenirs, beauty products, food, fruit, vegetables, flowers, dishes, books, clothes, hats, gloves, glasses, interior items and so on. Use your imagination and set up something you like and find interesting.
Fragments of landscape are great. If you are a beginner, choose just a small part of a view.
Buildings and structures are one more extraordinary great thing to draw. They are everywhere, no need to stress out looking for something which is out of your reach. Add fences, fence posts, doors, steps, windows and so on. Perspective is a very important part of such drawings. It is nothing very difficult, but there are things you simply need to know.
Flowers are always easy to find and get, therefore they suit well as subject.
Portrait and figure drawing require a model. Model can be not always available. Reproducing photos does not really make one an artist who can draw human faces and figures, but as a learning exercise it is still fine.
How to start drawing?
We start with exploring our subject visually. We try to look at our subject at least 3 times longer every time than at our paper. Gradually, your hand will do what you want it to do.
At first, we mark up the space with approximate sizes and place approximate shapes.
Try not using eraser until you have established the main shapes and are about to define details.
We always go from abstract to definite and from distant to close, as well as from back to the front if it is a large piece or shows perspective.
Work simultaneously at all parts of drawing until every single part has obtained some definition. Step back and decide what’s to stay, what needs more work and what has to be erased. Clean up unnecessary lines, correct the wrong ones.
How to bring your drawing to a completion stage you want or need
Drawing serves many different purposes.
Drawing as a reminding sketch
Drawing as a reminding sketch is the simplest way to recall view, landscape or interesting detail. For such drawing, only the main lines, shapes and values will do.
Two point perspective drawing
Value drawing for transfer
I have many hundreds of large size value drawings and sketches. My models can sometimes go bad, such as fruit, vegetables or flowers. For watercolor, we do not want to damage the watercolor paper, and therefore, we improvise and test everything on another (preferably, half transparent) paper. When the subject is complex, or when the potential painting consists of many parts, or these parts must be aligned in a certain accurate way, for instance, in perspective drawing of buildings, street views or complex structures, value drawing is much better reference than any photography.
Such value drawings and sketches can be left unfinished because some parts do not need much work and you can do it directly in painting. We only define more these parts which might be difficult to remember due to unusual shadow play or shape and line relationship.
Drawing practice pieces
To create a quick manual drawing, does not take much time or effort. Focus on something interesting, rather fragment than the entire view or subject. We sometimes want to see whether some part of drawing or painting will work or not. Therefore, we do sketches and drawings of some parts only. That is simply a good practice also. Such drawing can be finished and worked out, or we can leave it at a sketch level.
My drawing of spring lilies for watercolor painting
Standalone drawing as art
Drawing as art which will be potentially framed and hang onto wall or placed in portfolio will require the most time. It will include all aspects of painting, plus line work, nice shadows, strong and zero values, and everything in the middle. It will have good contrast, interesting relationships between parts and more. We will use soft eraser and sometimes stump to spread out graphite dust and create smooth, even coverage of dark areas. We will also use different pencils with different softness grades.
My drawing for watercolor painting, many daffodils, see painting in other posts
My drawings
I usually don’t create just drawings because I probably love color too much. I have many value drawings and sketches, and some are really worked out quite well. I keep them in large 1 meter x 60 cm folders. I can always re-use whatever I like or consider suitable. My drawings are usually large and very large, attached images are up to 51 x 61 cm or 20 x 24 in and larger.
I don’t mind spending time on a manual drawing because that works like a plan for painting. While you draw, you can figure out all accents and contrasts, as well as see how and if your concept even works. I will eventually turn some drawings into paintings.
Any of these drawings might become paintings, this still life drawing is 22 x 29 inches ( 56 x 74 cm)
Everybody can draw
We can draw before we can speak. We can draw even if we cannot speak or express ourselves in writing. We can still draw and recreate memories when everything else is gone from our mind.
Research confirmed that people, who had lost big part of their cognitive function and memory, could clearly remember what they had been drawing many years ago: places, events, occasions and people. They test this at University of Waterloo,, Canada. Researchers also advise people to draw and paint their adventures and life experiences because they will never forget what they created artistically.
More: about drawing: Start drawing and sketching
Don’t wait: start manual drawing today! I simply would love that everybody experiences the huge pleasure we gain from simply drawing and sketching. Register for my art classes: Registration for art classes
What a nice informational post with encouragement and tips.
And I know that you love color – I smiled when I read that.
Thanks! I’ve frequently told just to do drawings as drawings and put them in frames, and I always want to keep doing something more and turn every drawing into painting in color. I was teaching quite a few private classes, and students seem to get everything much faster and better that way. perspective can be tricky if there is not much knowledge of angles and similar things, but the last girl (14) followed on the old house just fine.
Ps – typo
“Ho to bring” missing the w
(Just FYI )
No problem.
Thanks for the informative post! I especially liked “draw big” and I will try to use that tip!
Thanks for reading! I have given many thousands of art classes, so, I have seen how the first reaction to any subject is to draw it in some very tiny manner. That is a true sign of beginner, as well: drawing very small. Some people develop love to small size art and go that direction, but it is much easier, simpler and impressive to just draw and paint big. Unless one is interested in using magnifying glass.
I am sharing my observations from art classes, and the things I have pointed out usually matter when somebody wants to start doing art.
I will keep this in mind. Thank you 😊
You’re welcome and I know how that can seem not to be relevant. Due to display and speed purposes, most You Tube demos are done small or very small. Therefore, one might think, that is the main rule.
Wow I didn’t realize that!
That simply comes with many decades of experience. Therefore, it is great to learn something new every day, and that is creativity at work. Thanks again for reading and checking this out!
Great tips Inese. I especially liked your tip to draw big/large. When we begin or try art again, there can be fear. This gets expressed through constriction and drawing small. One way to work through that fear would be to start off BIG.
Thanks, Liz! My observations over 4 decades show that it is a beginner’s feature: to draw and paint small whether they have fear or not. It is probably because of lack of imagination at first and also people are frequently thinking that they should start on small papers and canvas and with not that good quality supplies, to see whether the investment is worth it. That is the reason also many people never get to experience what they could do if they used decent size surface and decent or even great quality supplies.
I think the fear thing is so overdone in North America. When I recall how we were doing arts 50 years ago in Latvia, Europe, I cannot remember anybody ever being afraid of anything.
To me personally, it is simply a strange thing to hear because I can understand how one can fear a surgery, moving to unknown place, even going to dentist or having an important job interview. With art, it is extra simple: just start over or adjust, nothing to lose, lots to gain.
Drawing small and painting small must be how we are seeing things in our mind. We also sometimes do not know how we could do the same thing very big or large.
Creativity is a place where we can safely leave any fears behind. Nobody is judging, nobody cares really. One cannot be too strict to themselves, just let the chips fall where they may.
Do you paint? If you do, I think you are on a larger scale.
Great Advice Inese, and loved when you said don’t be a perfectionist..
I am my own worst critic and my worst habit is self criticism regarding my own artwork..
Loved your tips.. and excellent drawings 🙂
Hope you are well and enjoying Summer.. <3
Love and Hugs your way <3
Thanks Sue! It’s nice to see you!
Well, we did not have spring, it seemed it was starting in May, but there is no sign of nice weather. All May was cold and rainy, and it continues this way so far. We are in range of +10-+15 Celsius. It was so dark, wet and windy today, that it felt again like March.
Drawings is what I have always been doing extra easy hence I started with drawing more than 50 years ago.
I love color and speed, that’s why watercolor and acrylic suit me better, yet, I do create a value drawing for every single large painting in its actual size. That is my map and plan of a painting.
I think many people nowadays suffer from a total lack of self-criticism. Too much of it isn’t good again, we shall keep this in balance,
I am glad you think my tips are useful. They come from many decades of observing how people draw and paint. I want to make things easier for them.
I’m updating my art website, I haven’t posted much on https://inesepogalifeschool.com/ and I am moving again in 2 weeks. Thankfully it is a very close move.
Good luck with your move Inese. And take care. I hope your weather improves very soon. 💖
It was nice today, it is much nicer.
I am slowly packing up and rushing whatever else I can manage.
Talk to you some time again and, hopefully, the rush is over by then!
Take care while rushing!! <3
Thanks, I do! Just started to sort everything.
I have nominated you for the sunshine blogger award. Do not feel obligated to play along (it does take some time.) I just wanted to stop by and tell you how much I enjoy your blog! https://wordpress.com/view/midnightharmony.com
Thanks, that’s nice! I haven’t found a place where to put a note that this is award-free blog. It is great, I just simply do not have time for following up the requirements to accept the nomination. I am moving in 2 weeks, packing and trying to set up the summer classes schedule, as well as publish it. Thanks again, but, unfortunately, I cannot accept the nomination.
Our 6 year old grandson loves to draw, and I’m edging myself toward doing some with him, so really loved this article! Have followed u on Twitter ( @FelipeAdanLerma ) + pin a few of ur images to Pinterest! 😊
Thank you, Felipe! I am glad to hear that this and maybe some other articles are helpful and make it easier to get started with drawing and painting! I appreciate follows. I’m just rarely on Twitter except that I post automated posts. It’s great and good luck with drawing and painting! Your son will learn more and more and eventually draw and paint like a master!
Thank u, Ineso – based on his interest in it, long as it’s nurtured (and it will) I think you’re right, he do better & better. It’s funny your articles mention using larger tablets & we just saw some at an art store yesterday, might be the perfect little present 🎁 for him 😊
Everybody becomes better over time. When I was a kid, nobody actually told me to draw or paint. I would just go outside in the garden or sit on a sidewalk and draw whatever there was: buildings, plants, trees, flowers, etc. I was also drawing my sister and her friends. I think the desire to create has to come from the inside, but it is nice to facilitate any talent. I didn’t have any good drawing papers, so, I just used anything, even wrapping paper or white spaces of my text books.
Kids are so lucky nowadays because we have numerous art supplies which make creation of art easier.
I don’t use tablet. For manual drawing, I use simply drawing paper and for transfer drawings which are intended to be painted I use tracing paper. I transfer the drawing on canvas or watercolor paper later.
Using big paper and drawing big subjects is very beneficial because you cannot show much on a tiny paper and on a tiny subject. I am talking about values, contrasts and direction of light, as well as shadows.
You were/are a natural! I hadn’t even ever thought about creating a drawing, then using it to transfer to a canvas! Thank u so much 😊
I certainly come up with ideas as I go. I usually chose the simplest and easiest way for anything.
Ahhhaha, I “try” to, sometimes thinking I found a simpler easier way, then end up on a long detour, lol 😂 – but that’s creativity! A journey into morphing possibilities! ❤️
Well, I am sort of sure when I modify some process, I’ve been many decades into art. Creativity certainly involves experiments and not every of them is perfect which is ok.
“not every of them is perfect which is ok” – so very true ❤️
We just have to try and see what happens.