Hello

Hi

Im Kev and im looking to learn how to draw. Im 31 and live in the North East of UK. Im just trying to find some ideas of what to start off drawing. Something that isnt too difficult..but will look ok when finished.

I've had a quick look around the forum and there are some amazingly talented artists here. I hope I can learn some things from you as im an absolute novice.

Hi to everybody anyways.

Im just trying to find some ideas of what to start off drawing. Something that isnt too difficult..but will look ok when finished.

If you've got a ruler I'm told squares and rectangles aren't too difficult...

lol ^ Is there anybody here who will teach me to draw?

I'm absolutely amazed at some of the drawings here. Is it natural talent..or can it be learned? I cant even work out how it's possible to draw to the standard that i've seen on this site...?

lol ^ Is there anybody here who will teach me to draw?

I'm absolutely amazed at some of the drawings here. Is it natural talent..or can it be learned? I cant even work out how it's possible to draw to the standard that i've seen on this site...?

The way you learn to draw is by trial and error and lots of hard work. The way this forum helps is that when you post your drawings you get input from people who see your art differently, and a lot of the time they see areas where you can improve that you don't.

As for the talent part of that comment... no one's first drawing is great. I think talent really only comes into play when you look at the best artists. The difference in talent is what separates good artists from great artists. But great artists don't get to where they are without hard work.

Hi thanks for that.

I only have an HB pencil and printer paper lol. Is there like a beginner set of pencils, stationary and paper I can order online? Also..how do people shade so brilliantly? Other than trial and error..they must have read tuts..?

I only have one drawing and it's of a celeb. It's not very good at all..and it's not shaded. I havent drew since school and im now 31..but I want to start learning. Im a little embarrassed to post this drawing amongst such great work..could I pm you it and see if you recognize her? I dont have a scanner..and I had to take a shot with my webcam.

If you recognize her I might be brave enough to post it. I dont want to do anything else with it..because I dont know how lol. I think I just want to move on and learn now.

Practice! practice! practice!

I only have an HB pencil and printer paper lol. Is there like a beginner set of pencils, stationary and paper I can order online? Also..how do people shade so brilliantly? Other than trial and error..they must have read tuts..?

Go to your local art or stationary store and pick up a set of 12 pencils. They usually come in a set with 2H-8B. Any brand will do. For paper you want something of decent quality (not printer paper!) you can work with but you probably won't want to go expensive for your first 10-20 drawings as there will be huge improvement and I don't really see the point in spending big bucks on drawings you'll be looking back on and thinking "Wow, I was really terrible!" in a few months. Again, your local art store is the best place to go. I'm sure you've got a lot of brands over there in the UK they don't have here in Canada. That being said, Strathmore seems to be the most universally used brand.

I only have one drawing and it's of a celeb. It's not very good at all..and it's not shaded. Im a little embarrassed to post this drawing amongst such great work..could I pm you it and see if you recognize her? I dont have a scanner..and I had to take a shot with my webcam.

If you recognize her I might be brave enough to post it. I dont want to do anything else with it..because I dont know how lol. I think I just want to move on and learn now.

I was pretty terrible when I first joined too. The best way to improve is to post your drawings, have them critiqued, and work to improve with each drawing. PM me with it if you want, but I think posting it would be a better option because you'll get advice from multiple people instead of just one. We're not a group of elitists here... there are lots of beginners and people who think they're great but are actually crap too. Don't worry, your work, no matter how bad it might be, will not stand out as being sub-par.

Also..how do people shade so brilliantly? Other than trial and error..they must have read tuts..?

I simply use Q-Tips to blend, no matter the shade or amount of area being blended, and I use a kneaded eraser to highlight.
What I've learned is that you have to be able to detect slight changes in the shade of what your drawing.
When you capture these tiny, minuscule details, the essence of the person's personality shines through, and it's really a neat thing to work tediously at getting every detail right, and then stepping back and going, "Wow, that looks JUST like -insert name here- !"
Another thing, there are no harsh, straight lines on a person's face in real life; every crease, fold, and shape of the skin is actually a combination of shade and light - never, EVER a line. What I'm saying, for example, is that instead of drawing a "2-D" straight line for the eyelid, draw a "3-D" flap of skin that actually has thickness to it.
Also, when I draw portraits, I always edit the picture to make it black and white; my brain processes the slight changes of light and dark a lot easier that way, instead of it having to transition from color to black-and-white.
I hope this helped!
Good luck to you.


P.S. - I only use 5 items when I draw a portrait: a kneaded eraser, white plastic eraser, a regular #2 pencil, Q-Tips, and of course, paper.

Aviator,Hi mate,good advice you've been given here,you can buy decent cheap pencils at places like Wilkinsons for as little as a £1 for a packet,and fairly good paper.Obviously as you get better so will your tools,try and get as many grades of shade as you can it will make it easier.Make sure you draw what you see and not what you think is there.Children are taught to heavy outline pictures to accentuate-artists shade.I would also recommend that you grid.