Are you a beginner artist..?
Would you wish to get past the beginning stage “discomfiture” so that you can really enjoy the sketching process..?
Well, you don’t need to draw perfect lines or shapes to be an artist! If you can just make a mark on a paper, and have the willingness to practice the most fundamental guidelines listed here, you can definitely learn how to sketch, and produce more successful drawings in the future.
So, enjoy!
1. Get To Know Your Tools Well
During our school days, drawing materials were not a that big issue for us. Perhaps, an ordinary pencil on a piece of notebook paper would “do the trick”! But now, as you aspire to be a professional artist, the materials and tools you choose are quite mattering.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to explore diverse art supplies from various art supplies providers and arrive at your own favorites
However, for a beginner, we’ll recommend…
- Different pencil grades (may be H, HB, 2B, and 6-8B)
Need more help selecting your first set of drawing pencils? Read our previous article “Which Pencils Are Best For Sketching On Canvas?”!
- Drawing/sketching paper/sketchbook/canvas board/canvas panel
In terms of canvases, it’s useful to read “Canvas: How To Choose The Right One For Your Artwork” before choosing one. - Soft rubber graphite eraser
- Basic metallic sharpener
- Kneaded eraser
2. Hold Your Pencil Perfectly
When it comes to sketching, many different ways are there to hold a pencil, and the fact is that there isn’t necessarily one that is significantly “better” than the other. It depends on what you find most comfortable during the sketching process.
Throughout the drawing process, you will usually switch between various hand positions and grips. However, generally, you will have to position your hand a bit away from your pencil tip. You should also move not only your wrist but also your entire arm as you draw.
And more importantly, try to relax and draw loosely! Always start gently and lightly, and slowly move on to darker values as you refine your sketch.
3. Start With Large, and Forget About Details!
While starting out drawing, most of us will wish to get into the details first and spend hours and hours working on it only to find out that it looks off at the end.
But this is not good. Yes, we are very serious!
You should always begin with the basic shapes. Draw these lightly; no worries if those lines are moving in weird ways. For a beginner, that’s absolutely fine! Now, find sections that need alterations, and sketch that portion until you get nearer to the desired outcomes. You may add more details like textures, shadows, or anything of the sort as you go!
4. Don’t Let It Smudge
Smudging is common while working with a pencil or charcoal pen
However, there are numerous ways you can avoid it; wearing a glove is presumably the most generally used one.
And if you are worried about the stains on your glove getting transferred to the artist canvas, then it’s better to place a white paper on top of your drawing and start sketching with your hand on top of that paper.
5. Blend It Out!
Blending out your sketch is not set in stone, but it has its own appeal for adding shade to your artwork!
The usual method is to blend the required area of your picture with your finger, but chances are high for it to get smudge and ruin the original details of the sketch. So, it’s best to use a shading tool and add the shade you want in a specific area.
So, we are done with most of the vital sketching tips for a beginner artist; Last, but not least, we would like to say something more – “getting into the habit of sketching daily” and moving towards more advanced forms of artwork, is the most significant step towards honing your art skills.
We do make excuses often, telling we don’t have enough time. However, it’s a matter of reminding ourselves of getting our priorities straight and setting aside the time for drawing.
We hope you’ll do that, and progress remarkably when we are back with a new article!