# How did you learn to draw?



## Zuranis (Apr 14, 2013)

So I was looking for a new hobby that consume some of the many free hours I get during the day - most days. All my life I've had a complete inability to draw, although I think it was down to sheer laziness and lack of interest on my part. I thought to myself that I should at least try to improve my drawing skills as I may need them later in life (college/university courses and stuff). My question is, how did you learn how to draw?

First of all, this *isn't *an advice thread, if it was, I'd post it somewhere else. I'm just curious.

And by the aforementioned question, I mean was there a specific book that taught you how to draw? Did you get lessons? Did you learn all by yourself?
Don't be shy!


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## Ansitru (Apr 14, 2013)

It's funny how everybody keeps asking this same question as it always comes down to one word: *practice*.


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## Zuranis (Apr 14, 2013)

Ansitru said:


> It's funny how everybody keeps asking this same question as it always comes down to one word: *practice*.


Should have mentioned this in the first post, but I meant besides practice. (God I sound stupid.)
For example, when I learned to write the way I do today, I got a lot of inspiration from authors such as JRR Tolkien and Richard Adams. Of course I practised, though.

Of course I understand that is the only way that you can actually improve your art skills. But I'm asking from the point of view of someone who's curious. I'm not gonna start drawing shitty pictures, sticking them on FA and start becoming some kind of pretentious artist.


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## Zenia (Apr 14, 2013)

Magic gremlins crawled out of the heating vents and zapped me with their talent ray.

Actually, I just started drawing and didn't give up when I knew that I sucked, unlike my sister. I was always looking at art galleries online (like from Aimee Major and Aurore Black Cat) and would try drawing things their way and incorporating things I liked into my own art... or trying to at least.


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## Kalmor (Apr 14, 2013)

I'm pretty sure most people's answer to the title is "I started drawing, and kept doing it".


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## Zuranis (Apr 14, 2013)

Raptros said:


> I'm pretty sure most people's answer to the title is "I started drawing, and kept doing it".


That was my thought immediately after posting.


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## QT Melon (Apr 14, 2013)

Hello Zuranis,

I think these questions are amusing. I learned to draw the same way I did anything I took an interest in. I kept going even if the results were not great. Like many primates (since that is what humans are) at first I copied what I thought I liked. Usually if you see something successful, we're somewhat wired to try to repeat the success. However, the difference is that art we have our own personal goals and preferences after a while. So I had to learn why the piece was successful instead of copying the "how the piece was successful". 

I took time and researched, and I have to learn how to construct it, what our perceptions are and to move away from symbolism. 

What do I mean by symbolism?

Ask everyone to draw a pear, without looking at a real one one. Most of us will draw a symbolic representation. Symbols that we think of are Pedestrian crossing signs, where pictograms of people aren't actually real people, but how we associate them as one.

I did learn from teachers and online materials, but I had to put it into practice. The person who taught it usually had practiced it enough where it was second nature. I would still have to learn.

So quite simply, you learn by drawing, by simply drawing and continuing.


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## Aleu (Apr 14, 2013)

I'm pretty sure the OP means how/what did you use to practice because no fucking shit it takes practice. God damn it's like artists either abhor in-depth discussions or just want to further the snooty stereotype.

ANYWAY:
I had a combination of classes and books. Mainly the classes were from high school so it's just basic stuff. Shading, drawing bottles or fruit or other random shit. I also had an obsession with drawing cover art of movies I liked.
Since now I don't have classes and don't really have the time for them, I gotta teach myself somehow. Books, internet references though I prefer books since my eyes are shit enough without staring at a computer screen trying to focus on something. I might go out into the field once or twice to draw random stuff but there's...not anything that's worth drawing aside from stuff downtown but...er yeah I'll pass on that.


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## Arshes Nei (Apr 14, 2013)

Aleu said:


> I'm pretty sure the OP means how/what did you use to practice because no fucking shit it takes practice. God damn it's like artists either abhor in-depth discussions or just want to further the snooty stereotype.



That or the question is too open ended and vague.

Other than practice, books/learning materials and instructors exactly how else do you learn?

I don't think the intent was being snobby, but sometimes you kinda have to realize the obvious. If the question is about how do you learn it's by doing. There's a lot of questions people ask but you have to kinda well just do it.


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 14, 2013)

I don't really have any explanation other than "lol I just drew more and more shit".

Piles of practise, oodles of observation.


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## Rheumatism (Apr 14, 2013)

I never did learn.  8I


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## Zuranis (Apr 14, 2013)

Aleu said:


> I'm pretty sure the OP means how/what did you use to practice because no fucking shit it takes practice. God damn it's like artists either abhor in-depth discussions or just want to further the snooty stereotype.
> 
> ANYWAY:
> I had a combination of classes and books. Mainly the classes were from high school so it's just basic stuff. Shading, drawing bottles or fruit or other random shit. I also had an obsession with drawing cover art of movies I liked.
> Since now I don't have classes and don't really have the time for them, I gotta teach myself somehow. Books, internet references though I prefer books since my eyes are shit enough without staring at a computer screen trying to focus on something. I might go out into the field once or twice to draw random stuff but there's...not anything that's worth drawing aside from stuff downtown but...er yeah I'll pass on that.



*Yes, that is actually what I meant I was just too much of a dumb prick to ask outright.
*Also, thanks for the feedback.


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## Hewge (Apr 14, 2013)

I checked out a lot of art books, like basic cartooning books and just beginner drawing things. But it's mostly just keep drawing crud until it stops looking like crud...

"Crud, crud, crud, crud, crud, crud... oh my gosh. I drew that? It's alright, I guess."


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## FireFeathers (Apr 14, 2013)

I loved cars, so I used to find interesting car pictures and try to replicate the shapes and forms- I got a few crappy how-to books here and there, and then got spurred on to try figures after watching Anime- so a kaleidoscope of crap got me into it pretty much, lol.


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## JerryFoxcoon (Apr 14, 2013)

I always drew from as far as I can remember (and probably did even before!). From all the things I drew I only have like 5% left today. But I just couldn't stop drawing things. At home, in my school's notebooks, everywhere. I remember I had no issue understand basic geometry in primary school and I figured out basic perspective before other kids of my age did. Many of my teachers told me my laziness ruined what I could possibly make artistic wise. I only start to fix this xD

Since a few years I take the whole art thing much more seriously, but before that time I figured things out as needed (i.e. how to draw a particular position or angle). But yeah, basically I drew tons and tons of things, and I still need to draw as much today xD


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## Aleu (Apr 14, 2013)

Zuranis said:


> So I was looking for a new hobby that consume some of the many free hours I get during the day - most days. All my life I've had a complete inability to draw, although I think it was down to sheer laziness and lack of interest on my part. I thought to myself that I should at least try to improve my drawing skills as I may need them later in life (college/university courses and stuff). My question is, how did you learn how to draw?
> 
> First of all, this *isn't *an advice thread, if it was, I'd post it somewhere else. I'm just curious.
> 
> ...





Arshes Nei said:


> That or the question is too open ended and vague.
> 
> Other than practice, books/learning materials and instructors exactly how else do you learn?
> 
> I don't think the intent was being snobby, but sometimes you kinda have to realize the obvious. If the question is about how do you learn it's by doing. There's a lot of questions people ask but you have to kinda well just do it.



Oh  my, yes, how vague.

If you don't bother to read.


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## TigerBeacon (Apr 15, 2013)

I remember when I had no idea how to draw stuff and my mom drew a frog for my homework (in kindergarden I think) and it was a damn nice-looking frog. I believe that was one of the biggest inspirations for me to attempt to try drawing, aside from the Sonic comic books my friend showed me and the coloring books my mom bought. I just ended up drawing without pretense to how good or bad it was- I just liked being able to create something and put my ideas down. Once I started getting better, I went to pursue those 'How to draw' books, taking their advice and methods and applying it. All through my high school and college life I drew a lot more than actually paid attention to class, having pages upon pages of doodles int he back of my notebooks, not with the intent of getting better or anything, but because they were far more interesting that whatever teachers were droning (and helped me not fall asleep all the time). 

Now that I'm out of school, most of my motivation to draw comes from finding artists with similar interests. That came in the form of DA, where I found such people as Endling who made spectacular character art that I always wanted to do someday, and I always ended up comparing my things to them, studying and trying to understand how they made a particular effect or drew it this way that didn't make a character look so stiff. Of course, people are going to tell you the first thing you should learn is realism, proper anatomy, etc,...but when you spend your time drawing cartoons, you don't tend to take that stuff seriously, so I ignored most of that advice until years later, when I finally reached a point where I felt I could make it a profession out of my passion and finally started taking seriously building my skills. So it wasn't all work and seriousness (technically still isn't for me) until I decided to commit to it.

So...there ya go.


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## Taralack (Apr 15, 2013)

Zuranis said:


> And by the aforementioned question, I mean was there a specific book that taught you how to draw? Did you get lessons? Did you learn all by yourself?



I've been drawing ever since a wee kiddie. I vaguely remember drawing lots of TLK-like lions, and plenty of dinosaurs. And once I found Digimon, lots of them. I was actually a really repressed artist until my teenage years, my parents didn't really like me drawing in the margins of my textbooks, but my grandmother bought all my art supplies. Way back when I was an art scrub I used to LOVE shit like How to draw manga. One of my favourite how to books was Freaks! by Brett Booth, it was what kickstarted my furry art. 

I didn't get any formal "art lessons" per se, I don't really count high school level art classes as art lessons. A lot of what I know has been self taught, and I do sometimes feel the inferiority complex when compared to someone who can do amazing life drawings. But eh, it's a constant learning process.


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## ursiphiliac (Apr 15, 2013)

Confucius say: _I have not!_


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 15, 2013)

Toraneko said:


> I've been drawing ever since a wee kiddie. I vaguely remember drawing lots of TLK-like lions, and plenty of dinosaurs. And once I found Digimon, lots of them. I was actually a really repressed artist until my teenage years, my parents didn't really like me drawing in the margins of my textbooks.



I'm actually quite similar here, I used to doodle a god damn lot. Though I never gave a shit about drawing "properly" until I was like 16-17.

Quite the mistake, I reckon.


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## Arshes Nei (Apr 15, 2013)

Aleu said:


> Oh  my, yes, how vague.
> 
> If you don't bother to read.



Hey Aleu, quit with the bitter beer face already. It still is vague. Go Draw instead of argue. 


There generally isn't a a specific book that teaches you how to draw, you're going to get more than one. *You're always learning since art is multi-tiered.* Unless you're a hack and think one book will teach you all. It's not an advice thread. Most will tell you that there's more than one. Sorry. Why is more interesting than "how" because how is the same, books, watching others, instructions/instructors and practice. If you're using a book/video/other instructional materials you're still "taught" just not one on one/face to face. 

Kids drew before there were how to draw books, or could even read. So the important question is what kept you going, or why did return to drawing?



Gibby said:


> I'm actually quite similar here, I used to doodle a god damn lot. Though I never gave a shit about drawing "properly" until I was like 16-17.
> 
> Quite the mistake, I reckon.



I don't know why it is a mistake. Art isn't an age specific process, where like if you come back at an older age you won't be able to learn. I've people become more serious in their late 20's or older and become pros. http://www.painterly.co.uk/v_gallery.php?g=0 If I remember correctly Simon got serious again in his older years, like 30 or so.


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 15, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> I don't know why it is a mistake. Art isn't an age specific process, where like if you come back at an older age you won't be able to learn. I've people become more serious in their late 20's or older and become pros. http://www.painterly.co.uk/v_gallery.php?g=0 If I remember correctly Simon got serious again in his older years, like 30 or so.



Oh no, I don't mean it that way, what I'm saying is if I started at an earlier age with seriousness I'd probably be doing pretty well for myself right around now where I would enjoy having the skill much more. Or something to that effect.

Though it is inspiring to hear about people who start at older ages rather than younger!


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## Arshes Nei (Apr 15, 2013)

Gibby said:


> Oh no, I don't mean it that way, what I'm saying is if I started at an earlier age with seriousness I'd probably be doing pretty well for myself right around now where I would enjoy having the skill much more. Or something to that effect.
> 
> Though it is inspiring to hear about people who start at older ages rather than younger!



Tis cool. I noticed that when people start older they tend to get better with diverse subjects because of experiencing a bigger visual library.Kids tend to depend more on pop culture to draw. When you get older you are more likely to research culture and history. Look at the influences in Avatar the Last Airbender and Kung Fu Panda.


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## mapdark (Apr 15, 2013)

It might sound dickish or vague to some people , but the real answer really IS "practice" . 

There's no magical formula to get you to draw better.
Asking each and every one of the artists on the whole planet will get you distinct individual answers. 

Some will do books , some won't do them at all. Some will be able to understand form and anatomy much faster than others, but there isn't any real easy way to do it.

I tried to do How to draw books , then had to UNLEARN them when I realised the anatomy they showed was completely wrong (Thanks Chris Hart for delaying my artistic development)
It was only when I started to draw from references and life that I sorta kinda started getting better.

But this might not be true for everybody!


So in the end the only actual answer that an artist can give you IS to practice. Because by practicing , you will develop techniques and learning processes by yourself that work FOR YOU.


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 15, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> Tis cool. I noticed that when people start older they tend to get better with diverse subjects because of experiencing a bigger visual library.Kids tend to depend more on pop culture to draw. When you get older you are more likely to research culture and history. Look at the influences in Avatar the Last Airbender and Kung Fu Panda.



Yeah, taking on that kind of real-world influence really does lead to interesting results. Interesting subject matter, too.



mapdark said:


> (Thanks Chris Hart for delaying my artistic development)



I made the mistake of buying some of his books. Thankfully they now serve as a reference for what not to do.

I have Betty Edward's book, one or two of Jack Hamm's books, two volumes of _Drawn to Life_ by Walt Stanchfield, a book by Preston Blair, and another book by Tom Bancroft that I picked up out of interest - it's about character design. 

I haven't heard anyone's opinion on Tom Bancroft, though. If anyone here knows him.


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## FireFeathers (Apr 15, 2013)

Gibby said:


> I'm actually quite similar here, I used to doodle a god damn lot. Though I never gave a shit about drawing "properly" until I was like 16-17.
> 
> Quite the mistake, I reckon.




Likewise, except I didn't start until I was 19. Ain't no thaaang, baby.


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## Arshes Nei (Apr 15, 2013)

I like Tom Bancroft's books. I like his first one in particular. But I think you will still need more books to learn.  I may have posted Bancroft's book in the art book thread. Tom also invites input from other artists which makes it a bit more unique than just how to draw. He has an assignment in his book and you see how other artists approach it. I think the Characters with Personality is a good addition to an artist's library. Character Mentor is pretty good too. After that it is kinda milking it.


On the topic of expanding horizons, I don't think I would have learned more art history till someone said find out what other artists are influenced by instead of just copying them. Craig Mullins is a John Singer Sergeant fan, CLAMP the all girls manga group had a lot of Alphonse Mucha influence. Elfen Lied has a lot of Gustav Klimt in the credits.


Even Frank Frazetta had some interesting influences
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/05/missing-lecomte.html


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 15, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> I like Tom Bancroft's books. I like his first one in particular. But I think you will still need more books to learn.  I may have posted Bancroft's book in the art book thread. Tom also invites input from other artists which makes it a bit more unique than just how to draw. He has an assignment in his book and you see how other artists approach it. I think the Characters with Personality is a good addition to an artist's library. Character Mentor is pretty good too. After that it is kinda milking it.



Characters with Personality is the book I have! I really like it as it isn't a load of "how-to" step-by-step bull like so many other related books I find and it's quite insightful when it comes to cartoonish stuff and character design in itself. Though I still have yet to properly work through one of Loomis' books and get my hands on a decent anatomy book. So many to choose from. ;-;

So for now I'm trying to make use of reference, really.


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## Arshes Nei (Apr 15, 2013)

You might like Gottfried Bammes or Michael Hampton's book. Bammes is very thorough but might be considered crude.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1844486907/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1366047711&sr=8-1&pi=SL75


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 15, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> You might like Gottfried Bammes or Michael Hampton's book. Bammes is very thorough but might be considered crude.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1844486907/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1366047711&sr=8-1&pi=SL75



Thanks for the recommendation! c: 

I'm going to look into both of those and probably pick one from Amazon~


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## Panda-mist (Apr 16, 2013)

As a kid I sometimes drew stick people and crappy shaped animals, but nothing serious. When I turned 14 one day I saw a popular artist on Neopets and was really inspired by her, and thanks to her, I took the first long steps towards my artistic journey. I drew her Neopet characters very badly, copying her anime style and everything, and for several years following, drew everything badly in anime style, improving very slowly. When I was 18 I realized I wanted to do art professionally eventually, so started getting serious about it. 

I learn by not just practicing, but learning from my mistakes, reading tutorials, reading books I've bought, drawing from references, asking for critique, and trying to do art often.


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## zhuria (Apr 16, 2013)

I was about to reply "I didn't" but that wouldn't be true...
I did learn to draw even when I still have A LOT to learn.
Let's see, 5+ years of trying to imitate anime/ popular furry art, 1+ year of drawing people from photos and reading some books, 6+ months of doing life drawings and learning basic shapes, and I improved more in those 6 months of life drawing than the previous 5 years of imitating.
So, I learnt by getting back to the basic shapes and practicing till I could...


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## Heliophobic (May 7, 2013)

I taught myself.

I like to practice by drawing at the most one thing every two years.


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## Grimfang999 (May 7, 2013)

Im learning right now but find the "Start a drawing with shapes" thing a load of rubbish. I find it a lot easier to learn a notable feature of the thing Im drawing then branch off from there (For example, if drawing an animal, start with the nose, which provides the proportions for everything else). However I am only a few days into learning, but it seems to have worked extremely well so far. I would show you a very good example of what I mean... if the internet wasnt being dicksauce right now.


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## Arshes Nei (May 7, 2013)

Grimfang999 said:


> Im learning right now but find the "Start a drawing with shapes" thing a load of rubbish. I find it a lot easier to learn a notable feature of the thing Im drawing then branch off from there (For example, if drawing an animal, start with the nose, which provides the proportions for everything else). However I am only a few days into learning, but it seems to have worked extremely well so far. I would show you a very good example of what I mean... if the internet wasnt being dicksauce right now.




Seeing is believing


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## Kangamutt (May 7, 2013)

A lot of my learning up until after high school has been pretty much self-taught, and taking little bits and pieces from how-to books and just applying it to my own stuff. One thing I definitely remember was a how-to section from the comic magazine Wizard called Brutes and Babes, and the one issue I had was spotlighting body proportions. I went with it and drew a character with their method. MIND=BLOWN. I was maybe 11 at the time.


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## Tigercougar (May 7, 2013)

Think of idea, get urge to draw it, draw it. Repeat til death.


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## Mint Chip (May 13, 2013)

According to my mom as soon as I could hold a crayon/pencil I was drawing. In my baby book, it has a date and time from when I was 1 an they recognized I was drawing a dog. lol I don't recall not drawing, I think I was drawing before I was walking XD


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## Catilda Lily (May 13, 2013)

I learned more about drawing body shapes while I was in a class for costume design. I at least have a basic idea of how a body should look. Other than that, yeah, just keep practicing, take some classes that are a little different than just basic drawing classes.


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## CatterHatter (May 15, 2013)

I started out drawing, but from an early age it tended to be abstract, surreal, and things from my dreams. They never made sense; even to me most of the time. I also found I could draw animals or things so long as they had many lines, but the more organic and line-less it was the more trouble I had. Yet if it was a non-representational organic it came easy to me and took over the page. I also found myself drawing many beings that were humanoid but had strange features or extra body parts like horns and tails, these being the only representational things I drew.

In grade school I took this as an interest in art and took art classes. I found, through the teachers, art of M.C. Escher and Van Gogh; identifying with their surreal depictions and their differing styles. I also read a lot of books and enjoyed every sort of illustration that gave the books more character and fed the imagination just as much as the words. So I started drawing characters that popped up in my head along with stories to give them lives to live. I would rarely follow teacher's projects to a T, but they appreciated my drive to make art. I drew some animals and bugs with surprising accuracy. No one taught me these things. I just simply looked and drew. Also, no How-to-draw books. I just needed a teacher to give me projects and keep me active as well as focused on one task. As well as establishing a good foundation for making art and the elements it is composed of.

In college, I took a life drawing class, and even though my grades were decent, I had trouble drawing the human figure; always pressing the body into showing too unrealistic angles or emphasizing characteristics with hard line and non-existent soft shading. It seems like I wanted people to be concepts instead of what I was looking at. Oddly I stubbornly used hatching and cross-hatching only sparingly, those techniques being one of my best fixes on use of line and shading both. I did find work in charcoal to be greatly expressive and did some decent, and more realistic, pieces in it since it was easier for me to express the organic nature of the body. Still-life had less troublesome aspects even though I have never been photo-realistic in that aspect. 

These days I just need to go back to my roots. Both in the surreal to abstract origins, but also in realistic studies and observations. I had a spurt in making some anatomy and representational improvements, but lately I am just developing concepts or brainstorming and not learning and improving as I should be. I'm going to make some observational art in the near future.


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## Zabrina (May 28, 2013)

In my younger years I'd sit there and draw emo cats all day.


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## bulbabenz (May 29, 2013)

I start to drawing because just my thought that "It's easy and well worth". I try draw my own manga with no plot in my notebook. I see my approve from time to time, just draw for enjoy, draw what I think, what I concern and not care of others word or result.

Then I concern about the story, plus with love of RPG game, I redraw whole story once again and the result...it's nearby fiction things, full of conversation and describe words lol.

End up with this moment, I recognize that what I drew gives me writing skill instead. My drawing skill raise up significantly after I try focus on drawing in Photoshop but the things goes uneasy cause by myself think too much then don't done it. Many things pass out my concentration at this field.


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## Schwimmwagen (Jun 4, 2013)

I have received a copy of Gottfried Bammes' _Complete Guide to Life Drawing_.

Jesus Christ, he doesn't half make it look like a complex affair. I'm only at the beginning and it already looks like an engineer's manual.

Well I got Michael Hampton's book on the way...

Edit: Yeah I had a look at some scans on that book (Figure Drawing: Design and Invention) and it looks remarkably... _easier_. I'll have to come back to the other book at a later date.


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## Arshes Nei (Jun 4, 2013)

Gibby said:


> I have received a copy of Gottfried Bammes' _Complete Guide to Life Drawing_.
> 
> Jesus Christ, he doesn't half make it look like a complex affair. I'm only at the beginning and it already looks like an engineer's manual.
> 
> ...



I wasn't kidding when I said he was thorough. Basically if you look at what is going on in the chapters, he's doing certain things to break it down. Like the first chapters  are about proportions and how to utilize it. Then you see him making you paint them in different ways. Then when he is doing constructive anatomy it helps because I see them in certain shapes, like part of the arm muscles looking like a bowling ball.

Hampton is good because he's kinda introducing you to those concepts, where Bammes is like the extreme where surfaces can look more complex through relating them into 3d shapes.


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## Schwimmwagen (Jun 5, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> I wasn't kidding when I said he was thorough. Basically if you look at what is going on in the chapters, he's doing certain things to break it down. Like the first chapters  are about proportions and how to utilize it. Then you see him making you paint them in different ways. Then when he is doing constructive anatomy it helps because I see them in certain shapes, like part of the arm muscles looking like a bowling ball.
> 
> Hampton is good because he's kinda introducing you to those concepts, where Bammes is like the extreme where surfaces can look more complex through relating them into 3d shapes.



Yeah I think it's a book that I'll appreciate when I get more into anatomy and life drawing. Thanks for recommending me them of course.  :>

Hampton's book hasn't arrived just yet but when it does I'll see about starting with what I can get from that book and see about bringing my sketchbook back from the dead. Despite drawing plenty, I haven't made much progress since then so I never bothered posting. Stagnation, see.


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## Dust (Jun 5, 2013)

I honestly started with tracing, then once I felt comfortable enough, I started free-handing. I spent most of my time with my uncle who taught me how to draw specific shapes and the easiest way to shade. I basically had some help along with some tv shows c:
But I've been drawing since I was about 4 years old so yeah... xD
I think drawing is a pretty good way to pass the time C:


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## dezimaton (Jun 6, 2013)

oh man. Somebody got me one of the katy coope "how to draw anime" books when i was younger. and even though its a pretty bad influence looking back today, everybody's gotta start somewhere hahahaha-


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## Namba (Jun 6, 2013)

FireFeathers said:


> Likewise, except I didn't start until I was 19. Ain't no thaaang, baby.


That's incredibly encouraging. I was told by my dad I'd always be mediocre at art and should just stick with music. Oh, how I want to prove him wrong.


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## Arshes Nei (Jun 6, 2013)

Namba said:


> That's incredibly encouraging. I was told by my dad I'd always be mediocre at art and should just stick with music. Oh, how I want to prove him wrong.



There is some strange misconception that you need to start art at a young age. I know artists that became awesome at 30 yrs and above.


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## Zydala (Jun 6, 2013)

Well I drew a bunch when I was young and won a classroom contest for designing a dress in third grade; that really encouraged me to keep drawing more. Pokemon were my next target and I loved making comics when I was young (though I mostly copied Calvin and Hobbes punchlines lol). In sixth grade I started getting really into things like Gundam Wing and Zelda so at first I tried drawing freehand and doing studies on like plants and stuff, but I met a friend that used tracing paper on Sailor Moon pictures she would print from the internet and make them her own characters. I liked her stuff so much better!!! So I started doing that too. But then when I got a scanner I realized no one would be impressed with the tracings so I tried drawing more freehand again. 

Around 14 or 15 I met my girlfriend and she was miles ahead of me in art... so I started doing art classes in school. They were okay, but I didn't get a lot out of them because I was still really into anime stuff. Somewhere around 17 I got really discouraged in my art... I got knocked down a level when I didn't win a contest I thought I had a really good chance at. I didn't even place! (all the person's friends did, surprise surprise). But that was still enough for me to be like "well I don't really like drawing anymore"

But I still doodled for years, because I had so many ideas I really liked. My girlfriend went to college for art, I went for anthropology. I found myself really sad I wasn't doing art and getting better. I ended up in the hospital due to depression (lots of stuff in my life going wrong) and when I was there my mom asked why I didn't try to go for art instead. When I heard my mom encouraging me to pursue art (something she never really acknowledged before), I felt suddenly really inspired. So while I never got to finish my run in art school, I really do want to go places with it now and try my hardest to teach myself. I draw a lot on the train to work and do personal studies, hopefully soon I can try my hand at commissions here and work my way to comics and illustration again.

TL;DR my whole experience with art?? haha


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## Namba (Jun 6, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> There is some strange misconception that you need to start art at a young age. I know artists that became awesome at 30 yrs and above.


It's just hard to stay motivated when you're the only one who sees the potential. I mean, I drew a lot of crap when I was younger but never really _practiced_ until I was about 16 or 17. I mean, sure, compare some of my older stuff with my new stuff and it's safe to say I've made a few improvements here and there. However, my support system is awful. Hell, my girlfriend is lightyears ahead of me and has been drawing really well since she was in middle school, so it's even more embarrassing for me to even show her any of my stuff, because I know how it's going to look to her since she's more well-versed in the subject. I have tons of sketches, but I haven't uploaded them to FA. I don't know what it is that causes me to feel that way, but it doesn't seem uncommon. Especially since within the fandom the artists are the elite society that everybody wants to have something to do with, and if you can't draw you're most likely going to be ignored and maybe even scorned for your lack of ability. I desperately want to learn, but it seems like every time I turn around something gets in the way.


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## Zydala (Jun 6, 2013)

Namba said:


> It's just hard to stay motivated when you're the only one who sees the potential. I mean, I drew a lot of crap when I was younger but never really _practiced_ until I was about 16 or 17. I mean, sure, compare some of my older stuff with my new stuff and it's safe to say I've made a few improvements here and there. However, my support system is awful. Hell, my girlfriend is lightyears ahead of me and has been drawing really well since she was in middle school, so it's even more embarrassing for me to even show her any of my stuff, because I know how it's going to look to her since she's more well-versed in the subject. I have tons of sketches, but I haven't uploaded them to FA. I don't know what it is that causes me to feel that way, but it doesn't seem uncommon. Especially since within the fandom the artists are the elite society that everybody wants to have something to do with, and if you can't draw you're most likely going to be ignored and maybe even scorned for your lack of ability. I desperately want to learn, but it seems like every time I turn around something gets in the way.



A lot of your situation parallels mine in a lot of ways. My parents never really paid attention to my art until recently and my girlfriend is much more successful and devoted to art than I was and has always been leaps and bounds ahead so it's hard for me to feel confident. But don't let that get you down! Just keep going and use her as a resource for crits and helpful advice. If she's really good like you say I'm sure she'd be totally happy to help. Just don't take anything she says personally and you have a great resource. It's embarrassing at first but the best thing to do is to let the hits roll past you and then look at the piece objectively. Say "there's a lot I learned from working on this piece and things I will remember for my next piece" and move on.


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## Centradragon (Jun 6, 2013)

Started drawing when I was really young, like a lot of people (I liked clowns when I was 2, and that spurred it on? How horrifying.) I'd draw from life an awful lot, to the point where I'd feed pigeons in our back yard to make them sit still long enough to draw.

Then around 11-12 I caught the animu AIDS and stopped doing anything actually conducive to learning how to draw. It was just a horrible stagnant big-eyed mess until 11th grade when I failed my AP art exam. I realized how terrible I was just then, and decided right there to practice 4-6 hours a day until I no longer sucked.

I'm 24 now, so it's been... well, about 7 years since I failed that exam. If you're really serious, just realize it's many hours of thankless, horrible work that you get barely compensated for... until you manage to break a certain point you can charge a living wage. 

Wouldn't give up the time I spent for the world, though... I love my current jobs.


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## corvusb (Jun 6, 2013)

The last post in this thread was just beautiful..

I drew cars when I was a kid, but of course I drew far from perfect.  I didn't actually do much drawing throughout my middleschool and highschool years, mainly from being more interested in programming.

Typical brony, got back into drawing after watching MLP for the first time, and it felt great.

The main thing that helped was looking at Lauren Fausts's sketches, and observing how forms are contructed.  I didn't get it at first, but along with training my visualization skills I eventually started getting it.

For a while I've been and still for the most part draw ponies, but I'm rapidly getting better at anatomy/perspect/etc, and and working on drawing humans eventually and make proper art.
I'm 18, and as I look up at my older contemporaries, and I have hope that I'll be improving a great deal into my 20s, and by then I'll be real good.



Planning to go to art school so I can get *structure* into my arting.


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## Arshes Nei (Jun 6, 2013)

This guy was in his 30's and realized he really wanted to be an artist... http://www.painterly.co.uk/

Now he's doing it for real.


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## Umbra.Exe (Jun 7, 2013)

I think I started drawing when I was little, and my brother started drawing in a notebook. Being a younger sibling, I always copied what he did, so I drew too. I even drew the same things he did...

In elementary and middle school, I mostly drew animals, I didn't like drawing people much. I think it wasn't until 7th or 8th grade when I finally started drawing human characters. In college, I think I've drawn more human (or at least humanoid) characters than animals. I'm still not good at realism or shading though...

My drawing skills basically progress little by little... As I get better references (like access to college anatomy/art books, compared to my crummy "How to draw Manga" books I used to have), my drawings get better as well. My progress has been a bit slow, but hey, at least I'm miles better than I was as a kid, when I drew helmet-like hair on people and drumstick-like hind legs on animals!

I'm still trying to learn more things to improve my work. I like to focus on anatomy, but I think I should work more on shading, color, and... **shudder** PERSPECTIVE. That last one's gonna kill me, but I bet it'll be so worth it.


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## Namba (Jun 8, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> This guy was in his 30's and realized he really wanted to be an artist... http://www.painterly.co.uk/
> 
> Now he's doing it for real.


DUDE WHAT LEGIT


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## Ley (Jun 10, 2013)

Time, practice, coffee.


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## Judge Spear (Jun 10, 2013)

Ley said:


> Time, practice, coffee.



And Tylenol for my neck! :3


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## TransformerRobot (Jun 10, 2013)

I learned to draw based on what I saw on TV or in video games. I really like learning and want to keep learning, even as an artist.


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## Clancy (Jun 12, 2013)

pouiysad asfdghj z cvbnmnm bnm bn mbvmn


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## Mighty_Mohawk_Monster (Jun 12, 2013)

I'm still learning. @_@


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## Misstoxin (Jun 12, 2013)

I don't know if someone already posted this but:

Life studies, life studies, life studies.

Don't make the mistake of buying those "How to draw Manga" or "How to draw Furries" books, it's the BIGGEST mistake you can make for yourself starting out. Edit: Dabble in those later, but don't start with these.

Do tons of still lifes, draw from photographs of people, better yet, find your local figure drawing sessions and draw from a live model. Draw from life all the time. It can be crazy boring sometimes because you want to be drawing fun stylized pictures. Don't start learning to draw by drawing stylized characters. Once you can draw from life kinda' decently, THEN you can venture into the world of make believe. Edit: And if you're planning on drawing furries, please FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, learn to draw people first, then learn to draw animals, THEN mash them together however you want.

But USE REFERENCES. For the love of god, use references whenever you can, especially when you're starting out. You wouldn't believe the kinds of nuances you miss while drawing simply by assuming that you know what something looks like.

And ALWAYS go back and keep drawing from life. Take a break from drawing characters to do a still life or a figure study. 

Also, these Loomis books are great: http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Loomis/e/B004L5LII8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1371085318&sr=8-2/


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## TransformerRobot (Jun 12, 2013)

I also learned a little bit of manga-style from a how-to book.


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## MalMask (Jun 13, 2013)

I drew quite a lot as a kid, Sure, I drew the same looking people over and over but I added all these random little details to them. As I got to my teen years I (Like quite a few) got into an anime and bug-eyed faze. Soooo I was kind of in that for a while until I started in drawing/painting class in high-school. 

My teacher at first (I thought) was way too strict and mean but later on I just realized he was being truthful to actually get us to _improve_, which really was the point. Needless to say, I took the class that year, then the next, the next and even in my final year. I just was so motivated in that class and my art teacher easily became my favorites (Though it was hard to get to like him at first. I have to admit he was kind of intimidating and looked like a chubby Ron Perlman with a sense of humor where you couldn't tell if he was joking or not... It always made my day when he made some sort of Hellboy reference, oh the _irony_.)

I feel like if I didn't get serious and actually do some life studies among other studies I would not have gotten to the point that i'm at currently. Life studies are just so important and I cannot stress them enough. Its too bad that some don't understand their significance. 

I feel like we all sort of start at different ages and paces. For some art is more of a hobby, while to others its literally a profession and a way of living.


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## HipsterCoyote (Jun 18, 2013)

I was genetically engineered as a drawo o bot 9000.

Actually I started drawing because I had such awful eyesight, the only hobbies I could invest in were ones that didn't move.  Without corrective lenses, I can not recognize your face unless you are about eight inches away from mine, even if you're in my family.  I mean, if you were a real fat-ass I could pick you out, but, I don't even see cars on the street if they're not brightly colored.  When I was nine they figured I'd be legally blind by 30 or so, but now they can do surgery from space so I'm not too concerned.  Eventually I'll have to get it fixed up. It won't be restorable to 20/20 but WHATEVER MAN.

My huge mistake though was that in sixth grade I was infatuated with fucking Tenchi Muyo, the OAV.  Pokemon didn't help. My first drawings are abortions just like most everybody else's first drawings, but god damn it, I didn't grow out of it until one of my high school art teachers saw that I had potential with color if I could just get rid of anime, so he struck out to break me from it.  He did, but, I suffered that god damned Anime Long Mid-Face thing for a while and I still have a screwy mental canon of proportions in my head.


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## Sparklepaws (Jun 19, 2013)

There's some good advice in this thread, it's actually really nice to read.

Art is like flying to the moon. You need to start out on the launch pad and then push yourself through the harsh gravity and thick atmosphere to get even somewhat decent. Once you reach the unknown void of space, you can kind of float forward at your own pace and get better as you progress. When you reach the moon (your supposed final destination), don't stop there. Shoot for the stars and achieve greatness.

Romantics aside, art takes a LOT of practice, but you also need a place to begin. So many questions arise if you don't have a starting base (ie. Do I draw shapes? Do I use pens? Pencils? Do I draw anime or real life? Do I take classes or self-teach?). The reason why a lot of good artists simply give you the "practice" advice is because no matter where you start, practice will eventually get you somewhere. Knowing where to begin just makes it easier.

This is what I've learned:
*1.* All art starts with basic shapes, and progresses into more complicated geometry.
*2.* You need to start by learning to draw good shapes, which are made up of good straight lines, curvy lines and wavy lines
*3.* Don't try to achieve greatness on day 1. Accept that your art will be bad, because through practice it will be better.
*4.* Drawing from life helps, but it a tier in it's own right. Start with the basics, use tutorials, learn how to shade and then move onto the big stuff.
*5.* For furries, use this page: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/thefurryartacademy


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## Aestas (Jun 21, 2013)

I drawed since I was a little kid. During school and apprenticeship I made my own chibi-mangas to amuse my friends and myself 
Unfortunately I have still a loooooot to learn and thats why I am still looking at tutorials and getting tipps and tricks from others . I sometimes try to draw different styles to find out which one is working for me.
And there are also some good manga-tutorial books here in Germany. They are called "How to draw Manga". Those books helped me a lot, too


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## tchuk (Jun 21, 2013)

See, I originally got into drawing because I wanted to enter a comic competition here in the UK. I'd always scribbled and sketched in books, but that's kinda what got me thinking about it as a profession. And when my teacher bent all the rules and opened my eyes to show me it was possible it kinda just went from there.

I've found people who give great advice like James Gurney or Matt Khor immensely helpful, and if you've not heard of James Gurneys, 'Color and Light' or 'Imaginative Realism' I strongly suggest you check them out


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## Tossu-sama (Jun 25, 2013)

Ley said:


> Time, practice, coffee.



So true.

I didn't really draw as a hobby till I was 13 so I've been doing that for almost 10 years more or less actively. I still have a long way to go but I have a feeling I'll never be happy with my skills but that's just how it is. It's a neverending process of learning.
I did use some drawing tutorials for the so called manga style that I found from the internet but all that's left from those tutorials is the way how I construct the head/face guidelines. Everything else has been pretty much something I've just noticed myself.

For myself it works if I force myself to draw something. Like hands, that's something many seems to hate to draw. But I just decided not to draw them hidden inside pockets or behind back so I made myself to learn how to draw them. Not saying that I'm perfect at it but I think I do pretty decent job. Of course, there are those occassions when I just totally manage to muck it up.


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## SiriusWolf (Jun 25, 2013)

I started as a kid and really enjoyed it did really well in HS but i stopped and i'm 21 now just starting up again. Least to say in a week i'm doing MUCH better lol. I'm just doing drawings from still life and from other peoples art. I'm just learning how to shape and shade so copying an image gives a good reference and helps me with proportions. I'm getting a nice pencil set like i used to have next month and am gonna devoting alot more time to it. I'm not good at all yet but someday i will be!!


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## Charrio (Aug 19, 2013)

I taught myself mostly, when i first started I would pause the VCR and draw what was on the screen. 
Usually Rescue Rangers, I had like 3 mins to sketch before the VCR would stop and my reference was gone. 

Taught me to make a decent thumbnail sketch quickly.


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## Ratz (Aug 23, 2013)

I am an Artist in Nj and love Art Since I was a kid, I went to DuCret School of Art in South Plainfield NJ, to improve my Art Skill's, you might want to try Collage, a Trade School or Something that focus on Art training. -Superratz


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## RTDragon (Aug 23, 2013)

For me most of the time i just drew what i can, repetition as well as practice though i looked at tutorials, books as well as doing other things besides just drawing.


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## Abbi Normal (Aug 26, 2013)

Sometimes when I'm not otherwise occupied, like waiting for the bus or something, I mentally take things apart and see their proportions and what shapes they're made of. 

Like I'll be waiting for a train or streetcar, and go, "OK, there's the near rail and the far rail. The far one is about half the size of the near one because perspective. They disappear, looking like they taper flat, off into the distance in each direction, but not at the same rate because I'm not standing in the middle. If the tunnel weren't blocking the view, they would look like they connect at the vanishing point; that's two-point perspective. The wooden cross ties are almost the same colour as the rails, but a different texture. The near ends stick out past the near railing by about the distance from my wrist to middle fingertip. The height from the ground to the top of the tie is about half that, maybe the width of my palm and thumb, and the square-bracket-shaped, rounded metal connectors holding the ties to the rails rise about half that distance again above that, and are about the width of my thumb...." and so on.

Then sometimes I use those proportion estimates later when I'm drawing a similar scene. I don't immediately go home and sketch life drawings of hands and roads from memory or anything (I'm not Da Vinci, obviously). But when I decide I want to draw a character lost in a subway tunnel, I'll be ready.

Playing related games with yourself in your head is a good way to passively practice a skill in general. I also practice writing and storytelling by doing things like reading the horoscopes, then telling myself a story (not out loud) while I cook dinner or whatever, where there's one character for each sign I just read, and what might have happened to link all those fortunes together so that they're all true. Or I look around at a subway car and imagine some kind of emergency happened--aliens, zombies, earthquake, whatever. My favourite is everyone in the world except these exact people disappear instantly.--then describe the people to myself based on how they present themselves and try and guess how they'd all react to the situation. Or just look at ads and bits of text you see posted around and sort of shift the letters back and forth in their rows to try and make new words, like playing Boggle or similar, and then try to make the words you find relate to each other.


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## Kit H. Ruppell (Aug 26, 2013)

Monkey see, monkey do. Monkey also scream and throw pencil when having bad time.


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## PastryOfApathy (Sep 3, 2013)

Not paying attention in school.


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## CaptainCool (Sep 4, 2013)

I suggest the tutorial series "How to draw really good" over on Youtube.
[video=youtube;xlCu1CbpRQQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlCu1CbpRQQ[/video]


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## Miranda (Sep 12, 2013)

Neopets.

I know that sounds weird, but I joined neopets when I was in 3rd grade. I liked drawing since then, but seeing other people enter the BC with gorgeous art made me really push myself to get better at my skills and practice.


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## Hybrid Project Alpha (Sep 13, 2013)

I learned how to draw by first copying Sonic the Hedgehog. Then as I sailed through the internet and was exposed to many different styles I gradually weaved certain aspects of art I liked into my own style. There was a brief period 6-7 years ago where I got serious about my art and got a bunch of tutorials on anatomy and perspective and coloring, though it didn't last long enough for me to get really good. I still learned quite a bit and I'm pretty satisfied with where I am as an artist now. I've actually improved a lot in the last 2 years or so by hanging out with a bunch of other artists, they're a good influence


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## azure-anomaly (Sep 17, 2013)

I always drew as a hobby. Started with tracing sonic the hedgehog comics and i've been drawing ever since. I improved gradually until college. I had a couple crappy chris hart books, and I took a couple art classes in high school plus a sketching class in college. Most of my improvement has been from pure practice and referencing real life and masters of the craft.

Things that helped me improve:

*Tracing reference photos*.  Tracing a reference photo purely for practice and getting a hold of how a part is shaped helps you recreate that shape in the long run.
*Google image searching what you're trying to draw and doing study drawings*. Don't know how to draw a prawn? Look up the prawn. Study the prawn. Draw the prawn. Its the best way to learn to draw something new.
*Study up on how to make a well constructed underdrawing*. I studied a lot of basic perspective, line weight in sketches, basic shape layering, etc. (here's IDsketching.com. It's a great resource for sketch techniques).
*Color Palette exercises*. I sometimes go to a color palette site like kuler and use one to create a design/value study/what have you. This helps me build an understanding of relationships between colors.
*Draw every day*! This is still something I'm working on, but it's a great way to keep your creative muscles strong.
*Seek other artist's opinions*. I have a friend that's an artist. I've improved a whole bunch with her in a short amount of time because we play on each other's strengths and weaknesses.


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## Aleu (Sep 17, 2013)

azure-anomaly said:


> I always drew as a hobby. Started with tracing sonic the hedgehog comics and i've been drawing ever since. I improved gradually until college. I had a couple crappy chris hart books, and I took a couple art classes in high school plus a sketching class in college. Most of my improvement has been from pure practice and referencing real life and masters of the craft.
> 
> Things that helped me improve:
> 
> *Tracing reference photos*.  Tracing a reference photo purely for practice and getting a hold of how a part is shaped helps you recreate that shape in the long run.



Not really. If anything, the other things are far better than tracing and it's not looked down as much. Tracing just helps you copy. It's far better to draw something in front of you than trace over a photo or someone else's work.


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## azure-anomaly (Sep 17, 2013)

As a supplement to life drawing, however, tracing can assist in nailing the finer points of how anatomy works. I'm not saying that this should be a sole informant to drawing complex subject matter, I'm saying that it can help if you cant seem to nail proportions/lines/what have you just right.


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## Aleu (Sep 17, 2013)

azure-anomaly said:


> As a supplement to life drawing, however, tracing can assist in nailing the finer points of how anatomy works. I'm not saying that this should be a sole informant to drawing complex subject matter, I'm saying that it can help if you cant seem to nail proportions/lines/what have you just right.



again, not really.
If you can't nail proportions, the solution isn't to trace. It's to figure out why it's wrong and do it again after studying real things and how they work.


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## azure-anomaly (Sep 17, 2013)

Furthering this particular example, tracing can be a method of studying proportion. By tracing the material, or laying trace paper over it, the artist can further break down the subject into simpler shapes, or lines representing how long certain pieces are. Examples being:









(source)

Tracing paper and reference shots can do wonders for one's understanding of proportion, as it allows for a more direct visual reference to be made. As lines are drawn to measure different pieces of the subject, an observation can be clearly made: this line length is to this line length.

Is it a replacement for life drawing? Absolutely not. Should this be someone's sole method of learning proportion? No. Can it be a valuable part of breaking down proportions and adding to a study by allowing you to do your own direct analysis? Up to the person doing the study. I'm simply suggesting trace paper/volume analysis/proportion analysis as another method of breaking down what you want to draw.


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## ero-kimi (Oct 19, 2013)

I think for anyone it boils down to practice.

I didn't go to any specialized school, I just doodled and sketched and it caught peoples' attentions. Eventually, I  would ask people for their honest opinions (I didn't like comments about how good something looked, I wanted to know what was wrong or what wasn't working).
I fueled off of the negative comments because that's where I wanted to improve, so I'd keep shaping and sculpting those areas to improve on them. An artist never really stops learning how to do anything; but with each picture or doodle they improve their craft - for me, the more critical comments are what helped me improve along with practice.


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## Ariaxu (Oct 19, 2013)

never practised enough, never went to art school
just drew some shitty dog like things and dragons during lessons
maybe thats why i suck at anatomy :v


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## kv195 (Oct 20, 2013)

Personally, I did start with some odd anime and manga, then just went to still-life which helped quite a bit and probably the most.  Now I do surrealism and figures mainly.


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## sixfoot (Oct 20, 2013)

azure-anomaly said:


> Furthering this particular example, tracing can be a method of studying proportion. By tracing the material, or laying trace paper over it, the artist can further break down the subject into simpler shapes, or lines representing how long certain pieces are. Examples being:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The problem with tracing is not necessarily that it's 'valueless' as a method of study, I think the main problem with it is that it's way way too easy to stop paying attention and slip into the zone, becoming a human photocopier machine. You might learn something, but you'd learn the same thing way quicker by doing your own drawing, which forces you to concentrate.

edit for content:

After thinking about this 'how should you practice' question a fair bit recently the conclusion I came to was not just drawing more, but really thinking about what I was doing, making sure I was concentrating while I drew, and actively looking up bits of anatomy/whatever that I was finding difficult. I used to practice by just sitting down and pumping out a bunch of figures or whatever, and while I did improve doing that I think I'm improving a lot faster now that I know how to practice properly.

Now when I run into something I was find really difficult, I write it down. Then I take some time out to really study how other people got that thing right, and then try to apply it. The most recent thing was I thought my figures needed more weight - they looked a bit floaty. So I looked at a lot of animators drawings where they have a really great sense of gesture and weight then did a bunch of studies on my own.

Basically the usual answer of 'draw more' is always right, but I think it's possible to optimise your 'draw more' time so you're getting more out of it.


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## CellarDwellar (Oct 22, 2013)

I've been drawing for as long as I can remember.
Which is about, 5 years old.
I draw every day. I doodle every day. As I got older, I started buying sketchbooks, art supplies, moved into painting, digital art. Kept drawing, drawing, drawing. Went to Art in highschool, kept drawing after highschool, bought a proper tablet.
The list goes on.

I'm going to quote something for you too.
"You see I study art // The greats weren't great because at birth they could paint // The greats were great cause they paint a lot" - Macklemore.

Practice. Practice. Practice.
I didn't learn to draw anywhere but with my own imagination and a pencil.
Sure, I've had help, and sure, I've done a lot of studying. Like, anatomy and light, those things will help you a lot with artistic horizons. 
My style has changed multiple times over the years, and is shaped by the styles of art I like.
If you have a passion, BE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT! <3


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