You were once terrible at drawing & now you aren't. How did you do it?
July 18, 2016 9:42 AM Subscribe
I am terrible at drawing. I don't even doodle. I rely on words to communicate concepts and ideas. For various personal and professional reasons, I would like to learn to draw. But where do I begin?
I just flat out don't draw, at all. Seriously, when other kids were doodling away in primary school, I wrote short stories to keep myself occupied. I would like to get better at drawing for a couple of reasons, and I need a plan of attack.
I work in a creative field where I frequently have to communicate concepts to others. My scamping capacities are... questionable, and because I'm not super confident I don't practice my skills much at all. I often have to brief designers, and sometimes all it takes is a quick sketch to convey the idea or deliverable, and, again, my sketching skills are pretty ropey. I also wouldn't mind being able to sketch out my own rough storyboards for films, if only to 'road test' the script before I bring in a proper, expensive storyboard artist.
I'd also like to learn to draw for funsies. It's been a while since I've acquired a new skill, and it strikes me as good for the brain.
In terms of resources, I could probably get my employer to pay for a short course, like a life drawing class. I'm also interested in books/online courses/other activities I can do repetitively, at home, in my own time. I'm basically looking for a very clear structure that can inform a daily practice.
I'm just a bit stuck in terms of the specifics. Is a life drawing class a good place to start? Are there any books for beginners that are particularly good? What has helped you get into the habit?
I just flat out don't draw, at all. Seriously, when other kids were doodling away in primary school, I wrote short stories to keep myself occupied. I would like to get better at drawing for a couple of reasons, and I need a plan of attack.
I work in a creative field where I frequently have to communicate concepts to others. My scamping capacities are... questionable, and because I'm not super confident I don't practice my skills much at all. I often have to brief designers, and sometimes all it takes is a quick sketch to convey the idea or deliverable, and, again, my sketching skills are pretty ropey. I also wouldn't mind being able to sketch out my own rough storyboards for films, if only to 'road test' the script before I bring in a proper, expensive storyboard artist.
I'd also like to learn to draw for funsies. It's been a while since I've acquired a new skill, and it strikes me as good for the brain.
In terms of resources, I could probably get my employer to pay for a short course, like a life drawing class. I'm also interested in books/online courses/other activities I can do repetitively, at home, in my own time. I'm basically looking for a very clear structure that can inform a daily practice.
I'm just a bit stuck in terms of the specifics. Is a life drawing class a good place to start? Are there any books for beginners that are particularly good? What has helped you get into the habit?
Think about the last couple of things you had to draw for work and re-do them till you get it right. Just like anything the more you do it, the easier it gets. This is just something you have to practice. A life drawing class might, might get you more used to simply getting your brain used to telling your fingers what to do in an abstract sense. Personally those classes never really did anything for me. The instructor just kind of says "Uh huh good" or told me to undo things I did on purpose. But if you spend your time practicing the stuff you actually want to do you're guaranteed to get better. Are you friendly with any of the designers? I would ask one of them to lunch one day and try to get some feedback and pointers.
posted by bleep at 9:50 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by bleep at 9:50 AM on July 18, 2016
Oh I missed the middle part of your question- if you literally want to learn how to draw people then yes a class is a good way to go for that.
posted by bleep at 9:53 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by bleep at 9:53 AM on July 18, 2016
Best answer: This Mefi post has some interesting intro tools.
posted by sadmadglad at 9:55 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by sadmadglad at 9:55 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
You can get the free PDFs of the How to Draw books by Andrew Loomis.
They're excellent resources (I like the tactile hard-cover books of his but they're more expensive). Just pick up one and practice, practice, practice. There's no mystery or trick other than to do.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 9:55 AM on July 18, 2016 [10 favorites]
They're excellent resources (I like the tactile hard-cover books of his but they're more expensive). Just pick up one and practice, practice, practice. There's no mystery or trick other than to do.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 9:55 AM on July 18, 2016 [10 favorites]
A big part of my problem is that my visual memory is terrible. If I can't see the object or a picture of it in front of me as a reference, I get it the details really wrong. As I draw more, I've learned how things are put together and I've gotten better. If you want to draw things from life that look like what they are, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (cited above) is a fantastic place to start - it was how I learned to draw. After that, I would go on the Internet and find the image that I wanted (more or less) and then use that as a guide to drawing. By the way, it is much easier to copy from a flat image (like a photo) then from real life where the "how you know it is" gets in the way of registering what you actually see. (That's exactly what the Right Side book helps with)
posted by metahawk at 10:02 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by metahawk at 10:02 AM on July 18, 2016
Oh and one more thing - communicating concepts through drawing is different than "being able to draw". I know a lot of people who went to art school and could make a really great figure drawing or still life but still have no idea how to get their design ideas across. It's a skill set that's more akin to writing, in my experience. Think of it like writing using a new vocabulary and then learn that vocabulary. But it really doesn't matter if your lines are straight or your circles get closed or what expensive pencils you buy.
posted by bleep at 10:03 AM on July 18, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by bleep at 10:03 AM on July 18, 2016 [4 favorites]
I wanted to learn to draw a panda, so I searched "how to draw a panda" on youtube. There were many videos showing how to draw lots of things at all kinds of levels. So you might want to look for videos of what you want to draw. For me, it was helpful to watch a person go through the process in real time. I also took a class on drawing in the botanical gardens, which helped me to get better at seeing things in the way you need to in order to draw them. This probably sounds laughably naive, but I'd never really thought of looking at each part of an individual leaf. I just assumed drawing was something I didn't have a "gift" for because it didn't come easily. I'm still not good at it, but I also don't practice - which I'm sure is the key.
posted by FencingGal at 10:08 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by FencingGal at 10:08 AM on July 18, 2016
I don't want to discourage you from trying, but drawing well takes a lot of practice. For my degree I took very rigorous drawing classes that required 6 hours of drawing in each (very long!) class, and another 6 hours outside of class on your own. I did this for an entire school year. I improved some. Not lots.
I had excellent professors that are professional artists and tenured professors, but this is a difficult skill.
Of course, there were people in my classes that just had the touch for it and they were excellent. I wasn't, even after hundreds of hours of practice and helpful guidance.
I think good drawing is both about seeing and learning how to carefully use the tools. Two different things.
I think if you commit to drawing for 10 hours a week for about 3 years, you would start to get good. It's a big commitment.
posted by littlewater at 10:21 AM on July 18, 2016
I had excellent professors that are professional artists and tenured professors, but this is a difficult skill.
Of course, there were people in my classes that just had the touch for it and they were excellent. I wasn't, even after hundreds of hours of practice and helpful guidance.
I think good drawing is both about seeing and learning how to carefully use the tools. Two different things.
I think if you commit to drawing for 10 hours a week for about 3 years, you would start to get good. It's a big commitment.
posted by littlewater at 10:21 AM on July 18, 2016
My ability to communicate information graphically improved dramatically after I took a class on Cartography for GIS. You could try looking for books on the subject.
Some tidbits that have stayed with me:
Limit color coding to 7 colors. More colors than that, and it becomes gibberish.
Yellow is a surprisingly strong color, especially in large quantities. Go easy on your use of it.
A good map will be described as beautiful, a beautiful map is not necessarily a good map. A good map effectively and elegantly communicates information. This will innately lend itself to visual appeal. But just trying to be pretty does not lead to a map that communicates well.
If you go back through the archives of long running web comics, the early comics were pretty crappy. They got better over time because they drew regularly. Just make it a goal to draw regularly, plus seek out some art and graphical design books or articles.
One thing I recall from an interview with an artist is that people assume that shadows are grey or black and this is not true. People without art or graphics education have a lot of incorrect ideas about what their eye actually sees. This is part of why it is useful to do still lifes or take a figure drawing class: because drawing something real gives you feedback on ways in which your thinking about visual information is incorrect and gives you a chance to correct it.
posted by Michele in California at 10:31 AM on July 18, 2016 [6 favorites]
Some tidbits that have stayed with me:
Limit color coding to 7 colors. More colors than that, and it becomes gibberish.
Yellow is a surprisingly strong color, especially in large quantities. Go easy on your use of it.
A good map will be described as beautiful, a beautiful map is not necessarily a good map. A good map effectively and elegantly communicates information. This will innately lend itself to visual appeal. But just trying to be pretty does not lead to a map that communicates well.
If you go back through the archives of long running web comics, the early comics were pretty crappy. They got better over time because they drew regularly. Just make it a goal to draw regularly, plus seek out some art and graphical design books or articles.
One thing I recall from an interview with an artist is that people assume that shadows are grey or black and this is not true. People without art or graphics education have a lot of incorrect ideas about what their eye actually sees. This is part of why it is useful to do still lifes or take a figure drawing class: because drawing something real gives you feedback on ways in which your thinking about visual information is incorrect and gives you a chance to correct it.
posted by Michele in California at 10:31 AM on July 18, 2016 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding the Loomis books. If you dedicate some serious time to learning from them, there's a great deal of good information there. Think of them as a supplement to any in-person instruction you get.
For the in-person instruction, I'd go to an atelier — I'm biased, but they'll both teach you how to see correctly, think in visual shorthand, and to learn the tools and techniques that constitute drawing. Looking at your profile, if you're still in London, I'd recommend either the London Atelier of Representational Art or London Fine Art Studios.
Drawing well, though, is a skill that requires you both train your hand, your eye, and your brain. It's not impossible to learn, but it's a big time investment.
posted by culfinglin at 10:33 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
For the in-person instruction, I'd go to an atelier — I'm biased, but they'll both teach you how to see correctly, think in visual shorthand, and to learn the tools and techniques that constitute drawing. Looking at your profile, if you're still in London, I'd recommend either the London Atelier of Representational Art or London Fine Art Studios.
Drawing well, though, is a skill that requires you both train your hand, your eye, and your brain. It's not impossible to learn, but it's a big time investment.
posted by culfinglin at 10:33 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Trace something every day. Draw something every day.
Tracing will help you ingrain some positive muscle memory and learn some basic relationships.
posted by French Fry at 10:34 AM on July 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Tracing will help you ingrain some positive muscle memory and learn some basic relationships.
posted by French Fry at 10:34 AM on July 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
The first step to drawing is to draw what you see, not what you think you see. This is what the "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" book is about mostly, and where any good adult learn to draw class will start (and where I would recommend you start---find a good art college that does night classes). I do think it's harder for adults than kids, as adults have more to unlearn first, but it's doable. Just as anyone can learn to write (or cook or dance), anyone can learn to draw.
It really is all about practice. It's roughly the same time investment as learning to play an instrument, say.
posted by bonehead at 10:35 AM on July 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
It really is all about practice. It's roughly the same time investment as learning to play an instrument, say.
posted by bonehead at 10:35 AM on July 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've taught beginners in drawing and painting for many years and here's a method I found works great for transitioning you from the conceptual to drawing: look voraciously for found images that inspire; anything from scraps of color to eyes to landscapes, make a nest of it like a magpie. Put all those down into a collage. Draw from that dog's breakfast of images. To quote Laurie Anderson, "If you can't say it, point to it." I used to make the collages while I was working the switchboard at my college job, for example. One bonus is that the other employees in the office are terrified of you, and it makes downtime productive. Also, a good cheap technical book with lots of colors and pictures for choosing good media: The Artist's Manual, by Angela Gair, Chronicle books. The more you practice, the deeper you go into the blissful creative space. I hope this is helpful.
posted by effluvia at 10:43 AM on July 18, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by effluvia at 10:43 AM on July 18, 2016 [6 favorites]
Start with "fan art". I don't mean draw your favorite fictional characters (unless you want to), but take a look at examples of the kinds of things you want to draw and copy them. If you want to do diagrams and explanations well, go find really informative diagrams and clear explanations and then redraw them line for line, thinking through why everything there is the way it is. Once you've done a few of those as an exercise, apply what you've learned to something original.
posted by wanderingmind at 11:18 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by wanderingmind at 11:18 AM on July 18, 2016
I know that drawing is a learnable skill because I became much better at it during a life drawing class and, since I stopped drawing regularly, have lost almost all of the skills I had during that time. This has less to do with art than with work styles but I got much more out of the class environment because I had to draw what was in front of me, had to draw during the time when I was there, and couldn't entirely pitch a drawing because I didn't like what I had done during the first minute. If it's convenient for you I highly recommend it.
posted by telegraph at 11:25 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by telegraph at 11:25 AM on July 18, 2016
You don't need to draw figures realistically (just proportionally) to be able to create effective storyboards. The biggest asset here is a grasp of perspective and composition.
Draw a Box is great for both of those things.
In addition to that, I would suggest taking a movie or show that you like and practicing drawing scenes from it the way a storyboard would look -- take one still of the film at a time and sketch out what it looks like on screen. This will teach you a lot about shot composition, and hopefully, how to focus on the necessary elements and what extraneous details to leave out. Effective visual communication is at least as much about what you don't include as what you do.
If you want to create realistic or artistic works beyond what is necessary for your job, you can use these rough sketches and learn to refine them. This is where you can start figuring out light / dark balance, how the eye moves around an image, shading, and figure rendering.
Have fun with it, and be patient -- this is a complex skill that takes years of practice to master, so don't get discouraged!
posted by ananci at 11:33 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Draw a Box is great for both of those things.
In addition to that, I would suggest taking a movie or show that you like and practicing drawing scenes from it the way a storyboard would look -- take one still of the film at a time and sketch out what it looks like on screen. This will teach you a lot about shot composition, and hopefully, how to focus on the necessary elements and what extraneous details to leave out. Effective visual communication is at least as much about what you don't include as what you do.
If you want to create realistic or artistic works beyond what is necessary for your job, you can use these rough sketches and learn to refine them. This is where you can start figuring out light / dark balance, how the eye moves around an image, shading, and figure rendering.
Have fun with it, and be patient -- this is a complex skill that takes years of practice to master, so don't get discouraged!
posted by ananci at 11:33 AM on July 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Okay, this is coming from a totally-untrained guy who went from where you are to drawing a daily syndicated cartoon for the last 16 years. I found learning to draw to involve two things: problem solving and muscle memory. And this is why you just have to do it over and over. The first time you try to draw someone, say, running, you'll do it over and over and over until you get it right. But once you've solved it, you remember how to do it again and again. As you draw over and over, you build up your reservoir or 'solved' drawing problems until there are fewer and fewer things you can't draw. But then there's muscle memory. Your fine muscles in your hand arm and shoulder just aren't there yet. Draw over and over until they do. Then your line looks, well, controlled instead of lucky. But all of this only comes with time. I've drawn about 6,000 cartoons in a row now. Took me about 1500 in before I wasn't cringing at my work. Again, just my thoughts from a non-formally-trained person.
posted by lpsguy at 11:40 AM on July 18, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by lpsguy at 11:40 AM on July 18, 2016 [10 favorites]
Check out Danny Gregory. He learned to draw by keeping a sketchbook.
posted by the_blizz at 12:29 PM on July 18, 2016
posted by the_blizz at 12:29 PM on July 18, 2016
Learning any skill is about 99% practice. Just start drawing. It will suck. Keep drawing. You will improve.
posted by so fucking future at 12:40 PM on July 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by so fucking future at 12:40 PM on July 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm actually the opposite of you - I started out drawing, and switched to writing short stories since I was enamored with how words could evoke so many feelings, and it was faster to put together than drawing.
I also stopped drawing, because I was feeling really discouraged by all the amazing fan-artists that I saw on the internet, and thought I could never get to there, and I don't remember seeing the culture of tutorials being as widespread as it was now (this was pre-Youtube.)
I started drawing by copying illustrations from my picture books when I was 7 years old, and trying to make them as exact as possible. That trained my eye to see and retain visual/spatial memory for as long as possible, so that I wouldn't have to look back so frequently (because I was lazy and it caused a lot of eye strain), and that I could control my lines with my hands so that I would make pretty, clean lines. It's a lot like learning the fundamentals of partner dancing, you really have to pay really close attention and lean into what you are really seeing, and try to replicate it on paper. (I'm referring to the concept of 'weight transfer.')
If you aren't doing it right, then try to see what is the underlying structure and try again. I notice that most 'good' artists' just happen to have good fundamentals, and is the definition of "learn the rules to break it."
In hindsight, instead of giving up when I wanted to do more advanced images and couldn't figure it out, what I realized I should have done is that I needed to just choose an image, a feeling, a color, a screencap, etc, and just break it down and try to see what I was interested in. Then try to draw it, copy as much as I can, and learn to break it apart into little elements and start drawing. If I wasn't sure what to do, I'd think about how to Google Search for it, and see how other people have done it before, and try to draw again. One of the projects I want to learn right now is how to re-draw Chihiro's run down the stairs (Spirited Away, 2001). I'd have to think about how her weight was represented in the animation, and look up "body movement life drawing" or something like that. I think it's just a lot of Googling and drawing and messing around, to be honest.
Some links:
http://lifehacker.com/tag/drawing
http://www.proko.com
http://art-tutorials.tumblr.com
http://fuckyeaharttutorials.tumblr.com
posted by yueliang at 2:26 PM on July 18, 2016
I also stopped drawing, because I was feeling really discouraged by all the amazing fan-artists that I saw on the internet, and thought I could never get to there, and I don't remember seeing the culture of tutorials being as widespread as it was now (this was pre-Youtube.)
I started drawing by copying illustrations from my picture books when I was 7 years old, and trying to make them as exact as possible. That trained my eye to see and retain visual/spatial memory for as long as possible, so that I wouldn't have to look back so frequently (because I was lazy and it caused a lot of eye strain), and that I could control my lines with my hands so that I would make pretty, clean lines. It's a lot like learning the fundamentals of partner dancing, you really have to pay really close attention and lean into what you are really seeing, and try to replicate it on paper. (I'm referring to the concept of 'weight transfer.')
If you aren't doing it right, then try to see what is the underlying structure and try again. I notice that most 'good' artists' just happen to have good fundamentals, and is the definition of "learn the rules to break it."
In hindsight, instead of giving up when I wanted to do more advanced images and couldn't figure it out, what I realized I should have done is that I needed to just choose an image, a feeling, a color, a screencap, etc, and just break it down and try to see what I was interested in. Then try to draw it, copy as much as I can, and learn to break it apart into little elements and start drawing. If I wasn't sure what to do, I'd think about how to Google Search for it, and see how other people have done it before, and try to draw again. One of the projects I want to learn right now is how to re-draw Chihiro's run down the stairs (Spirited Away, 2001). I'd have to think about how her weight was represented in the animation, and look up "body movement life drawing" or something like that. I think it's just a lot of Googling and drawing and messing around, to be honest.
Some links:
http://lifehacker.com/tag/drawing
http://www.proko.com
http://art-tutorials.tumblr.com
http://fuckyeaharttutorials.tumblr.com
posted by yueliang at 2:26 PM on July 18, 2016
I spent ten years at art college part time and my skill vastly improved :D
I would say it's a combination of daily practice and hand eye coordination plus good instruction.
There is a good book on communicating through drawing for business, but the name escapes me. I'll try to dig it up because I saw the author speak in person too.
posted by Calzephyr at 6:27 AM on July 19, 2016
I would say it's a combination of daily practice and hand eye coordination plus good instruction.
There is a good book on communicating through drawing for business, but the name escapes me. I'll try to dig it up because I saw the author speak in person too.
posted by Calzephyr at 6:27 AM on July 19, 2016
+1 for Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain but I would add that doing it twice is great: once on your own, and once during the next available session at your nearest community college/university.
Many continuing ed courses use this as the text and I found my skill improved most dramatically when I had to hand in official assignments versus just working through the material on my own.
If you can't find anything near you, I believe UCLA still offers a drawing class.
Also: try journalling in pictures. Especially if you are interested in using drawing as a mode of communication. Considered that way, it's like a language and just needs practice.
posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee at 8:03 AM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Many continuing ed courses use this as the text and I found my skill improved most dramatically when I had to hand in official assignments versus just working through the material on my own.
If you can't find anything near you, I believe UCLA still offers a drawing class.
Also: try journalling in pictures. Especially if you are interested in using drawing as a mode of communication. Considered that way, it's like a language and just needs practice.
posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee at 8:03 AM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
I always recommend Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and by golly I'm always right.
posted by Drexen at 8:13 AM on July 19, 2016
posted by Drexen at 8:13 AM on July 19, 2016
"I often have to brief designers, and sometimes all it takes is a quick sketch to convey the idea or deliverable"
Based on that, I'd recommend the book Rapid Viz. It's sequenced, and focused on conveying ideas. More generally, Thinking With a Pencil, by Henning Nelms (out of print and sometimes used copies are overpriced because it got featured on Cool Tools a while back).
posted by mabelstreet at 6:03 PM on July 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Based on that, I'd recommend the book Rapid Viz. It's sequenced, and focused on conveying ideas. More generally, Thinking With a Pencil, by Henning Nelms (out of print and sometimes used copies are overpriced because it got featured on Cool Tools a while back).
posted by mabelstreet at 6:03 PM on July 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Nthing many of the above suggestions, especially Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I've also learned a lot from You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler.
Given your note about needing this for work as well as pleasure, you might also check out stuff by Dan Roam, who's best known for The Back of the Napkin.
posted by kristi at 9:54 AM on July 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Given your note about needing this for work as well as pleasure, you might also check out stuff by Dan Roam, who's best known for The Back of the Napkin.
posted by kristi at 9:54 AM on July 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I frequently have to communicate concepts to others.
Most people have given you good suggestions for drawing as a hobby. However, learning to show ideas is something different. Look into graphic facilitation or sketchnote resources like (there's lots out there):
The Graphic Facilitator's Guide: How to use your listening, thinking and drawing skills to make meaning
Draw Your Big Idea: The Ultimate Creativity Tool for Turning Thoughts Into Action and Dreams Into Reality
The Sketchnote Handbook: the illustrated guide to visual note taking
Maybe it's not the style you're going for, but it goes a good way to showing you how to communicate concepts or even to draw simple people/figures. Don't get hung up on being photo realistic or drawing representative people or you'll just give up out of frustration. Start with simple shapes and know that it takes a lot of practice to simply and quickly communicate through drawing.
posted by Bunglegirl at 3:11 PM on July 21, 2016
Most people have given you good suggestions for drawing as a hobby. However, learning to show ideas is something different. Look into graphic facilitation or sketchnote resources like (there's lots out there):
The Graphic Facilitator's Guide: How to use your listening, thinking and drawing skills to make meaning
Draw Your Big Idea: The Ultimate Creativity Tool for Turning Thoughts Into Action and Dreams Into Reality
The Sketchnote Handbook: the illustrated guide to visual note taking
Maybe it's not the style you're going for, but it goes a good way to showing you how to communicate concepts or even to draw simple people/figures. Don't get hung up on being photo realistic or drawing representative people or you'll just give up out of frustration. Start with simple shapes and know that it takes a lot of practice to simply and quickly communicate through drawing.
posted by Bunglegirl at 3:11 PM on July 21, 2016
Response by poster: Just wanted to say that the responses here were EXCELLENT and very helpful. I have a copy of 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' on its way, and I've been steadly working through 'Draw a Box' - which is a perfect wind-down-from-work activity, btw. I'm also looking into some of the painting/drawing courses mentioned. Great work, AskMeFi fam!
posted by nerdfish at 10:52 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by nerdfish at 10:52 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Lynsey at 9:47 AM on July 18, 2016 [19 favorites]