Learning to draw... just freaken draw?

[Beef Jerky]

Is the best way to learn to draw just grabbing a notebook and drawing like all hell?

[nina]

That's a great way to learn to draw badly.

[orbsycli]

Not true. Experience yields progression if you think about what you're doing. Look at everything around you as shapes, lines, and colors. You can draw anything, Become it. Understand it. Ever since I can remember I've just been doodling and the more I doodle the more intriquit my doodles get. Just sketch stuff, Learn techniques, After a couple of years You'll have your own style and you'll find you will NEED to draw or else something won't feel right. Gotta let the buddha flow, your jazzy stream of creativity. I love drawing with Pilot g-2 pens, find your preference, whatever if is it will feel right. The more art you observe, the more influence you will get and be able to incorporate into your own work. FEED YOUR HEAD!

[orbsycli]

study your surroundings

[Scruffy]

If all you do is draw - yeah, it probalby won't end up that good. You've got to look critically at your work, comparing it with real life, and figuring out what's inconsistent. Work on things that need work until they look right. A great way to learn to draw a lot of stuff is to sketch things you see - anything interesting, really. Figure drawing, where a model does short (5 minutes max) poses and you draw them, is a great way to improve your skills drawing people, but even poses from magazines or newspapers and the like will work. Practice is definitley the biggest component of learning to draw, but don't neglect the rest.

[kichu]

But should you just play around for a while first or should you go straight to something like taking a class? I've always wanted to learn too, I'd love to hear some good advice. I have a couple of books that teach you step by step, is that a good way to start?

[Oneironaut Zero]

But should you just play around for a while first or should you go straight to something like taking a class? I've always wanted to learn too, I'd love to hear some good advice. I have a couple of books that teach you step by step, is that a good way to start? [/b] I think it's great to just jump into it, but I've been drawing for about as far back as I can remember, so it's hard to say. I know that using references is a good way to get your bearings, and that book, Kichu, should be a great place to start. I've only had 1 or 2 drawing classes, back in high school, but they helped me a lot less than I thought they would. Most of my skill simply comes from trying my best to rely what's in my head, on my paper. Drawing with reference pics became all that much easier than making things up. The key to drawing something from something else, like a person, or any other type of still life, is to make sure you're measuring (either visually, or with a tool) the distances between certain angles or features. Take note of vertical lines vs diagonal lines. Really pay attention to the details, taking your time to try to transfer them as accurately as possible.

[kichu]

^ Thanks

[Amethyst Star]

Is it good to start with a regular pencil and then work on color? I've tried playing around with color a little bit but gave up rather quickly. Advice?

[kichu]

Is it good to start with a regular pencil and then work on color? I've tried playing around with color a little bit but gave up rather quickly. Advice? [/b] Ooh, yeah. Good question. I assume better to start with pencil right?

[badassbob]

Has anyone else found that they lose their drawing ability if they don't draw for a long time? When I was about ten, I can remember being the best drawer in my school with about two exceptions. I'm not just being an arrogant c**t, but I was real good. I can remember that if there was a drawing competition through the whole school I'd make an entry 97% confident that I'd win. I'd watch "Art Attack" and "Smart" every week, and I'd draw every single day. I stopped drawing except for little "doodles" on my books at school for about three years, and now I'm just terrible. I'm an estimated B in art. Where before I'd have expected an A*, I'm trying to get back into drawing but I really am bad at it. Are there any books or any websites that anyone could reccomend that have some good tips? I really badly want to be good at it again. Thanks in advance

[NeAvO]

I have dry spells where I can't draw, then it just comes back. I think if you want to be a good drawer, then just be patient.

[Like A Bird Without Arms]

I think the best way to learn to draw is to find a good art teacher. But you must make sure that they are actually a good art teacher, nothing less. If all your art teacher ever does is teach art, you're probably not going to reach your full potential. However, if your teacher has spent all of his life practicing his trade, if he spends most of his free time painting, if he's actually a good artist, you may be on to something. Unfortunately there's only a handful of good artists who are willing to spend time teaching and only a handful of teachers who are good artists. I don't think a lot of people can actually learn to draw from websites. BUT since someone asked for a link and there's little to lose, I did a little bit of research and stumbled on this. The web design ain't that great so you'll have to scroll down quite a bit. I can't vouch for all of these tutorials - I only downloaded "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth." I don't really like the author's (drawing) style, but the book looks useful so far. EDIT: Oh, and I forgot to mention that the book is full of naked chicks so even if you don't become a better artist you'll at least get to check out some women (and men!&#33. EDIT II: I downloaded "Fun With A Pencil" from that same website and it's actually pretty useful. I'm finding the perspective and lighting stuff pretty interesting.