How to learn to draw beautiful pictures. Options for drawing simple images

I am pleased to present to you an improved and expanded manual abouthow to learn to draw. I hope that it will cover most of the questions that I am regularly asked in the VKontakte group. For example, such as:

• • where should I start learning to draw if I have never drawn?

• • How can I learn to draw people?

• • how to learn to draw on a computer?

• • What drawing books are worth studying?

• How can I learn to paint with acrylic, oil, pastel, and other materials?

I have collected the most useful tips from artists from the site www.quora.com , and it turned out great step by step guide , thanks to which no one will be able to hide behind excuses like “I don’t know where to start, I can’t do it, I’m mediocre, etc.”, believe me,
you will finally find out how to learn to drawb!

Just follow this manual step by step and dedicate enough time to practice, and you can come from this drawing level

to that

Some lyrics

Drawingis a skill that develops with practice. You're not alone when you think you're terrible at drawing! All great artists started by drawing stick figures like this:

The reason they moved on from these so-called "stick figures"to something much greater, is that they had insatiable desire to draw getting better and better with every new touch of pencil to paper. This desire set them apart from the rest and is the only reason they became successful.

First of all, the fact that you decided to dedicate your time to improving your drawing skills is already a great achievement. Why you ask? This is really important because in art and creativity there must be passion, interest, curiosity and dedication, without which the learning process will not be as effective.

So in your case, the biggest obstacle is already behind you and you can start drawing by observing the things around you! That's how simple it is!

The following steps that I am going to suggest should help you gain the drawing skills you want and will also show you the path that you will have to go through to become an artist.

But before you blindly follow the path below, always remember that you are free to choose your own unique path—the path that is right for you. The real challenge is to practice regularly with the intention of learning., so it doesn’t matter where you start your drawing journey.

note that each step mentioned below may take weeks, months or even years to achieve perfection in it. It all depends on how much you really want to improve your skills and how much effort you are willing to put in.

There is plenty of material available online for each step below, including YouTube. I recommend checking various sources, studying different styles and practice the style that suits you best.

Let's start!

Step 1. Learning simple shapes

First, take a paper and pencil (or pen), sit in a comfortable position, clear your mind of thoughts and just focus on the task at hand.

Now try creating a simple form. For example, draw a circle and then continue to practice it.

Try to draw a perfect circle every time. If you really take this task seriously, it could take us several days or even months. Drawing a perfect circle using only your hands is more difficult than you imagine.

Just start drawing circles and keep practicing these circles until you reach a stage where you can draw a perfect circle without using any assistive tools.

Your attempts will start with something like this:

After regular practice, your hand-eye coordination will improve and you will begin to draw better:

This is a pretty good result. Now move on!

The same way, start working with other basic shapes, such as triangle, square, cube, octagon, etc.

This should keep you busy for a while again. Remember, this is a herculean task if your first drawing was the circle from this tutorial.

But after you devote some amount of time (say 6 months or one year), once you go through this rigorous exercise, and once you become a champion in drawing any of simple figures if desired, another interesting facet will appear.

At this point there are two approaches you can follow:

Approach 1 - self-learning

You can learn to draw on your own using free articles on the Internet, YouTube videos, books and tutorials.

Easiest to digest drawing lessons for beginners I'm reading Mark Kistler's lessons from the book.

After completing all the lessons, you will achieve significant success. However, although the author stated a period of 1 month, I would advise you to take your time and devote at least 1-2 hours to each lesson, completing all the practical exercises.

Approach 2 - Enroll in an art school or online course

If you don’t like self-study, then I advise you to sign up for paid courses, where they will tell you everything in detail and show you, and also force you to work practically.

The highest quality and most interesting I consider courses and master classes at Veronica Kalacheva’s drawing school.

This school offers both in-studio and online training. There are also useful free materials, which .

This school often hosts free webinars or lessons are opened for study for a while.

Register so you don't miss them!

Another site with paid but cheaper drawing courses that I like is arttsapko.ru. You can also take some courses for free on this site. There are one-time classes that take place in Moscow.

Further advice will be more suitable for those who chose the first approach and decided to study visual arts on one's own. But yours creative path may contain both approaches.

Step 2: Shadows and Shades

Now that you know how to draw simple shapes perfectly, let's Let's start shading these shapes.

I will continue with the example of a circle.

So, yours first attempt at circle shading, without understanding how to do it correctly, would look something like this:

Notice that even though your image didn't turn out very realistic, you were already subconsciously aware of the imaginary light source and placed it in the upper left corner and, given this source, you drew a shadow on the opposite side in the lower right corner.

That is, in order to shade objects you need common sense and nothing more.

Now continue practicing shading. It may take several months before you get something like this:

Now this circle looks like a volumetric sphere.

Next you need to show that the sphere is not dangling in the air, but is on some surface, and you will begin to depict the shadows that the object casts on other surfaces. In this case, the drawing should already look something like this:

Always remember one simple rule, which has been demonstrated in the figure below:

Also, continue to practice shading and other shapes you've learned.

As you practice, notice how the shades vary depending on the availability of light. Look at the tonal scale with shading from light to dark below. You can use it as a guide when you draw a figure.

Keep practicing. It's an endless process!

Step 3. Perspective

The basic law of perspective says:when an object is closer it looks larger and if it needs to be shown further away it will need to be drawn smaller. If you understand this, you understand the basic law of perspective.

Now let's look at the so-calledvanishing point.

I will explain this concept using the example of a cube.

When we draw a cube, why do the length and width of that cube taper towards the end or slope towards the inside of the paper? Look at this picture below for reference and ask yourself why is this happening?

As you can see, the ribs taper both to the right and to the left, as if they are going into the inside of a sheet of paper. This is what gives the cube the illusion of “3D” on two-dimensional paper. And this is possible, based on the basics of perspective and such a concept asvanishing point.

Now let's look at the same cube again.

In the cube, we took the vanishing point somewhere far from our eyes to the right and left of the cube. That's why the sides narrowed to inside papers on the right and left. The figure below clearly shows how the edges of a cube, if extended, will converge at one point on both sides. These two points are called vanishing points:

Now look at the green dot in the following cube drawing:

This green dot is alsovanishing point.

Imagine what a cube would look like without this vanishing point concept. It will look more like a square in 2-D.When we draw a cube, we should always remember the vanishing point, since it is this that gives us the opportunity to depict a three-dimensional figure.

So, I hope that the concept of vanishing point has become clearer to you, because for any good drawing that is drawn keeping in mind the space and distance between each object, the concept of vanishing point should be followed by default.

Here are some more examples of the vanishing point concept for your understanding.

• Top view (or bird's eye view):

• Linear perspective (landscape):

• View with many vanishing points (any real scene):

Thus, as depicted in the third example, in real scenes there are usually several vanishing points, and these points give the drawing the desired depth or 3-D effect, and a sense of space that separates it from 2-D.

Too difficult? Just don't panic now, okay? At this stage, it is enough to just understand the concept of a vanishing point. Just try to show the vanishing point in your drawings without any drawings or measurements.

This "step 3" was just a prerequisite for learning the laws of perspective, just to make you aware of its importance in drawing. Mark Kistler's "Learn to Draw in 30 Days" course has several step by step lessons to build perspective, you can start with them.

Step 4. Draw complex shapes

Now using your confidence in drawing and shading simple shapes, as well as knowledge of the shadow effect and vanishing point, move on to the next level, that is, drawing various complex shapes.

The rules of the game remain the same:

1. 1. Keep practicing.

1. 1. Observe the nuances.

1. Try to surpass yourself every time and not repeat previous mistakes.

So first, how about an egg? It's not that different from a circle, right?

Let's just get started. Practice until you get it perfect!

Okay, it looks like an egg. Now try different fruits. For example, strawberries.

Great! These are really good strawberries. And look at this detail.The strawberry in the last picture looks quite difficult to draw, but we already have experience with shading from “step 3”. This is the same thing, only at the micro level. Believe in yourself and everything will work out!

The same way, continue drawing different random shapes with shading. Place shadows on these drawings, taking into account effects such as reflection, refraction, transparency, etc. And just keep practicing.

There are many different objects around. Learn to draw what you see. This is one of the most important steps to becoming a professional artist. Don't worry if you don't do it very well at first. Sometimes when you start drawing what you see, the beginning of the sketch can look pretty terrible, but the end result can be amazing. So start doing it!

Try drawing two random objects a day. The drawing must be complete: drawing + shading + drop shadow + any other special effect.

Something like below:

Just repeat this process every day. You are on the right track!

Step 5. Draw living creatures

Since we now know how to draw and shade various objects with relative accuracy, it's time to draw moving objects and living organisms. Now it is necessary to include the movement of objects, their pose and facial expressions in the drawing, this is a real challenge!

The most important advice is to keep your eyes and mind wide open. You have to watch everything around you.

So observe all the nuances - people walking, a bird flying, a dog's posture, etc. And, when possible, create a quick sketch this specific position, movement, expression, etc. And work on the details later in your own free time.

You should end up with something like this:

This is a quick sketch that can be completed in minutes. Go to a park or cafe and just sketch the people you come across. In this case, the main thing is not quality, but quantity. You need to see and convey the subject's pose.

Study anatomy.Yes, anatomy is the same as in biology class. You need to study the bones of the skeleton and the location of the muscles. This may seem weird and creepy, but on the other hand, it means you can draw a skeleton and skull for Halloween decorations :) This will also help in learning about human proportions and body movements. The same goes for animals - read books on animal anatomy. Almost all art books on drawing animals will have an anatomy section.

Try starting with my article:

Then try to quickly draw a few different expressions faces:

Observe and remember the differences between facial lines. Later, keep adding shadows and make them look even more realistic, like this:

Do the same with trees, flowers, animals, birds, etc.

Now that you know quite a bit, using your acquired skills you should be able to draw something like this:

Persistence, difficulty and pain will then lead you here:

And in the case of people (a little better or worse):

Now it's time to pause and take a look at the image below, this beautiful woman. She really looks very beautiful, doesn't she?

And if you ask yourself, can you be confident enough to draw her as beautiful as she is? Chances are the answer is a big “No,” right? If so, then you still have some way to go!

So your drawing is still in its infancy and there is a lot of room for improvement.For example, you will have to work on detail human eye and his movements, human hair, its shine, etc. I think you understand what I'm trying to say, don't you?

So basically, at this stage, you have to surround yourself with these challenges all the time in order to move forward and not get stuck in the middle.No one will help you with this except yourself!

Step 6. Trying different tools and materials

It's great if you can draw with a pencil, but it will be much more interesting and useful if you also learn how to use ink, paint, markers, pastels, etc. You should try different materials, if only because you may come across something that you especially like. Add color to your sketches!

Of course, art supplies are not cheap now, so you shouldn’t buy professional materials right away, in case you don’t like them and want something else? For starters, tools from the mid-price category will be enough. Now it's very big choice inexpensive art materials can be found at AliExpress.

Don't use fancy art boards or moleskines. Buy a large notebook or album with white sheets. Your goal is to do as much as possible and faster than sketches without having to worry about wasting expensive paper.

Also, if you decide to try yourself in digital art, you don’t have to immediately take up licensed Photoshop, when you can start with free editors, for example MyPaint, SAI, GIMP.

Step 7. Landscapes

Now put everything together. You must start drawing landscapes with people, plants and many animals. In this step you will have a great opportunity practice your knowledge laws of perspective.

To start, you can try drawing panoramas, such as the view from your window.Try to first draw landscapes more “roughly”, for example like this:

After that, detail the objects.

After extensive training, your drawings will look something like this:

Step 8. Draw from imagination

Start with something simple, like an apple. Simply move your pencil onto the paper, only imagining that you are drawing an apple before you draw it. Then do a quick preliminary sketch to get its shape and the shape of its shadow in proportion to the page. Then start shading and detailing.

Then try to draw something more complex, for example, flowers, trees, a glass, a pen, etc. Each time try to choose more difficult objects. At this point I can give no further advice other than Practice regularly.

Step 9. Forming your own style

Now you know everything. At least enough to start developing your own artistic style.Your style should be unique, and you should continue to develop it with intense practice.

Please note that I can't add anything more to this step because I don't know what yours will be like unique style. I can only advise

The internet is full of resources to help you with inspiration and ideas, such as Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube. I recommend checking these sources regularly, learning about different styles, and practicing the style that suits you best.

Step 10. Getting better

This step is about refining to the point where your drawing is indistinguishable from a photograph or real image. Of course, it is optional. But if you still If you want to develop your skills to drawing in the style of hyperrealism, this will also require a lot of practice.

Although drawings that are indistinguishable from photographs are signs of the amazing skill of the authors who have put in a lot of effort, there are equal examples amazing works that Not look like the photos. So you should also keep this in mind.

Here is an example of a hyperrealistic drawing:

Step 11. Practice, practice, practice.

Artistic skills don't come with fancy sketches and pencils. This comes with practice. It is believed that in order to become a professional in your field, you need to devote a certain amount of time to it - from 2000 to 10,000 hours!

Every time, when you have free time, sit down and draw something, or practice your shading, tone, etc. There are so many things to master - you always need to practice. Draw easy objects and complex ones. Draw people in detail or rough lines. Master everything as much as you can, constantly improve your skills.

Moreover, it is desirable that practice be accompanied by feedback. It’s just imperative that these viewers tell you the truth, so mom and dad are not suitable for this role.Alternatively, you can post your work in some art community or forum. Ours could serve as such a place.

In order for a portrait of a person to have maximum resemblance to the person depicted, first of all you need to correctly draw his eyes. In this lesson you will learn how to draw a person's eyes step by step with a simple pencil.

If you are going to draw someone's portrait, even with a simple pencil, be prepared to make several sketches and ruin a lot of sheets of paper.

On New Year's Eve, the drawing of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden becomes very relevant. I hope this one step by step lesson using a simple pencil technique, will help you draw Santa Claus correctly.

When drawing a portrait, it is often enough just to correctly draw the eyes, lips and nose and a certain resemblance of the posing person will appear.

Each person's nose has unique characteristics, so it is impossible to give precise advice on how to draw the nose of a girl, child or man.

Drawing a hand is not difficult at all, especially in life size. To do this, just trace the contours of your hand with a pencil.

Don't complicate the drawing of comic characters. The image of the figure and face of people should be without much detail, almost schematic, slightly in a cartoonish, comic tone.

If you know how to draw a person's face, then drawing a mermaid will not be difficult, since the mermaid has a fish tail instead of legs.

The girls' eyes, drawn in anime style, are unnaturally large, with long eyelashes and huge black pupils.

Lesson on how to draw cartoon character Sonic, designed for very young children. The lesson was done in pencil, but you can draw with felt-tip pens or colored pencils.

Drawing Winnie the Pooh step by step is not at all difficult and you will definitely get a good picture of Winnie the Pooh.

This Spider-Man drawing is done in pencil, but you can draw it with markers or colored pencils.

If you draw Iron Man step by step with a pencil, you will definitely get a beautiful picture of this hero. To make Iron Man more impressive, be sure to color the drawing.

This manga-style drawing was done in pencil, but on the site there is an almost identical color drawing made on a graphics tablet.

The hero of this lesson is a character from the famous cartoon about Pokemon. The drawing is done step by step, so even small children can cope with this task.

Since Patrick is a starfish, his body shape resembles a five-pointed star. This lesson is intended for the youngest site visitors.

Another lesson is for children. I hope that drawing SpongeBob will not be difficult even for small children who are just starting to learn to draw.

This doll looks more like a little princess with a high collar and lots of lace on her dress.

There are many Smeshariki and they are all similar to each other, since their body resembles a ball or ball. Try to draw Smesharik Krosh step by step with a pencil.

Smesharik Hedgehog differs from Smesharik Krosh only in that you need to draw needles along the contour of his body.

In this lesson we will draw a chimpanzee monkey step by step. If you need a drawing of a monkey of a different species, you can draw it from a photograph.

Try to draw this graceful cat called a jaguar. Of course, a “cat” like Jaguar only looks like a domestic cat in appearance and hunts not mice, but artiodactyls.

If you like to draw animals, be sure to draw this cute and cute Koala bear step by step with a pencil.

The bear in children's drawings has a friendly and peaceful character. In the wild, this is a dangerous and aggressive animal.

The fox is similar in appearance to a dog, but in addition to the bushy tail and the original bright red color of the fur, it also has a number of other differences, for example, a narrow and long muzzle.

An elephant is not difficult to draw. You will see this if you try to draw an elephant with me step by step with a simple pencil.

If you have tried to draw a snake and a bird, then drawing a dragon will not be difficult for you. A drawing of a dragon made in black and white pencil does not even need to be colored.

When drawing a camel, be sure to draw the surrounding desert landscape. It is not difficult to paint sand and bright sun, but you will get a real picture.

The spider drawing does not have to be colored. It is quite enough to shade the spider with a simple pencil, and for realism draw a web around the spider.

The snake inspires many panic fear, because some snakes are very poisonous. But in fact, this is an ordinary animal from the reptile family that uses poison for self-defense.

Drawing for children with a simple pencil is best done in stages, first outlining only general outlines frogs. And then, step by step, draw the whole picture.

The most difficult thing is to draw transparent wings with veins for a bee. I think with the help of this tutorial you can easily cope with it

A black and white drawing of an ant made with a simple pencil will look quite realistic.

The main thing is to correctly draw the long and narrow muzzle of the hedgehog. Numerous hedgehog spines are easy to draw. To make the hedgehog look more realistic, draw nearby mushrooms or fallen apples that the hedgehog collects in the fall.

There are so many unusual animals on our planet. The panda bear is an extremely beautiful and unique animal that lives only in China.

Draw a crocodile with an open mouth. This will make it easier for you to express in your drawing the ferocious and predatory nature of this most ancient creature on our planet.

You can draw a squirrel “from life”, since in any park you can meet this wonderful animal and even feed it by hand.

No one knows exactly what the dinosaur looked like. Perhaps he looked exactly like this picture.

Outwardly, a scorpion is somewhat reminiscent of a crayfish, only the scorpion’s claws are smaller, and at the edge of the tail there is a dangerous poisonous sting.

Do you think you can’t draw such a beautiful dragonfly as in my drawing? And you try it. The main thing is to take a sharper pencil so that the lines are thin and clear.

All dogs are similar to each other and at the same time, no two dogs are the same. Let's draw a very cute and good-natured St. Bernard dog, saving people caught in avalanches.

Many children keep hamsters at home, funny and cute animals. Take a piece of paper and a simple pencil and let's try to draw your pet step by step.

If you need to draw a pony, that cute little horse, then this lesson will help you do it step by step.

A donkey is very similar to a pony, but why does it have such long ears? However, it doesn't matter. The only important thing is that you can draw a donkey correctly and beautifully using this lesson.

Beginning artists draw the horse's hind legs as well as the front legs. Don't make this common mistake. Look carefully, the horse's hind legs bend in reverse.

This assignment lesson is one I really like. It is very simple, and at the same time allows anyone to accurately draw a horse's head.

In this lesson you will learn how to draw a rabbit step by step with a simple pencil. With simple steps you can draw a rabbit quickly and easily, try it.

Drawing a kitten is fun, especially when the drawing works out. Try to draw a kitten step by step using this lesson.

Do you need to draw mushrooms? Then take advantage of this lesson. Step by step, you will draw the most popular white mushroom among mushroom pickers.

The maple leaf is very beautiful, especially in autumn time when he changes his green color into shades of yellow and red.

This lesson is not at all difficult, you just need to correctly draw the snail’s “house”. To make the snail drawing more realistic, also draw a grape leaf.

There are all sorts of patterns on the wings of a butterfly. The wings of even an ordinary cabbage butterfly are like an artist’s palette with multi-colored spots of paint.

A seascape is not difficult to draw, but it is much more difficult to convey the depth of color crashing against the rocks sea ​​waves.

Often we do not notice what surrounds us and what we cannot live without. Trees and plants are the basis of our nature. Protect the environment!

Flowers, green grass, tree leaves not only cleanse our air of harmful impurities, but also decorate our lives. Look around with “different” eyes and you will understand how carefully we need to treat our nature.

You may need to draw a Christmas tree closer to the New Year. In addition to drawing a festive tree, the site has a lesson on how to draw Santa Claus.

There are no identical snowflakes, so you can come up with any shape of a snowflake, the main thing is that its “rays” are absolutely symmetrical.

The ladybug must be colored with colored pencils or paints, or even better, draw it against the background of the nature surrounding it: green leaves, bright flower buds.

Against the backdrop of the darkness of space, the Shuttle will look especially impressive. This spaceship can turn into an airplane and, leaving orbit, land on Earth on its own.

Helicopters, just like airplanes, are civil and military. In this lesson you will be able to draw the most common stamp step by step civil helicopter our country.

Your drawing of a military aircraft will definitely turn out beautiful if you can draw the wings correctly and symmetrically.

Drawing of an English military fighter from the Second World War. The lesson is done with a simple pencil.

It will be much easier for you to draw a car if you do it step by step. First you need to mark the body, and then, step by step, finish drawing other parts of the car.

• Pencil. You will need the simplest and most intuitive drawing tool in any case. Even if you want to learn how to draw with paints, you will need a simple pencil to create a sketch. Not all pencils are the same. Some are for drawing, others for drawing, others for everyday tasks. It is better not to choose pencils that are too hard (3H, 4H and more): they can easily scratch and tear the paper.

• Watercolor. Water-soluble paint is known for its lightness, transparency and wide palette of shades. However, painting with watercolor is quite difficult: you need to learn how to use its properties and have a good idea of ​​how the paint will behave on paper. On the other hand, if you put in enough effort, you will learn to draw in one of the most impressive techniques.

• Gouache. This is a thick matte paint that is diluted with water. It is perfect for the first steps in drawing. Thanks to the dense texture of gouache, dark tones can be easily covered with darker ones. This is very important, because then all the flaws and shortcomings can be corrected. Another good news: gouache is inexpensive.

• Pastel (dry). These crayons are used to create designs in soft colors. Due to its texture, pastel is very easy to shade, which allows you to create beautiful transitions between shades. You should immediately prepare for the fact that your fingers and table (at a minimum) will be stained with dust and pastel crumbs. The finished pastel drawing is easy to smudge, so the pigments on the paper will need to be secured with varnish or fixative.

• Markers (“copies”). We asked artist-illustrator and teacher Anna Rastorgueva to tell us about this instrument, relatively unknown to most. Because she draws with markers and does it great. We are not talking about text highlighters or simple felt-tip pens, but about alcohol markers, which, thanks to their base, do not deform the paper and allow you to achieve smooth transitions between shades.

There are many manufacturers of such instruments, including Japanese brands, German, Chinese, Korean, and Russian. The price also varies - from 160 to 600 rubles per piece, so even a novice author can pick up a small kit to get started.

The palettes of this type of markers are unusually wide, with an average of 300 colors, so in order not to get confused, you can purchase a ready-made set, usually selected on a specific topic: architecture, nature, manga.

What if I don't know what to draw?

If you don’t know what to draw, but really want to, copy, draw and repeat after others. There's nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, this is a normal process. Take a picture that you like, put it in front of you and start.

Video instructions help a lot. Unlike advice in the style of “draw a circle, add sticks, add details - you will get a great canvas,” these notes do not lie. You will see exactly how the drawing is created.

Remember: creativity is an international thing. Don't be afraid to check out the YouTube channels of English-speaking bloggers, even if you don't understand what they're saying.

Try starting with these channels:

• Proko. An absolute must-have for anyone who wants to learn how to draw. The artist clearly, simply, and clearly explains the most difficult thing - how to draw a person. This is the base and foundation, so the channel will probably be in your bookmarks.

• Mark Crilley. The artist works in a cartoon style, so those who want to learn how to draw cute, cute drawings will find everything they need here. The artist shows different techniques and in detail, frame by frame, demonstrates the simplest techniques for creating an effective drawing.

• Sycra. The channel will appeal to everyone who loves Japanese cartoons and wants to learn how to draw anime. Video tutorials cover the topic inside and out: body structure, facial features, costumes and everything, everything, everything.

• Bob Ross. Bob Ross is an American television legend. Perhaps the most inspiring program in the world was created by this man, who for 11 years taught people to create miracles on canvas. You may not understand what Bob says in his soft voice, but you cannot resist the artistic talent that penetrates you directly from the screen.

In general, choosing a topic is the second fundamental issue after choosing the material. And there is no need to limit yourself here traditional genres: portrait, still life or landscape. These days, daily household sketches are becoming increasingly popular. Like Instagram photos, artists quickly capture exciting topics in their notebooks, publish them in in social networks, study and communicate together. The subject of interest can be absolutely any object - from macro-sketches of insects to travel diaries detailed in every detail.

Anna Rastorgueva, illustrator, teacher

"You Can Draw in 30 Days" by Mark Kistler. One of the most famous books about drawing. As many years of observations show, after reading it and, importantly, following the instructions, everyone learned to draw.

"Discover the Artist in You" by Betty Edwards. Those who have doubts can immediately be informed: from this book, about 2 million of those who considered themselves “armless” have already learned to draw. For those who do not believe in their own abilities at all and think that all artists know some secret beautiful paintings, we say: yes, the secret exists. It's hidden in this book.

“A sketchbook that will teach you how to draw!”, Robin Landa. As a teacher himself, Robin knows that students draw best on the pages of their textbooks. This is where fantasy comes into full play! Therefore, he created a book in which you can (and should) draw. And learn along the way.

I want to draw, but I don't have time or extra money

The first step can be taken without much investment or effort. Download creative apps and get started right now.

Tayasui Sketches. One of the most beautiful and simple applications with numerous tools will teach you how to draw in different techniques.

Bamboo Paper. Wacom, a company that creates drawing tablets, has developed its own application for artists. Sketches, sketches and full-fledged drawings - this program will be needed at every stage of learning.

Zen Brush. This application will not help with learning, but it will put you in the right creative mood. With a brush you can draw characteristic strokes, and the finished drawing looks like a work of art from some distant eastern country.

We’ve sorted out the materials, the sources of inspiration, too, the books have been studied, and there are applications for the laziest. It's your turn - it's time to get down to business.

The main thing is to find what you really like. Go for it!

Anna Rastorgueva, illustrator, teacher

Each of us made our first sketches as children. During the drawing lessons, not everyone tried to do the work well and did not think about acquiring skills. In adulthood, many people feel the need to create something beautiful, but how to learn to draw with a pencil? After all, any drawing technique is based on the ability to hold the stylus correctly, make basic sketches, and create images. In this article you will find useful tips for learning to draw, both in art school and on your own.

Pencil Drawing Basics

Experts say that anyone, regardless of age, can learn how to draw correctly with a pencil. Learning to paint always begins with getting to know the materials that a beginning artist needs:

• a sheet of white paper, any format;
• eraser, also known as a rubber grater;
• simple pencils.

The first steps in drawing begin with pencil sketch. With the help of meager lines, the general outlines of the object being copied, various poses, and moments of movement are conveyed. Sketching is the fastest way to put on paper your first thoughts and impressions of what you are drawing. While sketching, you don’t need to pay attention to unnecessary details; it is recommended to draw it for no more than 10 minutes.

How to learn to draw from scratch

Scientific psychologists have proven that during the process of creating a drawing, both hemispheres of the brain are actively working in a person, and the imagination is activated. It’s not for nothing that there is a technique for calming nerves called art therapy - this is drawing for adults and children. Many people want to be able to, but do not know how to learn to draw with a pencil. Learning to draw from scratch is not at all difficult, because the technique of drawing with a pencil is accessible to children and adults.

Art school

How can a child learn to draw with a pencil? The most The best decision- send him to art school. It is intended for teaching school-age children from 6 to 17 years old. Upon admission to this institution, the level of knowledge and skills in fine arts. Depending on the child’s skills, they are assigned to the appropriate group of students.

Education at the art school is free and government funded. I visit this place after main school lessons three times a week. The course of study ranges from two to seven years. After graduating from school, the graduate receives a diploma, which opens the door to an artistic future: admission to a college or higher institution in his specialty.

Courses

How can adults learn to draw with a pencil? You can learn the art of drawing with the help of art courses. They are paid. The course of study ranges from several weeks to four years. During this time, the art studio will teach you the following skills:

• How to draw correctly in step-by-step technique.
• Learn to use a pencil and brush. Teachers in the art studio teach not only the ability to hold instruments correctly, but also how to choose and distinguish high-quality from low-grade ones.
• Learn how to draw children with a pencil.
• Learn many drawing techniques.
• Learn how to learn to draw various items.
• Learn to draw from life, landscapes, still lifes, people, animals, etc.
• Learn coloristics - choosing and combining colors correctly.
• Learn how to draw a cat with a pencil and other animals.
• They will tell you how to learn to draw portraits.

Online lessons

If you don’t have free time and you don’t know how to learn to draw with a pencil, then use online courses. They are suitable for those who are unable to attend a stationary studio. An approximate plan for completing classes in this format for beginning artists:

• The teacher provides basic knowledge of drawing in the form of examples of work and pictures.
• The selected topic of the drawing lesson is discussed in detail.
• At the end of the lesson the teacher gives homework, which you complete and mail to your teacher for review.
• At the next lesson, the student, together with the teacher, analyzes the homework in detail, and together they correct errors in the drawing, if any.

Online lessons, as an option, in order to learn how to draw professionally, are not the only way out. If you do not have financial and territorial capabilities, but have great and irresistible desire If you learn how to draw well, you can do it yourself with the help of:

• textbooks and drawing aids;
• tutorials;
• drawing instructions;
• training videos.

Step-by-step drawing technique

A beginner needs to practice drawing by creating sketches. In order for the drawing to be meaningful, the sketch must be created according to the rules that form the plan:

1. First, choose an object that you will draw, such as a teapot or vase.
2. Examine it from all sides, determine its shape, its texture, how the shadows fall on this object.
3. Determine the composition of the drawing, i.e. how it will be placed on paper, in what format.
4. After the contours are drawn, draw the details and apply shadows.

Human

In order to draw a person, you need to decide on the composition. This means that you need to analyze the boundaries of the location from head to toe. Once you have a figure in your mind, start composing the body parts. You need to draw a person from a sketch of the contours of the head, going lower. In the image of a person, it is very important to immediately find the image; you should determine the number of details necessary for the finished drawing.

Face

When drawing a person, much attention is paid to the face. To draw it correctly, you need to follow the steps:

1. Decide how the face will be positioned on the paper. To do this, mentally draw an axis of symmetry; it should pass through the center of the sheet.
2. Draw with a pencil on paper the outline of the face in the form of an oval (the shape of a chicken egg).
3. Build the shape of the face, starting from the jawline, moving to the most convex part - the cheekbone area, then to the narrowest - the temporal area.
4. Align the drawn lines with an eraser; this will noticeably “lighten” the outline of the oval.
5. Divide the resulting oval into three equal parts using light, barely noticeable lines. The very first line, located closer to the chin, marks the tip of the nose.
6. Draw the nose, starting from the tip. It always protrudes forward, so it has a round, square, or pointed shape. Then we draw the wings of the nose and the bridge of the nose.
7. We draw the mouth, starting from the upper bend of the lip, which is located in the middle of the nostrils of the nose.

Eyes

In a portrait of a person, the eyes occupy the most important place; they attract attention, so they need to be given special attention. To draw them using a step-by-step technique, you must adhere to the following plan:

1. Before drawing the eyes, it is necessary to outline the eyebrows, which are located at the level of the bridge of the nose. Their shape depends on the character that the artist wants to convey in the portrait.
2. Having outlined the approximate location of the eyes, we draw out their shape in the form of an oval.
3. Draw the pupil in the shape of a circle.
4. We line the eyelids and shape the eyelashes.

Anime and Manga

Many young artists begin learning to draw with anime and manga, because... portray people in style bright characters Japanese cartoons are much simpler than classic ones. The greatest emphasis in such cartoon characters falls on the head, eyes and hair. Let's sort it out step-by-step scheme drawing, with the help of which a novice artist will learn how to learn to draw anime:

1. We start drawing the anime with an oval, which will be the head.
2. Divide the circle in half lengthwise using straight line.
3. Divide the head crosswise into three parts using light lines.
4. Next, you need to note the location of the eyes, nose and mouth.
5. Drawing big eyes, starting from the arc upper eyelid. The distance between them should be equal to one eye. When drawing pupils, much attention is paid to applying highlights. The eyebrows of these characters are drawn in a classic style: two even arches.
6. The nose in anime and manga is drawn small, expressed with a tick.
7. Lips are drawn with two small lines.
8. Anime and manga hair should be drawn in flowing triangles that slightly cover the eyes.
9. Anime girls are depicted in bright clothes, mostly dresses.

3D drawings

Three-dimensional drawings fascinate with their realism, thanks to correct construction shape, applying shadows and highlights in the right places. You should learn to draw such pictures from simple geometric shapes: cylinder, rhombus, square. To recreate the 3D illusion of an object, you need to draw it in isometry, when the angles between the coordinate axes are 45 degrees. Volume is added to the drawing by auxiliary lines, which are drawn inside the figure with light pressure, and the outline is drawn in bold, more dark color.

Portraits

Portraits can be drawn both from life and from photographs. Before drawing up an image, carefully consider what message the future drawing will convey. Learn to draw a portrait of a person correctly, not only in terms of proportionality and symmetry, but also to display real emotions. Another task of drawing an image of a person is to convey the maximum similarity of the person being copied. To achieve this, before you start drawing, consider all the details, highlight those features, “highlights” that you will focus on.

Graffiti on paper

Nowadays, graffiti painting is a fashionable movement that is gaining momentum. Many buildings are full of incomprehensible voluminous inscriptions, but quite often there are beautiful, professional drawings on the walls. To ensure that your paintings do not disfigure city buildings, and that expensive paints do not go to waste, you need to practice on paper for a long time. First, try drawing the letters of the alphabet using a pencil. To give them volume, use auxiliary lines.

House

The ability to draw buildings is useful not only for children, but also for people of all ages. age groups, to easily compose pictures, for example, a house with a landscape. Buildings are very easy to draw using lines. You should start with a rectangle, adding a triangle, you will get the image of a house, this is how children draw it. With the help of simple techniques and additional lines, the house becomes voluminous.

Cars

To draw a car with a pencil, you need to follow a step-by-step plan:

1. Mark the outer outline of the car, dividing it in half with a line.
2. We draw the body with thicker lines.
3. Then we draw the wheels.
4. We draw out the parts of the front of the car: headlights, windshield, bumper.
5. We draw windows, doors, mirrors.

Animals

It is much more difficult to draw animals than objects, especially from life, because they constantly change their pose and are in motion. To draw an animal, for example, a horse, you need to decide on its characteristic features: thick mane, elongated muzzle, slender muscular legs. Look detailed instructions, . You may not be able to correctly portray your favorite cat or dog on the first try, but after several practices you will definitely succeed.

Video tutorials on drawing with a simple pencil for beginners

Video lessons - great way learning to draw on your own. Below is a selection of training videos in which experienced artists clearly show how to create easy pencil drawings for beginners. After watching the video, you will learn how to draw Japanese cartoon characters - anime girls, and learn how to draw flowers. If you like landscapes, then watch the third video to the end, in which the artist paints nature, focusing special attention on the trees.

Drawing girls

How to draw flowers

Beautiful landscapes

How to Draw the Human Body

Drawing is at least a great hobby for creative people. Many people believe that for this you need to have some kind of special talent, when, in fact, anyone can learn to draw - with a certain persistence and systematic practice. We will help you figure out how to learn to draw with a pencil and what beginners need to know about this activity.

Drawing supplies

You should have a set of simple pencils. They are designated by the letters H (T in Russian markings) - hard pencil, B (M) - soft, and the letter is preceded by a number that indicates the degree of hardness or softness, for example, 2B.

Beginners should start with an HB (TM) pencil - this is a standard pencil, medium hard-soft. Once you get used to it, it will be easier to control the pressure when using other types of pencils.

Take white and thick paper, preferably grainy - pencil shades will be clearly visible on it. If possible, buy one sheet of paper for testing and rub it with an eraser - if it immediately becomes loose with pellets, then the quality of such paper leaves much to be desired.

Don't forget to take a good eraser to correct future marks. Choose a soft eraser so that you don’t damage the paper too much when erasing.

Where to begin

First of all, you need to become familiar with the basic principles of drawing: composition, volume, perspective, dynamics. These basics apply to any style, not just pencil drawings.

After this, you should decide what exactly you want to learn and how you want to draw, what style to choose. Even if you want to be able to do a little bit of everything, stop first on something specific and don’t try to embrace the immensity - master one style, and then move on to another.

If you want to learn how to draw portraits, you will have to learn the basics of anatomy, the proportions of the human face and body. To learn how to draw landscapes, you need to practice drawing natural objects - plants, mountain ranges, sea waves, etc. If you want to draw anime, then you need to know the features of drawing characters in this genre.

From simple to complex

You must learn to draw geometric shapes in two dimensions and then in three dimensions. It will become very important stage your practice, because, in fact, all objects and even we ourselves conditionally consist of different geometric shapes. And when you are just learning to draw objects and people, and even after gaining experience, you will still sketch circles, ovals, squares on paper, indicating the proportions of the objects being drawn.

Draw a lot of simple objects and animals in a simplified form. Don't shy away from drawing objects that seem boring at first glance, like a cup, an alarm clock, or an apple on a table - even a simple two-dimensional outline drawing will require some skill on your part.

Let's try to practice a little right now and draw a cute mouse.

1. Take soft pencil and draw two ovals next to each other, with a slight intersection. One of them will be smaller - this is the future mouse’s head, and the second will become the body.


2. Draw circles for the ears, outline the paws and outline the curving tail.


3. Now let’s draw a muzzle for the mouse - an eye in the shape of an inverted drop, a nose like a ball, a smile, and don’t forget to draw the ears.


4. Erase the inner contours of the muzzle and make a more saturated stroke. Color the pupil and nose black, with a white highlight in the middle.


5. Draw the mouse’s paws and shape the tail, erasing the auxiliary contours along the body. Trace the rest of the mouse.


After two-dimensional images, start mastering three-dimensional ones, with the transfer of volume. When studying black and white drawing, start with the classic task - draw a ball with a falling shadow. If you don't have a suitable ball at home, use it as an object egg. You can see how to perform such a drawing in the following video.

At first, it is very important to learn how to draw from life - you must develop a sense of form on real objects, observe shadows and light, see volume.

The main principle in drawing is the movement from simple to complex, from the general to the details.

Don't rush and don't expect that after a couple of drawing lessons you will be able to create brilliant paintings. Be patient: sometimes you will have to learn to draw the same shape over and over again until you achieve a decent result before moving on to more complex tasks, for example, to drawing people.

Basic pencil drawing techniques

The main techniques for drawing with a pencil include shading and shading.

In the initial stages, it will be easier for you to master shading. Although sometimes students art schools, for example, they use exclusively shading, and shading is considered an incorrect technique. In any case, it will be useful to master both techniques, as they help achieve different results in the drawing.

Hatching

Hatching is done by drawing short, thin lines with a pencil on an area of ​​paper. The lines are placed at the same distance from each other. At the same time, the pencil comes off the sheet: having drawn one line, you do not pull it along the paper in a zigzag to its original position, but return it back without leaving marks. It is important to hatch the drawing in one direction.

The degree of tone saturation is controlled by different frequencies of strokes and their direction - strokes can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal. Increasing color depth is achieved using cross strokes different directions, for example, diagonal strokes are superimposed on top of the vertical strokes.

There are also relief strokes - they are used to convey the relief and are made with curved, arched, broken strokes, but not straight.

Pencil shading conveys both light and shade and tones, as well as various textures: backgrounds, surfaces, materials, etc.

The shading technique is quite complex for beginners and requires a lot of training. It will likely take a long time before you can work out own style shading. Therefore, for beginners, the shading technique is suitable, which will help correct defects in shading if necessary.

It is with the help of shading that a realistic image is achieved with a smooth gradation of tone.

It is performed as follows: hatch lines are drawn onto paper with a pencil, and then rubbed using a special tool - a feather, or cotton swab, a piece of soft paper, fabric or suede. Do not shade the lines with your finger to avoid the appearance of greasy spots in the drawing.

In fact, shading is an optional stage after shading, but with its own peculiarity: shading before shading is better with cross zigzag lines. Do not do it horizontal shading- rub pencil lines only from top to bottom.

It is important that the shading is uniform. As a last resort, you can carefully highlight the light areas with a pencil again, and weaken the dark areas with an eraser.

In this video you can see how to do different types shading and shading.

When the basics have been studied and pencil techniques have been mastered, all that remains is to practice drawing more often. Remember that practice is the key to your success.

There are a lot of manuals for beginner artists, where you will see special drawing lessons individual items or pencil paintings. You can either buy these publications in a specialized store or take lessons from the Internet. The main thing is to practice as much and often as possible. Let drawing become, first of all, a pleasant leisure time for you.