How to become a good drawer or artist?

Question

I suck at drawing alot but I want to draw beautiful artwork like people or scenery any suggestions

Answer 1

Practice, study new techniques, and observe other pieces of art.

Answer 2

The only way to improve is with a lot of practice...draw as much as you can. Keep a sketchbook. If you want to get better at drawing realistically then draw from life. Set up a still life, have someone sit for you, sit outside and draw. Try drawing the same person/thing a certain number of times. Don't expect it to be a masterpiece. It's the process that's important. Master artists have made lots of work that wasn't so great.
Taking a class would be really helpful because you would have other people's opinions. It's always helpful to have another set of eyes tell you what they think.
Just don't give up, it's hard when you feel like you're not improving but you will.
There is a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Maybe this would help.

Answer 3

I remember trying to paint at the age of 20 .....I still have the 3 paintings I think ....Wow Have I learned since then.At the age of 49 I again had the urge to paint .It had never left my mind I just didn't know how .In the next four years I painted about 40 paintings in oil, aquarell & acrylic.I sold 4 of the first ones .I didn't know how to draw either but this time I was determined & I told myself I can paint. In those four years I took 3 / 30 hr courses one in each medium mentioned and I finished 1 painting in each course some of my paintings are free hand but if I have to much trouble I use the grid to draw picture first.I was so disapointed at my first attempts & the teachers kept reasuring me it would turn out ok Those were the best paintings I have done .I found that for me the only thing that worked was practice,practice,practice.Use different brushes, angles, flats, rounds,knives, sharpened 1/4 inch dowels ,tooth picks,your fingers ....... charcoals all types hard soft ...Close one eye & really focus until you only see the lines you want to draw.Buy books with different brush strokes & techniques .Carry a sketch book & pencil with you Try sketching everything that interests you .Don't be afraid that it doesn't look what you want it to .Try it again and again You can't practice enough 3 hrs a day is not to much ..I haven't had time to paint in over 2 yrs & I know I will have to practice lots before I get the brightness & shading I need in my paintings so go ahead sharpen your pencils get your tools out & practice keep track of your work & look back every once in awhile .See how much progress you've done Good Luck Portraits of faces are my next adventure I know I will have a harder time I've only done sideviews with not to much detail so far I guess I will have alot of that practicing to do

Answer 4

oops...I answered this question (it was up twice!) but forgot to give you the url with the address:
http://www.innerbody.com/image/skelfov.html

The best advice I can give you. Get some tracing paper. You know a lot of people look down on tracing, but it was through tracing I learned to look at things that other people just don't notice...the folds around the eye, the inner lid...where the shading was located...and more than that, it made things register in my brain, connecting the synapses of thought to gear it to looking harder and knowing where to map. I pretty much only had pencils available to me growing up so I learned to be a very linear artist. Small wonder. I would recommend (and would have had I to do it over again) going to an art supply store and buying some canvas board. It's cheaper than canvas, but durable and lasts forever. Get yourself a set of paints, acrylic. They are easy clean up. You mix with water and then take any picture that is a attracts you and sketch an idea on it. Take your time with that first sketch. Erase or start over, etc...till you are satisfied with your subject. Mix some red paint with water, so it is just pinking and then trace over what you have decided upon. Now work with your background first. If you are doing a sky, make sure you only brush back and forth, not up and down and make sure you have no globs or lines. If you paint in this manner you can correct any mistakes you make, time and time again. The first idea is to get paint all over the canvas. Get all you basic colors in first before you even start thinking about detailing. There are many tricks that you can use. I sometimes use masking tape if I am need straight lines...say for instance a sea line, separating it from the sky. A ruler across can guide you as you color in different lines of color of an ocean.

Now as far as the drawing goes, I will tell you in life drawing classes they do quick sketches with charcoal and newsprint paper. You know that sort of rough beige colored paper. You are only allowed to do 5 minute drawings and that helps you learn to catch movement and be less linear. Linear artists always outline their drawings and if you make an error in mapping out, you will less able to correct it. Working fast with charcoal eliminates that.

Do work with the paints though. You need to produce ALOT of work. Some people take too long in the beginning with just one piece where they should have made 500. Work it.

Here is something else you should learn. To draw a skeleton. This way you will know where the bones are and how they connect. There is also a place on this website that shows you the musculature system. Learn to draw that too. And study things. When you look at a tree picture in your mind how you would draw it. When you look into another's eyes, note to yourself how wide their eye lid is, what colors are within their eyes, etc.

If you wish to see what you can accomplish with acrylics go to my blog. Acrylics are very versatile.
he skeleton and musculature to study.

Answer 5

i myself am an artist- i work in oil paints and have been for the past 4 years. when i started, i wasnt that good, but now i love enetering competitions and am advanced for my age. i would tell you to do what i did-practice! also, take classes from a professional. i find that school art teachers didnt help me develope my skills-they just akllowed me to exercise them. i took outside classes to become good, and then incorporated my skills into everything i did. also, take opinions from different people and learn various techniques. start off with still lifes (fruit, books) and then advance to landscapes. eventually, you will be able to do people, but go slowly and start small. and remember-you cant rush art! never put a deadline on a painting when your just starting out, and never abandon a work of art even if you think it sucks. just keep trying to fix it and learn from your mistakes. draw from a professional painting or a photograph or real life sceneray, not your imagination-that wont help you practice proportion, tints, or shading. good luck!

Answer 6

Hi, I have been drawing ever since I was two years of age. My grandmother started me out on it. I have loved it ever since. Here's my advice for you, Don't say what you can't do, Say what you can do. You have the talent you just have to take your time learn and believe in yourself. YOU can do it. If you need help take up an art class, they can also help. Just remember to practice a day at a time. When you start you will learn things like hues, shading, pastels, arcylillis, watercoloring and landscaping. But remember take your time, you also don't have to do it from imagnation either. Go outside draw flowers, Sketck brick walls. Just have fun and take your time.
GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 7

My suggestion is that you first of all accept that it will take you about a year to produce decent drawings (if you work twice weekly for about 2 hours each time).

Drawing the figure is more difficult than scenery. Go to a life class and work as large as is practical, because only when you work large will you really be challenged.

Work first of all in black and white, ideally in charcoal. Do not try to correct your mistakes: leave them on the page and draw over them.

Be patient and you will get there eventually.

Answer 8

practice , practice and more practice

before you draw really look - looks for lines, shadows, shapes , the form of the object and around the object and use a pencil in front of one eye (other eye shut) to try and get a perspective of what you are drawing

if you really want to you will get there!

Answer 9

as with everything we desire to do in this life, you must practice, practice, practice:)