I recently started drawing, and I have found that the only things I am decent at drawing are faces. advice?

Question

I asked a question yesterday regarding the best pencils and paper for a beginner. Now that I know what type of materials to buy this weekend, I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to go beyond drawing faces. I am on a tight budget as is, and can't really afford to buy a book or books. My job hours prevent me from getting to the library, so I was wondering if there are websites out there? I feel like I am stuck in a rut. Although, since I have never drawn in my life, it seems like a good idea to continue practicing the one thing I tried to draw that I am actually getting a positive result with. Suggestions?

Answer 1

There's a whole lot of things you can do. If you want to learn to draw, you need to learn to see. LOOK at what you are drawing and really see it. I worked as an artist's model for art schools when I was younger, and one of the teachers had the best advice I have ever heard. The class was not for art majors, and each week the students did a self-portrait. Over the course of the term the changes and improvement in their drawings was incredible. This teacher said" The reason you can't draw is there's a little idiot in your head that says you can't. Draw what you SEE, not what you THINK it looks like."
So I wanted to draw a cat. I drew what I thought a cat looked like and it came out looking like a dog. So I got my brother's cat and plunked her down and started really looking at her and drawing parts of her: ears, nose, paws. Within two days I was drawing cats that looked real.
Anyway, I know i am going on about my own experience. I have always been an artist of some type, always wanted to be an artist, but have really taken very few classes. If you can find some things in your room that would be interesting to look at, nice shapes, contrast, or whatever, try drawing that. Try doing a self portrait or two. Draw shoes or boots or pots and pans. Leaves, vegetables, fruit. In art school they start you out drawing spheres and cubes and the like. It's not rocket science. Start simple. Trust yourself, and enjoy your progress.

Answer 2

The only thing you really can do is draw from real life. Sit in front of a mirror, and draw yourself or a friend ten million times (not LIterally). I'm sure you can find proportions online to give you some basic rules of thumb. My first life drawing class consisted of 90% sketches that lasted under 5 minutes. try to get structure before detail (don't start drawing eyelashes when there aren't even any arms). Faces/heads are actually a great start, because you can figure out many other proportions of the body based on hwo large they are compaerd to the head (the human body is about 7 heads tall, the legs are about half ther body, a male chest is three heads wide at the shoulders).

Michaelangelo would draw a hundred figures for every one that he painted on the sistine chapel, so just make sure you persist.

Answer 3

Set up some little still lifes in your room or somewhere where they won't be disturbed. It is much better to learn to draw from real life than from photographs. When you draw from photographs your drawings tend to be flat because the camera makes so many decisions for you already. When you observe from real life you learn to really "see". Practice long drawings spending 20 or 30 minutes or an hour, and then do some 30 second quick sketches. This will keep you fresh and keep you from getting hung up on little details. Good luck, have fun!

Answer 4

Congratulations on choosing to develop your drawing skills. Don't be discouraged by a small budget there are resources everywhere.

Whatever is around you is a potential subject. Every room in your home has potential. Subjects for a still life abound in your kitchen for example. There are all interesting shapes, and textures to explore in your cabinets and drawers, there are reflective surfaces such metal pots and pans, and glass bowls for example. Then there is always fresh produce or a half dozen eggs on the table. An art professor I studied with assigned a drawing on grey illustration board done with pencil. The subject of the drawing was a spoon standing in a glass about half filled with water. If you try this, observe closely how the spoon seems to bend and the reflections of the spoon on the water and on the glass.


Keep in mind, that the type of supplies you start with are less important than learning to get the most out whatever tools you choose to use. It is possible to get a wide range of values out of regular #2 lead pencil depending on the pressure and length of stroke you use to applying the lead to the paper.

Don't limit your choice of support for your drawing experiments. Traditional sketch books are great especially if you carry it with you. But you can draw on virtually any surface with the right medium. Look for textured papers, colored papers. When you are ready to experiment in color for your drawings try using colored pencils. (Prismacolor are my favorites and they can be purchased one pencil at a time or in sets) Conte crayons are sticks of colors that are made of a mixture of compressed pigment (color) and wax. Conte crayons are especially good for large drawings and sketches. They are used by some painters for sketching a subject on the canvas before starting to apply paint.

Bon Voyage, enjoy your adventure.

Answer 5

I would suggest looking at photos. Like at veer.com.

To be honest if you are trying to learn basic anatomy you are going to need to look at the human form nude. Which there is plenty of that on the internet.

Really, you have to the pick the subject you wanna draw, human/animal/object, and just break it down into it's most simplest form.

There are plenty of sites like deviantart.com that help you with anatomy. Just type in anatomy tutorial in the search box.

Also, never ever copy someone elses drawings, or even photos. You should draw what you see in your minds eye, not trace someone elses.

Answer 6

If you intend to learn how to bring the right image all you need is time and Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery guide from here https://tr.im/oRT7p to stay the proper path.
The lessons from Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery guide include 208 pages and an overall total of 605 illustrations.  The fundamental method applied is that you begin with an image, bring a light outline of the feature, and then color it in.
Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery is an ideal allied to make the perfect draw.

Answer 7

you have the best example of the human body at your disposal for free, 24 hrs. a day...yourself. Pick a part and go for it! I can draw hands but not faces, you most be pretty good. In art, there is no right or wrong...we each see it in our own way. Don't be discouraged.

Answer 8

There's always self-portraits! No better subject more available than yourself. Get a good full-length mirror if you don't already have one and really try to get everything you see--as in place yourself within a space and really think about how the composition works (subject versus background, etc., etc.). You can also isolate parts of your body--hand gestures, feet, etc., etc. You can also go to your local art museum and sketch sculptures.

Also try not to treat everything you draw as a precious masterpiece. Everything you make is something to teach yourself how to get better.

Answer 9

honestly? just keep drawing if you want to draw people flick through magazines and draw out of fashion mags etc, this'll help if you have limited time etc, but honestly you need to practise take a sketch book withyou where ever you go, draw people animals anything on the street just ... do it and don't let anything get in your way, when you do have time go to art galleries it will help you understand art mre and teach you to look at the world differently

Answer 10

http://drawsketch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=drawsketch&cdn=hobbies&tm=5&gps=146_145_1020_525&f=00&su=p445.92.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.frankfrazetta.com/ff/features/HTML/anatomy/mem.html
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/figure/williamlibodyconstruction.html
http://figuredrawings.com/learn03.html
Here are three wegsites which might help. Talk to your school Art teacher, or check Amazon.com for books on figure drawing. Sometimes they have pretty reasonable books.