How to Get Better at Drawing

Drawing. It seems like there's two categories in which people fall into when it comes to this: you are one of the people who can draw well, or you are one of the people who can't. Yes there are people who are more gifted at drawing than others, however, there are things you can do to improve your technique and get better at drawing.

1. Draw, Draw, and then Draw some more!

The thing everyone will tell you to do when you are wanting to become better at drawing is "make sure you draw all the time or as often as you can". There's no short cut or quick solution that is going to make you successfully start drawing at an advanced level over night, it is a skill that is developed though experience. So the more you draw - the better you will become. 

Now having said this I also want to add that whilst making sure that you draw often is an excellent thing to be doing, if you don't know what you are doing or how to develop your art skills then simply drawing often will only get you so far. I'm not saying that people can't become incredible artists from just drawing alone because they can, but for a lot of people wanting to get to the next level I would suggest the implementation of the following tips too.  

2. Art Classes

This isn't an option for everyone due to money and time, but for those of you who do have both, art classes should be something to consider. A good art teacher is much more valuable than any other form of learning art simply because they can give a hands-on approach also giving you tips and advice about how you can improve, with the added bonus of their experience.

3. Read books, watch videos

Whilst these won't be quite as effective as an art teacher would (well, depending on what area they specialise in), these are a good second best method for helping you gain more advice, pointers, and tips to how to further advance your art ability. It seems that Youtube is becoming more and more populated with tutorial videos including many ones in art.

4. Draw easier things to start 

Don't try to run before you walk, start with drawing more basic pictures/scenes and work your way up. If you want you can try complex drawings but if you are starting out or your drawing skills aren't really that great - it could possibly discourage you and end up putting you off. 

5. Research

This may seem like a surprise but research can also help your art. Having a better understanding about how something is put together or the anatomy of an animal or whatever is helpful for allowing your drawings to become more realistic.

6. Patience

Like most things that you want to become good at, it's not going to happen over night. Drawing is a skill that requires you to spend time developing. The world's leading artists will have spent many years honing their skills so don't be discouraged when you don't see results straight away. It might be an idea to date all of your drawings so you can look back upon them in the future to see your improvements.