Drawing a Beginner? Start With These Basics to Build Confidence
If you are the type of person who shies away from sketching anything more complex than bulging eyeballs or a figurine on the back of a napkin, it may be more of a lack of confidence in your artistic ability than a fundamental lack of talent. … But cementing the foundations can change your perspective on the seemingly Sisyphean task of teaching the art of the arts ( it just takes a little patience ).
Designer and artist Ralph Ammer believes that anyone can improve their artistic ability if they understand what makes a good drawing. “The basic art of drawing consists of two things: you learn to control your hand and see,” says Ammer in his guide to consolidating these two principles of drawing. With this in mind, Ammer lays out methods by which you can improve your skills in both areas.
The principle of learning to “control your hand”, called agility, is based on both building arm muscles and improving hand-eye coordination. Ammer’s exercises include drawing circles on the page, all different sizes, without overlapping them, and hatching or drawing groups of parallel lines until your page is full.
His perception exercises are aimed at increasing your ability to correctly perceive and translate shapes, colors and shades on paper. Since, in Ammer’s words, “usually contours define a body or an object and make others recognize it,” he suggests starting by working out the contours or contours of your own hands. Other perception exercises are aimed at improving perception (drawing cubes) and composition (drawing the same object from different points of view), all of which serve to improve your brain’s ability to understand the perspective and dimension of a drawing.
Pro tip: You will surely have a cramp in your arms, given all your drawing exercises. Be sure to do some stretching exercises to avoid stretching your little finger.
A Quick Drawing Guide for Beginners | Ralph Ammer