How to Practice Drawing

Do you think Pablo Picasso woke up one morning and painted The Old Guitarist out of nowhere? Or did Vincent Van Gogh paint The Night Cafe without ever drawing in his life before?
Of course not. Drawing is a work of art, which takes time, courage, and patience. If you desire to paint, this article has tips for Practice Drawing Effectively. Let’s dive right into it, and help you start your journey towards creativity!

If you ever find yourself filled with questions like ‘How does this portrait of a man look real-life?’, ‘How can someone draw a face with such perfection?’, ‘How can I be a famous artist like Michelangelo?’. The answer to all these questions only comes down to one word, and that is Practice. No artist ever woke up one morning and drew a masterpiece without practicing it for years. You must have heard the quote that says “Practice makes perfect”, and we truly stand by it. 

As you read further, you will come across different effective drawing exercises used by artists around the globe, which will help you practice drawing faces, practice drawing shapes and so much more!

1. Direct Observation Drawing

Converting a 3D object into a 2D drawing is not at all easy, and requires lots of erasing, lots of sketching, and lots of practice. No one is born an artist, only consistent practice can make you an artist. The task of drawing a 3D object on paper as a 2D drawing requires practicing repeatedly so our brain can also function on the same lines. 
Imagine yourself in a room with tables, lamps, mugs, paintings, and flower vases around you. If I tell you then “Draw whatever you want”, the chances are that you will try to draw what you see in front of you. It could be a lamp or a flower vase, and that is exactly what Direct Observation Drawing means.

2. Image Repetition

If we have to explain this process in just one word, it would be ‘Practice’. The following steps and a practice drawing book are required to complete this exercise and to take your first step toward being an artist.

Step 1: Keep a stopwatch when you sit to draw something. Decide what you want to draw, and time yourself when you draw it from start to end.
Step 2: You have to draw the same image again, but this time see on the stopwatch if draw it quicker.
Step 3: Keep repeating the process and you’ll see how you’re drawing a better version of the same drawing while reducing the time as well.

Once you have completed these steps approximately 20-25 times, you will realize that the first drawing you drew of the object and the last drawing of the object are poles apart, because as you have repeatedly drawn the same image, your brain has worked on interpreting it more and more at every try. You will not be able to draw a better object by these steps, but also learn to draw quicker and better.

3. Breaking Complex Images

The process of breaking a complex image into small shapes and geometry is called deconstruction. To practice this exercise, all you have to do is, select an image that you want to draw, and then break it down into simple and small shapes. It could be a circle, a triangle, a pentagon, or just a square.
By doing this, the image seems a lot easier to draw and not at all complex. You can add the textures and curves once the basic structure has been formed. Once you have successfully deconstructed the image, the next step is to Construct it!

4. Construct

Now that you have understood the concept of Deconstruction, you can move on to the step that makes the process interesting and easier. Construction majorly aims at filling in the blanks that have been found in the previous step of deconstruction.
If you ever come across an artist, ask them if they also follow this technique or not. Because what we see on the surface is a perfectly polished painting, most artists use deconstruction and construction techniques to create the masterpiece. 

5. Fight your fears

If there is a certain shape or character that you find yourself struggling for, don’t give up on it. As we already know, practice makes you perfect. We are sure you will beautifully tackle your fears. Even though it’s common to skip something you’re bad at, in a process like drawing, it can be a bad habit in the long run. You will find yourself skipping the drawings that require that one shape or that one curve. Hence, we would recommend you practice that character daily, and in this technology heightened era, you can easily practice drawing online for free.

That’s it for now. Do use these five above-mentioned steps and see the growth yourself. These techniques have been used by most of the artists and some may still do. You can also buy a good drawing tablet online to practice daily, anytime, and anywhere. Even portable drawing tablets are available online now, and you can then easily carry them wherever you want, and draw whenever you find inspiration, motivation, and the heart of an artist.