I'm learning to draw. Any advice?

[IzzyStarr]

Hello. I have decided to start learning how to draw so that I can make comics. I wouldn't say I'm a bad artist but I am definitely not the greatest. I was wondering if any

[DualDragons]

Do you have any examples of your art? Figuring out where you stand is the handiest to figure out where to go I believe.

[ninjashira]

Yeah I agree, you should share some examples of your work as it is, and maybe a few examples of artists who you admire and want to draw like. Then you'll get some better, more focused advice. Because "advice for drawing" is a veeerrrry big, general, vague question.

[NickRowler]

What kind of comic do you want to draw? Are you thinking of making manga or superhero inspired stuff? Or are you interested in more stylized/goofy stuff for a gag comic?

[IzzyStarr]

I dont have any examples of my art because I am camping right now with my family . I want to draw a fantasy comic that is kinda manga-ish style I guess.

[Puck]

I have an advice.
Whatever style you want to learn:
learn perspective first and shapes/simple form in perspective, practice that every day even if it´s
boring, it will make everything easier
www.drawabox.com is the greatest course to learn that, it is not easy but try to make it at leat
past the 250 box challenge.

When you want to learn to draw characters/figure drawing then this is a good plan:
-gesture
-construction of the body with simple shapes in perspective
-when you are really good at gesture / construction then it´s time for anatomy (not everyone needs
to go crazy with detailed anatomy)

All the details like hair, eyes, etc will be easy when you know about drawing forms from step 1

Have a daily warm up
Do quick sketches
Have fun

[IzzyStarr]

Thank you. This is very helpful advice and I will be sure to use it.

[oOafterburnerOo]

Turn back now. KIDDING!!! You can find so many drawing guides and references for whatever you are interested in on Pinterest and youtube it is the best resource ever, when I was a kid i wasted money on how to draw Manga books and they were not even that good. so don't spend money on books! Sorry book people!

[Rocksteady_Comics]

There are a lot of websites out there that will pick a random pose for you to draw and give you a set time limit to do it. It’s great practice!

Also, reference images are your friends. Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family to pose if you can’t quite get something to look quite right.

[gabriellabalagna]

Congrats! You're on your way to something great!

There are a million tips people could give, but I'll just try to give one. If your goal is drawing comics, then my biggest tip is to create "formulas" for yourself. That way you can draw your characters consistently from any angle. You'll also be able to create any character you want.

For example, "Drawing the Head and Hands" by Andrew Loomis teaches a formula to draw heads in any position. Once you have the formula down, you can adjust it to create different characters.

Also, if you need more in depth tips, I write comic/drawing advice articles here: https://gabriellabalagna.com/blog/

[sorible]

What I would do is first just start drawing whenever you can, then you can start working on the parts that you don't like or what you think you need to improve. You said you like manga type style, so in your free time I would also study a few manga artwork and watch the process of how others draw on youtube. Pinterest and art accounts on instagram will be a lot of help.

I have a whole folder on my laptop of about 30+ images of styles and artwork that I like for inspiration or reference. I love looking up references online.

One more thing is to not get discouraged, I used to look at other people's art and become depressed because how much better it is than mine, but now I just imagine how much time it must've taken for them to improve and take note of what I want to incorporate into my own style. It wasn't easy to accept that there's always going to be someone better than me ᯅ̈

[Bokyongyo]

Reference
Reference
Reference.

Lol, but yeah, please use them when you don't know how to draw something, never go by the idea that you may know how something looks, its always good to see a few references than go from there and putting your own style into it.

Also my last bit of advice, if you want to make comics, I would just start to make them, if you are waiting for this feeling that you are ready it won't come. I would start with something very short just to work on something you enjoy and go from there but if you feel you truly still just want to work on art before starting than that could work too

[leonardmiller]

Great tips for learning how to draw. Thanks!

[monotone_ink]

Just draw

[21stCenturyHero]

There are a series of things you can do! Personally, here are some I recommend trying:

• study anatomy! Even if you are meant to stylize further on, a good knowledge of the human body will never fail you.
• break things into shapes. Personally, this is the easiest way to make drawing complicated things... simpler! You can draw a square. Find those squares in the things you want to draw!
• Life drawing! Combine this with the previous advice. My cat's face is made of two cute circles and two triangles that are perfectly kissable. I may not know how to draw cats from memory, but I can draw what I see!
• After you get the hang of it, learn WHAT you want to improve on and practice smarter, not harder. My current enemy? Poses! So I'm focusing on fluidity over accuracity, so I may become happier with what I create!
• and last but not least. Draw. Draw. Draw draw draw. Try to practice a little bit every day, and find something you enjoy drawing (like my cat, for example) so you can draw it again and again one hundred, two hundred, three hundred, one thousand times! Fill those sketchbooks! It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be a start!

[Ranty-cat]

Thanks for giving the kissable cat as an example. I truly appreciate cat related stuffs since I am one of them.