Three Ways To Effectively Practice Drawing

We’ve all heard it about a million times.

Practice, practice, practice.

Every artist—regardless of what kind of art they’re creating—seems to hear this bit of golden advice so often that we tend to brush it off saying, “Yeah yeah yeah, whatever.”

Which is a shame, because it’s good advice. Overrated, maybe, but still good. And we do need to practice.

But if you’re an artist, and you’re looking for a way to get better at your drawing, I will refrain from telling you that dreaded word (let alone state it three times in a row, like it’s some profound piece of wisdom you’ve never heard before). Instead I will give you three applicable ways to *ahem* exercise your artistic abilities.

1. Step out of your comfort zone

Ah, yes. That region of ease. That district of pleasure. That place where nothing goes wrong.

Most of the art we do is in this little sector of tranquility. But if we stay there our whole lives, we’ll never grow. We’ll never discover the joy that can be found in hard work. So it’s time to step beyond that land of contentment, and into the unknown.

This could mean so many different things depending on who you are. And it can also be a little scary. But taking those first steps one of the best things you can do to get better at your art. And you’ll realize it’s not that scary after all. Just take it one step at a time.

One way to step out of your region of ease is to find something you don’t normally like drawing and… (you’re going to love this) draw that.

Maybe you think drawing landscapes is boring. Find one that takes your breath away. Something wild, full of interesting shapes and lots of color. Something that excites you, or makes you feel peaceful.

Or maybe you’re daunted by the idea of drawing people. Draw a picture of someone you love, or someone who inspires you. Or if you’re like me, try to find a picture of someone with sunglasses, smiling with their mouth closed. It just makes a hard job easier. 😉

Whatever you choose, get excited about it! It might be a little scary, but that doesn’t have to stop you from having fun.

When I started getting serious about art, I hardly ever drew people. Not because I didn’t like too, but because I didn’t think I could, and I was scared to try. I liked drawing animals. That was my thing. My family encouraged me to step out of my own land of contentment and try my hand at drawing people. So I finally gave in and found a picture of the Beatles.

I will admit. I was nervous and a little bit scared of messing it up.  I wasn’t just drawing a portrait of one person, but four. But I was also excited. Maybe, just maybe, this would turn out. And if it did, think of all the other portraits I could create!

My first try was a little bit of a disaster, but I gave it another shot and I was really happy with how it turned out. After that, I drew a few more drawings of people, some of them didn’t turn out well, some of them I never finished, but I realized over time and as I got better, that I liked drawing people even better than drawing animals.

Another way to step out of your sector of tranquility is by drawing something you know you’re bad at. When you’re practicing anything, not just art, it’s easy to “practice” the stuff you’re good at. But when you’re drawing something you’re bad at, that’s when you’re really practicing. And you’re learning and getting better.

Maybe you struggle with drawing noses. Or teeth. Or maybe you have trouble with hands.

Whatever it is for you, go dig up some reference photos and start drawing. sketch it from different angles. Shade them with different kinds of lighting. Draw it again and again until it no longer scares you. Until your comfort zone has grown a little.

Then step out of it again.

2. Use reference

This is so important when you’re practicing. And when you’re drawing in general. When we’re trying to draw from our memory, it can be easy for our drawing to fall apart with incorrect proportions, wonky perspective, or inconsistent and flat lighting. We know there’s something wrong, we just can’t figure out what it is.

That’s why it’s crucial to have reference to point the way.

Personally, I prefer using photographs as reference. I will say, you have to be careful when drawing or painting from copyrighted photos, especially if you plan on selling your artwork. I would suggest getting permission from the photographer before you start, or making sure you change your drawing enough so that it’s no longer recognizable as the photo you drew it from. There’s also tons of websites out there full of royalty free images that you can use as reference. Some of my favorites are Unsplash and Pixabay Or you can avoid this problem altogether by taking your own reference photos.

Another way to find reference is from real life. I don’t do this as much, because I love drawing detailed drawings of people, and I don’t know many people who are willing to sit for hours while I draw them. (I think that kind of thing is done more often with painting anyway, which I don’t do much of.) But I have done some still life drawings from real life and you can capture color and light that’s hard to find in photographs.

When you’re drawing people or animals from real life you will run into the problem that they don’t tend to stay still for very long. (Unless you’re sketching a person and you specifically ask them to sit for you.) This is when thumbnail sketching comes in handy. You can sketch them quickly in different positions or various angles then take your sketches to your studio and decide which one you like best and create your final artwork. Or just keep to sketches as practice.

Even if you’re drawing cartoons or semi-realism, you can use reference for anatomy and getting shapes, poses, and expressions right. And don’t be afraid to change things up when you’re drawing from reference. Have fun making it your own.

3. Push Yourself

Let me just state the obvious and say that if you draw long enough, you can get to be pretty good. Unfortunately this isn’t always a good thing. Because it’s easy to stop at “good enough”, and never push yourself to get better.

There are so many artists out there who aren’t reaching their full potential because while they’re good, they aren’t pushing themselves to continue getting better.

I had this realization a few years ago as I was looking at some of my recent art. My art was pretty good, but it wasn’t the best I could do.

So what are some practical ways to apply this? Well, with different artists there are different ways. (Just give a salute to Captain Obvious.)

Here’s one way to apply this: Go find at a few of your most recent drawings. Study them. Try to see them with new eyes. Note all the things you like about them. For example: I really like how the shading turned out in this one. And then make a note of the things that you could have done better. For example: I think there could be more contrast in this drawing.

And then, with those notes kept in mind, start your next drawing. And ask yourself, “What did I do that made the shading work in that one?”, “How can I bump up the contrast in this one?”, and “How can I make this drawing better than my last one?”

Or you don’t have to start a completely new drawing. Maybe you have an old drawing that you still like, but see some things that you would do differently now. Try redrawing it, or reworking it.

And the best part is, when you finish the piece you’re working on, you get to do it all again! Make notes and see if you can do even better on your next drawing.

Bonus Tip

So there you have it. My three tips.

Can I just say that creating art is hard?

It is. When people tell you that you make it look easy, they don’t see the metaphorical blood, sweat, and literal tears behind the things you create.

So here’s the bonus tip:

Have fun. Enjoy the process.

Remember that the art we create is temporary. Some of it may end up getting framed and hung on the wall, some may end up going in the trash to be burned. Either way, I’ve learned that it’s not about the outcome, but more about the process, how we go about doing it, what we learn through it, and ultimately Who’s glory we’re doing it for.

So go grab your paper. Get out your pencils. And exercise repeatedly in order to improve your proficiency.