Some people are naturally amazing at art. Some really aren't. The great thing is anyone who wants to, can develop the "art gene."
Draw With Your Eyes, Not Your Head
This majestic cow piece is from when I was ten years old. The reason I used this is because, when we're young and told to draw something that looks "real," we use what in our minds, make sense. On the other hand, when you draw with your eyes you use what is in front of you. This piece of advice, in my opinion, is the reason that I am able to be good at art. The way we see things in our minds and the way they really are is completely different. The second drawing is what's called a still life. I sat in front of my adorable, sleeping dog and sketched her out. It's truly all you need: a subject, a pencil, and a piece of paper.
Stick to One Source of Light
This is a really easy thing to remember. As you may have noticed, Earth doesn't have two suns; therefore, in most drawings shadows are on one side and highlights on the other. In the first drawing, the sun is coming in from the left, which is shown on the pear standing upwards and the apple next to it. The pear laying on its side however, gives the impression that the light is coming from the right. Whether or not the sketch is good, non-compatible shading will confuse the observer. The ball is a more accurate representation of light. The shadow is cast in the opposite direction of the light source.
Draw From the Inside Out
This rule mostly applies to faces. It doesn't work for everyone but I think it can help a lot. When you're drawing someone and you start with the outline of the face, you're freedom when creating facial features is limited by the size of the face that you drew. When you start with the eyes and go from there, the face will take its form by itself. Then you can draw the outer rim. Below is a pastel portrait I did of my grandma, I started with the eyes and worked my way out.
Never Limit Your Colors
Let’s say that you are doing a piece with markers. If you want it to be realistic, you don’t have to use basic colors like peach, white, black, and brown. You can use purple for a shadow and yellow for a highlight. Doing this will make it look even more realistic. When you’re doing art you have to let go of all of your preconceived notions about real and imaginary. Color and shape is a hard thing to master when you only believe in blank, four cornered squares. A fun exercise to help you learn understand this is to choose four colors: black, a highlight color, a light shadow color, and a dark shadow color. Sketch out your image with the black and use a picture for reference. Add your chosen colors accordingly.
Draw What You Know
The saying is actually “write what you know” but it works both ways. I went through an off season with my art, you could call it artist’s block. The way I got back into it was by drawing something that represented how I felt. This worked so well! If you’re bored, draw a girl with her head on her desk, her hair surrounding her. If you’re hopeful, draw the sun shining onto a single flower in the middle of a desert. Whether you go poetic or literal, drawing how you feel or what you’re experiencing can really bring out your hidden artist. Creating something you really care about always makes the result spectacular, even if just in your eyes.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope some of these tips helped. Thank you to Kali, and amazing artist who taught me tips 3 and 4. Her art instagram is @art.by.kali Have a great day!
**All art included is original and done by me
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