Drawing and Sketching for Beginners
— Updated May 2020 — (Added List of things new drawing prompts – never be stuck for something to draw!)
Have you ever wanted to learn to Draw? Perhaps you tried, but did not have the guidance necessary to progress your artwork? Maybe, you used to sketch a long time ago and now want to rebuild your skills? Or, maybe you are looking to capture visual notes? If you answered YES to any of these questions? Then come join me to learn the foundation skills needed to become a better sketcher!
Sketching for Beginners is a self paced course. Designed to guide novice students on how to get started sketching and drawing. This course starts right at the beginning. By understanding the tools and techniques needed to start drawing today. You will learn the best ways to hold your pencils? How to make different types of marks? How to simplify your images using just 5 values? And so much more. This course also contains practical exercises and demonstration lectures. Which you can follow along at your own pace, and share your final images in the Q and A section if you wish.
This courses focuses on using traditional materials, pencil and paper. We will cover how you can get by with just a single 2B pencil and regular printer paper. A cost effective way to learn this skill. Each exercise is designed to develop your own personal sketching language. How to practice sketching. How to communicate with simple drawings and sketches.
Each module builds upon the last. Accompanied with practical exercises for you to download. Each e-Book offers advice and guidance to give you a clear path to follow.
The course consists of over three hours of video content. Segmented into 25+ modules. With new lectures added each month. Plus, as a lifetime student you have the opportunity to request new topics. At no extra cost to you.
Want some feedback on your work? No problem. This course has a dedicated Q&A section where you can post your questions. Ask for some feedback. Or share your results from the course. I am active most days of the week and ALWAYS reply to questions within this course. Which we all know is vital to anyone looking to learn how to draw!
So, if you have ever wanted to learn to draw, but did not know where to begin. This course is for you. Come join this awesome group and we will begin this journey together.
Introduction
Start with this Quiz, it is designed to help reinforce the course content. You can use this quiz to gauge your current understanding of the topic.
This lecture introduces the course and a brief overview of the areas of content. It will introduce how the student can use the course, the objectives covered and contact details.
A short discussion and your first objective...
A list of materials, you will need to sketch...
Explains what will be covered in the course.
An explanation of how to go about using this course most effectively
A brief note on expected time needed to complete this course
A look at why sketching can help you in both your personal and professional life
In this lecture we develop an understanding for the differences between traditional and digital, We Also look how integrate the two ways of working. This lecture also covers the materials needed, including software suggestions and hardware advice.
A simple quiz to reinforce the basics covered in section 1.
Getting Started
Learn three different ways to hold the pencil. Also, learn the six foundation shading techniques that will add interest to your images.
Learn three ways to make your line work more appealing and how to add emphasis to the important edges within your images.
Learn how to use contour and cross-contour lines to depict form.Â
This lecture covers the most basic steps in getting started. It includes example exercises to build confidence, getting used to sketching, the different marks a pencil can make and discusses the importance of practicing a little every day, including what to practice first.
This lecture covers, why you don't need to be able to draw to be able to sketch. We look at how sketching can simplify both objects, scenes and ideas. Practical examples are given of sketching techniques. Further resources are also made available.
This lecture explains shading, form and lighting to a level the beginner sketcher will be comfortable reproducing.
In this step by step, we practice creating a range of tonal values, in step-wise value.
Print out and practice shading these spheres using tonal patterns.
Follow along in this exercise as you learn how to start 'seeing' objects as abstract patterns of shape and tone. This is an important exercise to practice, and will help take your drawing to the next level.
Sketching should be quick. Being loose and gestural is a great way to start an image. The tighter lines and correct tones can come at a later stage. In this lecture we take a quick look at how to be loose!
A wrap-up and re-cap lecture, covering the main points from section 2.
Getting Started
Drawing Lessons
Learn how to draw a simple scene from your imagination. Also understand how we can use counter-change when contrasting light objects against darker backgrounds.
Follow along and draw an old row-boat tethered to a mooring post.
Learn how to use Construction lines as a way to layout your drawings and provide a framework for good proportions.
Learn how to draw a simple Rose. Apply shading techniques to emphasize the form.
A practical demonstration, showing how to start sketching. Including, pencil grips, shading, layering tones and adding details.
Follow along with this step by step exercise file for: Getting started - leaf.
In this lecture, we see how we can simplify the complex into 5 tones.
Follow along with this Step by Step exercise file for: Working with Tone - Swatches
A look at how we can perceive our subject matter as patches of light and dark.
Follow along with this step by step for: Learning to see - spoon
This lecture covers a powerful concept of sketching in 3 dimensions.
Try out this challenging exercise. Learning to rotate an object in your head, will enable you to produce drawings that dont require a reference image to. This is an important skill for the beginning artist. If you find the exercise easy, try combining a few other primitive shapes and draw them also from different angles.
A Demonstration of drawing a Feather using Pencil
Recreating proportions is a key skill in sketching to scale. This lecture covers the theory and practice.
Learning some important aspects of sketching skills
A wrap-up and re-cap lecture, covering the main points from section 3.
Find inspiration with this short list of drawing ideas.
Sketching For Communication
This lecture covers the value of sketching in capturing information. It explains how you can start thinking in terms of information capture and sketching as a tool to effective communication.
Closing thoughts on how you can start to incorporate sketching into your daily routine, how to start thinking graphically, and the next steps you can take.
Wrap-Up
The time to say thank you and how to keep in touch with future updates, instructor feedback, discussions and resource updates.
This lecture will act a placeholder, for post go-live future videos and resource releases.
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