*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) Are you an artist looking for a foolproof way to improve your drawing/creative skills in a short period of time? Have you always wanted to participate in #Inktober or other daily drawing challenges but find them a bit intimidating? Are you a beginner looking to make drawing and creativity a part of your daily life? Month-long drawing challenges like Inktober are no joke. Most of us have a lot going on in our lives and committing to producing one drawing a day (and actually sticking with it for the entire month) requires a huge amount of discipline. Even if one starts with the project excited and has proper fun creating those first few sketches, that initial burst of inspiration is probably going to dwindle at some point mid-way. And when that happens, it's going to take sheer determination to keep going! This said, if we are able to stick with it, growth will come inevitably and fast. By the end of the month, our drawing skills will have progressed and our creative abilities will be heightened. This type of experience is also incredibly valuable as it helps us make way towards finding our artistic style and voice. Committing to any sort of series like this one is a great way of pinpointing our strengths and weaknesses, which is essential. In this blog post, I'll be sharing my top five tips to ensure that you are progressing your drawing/creative skills as much as possible with this drawing challenge, but also staying sane along the way. These are all things I'm making sure to do myself throughout this month. I'm also including links to a few very helpful pen and ink drawing blog posts/YouTube videos that will help you step up your inking game. The video included in this post is a compilation of time lapses for my first five Inktober sketches. Make sure to follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date with my progress throughout the month. I'm sure I'll be missing a few days here and there, but I am planning to make up for them as soon as I'm able to. Check out these helpful pen and ink sketching blog posts/YouTube videos!1. Pen & Ink Sketching: 6 Shading Techniques 2. Guide to Shading Techniques: Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Others 3. Shading Simple Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching and Other Drawing Pen Techniques 4. Shading a Hand Using Pen and Ink (Complex Subjects) Inktober Tips1. Be practical about it
As creatives, we have tons of different ideas popping up in our heads non-stop. This is great, but it can definitely hinder us from moving forward and actually finishing things. Think of an idea that you feel could work and that feels practical in terms of time, and just go for it. If you look back constantly, there's a huge possibility that you won't finish drawings on time and they're going to start piling up, which can lead to overwhelm.
Remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint. I like keeping this sort of project practical by giving a bit of my energy each day instead of giving it all right at the beginning and burning out fast. I'm not striving for masterpieces, but for growth. 2. Avoid looking at others' work until after you have finished yours
It's important for me to keep my work as original as possible and I hope this is the case for you as well. I'm sure there will be other artists in the world creating work that is similar to mine in some (or many) aspects. But when this happens, I know that it's due to the fact that those other artists and I are somehow influenced by similar things and not because I'm copying their work.
For challenges like this one, I find it super helpful to stay away from social media until after I have finished my work (or at least my initial sketch). This way, I'm not allowing other artists' ideas to infiltrate my mind. 3. Brainstorm ideas and create sketches
Before going to bed, I'm reading the prompt for the following day and allowing myself to start brainstorming. I start sifting through ideas in my head, setting aside those that might not be practical (no matter how amazing they might sound). I don't actually put pencil/pen to paper until the next day.
I recommend creating at least a couple of quick sketches prior to actually starting with your piece. Doing quick thumbnails is an excellent way of arriving at great compositional arrangements. For several of the drawings above, I was unsure whether I wanted my main subject to be facing forwards or whether I'd be sketching him/her/it in profile or at an angle. It wasn't until I created those sketches and actually saw my ideas come to life that I could make a decision about what would be most appealing. 4. Incorporate some sort of element of coherency (or a theme)
When creating any sort of series like this one, it's useful to think about how you can bring an aspect of consistency to your work. A lot of artists like sticking to a specific theme for Inktober and I think this is very useful, as it limits the broad range of ideas that might lead to indecision and not doing anything at all.
I decided to incorporate coherency in the format/layout of my overall design. However, there are many ways that we can add a sense of consistency to our artwork. Perhaps you want to make sure to incorporate human figures in all your drawings, stick with a specific color scheme (if you're using color), create some sort of frame around your drawing, integrate handwritten lettering, or think of a specific layout like I did. 5. Have fun and don't strive for perfection
Being a perfectionist and expecting too much from yourself with every single thing you do is a surefire way of burning out and not enjoying the creative process. It also keeps you from producing the amount of work you have to create in order to really improve artistically.
Not to mention, this challenge (in my opinion) is a way of improving our personal skills, not about showing off masterpieces and/or comparing them with other peoples'! Stay in your lane and remember that the purpose of this project is to improve your drawing and creative skills, as well as to make art a daily habit. I hope you have fun throughout the month and wish you lots of artistic growth! My Inktober art supplies*Click on images to check out the specific supplies I'm using for Inktober that I've bought through www.consumercrafts.com and www.amazon.com:
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*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) Are you impressed by artists who are able to achieve high levels of realism in their work and wish you could also get to that point, someday? Interested in bringing realistic form and three-dimensionality to your drawings so that they can really pop out? Have you gained some confidence creating line sketches, and are ready to start adding realistic light and shading effects? Even though I consider myself much more of a sketcher and a painter than a realistic drawer per se, I think it's essential to make time for these kinds of studies. I also think that it's important for aspiring artists to devote time to achieving believable drawings/paintings because this is what's going to lead them to develop great observational skills and grasp fundamental art topics such as proportion, value, perspective, form, etc. In today's blog post, I'll be sharing a video time-lapse of a portrait I drew using regular pencils, as well my top six tips to apply when attempting to create a realistic drawing of any type of subject (whether it be a face, animal, arrangement of objects, etc.). By understanding and practicing the six key points I'll be sharing below, beginner artists will start making much faster progress and will soon be creating impressive, more professional-looking drawings. I want to make something clear. To achieve realism, we need references. These references are going to allow us to observe what subjects actually look like in real life. If we don't use references, we are going to be working from what we think subjects look like. References provide us details and remind us of tiny intricacies that we would have otherwise not thought about. And when attempting to achieve realism, it's ALL about observing the subtleties and being able to recreate them accordingly. References can take the form of photographs or compositions we have arranged to draw from life (otherwise called working from direct observation). Drawing from direct observation is essential for artists that have gained a certain level of skill using photographic references, as it provides a more challenging opportunity to further our artistic development. As I've mentioned in other blog posts and YouTube videos, drawing is the basis for everything else in art. I believe all artists, no matter how skilled they've already become or what particular medium they've chosen to gain mastery in, should continue making time to sharpen their drawing/observational skills throughout their journeys. Personally, I make sure to schedule in time for it on a weekly basis, even though what I sell are my paintings! Realistic Drawing Tips
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When I set out to create a drawing that is more on the realistic side, I make sure to have the following supplies on hand:
-A few different pencil grades (2H or H for the initial sketch, a couple of mid-grade a 2B or 4B to start placing values gradually, and one darker grade like an 8B for darkest areas)
-Drawing or sketching paper (smooth paper is going to ensure smooth blending)
-A kneaded eraser or eraser intended for smaller areas
-A regular soft rubber eraser for larger areas
-A blending stump or tortillon to blend smaller areas
-A tissue paper to blend larger areas
-A quality sharpener
-A scrap piece of regular paper or tracing paper to rest my hand on as I'm working
3. Always start with a LIGHT initial sketch, focusing on largest shapes
When we're starting with any kind of drawing, it's absolutely essential to learn to visualize what we're looking at as a combination of simple shapes and to tune out details. The proportion and location of these different elements in regards to each other has to be spot on, before even thinking about moving on to things like shading and texture.
It's the absolute WORST to spend hours developing details and even creating beautiful, smooth shading just to step away from our drawings and realize that the proportions/locations of different elements are off.
Also, whether you're creating your initial sketch by tracing over a photograph or freehand, make sure those initial lines are created lightly so that they can be invisible at the end (we want no visible lines when creating realism).
It's the absolute WORST to spend hours developing details and even creating beautiful, smooth shading just to step away from our drawings and realize that the proportions/locations of different elements are off.
Also, whether you're creating your initial sketch by tracing over a photograph or freehand, make sure those initial lines are created lightly so that they can be invisible at the end (we want no visible lines when creating realism).
4. Keep in mind that in realism, there are no visible lines
In real life, the shapes we see are created by subtle differences in values, which are influenced by light and shadow. These shapes are not outlined as they are in cartoons. It's essential to stay away from creating any sort of stark-looking lines, whether it's around our different shapes/planes or in an area we're intending to create a smooth gradient in.
This said, we are required to draw lines when we are working on creating some kinds of texture (hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc.). However, even in these cases, the "lines" we are leaving behind are not uniform from one edge to the other, but have a variety even within them in terms of thickness or value. They most likely go from thick to thin or from dark to light, etc., which leads to much less stark looking lines.
This said, we are required to draw lines when we are working on creating some kinds of texture (hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc.). However, even in these cases, the "lines" we are leaving behind are not uniform from one edge to the other, but have a variety even within them in terms of thickness or value. They most likely go from thick to thin or from dark to light, etc., which leads to much less stark looking lines.
5. Create gradual, smooth transitions between your different values
Unless you're working with a photograph (or with a real-life composition) that shows very dramatic lighting, transitions between lights and darks must be gradual and smooth. There should be no stark changes between one to the next and there shouldn't be any visible lines throughout these transitions either.
6. Make sure you are creating a very wide variety of values throughout your drawing
In order for your drawing to really pop out and transmit a sense of realistic three-dimensionality, you have to develop a huge range of values throughout your piece. There have to be very light areas (which will appear almost white at the end), there have to be very dark areas (which will appear almost black at the end) and there have to be a ton of mid-values in between. Practice creating a beautiful balance between lights and darks.
A lot of beginners make the mistake of not going dark enough where needed. Don't be afraid to go dark (as long as the values are really there in the reference). This said, make sure you're never pressing down too hard on your paper because this can damage it and cause visible scratches that will not be able to be fixed!
For the most part, I like working my way towards the darks gradually. Also, as you're working, you'll probably find that you're darkening some areas that you were intending to leave light. This is where small, detailing erasers come in super handy because they allow you to go back in and lighten these areas. They also allow you to pull out highlights wherever needed, which is crucial for realistic looking hair.
A lot of beginners make the mistake of not going dark enough where needed. Don't be afraid to go dark (as long as the values are really there in the reference). This said, make sure you're never pressing down too hard on your paper because this can damage it and cause visible scratches that will not be able to be fixed!
For the most part, I like working my way towards the darks gradually. Also, as you're working, you'll probably find that you're darkening some areas that you were intending to leave light. This is where small, detailing erasers come in super handy because they allow you to go back in and lighten these areas. They also allow you to pull out highlights wherever needed, which is crucial for realistic looking hair.
*Bonus Tip: Make sure that you're looking at your reference, at least, 50% of the time you spend working!
Portrait drawing by Erika Lancaster
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you found this post helpful and that it inspired you to go and practice some realistic drawing for yourself. I'd love to know how it goes for you!
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Have you gained confidence with your pen and ink mark-making, but need a bit of guidance when it comes to actually shading more complex subjects? Are you excited to step-up your pen and ink game so that you're able to create drawings that transmit more believable form and three-dimensionality?
When using pen and ink to create drawings that are more on the realistic side, it's essential to remember that we are both creating marks AND using said marks to render a wide range of values.
I've found that believable form is achieved with this art medium by staying mindful throughout the drawing process and placing marks as deliberately as possible.
Ink can be a bit intimidating due to the fact that it's permanent, but if you have enough practice with different mark-making techniques and you understand how to locate darkest areas, mid-tones and highlights in a reference image so that you can then create such values with marks, you will be fine!
For this blog post/YouTube video, I picked a subject I consider challenging (a hand) to explain my step-by-step process when adding form and three-dimensionality using the contour line/hatching technique. This will help break the process up into more understandable chunks so that you can approach this kind of drawing more intentionally. With practice, you'll gain confidence and you'll be able to enjoy creating more complex pen and ink drawings in no time!
This time, I wanted to jump right into the pen and ink explanation, and focus more on the creation of ink marks to render value/form than anything else. You'll see I start out with a previously created outline drawing of a hand. To create this outline drawing, I did something I generally don't do, and traced a photographic reference. If you've been following me for a while, you're probably well-aware that I don't like tracing. However, I really wanted to jump right into the pen and ink techniques. PLUS, I also wanted to provide both the exact photographic reference I used, as well as the initial outline drawing so we could start at the exact same point. You can download both PDF's at the end of this post and do this tutorial with me! :)
If you'd like to see how I would draw a hand in my usual free-hand method, I highly recommend visiting my blog post titled 5 Essential Sketching Tips for Beginner Artists. I'm usually a HUGE believer in drawing subjects entirely freehand and not tracing.
If you're a beginner just starting out with pen and ink, I HIGHLY recommend checking out the blog posts/YouTube videos I released before this one. In those posts, I go much more in depth into different shading techniques and provide great exercises to start off with!
*Find them here:
Pen and Ink Sketching: 6 Shading Techniques
Shading Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling, and Other Drawing Pen Techniques
My method for adding believable form to complex subjects using pen and ink techniques
1. Study your reference/subject
I find it extremely useful to take time to study my subject, especially when it comes to drawing or painting something more complex, like a hand. If possible, I make time to learn about its underlying structure (which in this case is a combination of many small bones-muscles-tendons-etc.). Having at least SOME knowledge about our subject's underlying structure will GREATLY improve our ability to render effective form and three-dimensionality!
Since we are drawing a hand, we can take a few minutes to study our own from different angles. Though our hands may look different from the next persons', their underlying structure is the same. Take note of its convex vs. concave spots, the fleshy and bony areas, how the different elements within it compare with each other, its overall imperfections and the range of movement the different joints allow, etc.
All this said, it's essential to select an excellent photographic reference to work from (if you're not drawing from life). I talk about the things I take into account when selecting this type of reference in my blog post titled Shading Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Other Drawing Pen Techniques). Observe your photograph thoroughly.
I've included a Letter-sized PDF of this hand photograph at the end of the post, in case you'd like to download and print it for practicing purposes. :)
Since we are drawing a hand, we can take a few minutes to study our own from different angles. Though our hands may look different from the next persons', their underlying structure is the same. Take note of its convex vs. concave spots, the fleshy and bony areas, how the different elements within it compare with each other, its overall imperfections and the range of movement the different joints allow, etc.
All this said, it's essential to select an excellent photographic reference to work from (if you're not drawing from life). I talk about the things I take into account when selecting this type of reference in my blog post titled Shading Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Other Drawing Pen Techniques). Observe your photograph thoroughly.
I've included a Letter-sized PDF of this hand photograph at the end of the post, in case you'd like to download and print it for practicing purposes. :)
Reference hand photo after desaturating. Click on image to download original photograph from www.pixabay.com.
Once you've gained enough practice with reference photographs, I HIGHLY recommend starting to draw from life. In my blog post titled Why Drawing from Direct Observation is Essential and 10 Tips to Improve, I explain why this method is so important for an artist's growth and provide a bunch of tips to make the process less daunting.
2. Start with a pencil outline drawing
Depending on your skill level and the objectives you have set for this study, you can decide whether you want to create your initial pencil sketch completely freehand, or if you'd like to focus on getting right into the pen and ink shading like I did for this tutorial. I like using an HB or B pencil to create this preliminary drawing and keep it as light as possible because I want to be able to erase it completely later on.
If you'd like to download the free PDF that I've used to create this hand, you'll be able to find it at the end of this post. :)
If you'd like to download the free PDF that I've used to create this hand, you'll be able to find it at the end of this post. :)
Hand outline pencil drawing
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3. Outline your pencil drawing using ink
I used my LePen .5 point drawing pen to go over my pencil sketch carefully. Once the ink was set and dry, I erased all initial pencil lines.
At this point, you may also find it useful to create what I call a "value map" for yourself. You do not want to start adding marks without having a good idea of where your light source is located within the picture, as well as where darkest, mid-tones, and lightest areas are. Draw shapes around these areas so that they can remind you throughout your drawing process where greatest value changes are located. You want to be ESPECIALLY mindful of where the lightest areas are within your reference image, so that those areas can be left untouched by ink.
At this point, you may also find it useful to create what I call a "value map" for yourself. You do not want to start adding marks without having a good idea of where your light source is located within the picture, as well as where darkest, mid-tones, and lightest areas are. Draw shapes around these areas so that they can remind you throughout your drawing process where greatest value changes are located. You want to be ESPECIALLY mindful of where the lightest areas are within your reference image, so that those areas can be left untouched by ink.
Tracing outline pencil drawing using a drawing pen
4. Start adding in initial layers of marks
Before starting this hand study, I decided that I would be using mostly contour lines/contour hatching for my shading. If used effectively, this mark-making technique allows us to very efficiently create three-dimensional form to more complex subjects that contain curves all throughout.
I usually like starting my pen and ink shading process with the very darkest areas, so I took a good look at where the deepest values of my picture were located and got ready to start laying down my initial sets of marks. I switched to my .3 point LePen drawing pen and let the curves of my outline drawing to guide me, as well as my knowledge of the hand structure.
As I mentioned in the past pen and ink tutorials, it's very important to keep a sense of consistency within each group of marks you create.
These initial sets of lines are very important because they will be the foundation for everything else, so make sure to pay attention to what you're doing! Notice how curves start shifting in certain areas to best describe folds, fleshy bits, etc?
I usually like starting my pen and ink shading process with the very darkest areas, so I took a good look at where the deepest values of my picture were located and got ready to start laying down my initial sets of marks. I switched to my .3 point LePen drawing pen and let the curves of my outline drawing to guide me, as well as my knowledge of the hand structure.
As I mentioned in the past pen and ink tutorials, it's very important to keep a sense of consistency within each group of marks you create.
These initial sets of lines are very important because they will be the foundation for everything else, so make sure to pay attention to what you're doing! Notice how curves start shifting in certain areas to best describe folds, fleshy bits, etc?
Adding in first groups of marks in the darkest areas within my reference photograph
5. Work on mid-tone range and deepen darkest values
By this point, all of your darkest areas, and perhaps even a bit of the mid-tone areas, should be covered with your first layer of marks. It's time to start developing more mid-tones!
Once you start laying down your mid-tones, you're probably going to want to go back to your darkest areas and deepen them because they're not going to seem dark enough anymore. To do this with the contour line technique, all you have to do is add another set of curved lines on top of the first, similar to when you're doing crosshatching. There is no set angle at which you have to draw this second group of curved lines, as long as they are intersecting with the first. Remember there HAS to be consistency within each group of lines you create.
Throughout the drawing process, keep in mind that, developing a wide range of values is ESSENTIAL when you're attempting to create a three-dimensional effect. There have to be very light areas in your drawing (which will be represented by those areas of paper that are completely free of ink), a wide range of mid-tones, and extremely dark areas (those small areas almost entirely covered with ink).
Once you start laying down your mid-tones, you're probably going to want to go back to your darkest areas and deepen them because they're not going to seem dark enough anymore. To do this with the contour line technique, all you have to do is add another set of curved lines on top of the first, similar to when you're doing crosshatching. There is no set angle at which you have to draw this second group of curved lines, as long as they are intersecting with the first. Remember there HAS to be consistency within each group of lines you create.
Throughout the drawing process, keep in mind that, developing a wide range of values is ESSENTIAL when you're attempting to create a three-dimensional effect. There have to be very light areas in your drawing (which will be represented by those areas of paper that are completely free of ink), a wide range of mid-tones, and extremely dark areas (those small areas almost entirely covered with ink).
Working on mid-tones and deepening darkest areas with cross-contour lines
6. Fine tuning
Still using my .3 LePen drawing pen, I smoothed out values that needed to transition a bit more gradually. Once I was happy with my drawing, I switched back to my .5 LePen drawing pen and traced my initial outline drawing only in certain areas.
Final pen and ink hand drawing
| hand_outline_drawing.pdf |
| grayscale_hand_reference.pdf |
Shading Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling, and Other Drawing Pen Techniques
7/11/2018
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Do you love the look of pen and ink drawings that demonstrate hatching, crosshatching, and other mark-making techniques, and need a bit of guidance to start putting them to use in your own work? How does one go about using the visual information taken in from a reference photograph and translate it into a pen and ink sketch that demonstrates three-dimensionality?
In order to start adding a sense of believable form to a sketch, it's essential to understand how to create a variety in values using the art medium at hand. It's also very important that we practice taking in the visual information presented to us through either photographs or real-life subjects, so that we're able to describe form effectively through drawing.
Using pen and ink can be intimidating at first due to the fact that it's permanent and we need to use mark-making techniques to create different values. There is a large variety of mark-making methods and they all lead to very different results.
In today's post, I will be sharing the process that I go through when creating pen and ink sketches of objects using photographic references. I will be walking you through each step, from the selection of a great photograph, to preparing an initial pencil sketch, to actually filling that sketch in with ink marks. I will be exploring six different mark-making techniques so that you're able to see how the outcomes compare to each other.
In my previous blog post titled Pen and Ink Sketching: 6 Shading Techniques, I gave a thorough explanation of each of the six techniques I'll be using here today. I focused on how to go about creating marks successfully using each, and provided essential exercises for beginners to start off with, including how to actually use them to start adding shading and form to an outline drawing of a cube.
If you're a beginner just starting out with pen and ink, I HIGHLY recommend checking my previous post out. Both that post AND this one include free downloadable PDF's that you can print out at home and practice with. *Find these free downloadables at the end!
My Process When Creating Pen and Ink Studies Using Photographic References
1. Preparation of supplies
To create the kind of pen and ink studies we're going to be exploring today, I usually like having the following supplies on hand:
-Pencil (preferably H or HB)
-Soft eraser
-Drawing/sketching paper or Bristol board
-Drawing pens (.3 and .5 points) *Two of my favorite brands are LePen and Micron!
-Pencil (preferably H or HB)
-Soft eraser
-Drawing/sketching paper or Bristol board
-Drawing pens (.3 and .5 points) *Two of my favorite brands are LePen and Micron!
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2. Warm-Up
I like warming up my hand by practicing the marks I will be using in my studies on a scrap piece of paper. If you're a beginner just starting with pen and ink and you're setting out to sketch an object in a way that actually transmits form, I suggest practicing value strips as well (there is a PDF at the end of the post that you can use to practice with).
It's absolutely essential that you understand how to create a variety in values using marks when it comes to sketching with a drawing pen, especially if you're looking to add believable structure and form to a drawing.
It's absolutely essential that you understand how to create a variety in values using marks when it comes to sketching with a drawing pen, especially if you're looking to add believable structure and form to a drawing.
Practicing different types of marks to shade a simple geometric shape.
Value strip showing hatching and crosshatching.
3. Reference photograph selection
When searching for a photograph to use as reference for any kind of art study, there are a few things you have to keep in mind. First, make sure that its contents are suited for your current skill level, especially when you are exploring a new medium. This way, you'll be able to focus more on the new medium or technique. Aside from this, you must select a photograph that is high quality.
When I am choosing a photograph to work from, I make sure that it has a great resolution that will allow me to zoom in to view details as needed. Photographs should also demonstrate great lighting, which means that they are not over or underexposed, and that there is a good range of values/balance between lights and darks.
If you have trouble discerning between light, mid-tone and dark areas, I highly recommend looking for photographs with a single light source and possibly opening up your image in an image-editing software like Photoshop to desaturate it. Keep practicing this, because it's imperative that you gain practice doing this so that you're able to render values and place them accordingly when you're trying to make your drawings more believable.
To find more free, quality photographs to practice with, visit my post titled My Favorite Free Image Sites and Two Examples of References with Finished Illustrations!
When I am choosing a photograph to work from, I make sure that it has a great resolution that will allow me to zoom in to view details as needed. Photographs should also demonstrate great lighting, which means that they are not over or underexposed, and that there is a good range of values/balance between lights and darks.
If you have trouble discerning between light, mid-tone and dark areas, I highly recommend looking for photographs with a single light source and possibly opening up your image in an image-editing software like Photoshop to desaturate it. Keep practicing this, because it's imperative that you gain practice doing this so that you're able to render values and place them accordingly when you're trying to make your drawings more believable.
To find more free, quality photographs to practice with, visit my post titled My Favorite Free Image Sites and Two Examples of References with Finished Illustrations!
Photo by Thomas Quaritsch from unsplash.com. Click on link to visit site and download for your studies.
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Photo showing lightest areas.
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4. Creating an initial outline sketch (and lightest values map)
Once I have taken a moment to observe my reference picture and have pinpointed lightest and darkest areas, as well as mid-tones, it's time to create my initial pencil sketch! This will entail creating a simple outline drawing of my object, paying attention to proportion and location of separate elements in regards to each other.
Also, at this point I also create a "map" for myself that will remind me where my lightest areas are located, so that I can protect them and leave them untouched by any marks. You can make this "map" as detailed as you'd like if you feel that creating more shapes with your pencil will help you throughout the mark-making process.
If you'd like to skip the outline drawing phase of this study and jump straight onto the ink mark-making, you can download either the large single cherry outline PDF or the six cherry outline PDF so you can practice all of the mentioned techniques! Both of these free downloadable worksheets can be found at the end of this blog post!
Also, at this point I also create a "map" for myself that will remind me where my lightest areas are located, so that I can protect them and leave them untouched by any marks. You can make this "map" as detailed as you'd like if you feel that creating more shapes with your pencil will help you throughout the mark-making process.
If you'd like to skip the outline drawing phase of this study and jump straight onto the ink mark-making, you can download either the large single cherry outline PDF or the six cherry outline PDF so you can practice all of the mentioned techniques! Both of these free downloadable worksheets can be found at the end of this blog post!
5. Laying down initial layer of marks
First, I outline my initial pencil sketch (minus the smaller "map" shapes) using my drawing pen. Then, similarly to my watercolor painting process, I leave the lightest lights completely untouched by any ink and start adding in my first layer of ink. What I like to do with these faster studies, is fill in ALL my mid-tone to darkest areas simultaneously using light pressure on my pen, making sure to work around my lightest areas.
In other words, by the end of this step, my entire mid-tone and darkest areas already are covered with that first "light" layer of marks.
In other words, by the end of this step, my entire mid-tone and darkest areas already are covered with that first "light" layer of marks.
6. Adding darker values
This is the part of the process that is the most time-consuming, as I work back and forth between mid-tone to darkest areas doing my best to create gradual shifts in value until the desired form is achieved. Throughout this process, I constantly look at my reference picture.
It's essential to not go overboard by adding too many marks in mid-tone areas, but also to not be scared of going dark where needed (which is usually only in small areas). Remember that there has there has to be a good range of values within your sketch or you risk "flattening" it out!
At the end, you can outline your sketch using your drawing pen once more if you wish! :)
It's essential to not go overboard by adding too many marks in mid-tone areas, but also to not be scared of going dark where needed (which is usually only in small areas). Remember that there has there has to be a good range of values within your sketch or you risk "flattening" it out!
At the end, you can outline your sketch using your drawing pen once more if you wish! :)
Comparing Different Mark-Making/Shading Techniques
Hatching
Hatching- Mark-making/ Shading technique
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Cherry sketch showing hatching.
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Crosshatching
Crosshatching- Mark-making/ Shading technique
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Cherry sketch showing crosshatching.
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Contour Lines
Contour Lines- Mark-making/ Shading technique
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Cherry sketch showing contour lines.
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Weaving
Weaving- Mark-making/ Shading technique
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Cherry sketch showing weaving.
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Stippling
Stippling- Mark-making/ Shading technique
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Cherry sketch showing stippling.
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Scribbling
Scribbling- Mark-making/ Shading technique
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Cherry sketch showing scribbling.
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I highly recommend practicing at least a few different pen and ink mark-making/shading techniques because it's the only way you'll be able to know which ones come more naturally to you, as well as which can best create the effects you're going for.
My personal favorites are hatching/crosshatching and contour lines! I'd love to know which you like best below!
| drawing_marks_lines.pdf |
| value_transitions_shading.pdf |
| cherry_outline_drawing.pdf |
| 6_cherry_outline_drawings.pdf |
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Are you confident with your skill level creating outline sketches and feel ready to start giving them a sense of three-dimensionality and form? Do you find all of the information out there about different shading techniques a bit overwhelming and, perhaps, are unsure about which one(s) you should be using in your work? Is it even necessary to know about all of them?
I find sketching with pen and ink incredibly refreshing in between larger projects. A couple of the things I love about this artistic medium are that it challenges me to think about the intention behind each line or mark I create, and that I have to work around mistakes in order to complete each piece. You see, as opposed to sketching or drawing with pencil, ink cannot be erased!
In today's blog post, I'm going to share my favorite six of ways of shading and adding three-dimensionality to pen and ink sketches. I will explain how to go about using each technique, as well as some points I consider positives and negatives about each. This way, you'll have more of an idea of when you could be using them in your own work and you'll avoid creating effects that you weren't intending to create.
It's important to understand that, when using these techniques, we are creating marks and lines. By repeating marks and lines we not only create value, but also a certain visual texture. If we're not mindful about how we draw these marks, we can create effects in a piece that are too distracting and that don't really help describe our subject effectively.
In this post we're focusing a bit more on value because this is what is going to help us give our sketches a sense of believable form.
Though the techniques I will describe below are different, these two principles apply to all of them:
a) The more marks created= The more ink is covering the surface (paper)= The darker the value
b) The less marks created= The less ink is covering the surface (paper)= The lighter the value
I highly recommend checking out this past blog post of mine:
Guide to Shading Techniques: Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Others
In it, I go over why being able to discern between lights, mid-tones and darks in a reference image is essential and also provide specific examples of hatching, crosshatching and scribbling in old masters' work. This post also includes a few free downloadable PDFs with useful exercises for you to practice with!
It's important for you to know that it's ultimately going to be up to YOU to explore these mark-making techniques and decide which ones YOU prefer. How you use them (and combine them) is going to depend you your particular preferences, as well as the style you're going for.
Exploring Mark-Making and Shading Techniques
1. Hatching
Hatching- Shading technique
This technique entails creating sets of straight parallel lines. The direction of these lines doesn't really matter. You can decide whether you want to draw them horizontally, vertically or diagonally (at any angle). However, you DO have to make sure that there is a consistency between each of your sets, especially in terms of the distance that you're leaving between your lines and their overall direction. This doesn't mean they have to be absolutely perfect, but you do need to stay mindful of what your doing!
Positives:
-It is a very fast way of giving a subject a sense of form, especially geometric shapes and subjects composed primarily of geometric shapes (think houses, buildings and furniture).
Negatives:
-You do have to be somewhat confident drawing straight lines.
-Because we are drawing straight lines, this could lead to a certain "flatness" in areas that aren't really meant to be flat, which means we have to be extra careful when using this technique when drawing organically shapes objects with curves in them (think human form, a piece of fruit, etc.).
*Look for examples of hatching/crosshatching in portraits and still lifes online to see how it can be successfully done.
This technique entails creating sets of straight parallel lines. The direction of these lines doesn't really matter. You can decide whether you want to draw them horizontally, vertically or diagonally (at any angle). However, you DO have to make sure that there is a consistency between each of your sets, especially in terms of the distance that you're leaving between your lines and their overall direction. This doesn't mean they have to be absolutely perfect, but you do need to stay mindful of what your doing!
Positives:
-It is a very fast way of giving a subject a sense of form, especially geometric shapes and subjects composed primarily of geometric shapes (think houses, buildings and furniture).
Negatives:
-You do have to be somewhat confident drawing straight lines.
-Because we are drawing straight lines, this could lead to a certain "flatness" in areas that aren't really meant to be flat, which means we have to be extra careful when using this technique when drawing organically shapes objects with curves in them (think human form, a piece of fruit, etc.).
*Look for examples of hatching/crosshatching in portraits and still lifes online to see how it can be successfully done.
2. Cross-Hatching
Cross-hatching- Shading technique
This technique is very similar to hatching, but it entails creating a second set of straight parallel lines on top of the first. This second set of lines can be drawn in any angle or direction you'd like, as long as you pick an angle and keep it consistent throughout. Remember to focus on the distance that you leave between your lines and their overall direction.
Positives:
-You can very naturally combine hatching with cross-hatching, as the addition of your second sets of lines can create your darker values.
-It is a very fast way of giving a subject a sense of form, especially geometric shapes and subjects composed primarily of geometric shapes (think houses, buildings and furniture).
Negatives:
-You do have to be somewhat confident drawing straight lines.
-Because we are drawing straight lines, this could lead to a certain "flatness" in areas that aren't really meant to be flat, which means we have to be extra careful when using this technique when drawing organically shapes objects with curves in them (think human form, a piece of fruit, etc.).
*Look for examples of hatching/crosshatching in portraits and still lifes online to see how it can be successfully done.
3. Contour Lines
Contour Lines- Shading technique
Cylinder sketch showing contour lines
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Sphere sketch showing contour lines
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To create contour lines, it's essential to think about the subject's form and volume before laying down any lines. Contour lines accentuate the curves in subjects that are rounded or more organically shaped. Notice how, in the sketches above, the versions with curved lines help translate a cylinder and a sphere's form much better than the ones with the straight lines.
As opposed to hatching and cross-hatching lines, we're not replicating the same line over and over again, but seamlessly transforming our curved lines to better emphasize the rounded and convex/concave areas of our subjects. Contour lines transform throughout a drawing following the natural curves of our subject, and the perspective/angle we're viewing the object at will affect what these lines look like.
Positives:
-With some practice and efficient visualization, it's a very fast way of giving a sketch of organically shaped subjects (think of the human figure or a piece of fruit) a sense of realistic form.
Negatives:
-It requires a certain amount of visualization.
-If you stop paying attention to what you're doing for even a short amount of time, your drawing is not going to be very successful.
4. Weaving
Weaving- Shading technique
To create a weaving pattern, draw shorter sets of intersecting/interlocking lines. These sets of lines can have a specific organized pattern to them, or they can be placed in a more random manner. Simply start by laying down your first set of lines anywhere you'd like, and then start adding more sets around that line in a varied enough angle that they look like they're intersecting with each other.
Positives:
-This mark-making technique creates a very appealing visual texture which is very easy to achieve.
Negatives:
-It requires a certain amount of concentration just to create a "weaving" effect, which may take away from our focus when trying to achieve adequate value placement.
-The high level of texture created may be too distracting when drawing certain subjects.
5. Stippling
Stippling- Shading technique
Stippling requires us to lay down a huge amount of dots. We have to be mindful and do this calmly, as trying to rush generally leads to creating "ticks" (small lines) instead of dots, which leads to inconsistency in our marks.
Positives:
-This technique can create amazingly realistic drawings of pretty much any kind of subject.
-We have a lot of control because the marks are so small and the technique it itself forces us to take our time with it.
Negatives:
-It can be EXTREMELY time consuming and tiring.
-Creating so many dots may lead to damaging the tip of our drawing pen.
Positives:
-This technique can create amazingly realistic drawings of pretty much any kind of subject.
-We have a lot of control because the marks are so small and the technique it itself forces us to take our time with it.
Negatives:
-It can be EXTREMELY time consuming and tiring.
-Creating so many dots may lead to damaging the tip of our drawing pen.
6. Scribbling
Scribbling- Shading technique
Pen and ink tree study by Erika Lancaster
To do effective scribbling, relax your hand and allow it to move naturally and organically. Don't focus on creating any specific kinds of shapes or lines, but more on loops and variety. Practice changing the pressure you're exerting on your paper as you want to deepen values and let your hand go.
Positives:
-Once you're comfortable with this technique, it is a very easy way of achieving a visual effect of small, overlapping natural elements, that require more irregularity in them (think of leaves, plants and curly hair).
Negatives:
-It can be easy to go overboard since we are letting our hand have a mind of its own. I recommend taking breaks and stepping back every now and then.
Positives:
-Once you're comfortable with this technique, it is a very easy way of achieving a visual effect of small, overlapping natural elements, that require more irregularity in them (think of leaves, plants and curly hair).
Negatives:
-It can be easy to go overboard since we are letting our hand have a mind of its own. I recommend taking breaks and stepping back every now and then.
*Find free downloadable PDFs to practice your mark-making and value transitions at the end of this post!
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Shading Simple Geometric Shapes
Shading a cube using different pen and ink techniques.
The absolute best way to get started with actual shading is to begin with simple geometric shapes that are formed by flat planes (cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms). It is important to decide where your light source is going to be located before you begin so that you can then decide where your lightest, medium and darkest planes are going to be.
Take a moment to observe the cubes above. Can you tell which side is the lightest, which is the darkest and which is the in-between value? Judging by the placement of these values, where would you say the light source is located?
Need help drawing three-dimensional geometric shapes? No problem! Go to my blog post titled Perspective for Beginners: How to Use 1 and 2 Point Perspectives to find free downloadable PDFs with step-by-step instructions!
If you'd like to practice specifically shading cubes and don't feel like drawing them, download the free PDF at the end of this post!
Once you're successful with shading flat-sided geometric shapes, move on to geometric shapes that contain curves in them (spheres, cylinders, cones, etc.). Only after you have practiced these enough, should you move on to more complex subjects.
Stay tuned for the next post, because we'll be discussing how to use each of these techniques to describe the form of a piece of fruit!
| value_transitions_shading.pdf |
| drawing_marks_lines.pdf |
| shading_3d_shapes.pdf |
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Are you a beginner artist looking to start to sketch on a consistent basis? Do you have a sketchbook or two (or three) laying around, but find that you rarely use them either because you can't find the time or are scared of "ruining" them? Would you like to get past the initial stage of "awkwardness" as quickly as possible, so that you can actually start ENJOYING your sketching process?
In past blog posts and YouTube videos, I've talked about how I consider drawing to be the basis for all kinds of art. It doesn't really matter what kind of visual artist someone is setting out to become, or what level of skill has already been attained, artists must make sketching a habit and continue with this practice throughout their journeys.
In today's post, I will be sharing the top five tips I wish I knew when I first started sketching. By understanding and practicing these points, you'll be able to progress a lot faster, start enjoying your studies and explorations a lot more, and start filling out entire sketchbooks in no time.
Before moving forward, I want to get a very important message across. I believe that smaller sketches and studies are JUST AS IMPORTANT as larger, more polished pieces that may take days (or even weeks) to complete. Learning how to get ideas down on paper in a quicker, rougher way, is extremely valuable as an artist.
It was precisely these kinds of smaller, quicker studies that allowed me to progress artistically while holding on to demanding full-time jobs and going through major life changes.
Few of us are fortunate to know, since a very young age, that we want to dedicate our lives to art and become professional artists some day. And an even less percentage of those people who DO know, are lucky enough to have the funds necessary to live, while solely working on developing their artistic skills. If you're one of those lucky people and you have the money/time to explore both smaller and larger pieces simultaneously, by all means go for it!
However, if you have kids, full-time jobs, a house to keep, and other responsibilities, rest assured that these smaller studies ARE moving you forward, as long as you're making it a point to stay CONSISTENT. Five to six smaller sketches and/or studies a week are going to get you WAY FURTHER than setting out to create one large masterpiece every five to six months, with no activity in between.
I highly recommend checking out my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course which you can get access to immediately after joining my insider group HERE. This mini-course is made up of three 10-15 minute classes that contain specific drawing exercises for you to complete, as well as direct links to resources that will help you keep developing your skills once you have completed the lessons.
Sketching Tips
1. Know your tools
As with any other art-related practices, it's ultimately going to be up to you to explore different supplies/techniques so you can arrive at your personal favorites. However, what you should know is that you can go far with limited and inexpensive supplies. So don't get overwhelmed with the large variety of papers, pencils, erasers, etc. out there, and go for the basics.
For my quicker sketches, I usually like to prepare the following:
a) Three different pencil grades (usually HB, 2B, and 6-8B) *I rarely use the H variety at all!
b) Drawing/sketching paper or sketchbook
c) Soft rubber graphite eraser
d) Basic metallic sharpener
e) Tombow Mono Zero eraser *This has been my favorite eraser to be able to get into smaller areas
These are optional, but useful if you want to start drawing more realistically:
f) Blending stumps or tortillions
g) Kneaded eraser
In terms of paper, it's useful to start noticing how different thicknesses and textures affect your process, as well as the outcome of your drawings.
For my quicker sketches, I usually like to prepare the following:
a) Three different pencil grades (usually HB, 2B, and 6-8B) *I rarely use the H variety at all!
b) Drawing/sketching paper or sketchbook
c) Soft rubber graphite eraser
d) Basic metallic sharpener
e) Tombow Mono Zero eraser *This has been my favorite eraser to be able to get into smaller areas
These are optional, but useful if you want to start drawing more realistically:
f) Blending stumps or tortillions
g) Kneaded eraser
In terms of paper, it's useful to start noticing how different thicknesses and textures affect your process, as well as the outcome of your drawings.
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2. Always start with simplified large shapes and forget about details until later
This is HUGE! When we're just starting out drawing, we want to get into the details right away and spend HOURS working on a drawing just to find out that it looks off at the end.
It's absolutely imperative to learn to visualize your subjects (whether your drawing still life, the human figure, a landscape, or anything else), as combinations of simple shapes like cubes, cylinders, rectangular prisms, cones, etc. Learn to tune out all the smaller shapes and intricacies until after effective proportion and placement of individual elements in regards to each other, has been achieved.
I'm serious! Don't even START adding details, textures, shadows, or ANYTHING of the sort, until your initial base is solid.
I go a lot more in depth about this topic and provide you with several different exercises in my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course. To get immediate access to it, click on the image below to join my art insider group.
It's absolutely imperative to learn to visualize your subjects (whether your drawing still life, the human figure, a landscape, or anything else), as combinations of simple shapes like cubes, cylinders, rectangular prisms, cones, etc. Learn to tune out all the smaller shapes and intricacies until after effective proportion and placement of individual elements in regards to each other, has been achieved.
I'm serious! Don't even START adding details, textures, shadows, or ANYTHING of the sort, until your initial base is solid.
I go a lot more in depth about this topic and provide you with several different exercises in my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course. To get immediate access to it, click on the image below to join my art insider group.
Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course
Once you've gained enough practice creating basic outline drawings, I highly recommend looking into shading techniques that will allow you to start creating a believable sense of form.
I have a very thorough blog post (complete with downloadable exercises) in which I explain hatching, crosshatching, scribbling, and other quick shading techniques that you can read here: Guide to Shading Techniques: Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Others.
3. Learn how to hold your pencil for drawing purposes
It can take a bit of time for the beginner artist to get comfortable holding a pencil for drawing purposes. This is only natural, as we've been trained to hold pencils and pens a certain way since we started writing.
When we're writing, we need to be able to create neat, legible letters right-off-the bat. On the other hand, when we're drawing, we start by laying down imperfect lines and we refine them along the way (that's what our erasers are for!). These are two very different activities and we have to make that mental switch necessary to change our approach depending on what it is we're doing.
There are many different ways of holding a pencil for sketching purposes and there isn't one that is necessarily "better" than the next. It's going to depend on what YOU find most comfortable at each point of the sketching process once you have a bit more drawing practice.
Have in mind you'll usually switch between different hand positions and grips throughout your drawing process. However, generally speaking, you want to position your hand further away from the tip of your pencil. You also want to move your entire arm as you draw and not only your wrist (as you do when you're writing).
Try to relax and draw loosely! If you're too tense, warm up by drawing different types of lines and shapes. There's absolutely nothing to be nervous about, especially if you start out with LIGHT lines that you can easily erase (as you always should). Always start lightly, and move on to darker values as you refine your sketch.
Have fun with it and throw perfection out the window! Fearing you'll make mistakes and striving for perfection will keep you from creating art, which will keep you from making progress. Don't ever fear the blank page and, remember, with every sketch you make you'll get better and better.
Here are two different ways that I usually hold my pencil when I'm sketching:
When we're writing, we need to be able to create neat, legible letters right-off-the bat. On the other hand, when we're drawing, we start by laying down imperfect lines and we refine them along the way (that's what our erasers are for!). These are two very different activities and we have to make that mental switch necessary to change our approach depending on what it is we're doing.
There are many different ways of holding a pencil for sketching purposes and there isn't one that is necessarily "better" than the next. It's going to depend on what YOU find most comfortable at each point of the sketching process once you have a bit more drawing practice.
Have in mind you'll usually switch between different hand positions and grips throughout your drawing process. However, generally speaking, you want to position your hand further away from the tip of your pencil. You also want to move your entire arm as you draw and not only your wrist (as you do when you're writing).
Try to relax and draw loosely! If you're too tense, warm up by drawing different types of lines and shapes. There's absolutely nothing to be nervous about, especially if you start out with LIGHT lines that you can easily erase (as you always should). Always start lightly, and move on to darker values as you refine your sketch.
Have fun with it and throw perfection out the window! Fearing you'll make mistakes and striving for perfection will keep you from creating art, which will keep you from making progress. Don't ever fear the blank page and, remember, with every sketch you make you'll get better and better.
Here are two different ways that I usually hold my pencil when I'm sketching:
Underhand pencil grip for sketching.
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Overhand pencil grip for sketching.
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4. Develop observational skills and hand-eye coordination by using references
Drawing from both photographic references, as well as from life, is absolutely essential for artistic progress to occur. I've written about the use of references when creating art in blog posts before and I think it's absolutely hilarious when people think artists aren't supposed to use references. It shows ignorance on the part of the commenter in terms of how art and creative processes work.
*Note: With "references" I mean either using photographs or drawing/painting from life, NOT copying a previously made illustration or painting. There is, however, a lot to learn from studying other artists' styles and techniques. If you want to create such studies, or even downright copy an already existing art piece, just make sure it's for exploration/learning purposes and I would suggest keeping it to yourself.
Using references allows us to develop our observational skills AND our hand-eye coordination. It's also impossible for the human brain to hold on to all the visual information that a photograph (or seeing something in the flesh) can present to us. Even if you're intending on developing a cartoonish style in the future, studying how things actually look like in real life, will give you a solid base to work from.
I highly recommend all beginners out there to start working from photographs as soon as possible. There are many awesome free image sources online, so there's really no excuse. You can find a list of my favorite free image sites HERE. Begin forming your own reference library! Learn what makes a good photograph in terms of lighting and composition, and remind yourself to take photos whenever an opportunity presents itself. Soon enough, you'll have plenty of your own original photos to work from!
Once you've gained some confidence using photographs as references, start incorporating sketching from life into your weekly routines. I explain why drawing/painting from life is an incredibly important part of an artist's journey and provide ten useful tips to make these exercises less intimidating in this blog post: Why Drawing From Direct Observation is Essential and 10 Tips to Improve
*Note: With "references" I mean either using photographs or drawing/painting from life, NOT copying a previously made illustration or painting. There is, however, a lot to learn from studying other artists' styles and techniques. If you want to create such studies, or even downright copy an already existing art piece, just make sure it's for exploration/learning purposes and I would suggest keeping it to yourself.
Using references allows us to develop our observational skills AND our hand-eye coordination. It's also impossible for the human brain to hold on to all the visual information that a photograph (or seeing something in the flesh) can present to us. Even if you're intending on developing a cartoonish style in the future, studying how things actually look like in real life, will give you a solid base to work from.
I highly recommend all beginners out there to start working from photographs as soon as possible. There are many awesome free image sources online, so there's really no excuse. You can find a list of my favorite free image sites HERE. Begin forming your own reference library! Learn what makes a good photograph in terms of lighting and composition, and remind yourself to take photos whenever an opportunity presents itself. Soon enough, you'll have plenty of your own original photos to work from!
Once you've gained some confidence using photographs as references, start incorporating sketching from life into your weekly routines. I explain why drawing/painting from life is an incredibly important part of an artist's journey and provide ten useful tips to make these exercises less intimidating in this blog post: Why Drawing From Direct Observation is Essential and 10 Tips to Improve
5. Make sketching a habit
Out of the five tips I'm mentioning in this post, getting into the habit of sketching regularly, is probably the most important of all. Often times we make excuses, telling ourselves we don't have enough time to draw. However, it's a matter of reminding ourselves what's important to us, getting our priorities straight, and setting aside the time.
If you want to get better at anything in life, you have to do it consistently.
As I was mentioning in the introduction of this post, taking even 15-20 minutes a day to sketch will get you far, as long as you make sure to continue. I highly recommend buying a sketchbook that feels good to you and getting into the habit of taking it along with you throughout your day so that you can use any free time that pops up.
If you want to get better at anything in life, you have to do it consistently.
As I was mentioning in the introduction of this post, taking even 15-20 minutes a day to sketch will get you far, as long as you make sure to continue. I highly recommend buying a sketchbook that feels good to you and getting into the habit of taking it along with you throughout your day so that you can use any free time that pops up.
I hope these tips were useful for you and wish you much progress in your artistic journey!
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is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.
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