Drawing, How to start???

[K. Ishitar]

Hey i'm writing a book and I need to learn to know where to start drawing. I understand that you start with shapes and go up from there I used to draw decent when I was younger but kinda left me. I did a quick google search and I couldn't see a site that seemed beginner friendly.

Any tips or where to start or books to buy for this?

Thanks in advance

 

[Raesvelg]

You could always try taking a class. It might be more expensive than trying to learn on your own, but you'll also be able to get more instruction, tips, and feedback. And ideally it won't be all that incredibly expensive either.

 

[Otaru]

I greatly recommend this book, it will help you a lot:

Try to find it on English. I bought it on Borders.

 

[Reya]

Youtube has a lot of great videos on how to draw.

 

[Skaw]

Take criticism to heart. Do not become a Tim Buckley and think you've got golden hands. People are generally going to tell you problems because they are indeed problems.

 

[K. Ishitar]

I'm not in a rush to finish it, it's going to take a few years probrably to get it done. So drawing I want to learn step by step. Was told to start by repeating drawing shapes and then move onto bigger stuff is this true???

 

[Eiffel]

Hey there!

The best and most effective ways to get into drawing that I've found are as follows:

1) Understanding the hows and whys of your subject (how something moves, the shapes that comprise an object)
2) Drawing everything around you. A LOT.

Very basic advice, but it's really the go-to line from artists for a reason - It works. This little tutorial can help you with the beginning stuff: http://bit.ly/9z5SXG Solid, quick, easy to understand. Best of all, this is a pretty sweet summation of what actual art students are taught in early foundations classes (well, as far as planning an illustration. Light, movement and form you can pick up from life drawing.)

As for the "draw everything" part, that's really up to how hard you want to progress. Drawing many different things, focusing on a single object, it's all a matter of breaking out of your comfort zone and drawing things you find challenging. If you can't get out and draw people as much as you'd like, grab a mirror or snag one of those Loomis books (A great and sometimes underrated resource for understanding the concepts behind human design).

I wish you the best of luck! Hopefully, once you've gotten some practice in, you'll drop by again and post up some of your work!