Drawing Lessons - Learn How to Draw

When you see a skillfully made sketch or a good drawing, what comes to mind first? Most people are usually filled with awe immediately, thinking wistfully how nice it must be to be born with a gift like that. However, it is not necessary that you need to be born with the ability to draw. Like any other means of communication, drawing is a skill that almost anybody can learn. For example, just like the skills of writing are acquired by first learning how to construct simple sentences, and then developing the skills of communicating ideas or thoughts using complex forms of writing, anyone can use the basic skills taught in lessons to learn drawing. This can then be developed further to draw and even paint complex subjects or ideas.

You can use a variety of tools to begin learning to draw, such as the lead pencil, charcoal, color pencils, wax crayons, pen and ink, and these days even digitally. Once you learn the basics, you can unleash you creativity by going on to experiment with various styles like sketching, cartooning, illustration, caricature, and also abstract and representational rendering.

But first, let us begin with the basics. One of the most important aspects of creating realistic objects is learning how to draw 3-dimensional shapes. If you look around you, you will find that anything that you want to depict on paper with your pencil is made of basic shapes, such as rectangles, squares, cones, and ellipses. By using 3-dimensional techniques, you will be able to create these shapes so that they seem to project right off the page.

Here are a few steps you can follow to begin your drawing lesson:

Step One - It Begins With Observation:
One of the most important aspects of the technique of drawing is observation. Unless you learn how to see, it will be difficult for you to draw the objects around you successfully. The fundamental aspect of depicting any form, tone, color, or texture starts with your eyes. Only when you have the ability to observe and recognize these factors can you simulate them with your pencil on paper. For example, the computer monitor in front of you is made up of rectangular shapes, so is the table on which it rests. Whenever you begin a project, consciously seek the object's hidden contours and shapes.

Step Two - Learn The Lines:
Once you learn to see the various shapes of objects, start by learning to draw lines, which are any drawing's basic building blocks. Lines can either be rendered visually or just implied by using spaces. There are three basic types of lines that you will use to render any object, these are: the straight line, the curved line, or angled lines. Therefore, familiarizing yourself with these lines is an essential component of learning how to draw. Hence, practice these lines, first only by themselves, then creating simple objects with them, to begin improving your skills.

Step Three - Get Your Perspective Right:
Perspective, as far as drawing is concerned, is about using the rules of geometry to represent objects on paper as they appear in reality, which is that they seem to become smaller and bunch together the further they are from your observation point. By using the techniques of perspective, your drawing will become more realistic and visually correct. When you master the rules and skills of depicting perspective, you can even increase your creative skills, because it allows to explore innovative concepts in the perception of depth in your drawings.

Step Four - Get The Right Shade:
Shading is the key to making the objects you draw appear 3-dimensional. Before you begin shading, you need to determine where the source of light is in your drawing. For example, if the source of light is on the left of the object, the right side will get the darkest shading, while the left will get the lightest.

For example, say you want to draw a ball. First, make a round shape on your paper. Then, say you decide your light source is on the left side of the ball. Begin shading from the lower right side of the ball, using curved shading movements with your pencil. As you approach the top left side, keep making lighter strokes, until the shading is barely visible right on the top portion of the left side. Smudge the shaded area, either using you finger or a stump of paper, to smoothen the shading.

Step Five - Add A Shadow
The final step of giving form to your 3-dimensional object is to add a shadow. Whenever there is a source of light falling on an object, it creates the shadow of the object on the opposite side. Observe well how the shadows of objects appear when light falls on them. You will notice that the shadow will always be an elongated version of the object. Plus, the stronger the light, the sharper will the shadow be, and conversely, the weaker the light, the more diffuse the shadow. Also observe how shadows tend to disappear at the furthest point from the object. You can use the same shading techniques given above to create shadows. Go ahead, give your ball a shadow, and see how it comes alive!