Freehand Drawing

Freehand drawing, is a form of drawing which is done only by means of eye and hand coordination. In simple terms, freehand drawing is done by a person without use of any tools like rulers, protractor, etc. or using tracing or other technique. Many people who enjoy drawing as a hobby use this technique of drawing, just carrying a sketchbook and pencils and sketching any subjects they like. If a person asks you, looking at a drawing 'did you do it freehand?', it means that did you do this drawing without the use of any tools or mechanical devices.

For freehand sketching one needs to have good observation skills, good sense of proportions, a smooth motion of hand that allows to draw neat lines, and to give the drawing more depth some shading skills. These skill take time, patience and practice, and advice from a teacher or an artist does well, to point a person learning freehand drawing in the right direction. Whether you are an absolute beginner or have some experience in drawing, here are some very useful sketching tips that will help to get started or get better at freehand...

Useful Tips

Adobe has a freehand drawing software, on which you can practice drawing freehand. But, including my advice and most artists and drawing teachers always recommend to practice the drawing skills first on paper and then on any software. So, before going digital, stick to basic drawing tools which are the pencil and paper. So, buy a sketchbook which has A4 sized papers, few 2-3 grades pencils of 6B and 8B and start drawing. Avoid using eraser as much as possible, if you are a total beginner then eraser is allowed for first 2-3 weeks, then you have to stop using the eraser, so that you get confidence in your drawing.

Loosen Up!
All right, first thing you need to do is loosen up your hand. Here, are some drawing secrets on how to. On a blank paper draw circles in one smooth motion, do not rest your palm on the paper. So hold the pencil with your fingers, and draw circles all over the paper. In a similar manner, draw horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines on the same sheet of paper. This will help to loosen up your drawing motions, and you will be more confident and lines will come out better, by practicing this technique. Do this on 2-3 papers everyday, as your drawing skills get better, you can continue doing this only on one paper everyday.

Soak Everything You See...
Now, the second important factor that helps draw better drawing subject is the observation. Continuously, go on observing everything closely, how an old man looks, how a young person looks, how a child looks, etc. Observe their clothing, their expression, gestures, etc. Observe animals too. Observe trains, buses, buildings, natural landscapes, trees, birds, cityscapes, etc.

Carry Your Sketchbook & Practice
So carry your sketchbook and pencil with you (don't forget a sharpener or cutter too). Watch people at train station and sketch them, if you are a total beginner then forget about your drawings looking neat, first just scribble the subjects, later on your drawings will improve. So, scribble birds, people, landscapes, buildings, etc. If your subjects are not stationary and it is difficult for you to observe moving subjects, then use your friend - the digital camera, carry a pocket camera with you and click picture of the subject. Once you are at home or at a quiet place, observe the subject and then draw it.

Concentrate on Proportions
Now, that you have been scribbling for long and your drawings look weird, concentrate on the proportions. To understand the proportions of human anatomy, refer to some books or online tutorials. The tutorials will tell you important guidelines on proportion, for example the distance between two eyes is of one eye. Or the height of a human is total 7 and half heads. If you are drawing structures/still life, then sit at a comfortable distance from the subject and hold your pencils in front of you and measure the objects height using your pencil and draw it on the paper.

Add Some More Depth to Your Drawings
Once you get better at your drawings, learn shading which is simply adding lights and shadows to your drawings. Observe where the source of light is, and where are the shadows of an object falling on. Then, sketch the shadows, highlights, and other tones on the subject to add more depth to it.

Seek Advice
If you get stuck on some subject and need advice or your drawing don't seem to improve, then instead of sulking, seek advice from artists or drawing professionals. However, avoid seeking advice from too many people too, because too much of advice coming from different people can confuse you. You can show your sketches to a friend who is good at sketching, or show it to a drawing teacher or put it on forums to get advice from other artists.

This were the sketching tips and tricks to help you start and get better at drawing freehand. So, remember the above tips, and most of all enjoy drawing whatever you are drawing!