Erin

I ask for help!

How do I art?

Or more specifically: I used to draw as a kid all the time and wasn't any good. I want to learn to draw well enough people can tell what it is I have drawn by looking at it. But I don't know how to learn, and every "beginner" guide I've found is very "draw some circles but make them out of dashed lines. Then connect the circles. Now you have a literal masterpiece," and I'm trying to figure out how to sketch a circle that doesn't look like a chocolate colored rasin does anyone have any good resources or places to start?

there's no right answer, but as someone who dabbles and doesn't absorb instructional "here's how to draw XYZ" things very well, here's a general-purpose process i like

• sketch the thing you want with whatever your current skill level is.
• taking care to stay nonjudgmental¹ about your work, compare your output to a reference and play spot-the-differences.
  • what features seem 'off' in a way you don't like?
    • try to notice what's going on (e.g. "ah, i drew the eyes too high on the head")
    • figure out what 'correct' might look like (e.g. "hmm, the eyes seem to be in the middle vertically in this reference picture")
    • reverse-engineer a technique for yourself to get from where you are to where you're going (e.g. "maybe i'll try putting a little guide-line across the middle of my head-circle, and then put the eyes along that line")
      • this might require sitting back and thinking about how physical objects are put together, or tracing over a reference to see what its basic lines and shapes and curves are, and how they project into 2D. (i first tried doing this with an umbrella; i found a couple octagons centered on the pole, with lines connecting the points)
  • what features seem 'off' in a way you do like?
    • if you figure out how to do those with intentionality and double down on them, you might start finding your own style.
• figure out a handful of these changes you want to make most, whichever you think is either the lowest-hanging fruit or the best improvement-per-effort.
• take a break so you don't destroy your hands.
• repeat.

1. this is crucial. i cannot stress enough how imperative it is for one of the first things you learn about the discipline of doing art of any sort to be not hating your own imperfect output. if you get into this habit you'll not only struggle to find joy in the act of creation, but also no matter how good you get, you'll never stop thinking your friends are just saying they like your stuff because they like you. everyone is a work in progress, learning never stops, and no matter how skilled you get, you're always going to be able to see 'imperfections' in your own work that nobody else does. all the art you've ever been impressed by shares this quality. the mindset you feed that data to is everything