Drawing And Sketching For Beginners

Learn the Basics of Sketching and Drawing

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.5

- By the end of this course you will be able to draw almost anything
- The correct way to use reference
- Draw what they see and observe

What you'll learn

By the end of this course you will be able to draw almost anything

The correct way to use reference

Draw what they see and observe

Draw basic lines and shapes

Understand the basics of volume

light

shadow and composition

Feel confident enough to further their artistic learning on any subject.

Understand that everything is made of a few basic shapes

* Requirements

* There is absolutely no prior experience required to take this course
* No software is needed
* Only a pencil or pen and paper is needed

Description

Drawing and sketching can seem like magic if you don't know how to do it. It's not magic, it's a skill. that means it can be taught and I will be your instructor. Just like anything and everything you have learned you had to know the very basics. You can't do math without knowing how to count and you can't drive without knowing what the key looks like.

This course is your "key". All drawing starts with lines, some are straight, some are curved and rough but all are lines. Lines are used to make shapes and shapes become volumes (3d shapes) and everything in the world is made from shapes.

I will teach you to use those shapes. I will show you how to make lines shapes and volumes. You will learn to hone your observational skills and draw what you see, and even what is in your head if you study and practice enough.

You need no experience in drawing. Absolutely zero ! There is no special software just a regular pencil and some paper.

If you have always wanted to learn to draw this is the course for you. If you are a graphic artist that knows learning to draw will save you time and money, take this course. If you want to make comics or cartoons then this will be the course that will be your starting point.

This is the beginner class. Often books tell you to start by making 3d shapes but what if you are having trouble with that? If you are , I got you covered.

Who this course is for:

Anyone who wants to learn how to draw using a pencil and paper
Anyone who wants to learn drawing in a more "traditional" way.
Anyone wanting to increase their drawing skills
The absolute beginner with zero ability to draw
Graphic artists that want to learn to draw.
The hobbyist who has wanted to learn to draw
Anyone who wants to make comics or games or express their artistic desires.
Everyone who has "How to" art books on their shelves but still couldn't draw
Everyone who has watched a drawing video but still couldnt draw.

Course content

17 sections • 109 lectures

Welcome to Drawing for Beginners 8 lectures

IMPORTANT ! Watch this BEFORE you enroll, please. Preview 03:28

Please watch this very short video before you decide to enroll.

Art as Problem Solving Preview 15:07

How should I hold my Pencil ? Preview 06:18

How should you hold your pencil? I answer that in this video.

Drawing Has been Hard for You Because.... Preview 06:30

Here are some very common reasons why drawing is hard for most people.

What you will need for this course. Preview 03:29

There is zero specialized paper appends that you will need for this course. You can use some regular copy paper from any local store and a regular number two pencil. Later on if you want to get more art supplies that's entirely up to you. Later on when I demonstrate adding ink to your drawings you may just want to get a regular pen. We got to keep this nice and simple so that you are not getting bogged down with a bunch of extra art supplies that you may not even use.

Getting the Most out of this Course Preview 07:07

Here are the Worksheets Preview 01:18

Worksheets for the later lectures.

For my Left Handed Students (3/04/18) Preview 03:01

Answering a question for all of yo that are left handed.

The Power of Lines 12 lectures

The Only 4 Things you NEED for this Course Preview 10:26

Introduction to lines Preview 03:43

Rough lines Preview 07:51

In this video I will show you the power of making rough lines. Oftentimes people say that I can't draw straight line with the ruler. And while that might be true for you I don't want you to worry about that since there are no straight lines in nature. It's actually a very good thing if you can't draw straight line right away. I'm going to show you exactly what you can do with lines that are not straight. I encourage you to practice and follow along with me or you can sit back and watch the video.

The Straight Line Preview 03:45

There are many different ways as draw straight line. What I'm gonna show you is how to draw a straight line freehand. You won't need a ruler or straight edge. I do want to say that if you do need to use a ruler or some sort of straight edge then that's perfectly fine professional artist do that all the time. I don't want anyone to feel like they're cheating by using a ruler but I do encourage you to practice this technique as it will save you a lot of time and you're not always been a have a ruler around.

Straight line Practice Preview 07:30

So this is going to be the practice for drawing straight lines. Just follow along with me to this video and do the exercises often even when you're done watching the videos.

Curved lines Preview 04:35

This video is a lecture on curved lines. Drawing a curve can be challenging and I'm in a show you a few different ways to draw curves.

C Curves Preview 04:43

This lecture is on C curves. See curves of in a help you add dimension to your drawings later on. See curves can display rhythm and produce form. They're one of the building blocks for organic shapes.

S Curves Preview 06:12

This video is gonna be on the S curve. The S-curve is found in several places more notably the human body. The S-curve is all about rhythm and balance.

Lines as Texture Preview 04:44

This video is gonna discuss using lines as texture. I just want to give you a sneak preview of some of the things that you will be able to do and why your drawing so many lines. Whether you are adding shadow or crosshatching a simple line is a very powerful tool to have.

Line Accuracy Preview 06:38

This video is about line accuracy. Line accuracy is something that I don't think I've ever really seen discussed very much in books. The idea of measuring a line and being very accurate with not only its size but where it intersects another line. This very basic fundamental thing is often the culprit on why drawings look inaccurate.

Line Weight Preview 04:20

This video is on line weight. Line weight is something that I want you to be very aware of right away. Even if you aren't able to use it this early I still want you to know that it's there. The weight of your line can highlight characters or act as a focal point and even give a basic shape "weight".

IF you are having trouble making Lines (Facebook Group Lesson) Preview 09:17

Making Simple 2D Hard Shapes 7 lectures

Intro to creating your first shapes Preview 06:44

The Rectangle Preview 08:33

This video is on drawing a rectangle. A rectangle is often very easy to draw as most people at some point has drawn a rectangle. Whether you're doodling why you're on the phone or sitting at your desk you drawn a rectangle. We are in a practice drawing a rectangle and I'm in a show you just how powerful a rectangle can be.

The Square Preview 04:05

This video is on drawing the square. The square is very important because it can act as a really basic unit of measurement to make your drawings more accurate. Believe it or not squares are bit more difficult to draw. In this video ominous show you how to draw a square and make it look accurate.

The Triangle Preview 05:16

Continuing with our basic shapes we are going to draw a triangle. A triangle in understanding it is going to be the basis of two very important shapes. The cone and the pyramid are essential and building so many objects that it is important that you fully understand how to draw a basic triangle. Triangles also become wedges and can be used to measure things like object placement and perspective.

The Ellipse Preview 06:29

The ellipse is very tricky to draw. The ellipse can do many things it can create cylinders or represent tires on a car or a hole in the ground. The ellipse also has two components that make it different from a circle a major axis and a minor axis.

The Circle Preview 03:30

In this video you will learn how to draw a circle. In drawing a "perfect" circle is very difficult but it's something you should practice anyway. Obviously the circle is very similar to an ellipse and I was so you how to use the circle effectively when you're drawing.

The Center Line Preview 05:12

Not withdrawn all of the shapes him initially the concept of a centerline. The centerline is a unit or way of measuring shapes. We get into the 3-D portion of drawing and by 3-D I don't mean with computers, you will see just how important and crucial the centerline is for drawing.

Making Simple 2D Soft Organic Shapes 6 lectures

Intro to Organic Shapes Preview 04:05

Organic Triangle Preview 06:31

This video is all about the organic version of the triangle and its importance to creating shapes.

Organic Square Preview 05:05

This video is about the organic square.

Organic Rectangle Preview 09:58

This video is all about the organic rectangle. The organic rectangle can encompass so many objects and can represent so many things that it's very important for you to fully get how to draw this form.

Organic Oval Preview 04:24

This video is about drawing an oval which by its nature is organic. But in order to fully understand the "peanut" I want you to practice drawing one part of it. On its own it can represent many things like the shape of faces or even body shapes and when it's combined it becomes even more powerful.

Peanut Preview 08:56

And finally we look at the peanut. The "peanut" or the "kidney bean" or the many other names that it's used over the years in different books and different lectures. It's all the same basic concept. The concept of putting two organic oval like shapes together to create a complex form. And this is a very exciting turning point for you when you're drawing because this is actually a first complex form.

An Introduction to Form 10 lectures

Introduction to Form Preview 05:01

From 2D to 3D Preview 04:24

This is a big step. We are going to convert all of those 2D shapes into 3D form.

Drawing Through Preview 04:28

In this video I will explain the concept of "drawing through". it's a very important concept that takes the guesswork out of drawing in many cases.

The Box Preview 08:24

In this video we will create a box. A box is either a series of squares or rectangles. Both of wich you already know how to draw.

The Cylinder Preview 13:45

In this video we will create the cylinder which is 2 circles or ellipses plus 2 lines.

The Pyramid Preview 06:43

In this video I will show you you how to create a pyramid which consists of triangles and a square.

The Cone Preview 05:21

The cone is a circle and triangle in its most basic form. Its also a cylinder that closes at one side. It's all in how you look at it.

The Wedge Preview 07:38

The wedge is so very versatile from shape to measurement. this video will show you how to create one with 2 triangles and lines as well as its variations.

The Sphere Preview 09:34

It goes without saying that the sphere is very important. It's basically the world. Literally.

Contouring lines Preview 03:45

this video will show you how to begin to see form with contour lines that follow the form. It takes practice.

Organic 3D Forms 5 lectures

Intro to Organic Form Preview 03:11

Organic Cylinder Preview 06:23

this is a variation on the regular cylinder and there are numerous ways to interpret this form.

Organic Peanut Preview 08:00

The "Organic peanut" is well my way of saying the peanut shape. Most peanut shapes are 3D. In this lecture i want to show you how to see it in it's natural 3D form.

Organic Cone Preview 06:32

An organic cone can be very helpful. There are also many ways to do this . The important thing is to understand it's form.

Organic Box Preview 10:03

The organic box is very easy to draw. Its pretty straightforward.

Perspective Crash Course 5 lectures

Why Perspective Preview 03:27

The Horizon Line Preview 02:35

In this introductory video I will show you the basis of all perspective. It's the horizon line. it determines the first location in space.

The Vanishing Point Preview 03:15

The vanishing point determines what type of linear perspective you will be drawing.

One Point Perspective Preview 03:54

This is the basics of one point perspective.

Two Point Perspective Preview 08:05

This is the basics of two point perspective.

Putting Shapes Together 7 lectures

Intro to Merging Preview 01:59

How to Merge Hard Shapes Preview 06:18

This is about how to put 2 shapes together we will begin with "Hard shapes first as it is easier.

2 Shapes Preview 06:38

In this video I will show some examples of 2 shapes and some common combinations.

3 Shapes Preview 06:34

This video builds off of the previous lesson. "3 shapes" can be looked at in several ways.

Merging Organic Shapes Preview 07:35

This video show s how easy it is to make those hard shapes organic.

2 Shapes Preview 03:57

As with the hard shapes we will be looking at 2 organic shapes together.

3 Shapes Preview 11:09

And now we will be expanding to the 3 shapes concept in organic form.

Understanding light and Shadow 5 lectures

Light Source Preview 09:39

Intro to Light and Shadow Preview 01:13

Light Fall Off Preview 02:41

In this video I will discuss the concept of light fall off.Light falloff is better looked at it exactly where the light ends in the shadow begins.

Diffused Light Preview 01:36

This video is all about diffuse light. Diffuse light is one of the more common forms of light and it's the like that most artists draw especially in the beginning.

Ambient Occlusion Preview 02:00

In this video I will discuss ambient occlusion which is something most of you are instinctively familiar with. Even though it has a pretty elaborate and fancy name it's a basic Concept.

NEW DRAW WITH ME : Hatching and Shading 9 lectures

Intro to Hatching and Cross Hatching Preview 04:46

Hatching exercise 1 Preview 13:16

Hatching exercise 2 Preview 10:35

Hatching Assignment Preview 05:21

Hatching to Gradient exercise Preview 14:52

Shading a Sphere Preview 16:25

Shading Boxes Preview 05:29

Shading an Organic Form Preview 17:26

Shading a Cylinder Preview 09:28

Texturing Objects 5 lectures

Intro to Texture Preview 03:10

What is Texture Preview 09:46

Texture is nothing to be afraid of. Almost anything can be a texture. In this lesson I will go over the idea of creating textures.

How to Draw Scales Preview 10:15

This video is all about scales and different types of scales and how to draw them.

How to Draw Random Shapes for textures. Preview 08:13

this video show the many ways you can turn anything into a texture.

How to Draw Fur Preview 06:48

In this video i show you how to draw fur.

How to "Shade" and "Render" 4 lectures

Value Chart Preview 04:11

In this video were gonna make our very first value chart and show you the different ways on how it's used.

High, Low and Middle Key Value Preview 05:52

This video is all about using the middle keyvalue composition.

Simple Value Chart Preview 08:56

And building off of the previous lessons this video discusses a much simplified version of the value chart.

Blending and Smoothing Preview 10:33

In this lesson we will discuss the concept of blending and smoothing your work. I came to this last because I wanted to build off of the previous lessons. I also want to caution you that it's very important not to over render as when your beginning it's very tempting to do so.

Observation or How to See Like an artist. 6 lectures

Intro to Observation and Art Preview 03:06

Observing Lines Preview 11:01

The first thing that I wanted to teach about observation is measuring lines and you've already done that before but since you've come this far I want to elaborate a bit more on that concept. It's very key to understand where lines are going and where they end. When you start doing your own studies and observations measuring lines in shape and form becomes paramount in getting an accurate image.

Observing Shapes Preview 05:25

Building off of the previous lessons we are going to now discuss measuring of simple shapes and how that can help you.

Negative Space Preview 04:25

In this video I'm going to show you how to look at the negative space. The negative space is the area surrounding your subject. Getting those shapes right can be very important

The Grid Method Preview 03:26

The grid method is a very common method that is used in order to get an accurate picture. Not every artist uses it as I am one who rarely uses the grid method however I wanted to make you aware that it's they are and how you can use it to benefit you.

Lining up Lines Preview 07:06

In this video I will show you how to use straight lines as well as horizontal lines to get a much more accurate depiction of the subject that your drawing.

Learning Simple Composition 3 lectures

How I see Composition Preview 04:35

In this video I will give my general overview of composition and how I look at composition.

Rule of thirds Preview 04:05

This video is all about the rule of thirds method of composition.

Golden Ratio Preview 04:14

This video is about the Golden ratio or the golden mean as it is sometimes called. This method is used in a lot of different compositions throughout history and used by some of the greatest artists and even used in some design.

Practical Lessons on Drawing 12 lectures

NEW REFERENCE Preview 01:33

Here is the new reference

Before you begin this section Preview 04:18

Start with the Study Preview 06:36

In this video I will discuss how to to a study of a drawing and some of the things that you should be looking out for. This is one of those things that I feels can help you throughout your artistic career or just a route your drawings

Quick Study : Tree Preview 01:53

Trees can be very simple to draw but i will show you a method on looking at the tree as a volume and not just a series of branches.

Quick Study : Metal vase Preview 00:21

The Metal vase is a good way to begin to discover reflections. We will be quick Sketching with understanding. This is so you won't get stuck and will have a base to build off of.

Quick Study : Grapes Preview 15:24

This quick sketch will give you a better understanding of size , ambient occlusion and placing many items on your canvas.

Quick Study : Dog Preview 11:07

How to Draw a Simple Face Preview 07:36

This is how to draw a simple face. You will learn the "classic" proportions of the face.

How to Draw Facial Features Preview 18:31

Facial feature vary a great deal. We know this . This lesson is a way to understand the structure of the features. There are millions of variations of human beings. So no one course or book could possibly show you everything. But here is where you can start.

How to Draw a Simple Figure Preview 08:37

I couldn't help but to show you how to draw a simple figure. This will be very close to a sick figure. this will give you the measurements on how to have a simple yet accurate figure.

How to Ink Preview 14:42

In this video I'm gonna show you how to Inc. Inking is something that every artist does differently so I think it's important to show you a few different techniques but ultimately how you decide to Inc. will be up to you.

Congratulations You Are Now an Artist ! Preview 08:11

This video is going to conclude the instruction for this course. I hope you had a lot of fun learning and I really enjoyed teaching this course to you. From this point on I want you to know that you are no longer an aspiring artist, you are an artist.