How do I art?

~astro999 Jul 10, 2012

I really can't think of a more articulate way to pose my question. I want to become at least a somewhat decent artist at drawing and stuff. I know the key to being good is practice, but my problem is, I don't even know where to start, what to practice, what to do... I have no idea how to art. At all. It's not that I'm not good at it or something, I literally have no idea what to do when I look at a piece of paper.
What's a good way to start to keep myself from building bad habits, learn basics, and have somewhere to go from there?

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Devious Comments

*Ariis Jul 12, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I think youre too stritch with yourself

you just gotta let it go on the paper..there are no limits, or mistakes..just sketch!

if something like inspire you..like music..look at tutorials on youtube or tutorials here!

~egypturnash Jul 12, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Go here, get the Preston Blair book, and start doing these exercises. You'll quickly learn fundamentals that you can apply to drawing anything you please.

~FriendlyHand Jul 12, 2012

Hi

Here are tips from various DA members about how to improve: [link]

Draw anything. Draw everything. Draw live people, Get a stack of white paper and put it in a 3-ring binder. Can't decide what to draw? Draw the first thing you see that starts with the letter A. Fill a page with fast sketches, slow sketches and details of that object. Then draw the first thing you see that starts with a B and continue until you've done the alphabet. Put all the drawings in a notebook and sign and date them. Do the same thing again in a few years to gauge your progress.

One hour of drawing things badly is more productive than one hundred hours of trying to decide how to start.

-FH

~Xannorto Jul 12, 2012

Draw simple shapes that outline the subject. Then refine that simple shape more and more until you have like a skeleton of your subject. Hm... then you just go in with color, shading or whatever. That's what I do, and I rarely make anything below awesome now. haha

~astro999 Jul 12, 2012

You male it sound so easy. XD.

~Xannorto Jul 12, 2012

That's because it is easy! Oh! I forgot one important thing. Just stop worring if it will look hella bad when (more like if) it's done. haha

*Kuiji Jul 12, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Have you ever had an image in your head that you felt like you wanted to see on a piece of paper?

~astro999 Jul 12, 2012

Who hasn't?

*Kuiji Jul 12, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Well, as frustrating as is can be, that could be your motivation. To try and achieve the idea you have in your mind. ^^

I honestly don't know the magic answer, I just hope you find a was to start somehow.

~Silver-Mercy Jul 12, 2012

Grab a piece of paper, a pencil and an eraser (possibly a sharpener) then pick up a few off items that you own that you use regularly, or you just like (eg a coffee mug, a mobile phone, a stuffed animal.) and draw them. either all together or one at a time. Then look at the drawing, and decide what you like about it (eg shape accuracy, or sizeing), what you dont like about it (eg shading is wrong, lines are too dark), and think about how you can improve each aspect. Keep at least some of your bad drawings for comparrison later. remember that the only way to improve on your artwork is to first recognise that you have done something badly, or could have done it better.

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