How to Teach yourself to Sketch by Elle Smith - Artist
Teach Yourself to Sketch
Sketching or drawing is a handy and fun skill for everyone to learn, not to mention that it is also quite a great hobby to have for relaxation. Even if you are not great initially, the feelings of achievement will be amazing as you watch your skills improve.
Most of the time, what amateurs do in order to learn how to draw is enroll on art lessons so they can improve themselves but of course this costs money. Clearly, apart from a few items or tools of the trade, you can self teach yourself rather than spending on lessons. After all times are not easy and we all try to save on unnecessary expense. Here are the first steps in teaching yourself to sketch:
- Begin to Sketch What You See Around You
One of the most important steps in teaching yourself to sketch is to begin at drawing those around you. Consider what kind of things you are most comfortable to sketch. Do you want to draw a portrait? Or do you like to sketch still objects? Perhaps you prefer to draw places instead? Don’t worry too much with details or mistakes since those things can be corrected later on.
- Practice With Different Styles and Tools
It might be that at first your drawing does not look great, but you should not be discouraged. There is then room to improve and perfect your work. All that you need to do is practice at your sketching style and occasionally use different tools so you can find the right equipment that suits you. It should be fun first; the learning will come easily as you watch your drawing grow. Sketching is the basic, but when you finally master it you will want to try other mediums that will make this hobby all the more fun to you.
On the other hand, here are some skills of sketching you have to know to draw well:
- Learn the Correct Holding of Pencil
Correct holding of the pencil is an important skill you need to learn when it comes to sketching. When drawing, your hand, wrist as well as arm all comes into play in order for the lines you draw to become cleaner. Moreover, drawing calls for all kinds of grips for each drawing needs different shade intensity. Use a rubber grip on your pencil or charcoal if necessary.
- Visualizing Your Object
In sketching, visualizing your object is important so you can effectively transfer the information you see to the paper. To effectively do that, observation is essential when it comes to identifying the details, such as spaces, intensity and depth. This helps in learning what you need to add and reduce for your drawing to look the real figure.
Apart from these two, there comes shading and cross hatching as well. Shading is important in sketching as it gives the depth or 3D effects you need to give structure to your drawing. Cross hatching, on the other hand, are linear drawing techniques which create different textures as well as the illusion of light and form. Of course, just knowing them is not nearly enough to improve your drawing skill. But if you are nervous about sketching, then free art lessons are always available online.
