I got this DM on instagram just now and it read “How can I become a professional in drawing in a short time?”, and I replied simply, “You can’t”.
I must receive a version of this message a handful of times a week, so I’m writing this so next time I open a message and read those words I can link this blog post straight back to them and anyone else wanting to learn how to draw or how to get better at drawing.
First off – there are NO SHORTCUTS. There is no course, no lesson, no magical bean that will teach you how to draw in a matter of hours or days. My favourite saying is ‘practice makes progress.’ and its so true – in my experience, you can’t cheat the system, I learnt how to draw by drawing, consistently, over a long period of time – and I’m still learning now with every drawing I complete! Always a student.
Now, don’t be put off by that – because if you love art and you love creating then the process is fabulously fun, and its so rewarding to start being able to look back at artwork from last month, 6 months ago, a year ago and see the evolution. Once you’ve put the time in, you’ll start seeing changes in your work, small improvements that lead to the development of your own style.
My best advice would be to do what’s best for you and your style of learning, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube and endless Patreon channels that will teach you step by step, but only you can commit to learning.
I have my own Youtube channel with plenty of time-lapse videos if you’re interesting in watching them and seeing how I draw my pet portraits!
But other than actually practicing, how can you better your art? Have a look at your materials, are they decent artist quality? Cheap and cheerful paper and pencils are great for practicing, but you’ll really notice a difference in your work if you invest in quality materials, as well as ensuring your hours of work don’t go to waste on paper that will yellow or colours that will fade.
And lastly, don’t compare your Chapter 1 with someone else’s Chapter 30. Comparison kills your creativity and we are all on our own paths, only compare your work with your own work from last month or last year, and don’t give up!