If you’re looking for a new hobby, why not consider drawing? It’s diverse, artistic, and relatively inexpensive. Plus, there are a variety of free tutorials available on the web (and who doesn’t like free?)
So if you’re thinking about adding drawing to your growing list of hobbies, look no further! This intro to drawing is a great starting point for the artist within.
History of Drawing
You probably already know this, but drawing is not a newly discovered art form. In fact, it seems humans have always desired to represent the world around them through the art of drawing. The first drawings date back to representations of hunting excursions through cave paintings. Since that time, drawing has evolved into all kinds of things—cartoons, sketches, portraits, and more.
Drawing Supplies
Paper
Beginning artists, repeat this phrase: the cheaper the paper the better. If you’ve never drawn before then practice on cheap paper first—backs of envelopes, old notebooks, etc—then spend money on drawing paper.
When you’re ready for drawing paper, there are a few things you need to know:
-Smooth paper is good for fine detail while course paper is better for contrast
-Acid-free archival paper is both durable and lasting—a great choice for artists
-There are different kinds of paper for different kinds of drawing—charcoal paper, pastel paper, sketchpads. Most notebooks say what they’re for, so pay attention while shopping either online or in the store.
Pencils
Drawing pencils come in a variety of tones. Each pencil is marked with a number and letter. It’s a bit confusing at first but remember these rules and you’ll be good to go:
-Lighter pencils end in H
-Darker pencils end in B
-The higher the number the darker the pencil (2B, of course, is darker than 4H since B pencils are darker)
If you’re still confused, the best thing to do is buy a starter kit. They come with a variety of pencils and you can experiment to find out which ones you like best. If you want to venture more into digital art, you must use the best cheap drawing tablet in order for you to get a hold of drawing digitally.
Other supplies for beginners to consider:
-Pencil sharpener
-Kneaded eraser
-Blending stump
-Ruler
Drawing Tutorials and Resources:
Drawing is popular, so there are a variety of resources available on the web. Here are a few of them:
www.drawspace.com – A great resource—features downloadable and printable lessons
www.learn-to-draw.com –Lessons on drawing people, caricatures, and the basics of drawing
www.howtodrawit.com – How to draw all kinds of animals—great for kids and adults alike!
www.mangatutorials.com – All about drawing manga and anime
www.drawingnow.com – A great reference for drawing cartoons
http://www.jdhillberry.com/how_to_draw_pg2.htm – A mini tutorial for charcoal and graphite artists
www.learningtodrawbuildings.googlepages.com – Learn to draw buildings the fast and easy way
www.youtube.com – That’s right; Just search for drawing and you’ll find dozens of videos on the subject
Oh, and don’t worry: you don’t have to be the next Leonardo da Vinci to enjoy the art of drawing. If your drawing of a cat looks like a sad sad version of the Chrysler building at first it’s okay. The truth is that drawing well takes practice. The good news is that this means your cats will eventually look like cats. All it takes is time, persistence, and a few sharpened pencils.
