There are a myriad of ways in which you can learn to draw and sometimes having so many options can be confusing. On the other hand, what if you don’t have a clue which options are out there and don’t even know where to start when you are beginning drawing?
This article will give you the lowdown on some important considerations to make as you set out to find the best resources and method of learning for your newfound art interest. Whether you want to learn to draw for free, seek out a great art tutor or want to create your own learning path to master drawing, we’re almost certain you’ll find the answers here to suit your style, time and budget.
Questions to Ask Before You Start?
Why do you want to draw and what do you enjoy about drawing?
Are you doing it as a hobby and for the pure enjoyment it brings you, or do you dream of becoming a professional artists? We certainly don’t want you to ask so many questions that it hampers your ability to grab a pencil and paper, but we do think that asking yourself a couple of questions to establish what you want to learn and what works for you will help in the process of selecting the most suited learning method.
Knowing why you want to draw will start to clarify your learning objectives and allow you to identify and choose the classes and teachers accordingly. If you want to work as a professional artist, your approach needs to be a lot more planned while artists who draw, design and paint for fun have a much more relaxed, simple approach to their art and drawing.
The world of art, drawings and paintings are incredibly diverse once you start to learn about it, so it's good to open your horizons and learn about other mediums and interests. If you want to specialise in oil painting, the ability to get the balance and composition right will be established in your initial outline drawings. If you want to focus on hand drawn artworks you’ll delve a lot more into specific drawing techniques. Knowing where and how you’ll use your drawing will help you pick classes or activities that are specifically suited to those objectives.
Another fundamental consideration is time and budget. Many Beginner artists don’t have the cash to attend a full-time course or attend art classes on a weekly basis. Luckily there are bountiful free ways to learn drawing if you are cash strapped or only starting out. Having an idea of how much time you have to practise your hobby also helps with decisions around what is possible and what not, making your learning journey a relaxed and fun one.
Are you someone who likes a logical approach or do you like to explore and discover as you go?
When selecting your method of learning it’s important to consider whether you learn better in-person or online? If you’ve never tried to learn online we have a couple of options in this article that are incredibly useful for most students. If you are a social butterfly and see art classes as an opportunity to connect with people and socialise, then the options you’d enjoy and your approach to learning art would be slightly different.
For this article we focus heavily on the beginner artists, we understand you are still gathering information while trying to assess your level of interest. Just go with your gut in the beginning and if one way of learning sounds like fun, try it out and see if it works. You won’t know until you’ve given it a go.
Traditional Art and Drawing Books
Artists have been using books and classical literature since the beginning of time to help them with their drawing skills. Most classical drawing techniques and lessons are in the books that students buy when they study fine arts at a college or university, and luckily these books are not only reserved for them. Many public libraries or 2nd hand book shops have cheaper, used books for those who want to get their hands on the works of old masters or instructional books around basic drawing.
Some artists become best-selling authors through creating books around their art instruction. Juliette Aristides’ is the author of an instruction sketchbook ‘Beginning Drawing Atelier’, a book that breaks down each sketch with step-by-step instructions on how artists can create them. She also has a lot of videos on YouTube where you can see how she draws every line and explains in a simple way how to build your drawings into completed artworks. You can visit websites like Takealot.com to find out more about this book or explore and look for hundreds of other new art books.
Social Networks
Just like Juliette Aristides, artists from all over the world use social media networks to showcase their talent, find students to their art courses and sell their art. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are used for exposure and connecting with like-minded artists, but YouTube and Pinterest must be some of the best sources for beginners.
YouTube offers loads of free tutorials that can help you learn to draw, step-by-step. Whether you are seeking inspiration, your next art project idea or art instruction videos around some basics and intermediate techniques, you can find them all on YouTube.
Pinterest on the other hand allows you to create boards around a topic and pin similar content to that board, making it easy to navigate new ideas or inspiration when you need it.
It is thus clear that with these two platforms you can establish basic drawing techniques and gradually build your drawing skills with little effort. And if you have internet, it’s all free.
If you are digitally savvy you can also use apps to make your drawing practice and learning process simple. Read this article for more information on the best drawing apps.
Group Lessons and Ateliers
We've already mentioned that a group setting is best for someone who enjoys learning in a social or group environment. It is an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded artists while learning to draw and group lessons were traditionally held in the atelier of a professional artist and/or art teacher.
Atelier = the French word for a studio or workshop where artists work.
Some of the bigger cities also have social art clubs, where people get together for free or minor monthly fee to socialise while they do lessons like figure drawing or creating landscapes in oils. Some Schools and companies also get external artists to give group lessons for interested artists, and you can make group lessons your own exciting project with the help of one of our tutors. Simply get a group of friends together and create an atelier in your own garage or a big open space for your weekly art lessons. The cost of these will be minimal if you split it and your Superprof Tutor will customise classes around the group’s needs.
Online Learning Platforms
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have made massive inroads over the last couple of years around remote, online learning. Using some of the world’s best universities, sites like Udemy, EdX, Coursera and many more create and sell certified qualifications, all online. The more formal qualifications include online lectures and student forums where academic questions can be discussed with a tutor. This can be ideal if you want to pursue art in a professional capacity and are seeking a professional qualification.
You can learn with MOOCs from anywhere in the world and there are quite an amount of free introductory courses on most of them. These free courses are generally 'taster' courses to allow students to try out the school and content before they enrol for a full certification.
Just searching the internet for websites with free learning classes is another easy way to learn. Start with this article on the best drawing websites, as the recommended sites are filled with free tips and information to help you figure out how to draw. Some of them use a classical teaching process while others have a more simple and playful approach to help you practice and learn.
Exchange Your Skills For Drawing with Service-Trading
Exchanging services is not a new concept, but it might be something that you haven’t thought of when it comes to developing a new skill. Maybe you have different skills that you can exchange for art lessons? Do you speak a different language or do interior design? Can you give yoga classes, meditation or fitness instruction?
Whatever skills you have, there are some new websites that can facilitate the exchange of your skills online for art lessons. You can also use this same concept with a friend or family member who are proficient in drawing or painting and can benefit from what you have on offer – even if it’s something like washing their car.
What You Need to Get Started
All you need to get started is a pencil and a piece of paper. The more you get into it drawing, the more you’ll notice the benefit of using different pencils, erasers and even different types of sketching paper. You might also try out pens or graphite to draw, but as a beginner, a pencil or two with a basic eraser and sheets of paper, is enough.
Read this article for more information and tips on how to master your drawing.
There you have it, the quickest path to easy art instruction is right at your fingertips on the internet as laid out above. If you would like one-on-one online art lessons, you should search for a drawing tutor. With Superprof, it’s easy to compare tutors' skills and rates, and most of the tutors on the site offer the first class for free.
A true artist has the ability to express themselves through their art. We hope we’ve given you enough learning options and channels that you can select the way to learn drawing that’s comfortable, convenient and suited to you and your style. This way you can be free to express yourself, by drawing what you want, when you want to and where you want to.
Happy drawing.
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