quick way to learn sketching / drawing

[guitarplayer]

Could anyone recommend a quick and cheap way to learn sketching / drawing? I have no talent in this, would like to learn to draw so that things I draw resemble what is drawn but not necessarily with lots of details, quick sketches.

Rationale: If I could sketch or draw, I could do sketches or drawing of the things I see, e.g. while traveling. Then I would have a set of graphic representations that would have a sentimental value for me but likely be near to worthless for the next person. More importantly, the medium (pencil, paper) would certainly be worthless to others, compared to a more mainstream digital camera or laptop for storing digital photos.

[ertyu]

youtube. am certain free tutorials exist.

you might also try to see if the guy that's about putting in 20 hours to learn one core competence in every skill area has something to say about it. forgot his name, forgot his book, but his shtick was that one can make a lot of progress if one focuses on the right core competencies off the gate.

if it helps, friends of mine who draw have told me that drawing is very much a mechanical skill one can improve at. talent is about the rate at which people improve. but everyone can learn to draw competently and satisfactorily if they put structured effort over a period of time.

[basuragomi]

Drawing the Head and Hands by Andrew Loomis
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis
Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis (seeing a trend?)
Perspective Drawing Handbook by Joseph D'Amelio

The quickest and cheapest way is also the most conventional way: Grab paper/tablet and practice. A lot. If you follow the fundamental principles then drawing quality becomes a function of the time you put in.

[Alphaville]

there is a book with a man with a yellow jacket that used to be on pbs that is great for this

lemme look...

mark kistler!

here be his youtubes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQizDd ... HZbq2ZtxJg

[guitarplayer]

nice resources, thanks! I googled the 20h skills guy and watched a Ted talk. I like Andrew Loomis books.

[mountainFrugal]

The quickest and cheapest way is also the most conventional way: Grab paper/tablet and practice. A lot. If you follow the fundamental principles then drawing quality becomes a function of the time you put in.

This pretty much sums it up! The Loomis books are excellent resources.

I would add that thinking about it as putting in "pencil miles" and training yourself to not treat ANY piece as precious are two very helpful things for mindset. So how does that translate to practice... well basically more reps are better than completely finished work (especially in the beginning). So if you have 20 minutes to draw... spend that time drawing the same thing quickly multiple times and improve each time... rather than drawing and rendering/shading it to perfection. The DIY art school link below has a lot of the best resources on the internet compiled. You spend a term (3 months) on each module (9 total). I did a month on each module, but am repeating multiple times (always learning and relearning) focusing on the free resources in each section. The one exception to this is the Proko figure and anatomy courses which are now ~$300, but worth every single penny (usually has massive sale during month of December).

edit 2: find an old corrugated plastic sign (political signs as an example). Cut it down to larger than printer paper size in length and width (for your hand to rest on while drawing on the edge of the paper). Use two binder clips to clip paper to the board. Get a 500 ream of printer paper and put down those pencil miles!

A few tips to increase sketching volume
1) always have a sketchbook/paper near you so the friction to start is near 0 (travel book, sketchbook next to bed, sketchbook in living room etc.)
2) learn to sketch while in front of people hanging out (Bonus, bring along an extra friend sketchbook for others to make entries)
3) draw from life (near and far) - learn how to quickly capture shapes and poses
4) drawing is a way to see the world - draw when not drawing by asking yourself "How would I draw this? How would I simplify it?" this will extend to color if you eventually pick up some paints
5) learn to draw straight lines and basic shapes from multiple angles - don't know what to draw? draw lines and shapes over and over and over ....

Additional (mostly free) resources-
Fun with a pencil- Loomis (also great beginner book, but very dated in social content) - https://archive.org/details/andrew-loom ... h-a-pencil
Full DIY Art Curriculum https://www.reddit.com/r/learnart/comme ... sive_list/
Travel/City Sketching: https://citizensketcher.com/
Nature Sketching: https://johnmuirlaws.com/

Inspiration (maybe intimidation?)-
Kim Jung Gi - Imagination drawing in near perfect perspective : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoqu5SEFqRI

Making paper, inks, charcoals, drawing implements (aka infinite drawing games):
https://www.nickneddo.com/shop/the-organic-artist-book

Recommended investment if you are serious about drawing people:
https://www.proko.com/course/anatomy-of ... y/overview (includes free critiques by fellow students on the exercises).

edit: if you are interested in accountability, join our art MMG! DM me for details.

[Bicycle7]

This is helpful, thanks for posting all the links!

I have been sketching for the last few months, usually completing just one drawing during a 15-40 minute period. I really like the idea of quicker drawings completing multiple iterations in that same time period.

It motivated me enough to pick up the pencil and draw my computer mouse, after one drawing, I think like 20 minutes, I was kind of done (didn't care to draw it again). I'm excited to keep working on this though and see how multiple iterations can speed up my development. So far my progress has been slow, though it makes sense; few sessions and they have been spread out.

[mountainFrugal]

I'm excited to keep working on this though and see how multiple iterations can speed up my development.

Proportions are the hardest thing to build up the intuition for. Most "bad" drawings can be fixed by getting the right proportions. Iterative sketching gets you there much faster even if you only "nail" one aspect on each of the individual iterations.