Any tips/exercises to improve drawing skills

[Aliveeagle]

I want a new hobby I decided to start drawing something I have not done since 4th grade so im complete wack does anyone have any exercises or tips to improve my drawing skills

[DarkCrystalMethod]

Drawing what you see would be an attempt to become a camera.
Drawing what you feel or want us to feel makes you an artist.

[Phirestar]

Oprindeligt skrevet af 🌸 Wraith 🌸:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Aaaa-ha:

Ya listen to the unsuccessful people instead. All I'm saying it's better to work on your strengths, life isn't that long where you can afford to put years of dedication into areas where you don't naturally excel. Nothing wrong with drawing as a hobby no matter your genetical potential, but if you gonna grind and actually try to go 'professional' so to speak, then you're absolutely dumb to do so without talent.

OP literally said they want a new hobby, and the first comment I saw is someone talking about talent instead of giving actual tips. You think so highly of yourself, and don't even notice how you contradict yourself. The drawings I made as a kid were hella ugly, but I'm glad I haven't met people telling me what can I do and what not, and just kept going. I rarely draw, but you can check two of my most recent drawings on my artwork page and see where I'm at. People in real life know my skill level and sometimes ask me to draw things for them, some even offer money. What are your achievements?

Over the years, I have come to discover how the whole idea of "talent", and the huge amount of value that people place onto it, is extremely damaging to the potential of new / inexperienced artists.

You have this belief that circulates in society which asserts that people creatively-inclined people are "gifted" in their ability to create things, especially art. I grew up hearing that compliment from my parents many times - "Oh, you're talented at art. You're good at art!" - and while I appreciate the desire to praise and encourage people to pursue a passion, the fact of the matter is that it led to me (and many, many other people, I'm sure) hating my art. When you're told that your ability to draw is a "talent", that you can do it only because you were born with the ability and not everybody is that fortunate, you eventually run into the harsh reality of what expectations it sets for you.

When you get older and begin to admire more art from highly experienced artists, you inevitably fail to draw as well as they do, and you find yourself both confused and frustrated by it. All throughout your childhood you're told that your art skills are innate, so why can't you draw like them? How can you look at their art and see something amazing, but then look at your own and it not compare? You begin to view your own art as bad, and you don't know how to cope with that because you've been conditioned to believe that "talent = good art". If you can't draw like those veteran artists that you admire, then how can you call yourself an artist? This should come naturally to you, and yet it doesn't. "What's wrong with me?" "My art is terrible! I give up on this hobby!" And suddenly, boom: you're in the exact situation that I was in for nearly a decade of my life, after graduating high school.

To anybody who's reading this that has ever gone through what I've described, and hasn't found their way back on track with their art, listen to these words. Art is a skill, it is not about talent. All creative practices - art, writing, music, and whatever else - are skills. And like all skills, you improve at them by learning. The idea of people being naturally great artists, and just being able to do it, is complete bull. (And, to a pretty big extent, the motto of "practice makes perfect" is also highly misleading, too.) You will become a better artist through studying and learning about the principles of art, not by sheer luck or by the idea that if you just draw for long enough it happens. Take the time to search for resources - books, videos, etc. - that will teach you about the things that you want to draw, and pay attention to when other artists tell you the same things that I'm saying. You will feel better about your art, and over time you will improve at it, too.

Talent is used in the exact same fashion as the word "luck", these days: if you don't have it, you're screwed. It's nothing but a pessimistic mindset that is designed to convince you to give up on your ambitions / goals.

[Spookypizza]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kiddiec͕̤̱͋̿͑͠at 🃏:

Should be sketches of a variety of things in life because doodles won't help you improve.

no, they do.

[Kiddiec͕̤̱͋̿͑͠at 🃏]

Oprindeligt skrevet af DarkCrystalMethod:

Drawing what you see would be an attempt to become a camera.
...

Only if you could draw it with perfect precision.
Because you can't, though, it still expresses HOW you see the world - the things you are focusing on and considering important enough to include. It will even include any distortions in how you're seeing & understanding things visually (which may have deeper implications than that).

Oprindeligt skrevet af Spookypizza:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kiddiec͕̤̱͋̿͑͠at 🃏:

Should be sketches of a variety of things in life because doodles won't help you improve.

no, they do.

I meant to write scribbles but I didn't notice that I chose the wrong word. Whoops.

Doodles help more with solidifying symbols & conceptualizations, though, which are more useful to graphic design than making forms, characters, & relatable worlds.

[OfficeSpider]

Read Loomis, put it into practice.

If you feel that you are still interested, look into a year course of art fundamentals in a college.

[Devsman]

Oprindeligt skrevet af DarkCrystalMethod:

Drawing what you see would be an attempt to become a camera.
Drawing what you feel or want us to feel makes you an artist.

To a point.

Not everyone aspires to do abstract art exclusively.

[ChaffyExpert]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Aaaa-ha:

Be born with a drawing talent, otherwise do you really wanna be just average after spending about 10k hours in drawing?

The obvious decision is to be born with talent if you want to do something.

[Phirestar]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Devsman:

Oprindeligt skrevet af DarkCrystalMethod:

Drawing what you see would be an attempt to become a camera.
Drawing what you feel or want us to feel makes you an artist.

To a point.

Not everyone aspires to do abstract art exclusively.

And anything that you attempt to draw, without understanding it, will probably fall near or within the abstract realm, too.

If I told you, "Draw the inside of R2D2," there's at least a 90% chance that your sketch would barely even resemble it. People would look at it and say, "What the heck is that?"

[DarkCrystalMethod]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Phirestar:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Devsman:

To a point.

Not everyone aspires to do abstract art exclusively.

And anything that you attempt to draw, without understanding it, will probably fall near or within the abstract realm, too.

If I told you, "Draw the inside of R2D2," there's at least a 90% chance that your sketch would barely even resemble it. People would look at it and say, "What the heck is that?"

I think the literalist would draw the midget that was making all the panels move.