How to draw: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Drawing often appears daunting, especially when we are faced with a complex subject like this dancer in motion.

Source: Pexels - Wellington Cunha

However, breaking down the process into manageable steps can make it accessible to anyone.

In this blog post, I'll share my drawing method, which focuses on starting with small, logical steps and gradually building up the image.

This video will help you see and understand how I proceed:

How to get started:

• Begin with a simple step: Determine the size and orientation of your drawing. When you decide whether your subject suits a portrait or landscape format, you can mark the boundaries of your drawing on the sheet, ensuring your subject will fit comfortably.

• Finding the Center: Use intuitive methods like finger measurements to identify key points, such as the middle line of the subject. Mark these points on your sketch to provide the first landmarks for later stages.

• Adding more Landmarks: Break down the subject into recognizable shapes, such as lines, circles, triangles, squares, or rectangles. Keep using your fingers to find the correct proportions and place these shapes.

  With a subject like this ballerina, I typically start with lines for the torso, legs, arms... Then I look for circles and I place the head, chest, waist, bottom...

Refining the Sketch:

• Continuously compare your sketch to the reference, and adjust proportions and details as needed.

• Pay attention to the alignment and the relationship between different elements. to place the bent knee, for instance, I look at how it aligns with the hand above.

• Embrace imperfections and focus on progress rather than perfection. My own sketch isn't perfect, and yet, it looks just fine!

Drawing doesn't have to be intimidating. By breaking down the process into small, manageable steps and focusing on observation and deduction, anyone can create impressive sketches. Remember, practice is key, and improvement will come with time. So, start with that first tiny step, and watch as your drawing skills grow with each new piece of the puzzle you add.

You may refer to my Patreon tutorial to learn to draw this sketch in real-time.

This new Skillshare class below will also help as it goes in-depth on the entire drawing (and painting) process using water-soluble graphite pencils. You may join here.