Sketching is one of the most fun drawing style and it is very expressive. The more you master in this style, more realistic your drawings will look. But we are not talking about mastering anything here, we are talking about how to get started and keep improving in sketching. So if you are just starting to make sketches or only thinking to do it but don’t know where to start, I have you covered. Here are my 5 sketching tips for beginners to get you started on your journey to make beautiful masterpieces.
SKETCHING TOOLS YOU WILL NEED
We all know sketching is made by pencil so why do I need to tell you that you would need a pencil. But yes, that’s exactly what I am saying. You would need a pencil but there are so many types of pencils you need to know about. The basic type of pencils we all know about and use is graphite pencils and yet, there are different types of graphite pencils too. Pencils are basically titled with numbers such as HB, 2B, 3B and so on. These specific numbers indicate how dark the pencil is.
Other type of pencil is charcoal pencils. Charcoal pencils are little tricky (not too much) to work with as compared to graphite pencils but they are so much too. Charcoal pencils also comes in different shades which are indicated by the pencil numbers. We also have white charcoal pencils which can be used to draw on a dark surface or to give highlights on our drawings.
Erasers on the other hand are very common. We all have used them. Erasers not only removes the mistakes, they can also be used to create shades and highlights in the sketching.
These are some very basic tools to used in sketching. There are lot of other tools we can use but these are must haves if you want to get started and make good progress from the beginning.
HOLD YOUR PENCIL RIGHT
How you hold your pencil and how much pressure you apply on it is very important. One tip I would give you here is never press the pencil too hard on the paper while drawing. This creates very deep lines on the paper when you try to erase it as well as you cannot get smooth effect if you draw by pressing too hard on paper.
Also, try to hold the pencil around 45% angle or lower to create shade and smooth effect. Don’t worry about your drawing being lighter at the beginning, you can darken the necessary areas later.
USE TISSUE PAPER
Tissue paper is found everywhere and is used in various things. They are very handy and useful not only in kitchen, also in arts. By now, you would have understood that shading is key in sketching. If the shading is done properly, your sketch looks better than if not done at all. Tissues can be used in shading and are very easy to work with. Wrap a piece of tissue around your finger and use it as a shading/smudging tool in your sketches.
You can also buy smudge stick which is basically compressed paper made into a stick. They can be used in smudging smaller areas in your drawing.
TRY TO DRAW FASTER
You would think how can I draw faster when I am still starting. You don’t draw fast only when you become a pro in drawing. The trick here is, when you move your pencil faster, the lines you create are finer in the end and your hand often makes correct curves and angel when drawing faster than drawing slow. When drawing slow, you tend to be very conscious and most of the times, you end up erasing your lines because they are not correct.
So try to draw faster, smaller lines and curves at a time. Additionally, you will add more depth and feel in your drawing.
You can move your drawing sheet as much as you want. You don’t have to draw from same angel. Move around your sheet as you are comfortable.
USE REFERENCES
Using references is most of the important keys in drawing. Having a reference next to you while drawing helps you make fewer mistakes. When you are starting to draw, you don’t really know how diffrent objects look from different angels and in different lighting. So seeing a reference helps you decide on that.
Also, try to use the same size of the reference photo as your drawing sheet or vice-versa so you don’t struggle with the sizing in the beginning. Later, when you master the angles, you can easily draw in different sizes.
You can find plenty of references online or even in your own gallery.
GET MOTIVATED
Before I wrap up this article. I hope you found my tips helpful. Now all I want to say that is nobody is perfect and nothing is perfect. Every artist out there is still trying learn and master in some skills or other. We are never a master and we shouldn’t be. Because once we think we have mastered on a skill, we stop learning. So keep practicing, never lose hope on your drawing or any other skills you want to learn. Consistency is the key in any field.
If you found this article helpful in any way, comment below. Also, you can give suggestions on my next article, what you would want to read about.
