Hi, I am chandni. Welcome to my creative space. Do you want to start drawing and creating art, but don’t know where to start. No worries! We all have been there. What to do when confronted with that brand new sketchbook and those shiny new pencils, or that tube of glossy, thick paint! You want to jump straight to the juicy things like creating full-fledged concept art, or grand paintings full of thematic narratives. However, to get to that level we need to start small, build our art muscles, and the art skills.
But, don’t get daunted by looking at beautiful artworks created by artists you admire. they also needed to start somewhere. they didn’t get good overnight. They planned, they perspired and they practiced. if they can, so can you.
Here are some things that you can try while starting out:
- Choose and draw something that you like. It doesn’t have to something super complex. As a child, I loved animation movies. So, I used to draw Disney characters. This motivated me to draw more. Even now, Wherever I feel stuck and unmotivated I draw scenes from my favorite animation movies.
- Go on, try out those anime characters you like, or that beautiful star splashed night sky. Don’t give up if they don’t turn out to be perfect on first try. Everything we see around us is made up of simple geometric shapes like lines, Circles, cylinder, cubes, etc. Draw these shapes as these are the building blocks of every drawing. they are the Grammer upon which any drawing is build, from simplest to most complex.
You can also try some shading techniques like this drawing of cube and sphere presented below:
- Practice drawing objects that you see every day around you, for example: – a book, flower vase, fruits, or keys. It will build your observation skills as well as your ability to render 3d objects into a 2d surface.
You can also try drawing the same object from different angles and perspectives. Then try arranging simple composition like a stack of books, or various stationaries grouped together.
- Doodle. stop being afraid of messing the first page. You don’t have to be always super stressed about the result, or know where you are going. That is the purpose of doodle. They are spontaneous and fun. Start doodling your favorite fruits, or different type of flowers, or you can just let the moment be the guide without any preplanning
Keep an idea book. Jot down ideas of drawing and scenes that come into your mind.
- Keeping an art journal is also a good idea. Here you can practice making art while expressing yourself. Art journalling can help you realize what you would like to create as an artist. Furthermore, before jumping into big art projects, you should understand what you want to convey and how. Art journal will let you connect the visual elements of art with narratives and themes.
- Mix different colors and make swatches of color in a strip of paper. you can also mix different colors to find out specific color, and use this guide as future reference for your paintings. This can serve as a personalized palette. Additionally, you can make gradient of colors. This is a good exercise to improve your blending.
- Paint a greeting card that you can gift to a friend, or a bookmark for your favorite book.
- Try painting on different objects like pots, cloths, wood. Experimenting is an important part of making art. Don’t keep yourself limited to one medium, or one form of making art. Make a painting on an old piece of paper, or a map like the one below:
- Take help of professional classes. Do you want to learn some specific art skills that you are lacking, or brush up on your art skills that you have not practiced in a while and want to get back up again? Try finding specific classes for your level and join. Don’t shy away from help,
That is how you grow. Being part of a community of artist and art lovers could also help you grow as an artist.
- At last, don’t be afraid of imperfection. Enjoy the process of creating, and savor the outcome. Also, don’t forget to have fun. And, it can’t be Said enough, don’t compare yourself with others. your art journey is for yourself, and if you must, then compare with you past self.
Until next time. Happy creating!