Have you ever sat and watched someone sketch? Even though the artist probably made it look easy, it resulted from lots of practice. Like many skills, the ability to draw takes time and work to develop. As a child, I would watch my grandmother draw and paint. She painted everything from abstract art to hot air balloons at sunrise and various animals and plants — in nearly every form of media possible. Her work won numerous awards over the decades and, to this day, leaves me in awe of her skill and vision.
Building Basic Drawing Skills
One skill she repeatedly tried to get me to master (or at least do more than a halfhearted attempt) was to draw the four basic shapes: cone, ball, cube, and cylinder. Something that I repeatedly ignored until I started drawing seriously a few years ago. It wasn’t until I spent a little time learning them that I became more able to create the images I always wanted. Take the time to create each shape, complete with shading to create a three-dimensional image. The reason these basic shapes are so important is that all things in nature have one or more of them in their composition. If you study the object you want to draw, you can see which shapes compose the core and give yourself a foundation on which to build it. In addition to this, learning to create these four shapes gives you the basics for understanding light and shadow.
Drawing More Complex Objects
Once you are confident with basic shapes, start studying the world around you. Find the shapes that form the foundation for things. For example, a flower has a circle at the center, and the petals may also be circles, or they may be a different shape. Tree trunks are often made up of cylinders, and a horse has a combination of circles, squares, and cones. You get the picture. In any event, I’ve included a picture of the four shapes, shaded and finished, to get you started. After that, try a few of the tutorials. When you complete them, I would love it if you’d tag me on Instagram with your drawing.
What You’ll Need
Regardless of which project you choose, you’ll need drawing supplies. I’ve included links to some of my favorites below. The list includes supplies for digital and paper artists. Start with the basics, like pencils and paper, and add more supplies over time. The book, Animals in Motion, will provide inspiration as well as invaluable information on how to draw natural looking animals.
