10 tips on how to learn to draw.

1. Sketch
The first and most important point. Do at least 5-6 sketches a day. This rule works like this: the more, the better. Use every opportunity to draw at home, at work, on the go. This develops a “hand”, sharpness and speed of perception, the ability to see proportions, character. It is useful to draw storyboards for the movie, comics, step by step instructions. They have to control the movement of characters, keeping track of their recognition.

2. Copy old masters
Surround yourself with role models, develop taste. Make 1 copy every 3 months. These should be solid studies from good originals by great masters (Michelangelo, Rubens, Holbein, Dürer, Repin, Serov, Feshin and others). Try to get as close as possible to the original source, studying not only the master’s techniques, but also his biography, the material culture of that time.

3. Draw from memory
Even when working from nature, we work from memory. During a long educational performance, do parallel sketches from memory, sorting out the details, draw one or another element at home. Developing visual memory, you will not only draw well, but compose convincingly.

4. Study and check with nature
Study nature for at least 2 hours a day under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Principle: from simple to complex. For the fruitful development of professional skills, it is necessary to have an individual lesson plan or follow an established curriculum. Combine work in the studio with a trip to the open air. Don’t let yourself be fooled by formal experiments. Trust your feelings and constantly check theory with practice.

5. Read professional literature
Everything you need to know has already been written – do not reinvent the wheel. Read 1 book per month. Technique and technology of materials, art history, anatomy, color science, treatises of old masters, biographies of artists, physics of natural phenomena, the basics of perception, psychology, philosophy – read everything related to the profession of an artist. Today, the Internet provides a global opportunity to get almost any material. But, not everyone can be trusted.

6. Looking for a mentor
Always look for a mentor as you grow professionally. You must fully trust his knowledge, experience, and his creative work must command universal respect. Often good artists cannot be mentors. To do this, you need to have methodological and teaching talent. It is not enough to give advice – it is necessary to participate in the fate of the student, to come up with tasks taking into account individuality and abilities. On the other hand, full-time teachers most often perform supervisory functions and have not practiced art for a long time. Their school truths are not based on real skill and craftsmanship. Sometimes, just one meeting with a real master can change your whole destiny.

7. repeat mistakes
Usually, people, having met the first obstacle, give up what they started. They are afraid of repeating mistakes. If it doesn’t work, start a new one! Do not be afraid to make mistakes – look at them carefully. Maybe it’s your personality that says it. Turn your weaknesses into your strengths.

8. Don’t draw from a photo
The temptation to simplify work from nature can have irreversible consequences. A novice artist, not realizing the intricacies of revealing the form, voluntarily or involuntarily falls into the addiction to look at the world through the lens. It seems to him that this will bring him closer to nature. Trust me, it’s not like that at all.
The camera cannot replace the work of your mind and heart in transmitting reality on a plane. And even more so, he will not rework it creatively, which is especially valuable. Only after gaining sufficient experience and becoming a master, you can use the camera to collect material and capture the moment.

9. Take breaks
Do not go in cycles in the same thing – be able to switch. If it doesn’t work, take a break, go for a walk. Start a fundamentally different drawing, change your point of view, change your technique, try new material. It is useful to conduct several works with different tasks at the same time, using a new technique. Sometimes you just need to take a step back in order to look at yourself from the outside.

10. Get creative
Set big goals for yourself. You should always remember why you decided to study. Do not put off your artistic plans, creative ideas. Start putting them into practice right now. Participate in exhibitions, competitions, regardless of the level of training and distance. Be an artist!