If at some point you held a pencil and wished you could draw, you might have also wondered how long it would take.
And it’s a perfectly valid question to ask. But people rarely get a straight answer to it. On one hand, some will tell you it takes years of practicing. On the other, some will say that you can learn over a weekend. Neither of these answers is very helpful.
And the real answer is somewhere in between – but it’s dependent on several factors. Let’s talk about it in this post.
Are there any definite timelines when it comes to learning how to draw?
Not really. As with everything, there is no single formula that would apply to everybody.
The person who draws 30 minutes every day will improve much faster than the one who practices his skills for 3 hours once per month. This has nothing to do with the level of your talent, but rather with your technique and regularity.
Having said that, here is what most people will be able to do within one year of practice:
- ➣ 2-4 weeks – by that time you will know how to draw basic geometric shapes, lines and some simple objects like cups, boxes and leaves.
- ➣ 2-3 months – at this stage you will be able to make sketches and will have developed the sense of proportions and control of your hands.
- ➣ 6 months – 1 year – by this time you will gain confidence enough to draw more complex objects and even add shadows, develop your own style.
- ➣ Within 2 or more years – you will become advanced enough and will be able to draw from imagination.
What Influences Your Rate of Progress?
Frequency of Your Practice
There is no doubt that this is the most important one. Daily practice, even if it lasts only for 15 minutes, will be much more productive than practice for two hours a week. Your brain requires routine to acquire the skill.
It is similar to when you learn a new language.
What Do You Choose To Practice?
All practice is not created equal. Doodling the same thing repeatedly at random will not get you anywhere. You have to push yourself just a bit every time.
Some good things to practice when starting out:
- ➣ Basic shapes – circle, cylinder, cube
- ➣ Lines – straight and curved
- ➣ Seeing things how they really look rather than how you expect them to look
- ➣ Shading light and dark on basic shapes
With or without reference
The very first thing that novice artists should not try to do as soon as they begin drawing something is to create the drawing purely based on imagination. Drawing using a reference, either a photograph, real object, or even another drawing on paper, is not cheating. It is what all artists do.
If you have a reference, you have something definite to look at. And then your hands will strive to reproduce it. The whole process of observation, replication, and comparison of information is learning.
For some novice artists it is helpful to use a grid superimposed upon their references. If you draw using a grid, you have to split your picture into small squares. And instead of drawing a whole face, you have to draw just a tiny piece of one of the squares. It is easier and you will not feel overwhelmed. Using special applications like GridSketcher, you can easily do it.
How You Think about Errors
This factor is frequently neglected. The beginners that accept rough drawings progress faster than those who lose hope and stop drawing once they make their first mistake.
Every finished drawing, no matter how good or bad, trains your hand. Every abandoned drawing gets you nowhere.
A Realistic Week-by-Week Guide for the First Month
Below is an easy to follow guide for how your first month of drawing could be structured:
Week 1 – Lines and shapes Draw straight lines, curved lines, and shapes. Make an entire page of circles, trying to make them more circular each time. This is tedious. Nonetheless, go ahead. Your hand is training.
Week 2 – Objects Pick one object around your desk or kitchen table. Draw that same object every single day. A coffee mug, a spoon, or your favorite pair of shoes. Repeat the process five times before moving on.
Week 3 – Light and Shadow Get yourself a lamp or a window. Put your subject matter close to the light. Watch where the shadow lies. Do your best to include the shadow in your sketch through delicate pencil marks.
Week 4 – Sketch Something You Adore Select something that really makes you excited – your pet, your plant, your car, or your favorite food. This helps a lot in keeping motivated because when you like what you’re working on, you observe it better.
And after a month of this type of practice, most novice artists find themselves amazed by their progress.
Common Questions Beginners Ask
➣ Do I need to have any natural talent to be able to draw?
No, drawing is a craft, not a talent. All artists whom we look up to have gone through the stage of bad drawings; their only distinction from those who stopped was that they kept on.
➣ When is the best time to begin studying how to draw?
Any time is the best. Kids learn fast since they are not afraid of making mistakes, while adults do that due to having more attention span. Both have their own strengths.
➣ Do I need costly materials to practice drawing?
Certainly not. You just need a regular pencil and a simple notebook for the very beginning. Some of the most exquisite drawings in history were created by means of these tools alone.
➣ What should I do – get a class or teach myself?
Either way works. One can learn by themselves if he/she is self-driven and enjoys working alone. But getting a class might help in case some assistance and advice are required. There are numerous online tutorials about drawing which are free of charge.
➣ How will I know if I make progress?
Collect all your drawings. After one month, compare your latest one with the very first drawing. Progress will undoubtedly appear even if you cannot see any improvement daily.
The Truth about Advanced Drawing
Most people will be able to create good enough sketches in 2-3 months of consistent work. Getting to an advanced level will take even more time – but this should never stop you.
You don’t have to be an advanced artist to have fun drawing. You don’t have to be an advanced artist to be proud of your artwork. All of the pleasure of sketching comes right from the beginning, when the result is far from perfect.
Just start today. Just draw something small. Keep your artwork. Draw something else tomorrow.
And that’s basically it.
Looking for an easy way to improve your drawing skills using reference? Try GridSketcher – a free photo to sketch app that allows you to overlay any image with a grid. iOS only.
