Beginner Mistakes

Common Mistakes Beginners Make When Learning To Draw

Here are just a few common mistakes I see beginners make when they first learn to draw.

1.Reference Photo: If you decide to draw your pet, the first thing you need is a good, quality photo to work from. When you take your pets photo, get down to your pet's eye level to take the photo.

I see many folks using photos where they are standing, looking down at the pet who's looking up at them. This type of photo tends to distort the proportion.

Also,whether you are drawing a pet or a person, don't use a flash. It's best to take the photo in sunlight if possible. The flash really messes up the eyes on the photo. You will be "drawing what you see" so make your photo as accurate as possible.

Don't work from a photo that's too small. It should be big enough to see the "whites of their eyes. Here are two excellent sample photos.

2.Outlining With A Pencil That's Too Hard: When you are outlining your drawing keep in mind that you will be shading and blending the lines you are putting down. There should not be any harsh pencil lines showing on your finished drawing. If you are using a #2HB or #3HB pencil to outline, switch to a "softer" #2B or #7B pencil to do your outling. These softer leads are much easier to blend. And keep your pencil lines light.

3.Incorrect Proportions: If you are new to drawing I suggest that you use the grid to get the proper proportion. You could be the best at shading and blending, drawing realistic hair and life like eyes, but if your proportion is off, your drawing is doomed from the start. The grid will give you the proper proportion and it will also teach you proper proportion. After using the grid for awhile you may find that you don't need it as much.

4.The Wrong paper: Don't cut corners when it comes to drawing supplies. You have spent a lot of time and effort learning how to draw. Don't ruin an otherwise great drawing because you wanted to save a few cents on cheap drawing paper.

"Bristol Board" is the best drawing paper I have found. I use it all the time. It's much heavier than normal drawing paper. It's also easy to erase on Bristol Board. Shading and blending is a breeze with this paper. Always buy the best supplies. That goes for your pencils and erasers too.

5.Un-Realistic Hair: Drawing hair is not a hard thing to do. It just takes time. Whether you are drawing an animal or a person, make sure the hair looks real. To draw realistic hair, you have to work in layers. What I mean by that is you draw the hair, shade it and blend it with a tortillon, then repeat the process. Keep repeating this until the hair looks full and natural. Use a kneaded eraser and remove areas of graphite to add highlights to the hair.

Another neat trick is to use a sharp edged eraser to create hair. By a sharp edged eraser, I mean one of those erasers that has one end for erasing pencil and the other end for erasing ink.

Take a piece of scrap paper and a #2B or #7B pencil. Scribble a very dark area onto the scrap paper. Now, take the "ink end" of the eraser and rub it on the scribble. It will pick up the graphite. Use this dirty eraser to create the hair. Add more graphite to the scribble and the eraser as you need it. With a little practice, this is a great technique for creating smooth flowing, realistic hair.

6.Scribbled Backgrounds: If you are going to add a background to your drawing, spend some time doing it. I have seen many wonderful drawings with backgrounds that looked scribbled. If you are going to draw trees or any other foiliage in the background, make it look like real foiliage. Take as much time to get it right as you did with your drawing. For beginners I suggest either not adding a background or add a simple, shaded background to your drawing. Sometimes with backgrounds, "less is better".

As you are learning to draw avoid these beginner's mistakes. It will make your progress much faster.