What to draw?

[AngelsNight 164]

I just started drawing a week ago and was wondring how to do shading with only pencils and what to draw in the first place so mlp came to mind i started drawing i have done all now so any ideas what or how to improve drawings?

[SolyWack 482]

You need to get figure down before shading. Make sure you create a good looking sketch first, or else everything else will look terrible. Then when you want to do shading with just pencils, it's simple, not easy, but simple. Also get some B pencils, 2b or maybe 4b is probably good, 6b to 8b if you're really serious.

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

Yep! Anatomy and lineart should come first!

Like AJ_Wack said, get some good pencils and erasers.

Remember not to press down too hard when sketching a piece or it'll be hard to erase mistakes.

If you're learning to draw something specific, get together a collection of images as references.

[SolyWack 482]

ShadOBabe, on 15 Jan 2016 - 9:01 PM, said:

Yep! Anatomy and lineart should come first!

Like AJ_Wack said, get some good pencils and erasers.

Remember not to press down too hard when sketching a piece or it'll be hard to erase mistakes.

If you're learning to draw something specific, get together a collection of images as references.

 

That's a good point. Kneaded Erasers are amazing. And make sure you have Plastic Erasers, not rubber ones like the cheap school ones.

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

@@AngelsNight,

 

Well, anatomy and such of apony may be a bit to cpmplicated to start off with in my opinion. I Think you should start with the very basics if you only started a week ago, shapes, technique, lineart etc. After that you can move on to anatomy and after that shading. I'm not exactly the best at teaching, but that's my advice.

 

Also, remeber to try to be loose and not to stale, go easy on the paper and draw multiple vague lines before commiting/ sketch.

[Detritus 258]

You can just use varying pressure to shade, or you might try hatching, cross hatching, or stippling.

 

When drawing, remember to sketch lightly and not use hard solid lines. You can always go back over them when you finish the drawing. Also remember to lightly sketch the entire outer form of what you are drawing before you draw any interior details or darken your lines. That way, you don't have to worry about your drawing going off the page.

[Sonatica 124]

I agree with everything that has been said before.

If you just started drawing, you might want to practice very basic shapes and lines first (Yes, lines. It is important to learn how to properly use your pencil ^^ Even if it might seem weird)

In ym art class we spent a loooot of time just drawing as many circles on paper as we could with a pencil. I don't say you should spend your days filling multiple pieces of paper with circles but it is a really good practice to get a feel for how you're holding the pencil and how you can get nice lines.

You might want to practice 3dimensional objects like balls and cubes which will often automatically help you practice shading.

That being said, do NOT take out the fun of drawing by mindlessly trying to follow what everyone says, draw what makes you happy too! If you enjoy drawing ponies and would like to learn more about the show's style then practice that as well!

When I wanted to practice pony anatomy I watched the first episode and paused whenever the ponies changed their pose significantly and sketched what I saw in my sketchbook. That takes quite some time but it helped me a LOT!

 

I hope you will find great fun in drawing, remember it is all about fun and enjoying yourself!

[Troblems 5,619]

@@AngelsNight, because this thread has to do with art, and how to improve it, your topic has been moved to Creative Resources - Visual Art.