What drawing videos/books should I look at to not suck anymore

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

I an only draw bad stick figures. How do I stop sucking. Please point me in the direction of any drawing books or videos. Thank you.

[SFyr 1,982]

@@TheImmortalLegendG, honestly it sometimes depends on how you best learn, or what sources "work" for you the best. Google and Youtube will especially be your friends; though I'd recommend looking for something that starts off with concepts, pencil techniques, and the like just to get your feet wet/get a rough idea of what you're going for. Avoid anything that only shows you how to draw one specific thing (unless it's geometry/shapes). Instead, look through different sites, watch different tutorials, and more than anything, challenge yourself to draw.

Like, not stick figures, but things you don't know how to draw (using references, ideally).

 

For Art I in high school, my teacher focused pretty hard on learning pencil techniques, basic art concepts like light/shadow/line thickness/etc, and attempting to draw from life. Half our assignments were something like, "draw your shoes" as close to real life as possible, and we were mostly graded on effort/time input rather than actual result. Stuff like that helps build a sense of how things should look, or be proportioned if you spend that much time looking at it and trying to recreate it; it does take a lot of time to get good at it, but gradual progress is pretty much inevitable so long as you put in the work and don't stop experimenting/pushing yourself.

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

@@TheImmortalLegendG, honestly it sometimes depends on how you best learn, or what sources "work" for you the best. Google and Youtube will especially be your friends; though I'd recommend looking for something that starts off with concepts, pencil techniques, and the like just to get your feet wet/get a rough idea of what you're going for. Avoid anything that only shows you how to draw one specific thing (unless it's geometry/shapes). Instead, look through different sites, watch different tutorials, and more than anything, challenge yourself to draw.

Like, not stick figures, but things you don't know how to draw (using references, ideally).

 

For Art I in high school, my teacher focused pretty hard on learning pencil techniques, basic art concepts like light/shadow/line thickness/etc, and attempting to draw from life. Half our assignments were something like, "draw your shoes" as close to real life as possible, and we were mostly graded on effort/time input rather than actual result. Stuff like that helps build a sense of how things should look, or be proportioned if you spend that much time looking at it and trying to recreate it; it does take a lot of time to get good at it, but gradual progress is pretty much inevitable so long as you put in the work and don't stop experimenting/pushing yourself.

Alright thank you. I plan on continuing to practice. But I'm not sure what tutorials to look at. So any help with that?

[Ando333 135]

If you are 100% new in this, I'd recommend "Fun with a Pencil" (Andrew Loomis) first.

 

Then these things in no specific order:

 

Sycra's Youtube videos https://www.youtube.com/user/Sycra

 

"Michael Hampton figure drawing design and invention" book

 

Glenn Vilppu universitary videos

 

You should watch other people's art too and learn from them and how their art concept work. Sycra's youtube channel is the best option I can give you after "Fun With a Pencil" tbh. He also explains how you should practice and many stuff many books don't have.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Ando333