Sketching, a calming and therapeutic activity, is the foundation of all other art forms. But what if you have been sketching for some time but still can’t seem to get things right? Your sketches miss proportion and appear drab. Probably, you must work on your sketching skills.
There’s always room for improvement in everything we do, and the same applies to sketching. Whether you are a beginner or a pro does not matter, as even the most experienced artists keep building their skills, considering the ever-evolving nature of drawing.
Sheer dedication, regular practice, and a bit of imagination will help you improve your sketching skills. However, the other small steps that can help you polish this exclusive talent are as follows:
1. Consider the Type of Paper You Will Use
The good idea is to try all kinds of art papers, like charcoal, newsprint, pastel, marker, layout bond, or watercolor. Also, be flexible with the paper sizes; you can opt for the A1 size colored paper initially and then move on to A2 and A3 colored paper.
Gradually you will start noticing the difference in your art. But ensure prioritizing your sketching style when making pen and paper choices.
Or you can try index cards for maximum creative exploration and different art forms, like hand-lettering, abstract painting, collage construction, mark-making, portrait drawing, and jelly or gelatin printing.
2. Finding the Right Format Is Very Important
Avoid drawing in the same size as your sketchbook regularly. Instead, find the correct format for your artwork and start with the project. Consider the sketch technique and tools you will use to determine what your art will look like in both small and large formats.
Remember, narrative sketches do not look good in large format as the viewers may be diverted to the other parts of the image instead of the main story. Similarly, detailed artwork requires a small format so viewers focus on the art entirely with no room for distraction.
3. Practice Free-Hand Drawing
Sketching should be enjoyable, regardless of your reason behind taking it up. Time-limited, free-hand drawing lets you enjoy your art instead of procrastinating on how good it is. It helps you use your creative potential at its best by letting you pick up almost anything as your drawing subject.
You may find this in a magazine or an object in your home. Set the timer to 10 or 15 minutes and try to complete your sketch within this time. Once it goes off, finish off for the day, or start afresh on a new piece of paper.
4. Experimenting Is the Key
Experimenting with varied drawing mediums, like markers, charcoal, pastel, crayons, ink, and colored pencil, will take your creativity to the next level. For example, charcoal sketching offers more flexibility to artists, helping them make more expressive sketches than pencil drawings.
Similarly, if you are bored of the usual black-and-white contrast drawing, switch to colored pencils to create brighter and more life-like sketches. However, try to understand how the different drawing mediums work when producing the type of artwork you deal in.
5. Practice Drawing Curves and Straight Lines
As a beginner in sketching, practice drawing curves and straight lines on a piece of paper to have more control over your drawing medium or instrument. Start by drawing straight lines from the page corner until the end, then move on to curves. Once you finish this exercise for the day, go through the patterns and symmetry you created and work on improving them.
And once you have complete control of your drawing instrument, start sketching shapes in varied thicknesses. You can start with a simple sketch like a flower or scenery and draw it repeatedly on paper. Initially, you can sketch with thin lines and then change your brush or pencil to make the lines thicker.
Besides improving your sketching skills, this method will help you identify the style that best suits your caliber.
6. Maintain a Sketchbook
The next important thing is maintaining a sketchbook to improve your sketching skills. Drawing in a sketchbook regularly will help you notice the changes in your sketches over time with more room for improvement. Gradually you will understand your innate sketching style and start working on it to make it more appealing.
Besides your sketches, the sketchbook may even feature notes on sketching and images of items that inspire you. This way, you have everything required for your artwork in one place so you can develop your sketching skills accordingly. A sketchbook is also helpful in polishing your sketches by reviewing them regularly and recording drawing experiments.
But make sure your sketchbook has a springboard for you to collect all your artwork ideas, and since you will be using it for a long time, choose heavy-weight drawing paper for all your sketches. So, you can store them in the sketchbook without any damage for an extended time.
7. Practice Continuous Strokes and Shading More Often
Once confident about your sketches, start with continuous strokes or use unbroken lines to create varied shapes. This way, you can improve your ability to make smooth sketches. Try out anything as per your imagination without worrying about the result. Once you are good at using continuous strokes, it will automatically improve your sketching speed and offer a visual appeal to your sketches.
Next on the list is adding perfect shades to your drawings. Shading offers more depth to sketches while making them more realistic as well. Improving your loose-hand shading skills will make you a master at creating more prominent and more detailed sketches.
8. Practice Regularly
You may have heard of the saying Practice Makes a Man Perfect! And there’s no denying the fact, even in sketching. The more you practice, the more consistent you become in creating different works of art.
Just set aside some time to draw regularly, even if it is just for a few minutes. Making drawing a part of your everyday routine will improve your hand-eye coordination and refine your creative instincts.
Conclusion
Sketching is not a skill to be conquered overnight, so do not expect gallery-level artwork initially. Take time to improve your sketching skills and reflect on the changes you have employed over time.
You will be amazed at your achievement with just one year of consistent practice and innovation. And seeing how far you have come will further motivate you to create some of the most excellent pieces.