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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2416 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 23, 2025

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Does anyone knows of scientifically proven ways of rapidly learning to draw if you have absolutely no talent or experience? Talking about pencils initially. I know about the "drawing on the right side of the brain" already

What kind of drawing do you have in mind?

Studio drawing is really simple and straightforward, you just look between the thing and the page, and keep changing what's on the paper until it looks like the thing. I recommend charcoal.

getting something that is in front of me on paper, and getting something that is in my head on paper. Nothing fancy or abstract or cartoonish.

I don't know if there's any research into especially fast and effective methods for learning to draw. Art education is in general not very interested in finding out, since there isn't a shortage of people who can draw well enough with the current methods.

A drawing course will include something like the following:

  • A shaded sphere
  • Cubes in one and two point perspective, a hallway in one point perspective, the corner of a rooming two point perspective.
  • Negative space drawings. The space around a tree. The space around a set of easels. This is pretty important, and one of the things someone might not encounter by looking up individual topics. Especially, whenever there is an edge, you have to decide if the figure or the ground is darker/lighter, and provide contrast. Speaking of which
  • Contrast! Always figure out a way to have reasonably high contrast.
  • A draped cloth, preferably in charcoal. Preferably large. My drawing instructor made us draw everything on 18x24 inch paper. That's extremely tedious with pencils, but lovely with charcoals and pastels.
  • Basic anatomical proportions -- proportions of a face, proportions of a body, how many heads high is a person? How many eyes across is their face? DaVinci's human in a circle.
  • Some still life drawings, preferably with some reflective surfaces, perhaps silver, perhaps glass.
  • Preferably a landscape; some classes have students drive to a better location for this.
  • Figure drawings. The model might move every minute for warm ups, and then stay put for 20 minutes for a longer study. Sometimes after a few classes they stay put for over an hour, to allow a more finished drawing.
  • Critiques.

In my head there should exist some form of katas to do and practice to get better - the way they exist for everything else.

Keeping a sketchbook?

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