Curriculum
Anyone can learn to draw!
This course and learning method is designed to build up your realistic drawing skills at the same time as you develop your creative and imaginative abilities. It’s for students of any age or ability level!
Table of Contents
How to Use this Course Outline
I recommend students practice by dividing their art class time into three sections:
A 2-5 minute Warm-Up. Usually I pull these from the Drawing Drills section, but some simple Sight Training exercises can also be used.
TIP: Always warm up with something you’ve already learned.
30 minutes (or so) on a lesson—that is, learning something new. Pick a Drill or other lesson that you have not yet tried, or one you have not quite mastered and would like to practice more.
30 minutes (or longer) on a personal project or just-for-fun free drawing. This is where you will begin to apply your skills to things you are excited about drawing!
You can do this once a week, three times a week, or daily—however often you are able to devote time to drawing.
For Shorter Lessons:
If you do not have such a big chunk of time (or are working to build up a shorter attention span), you can also break up the lesson in this way:
Spend 2-5 minutes every day on a Drawing Drill. Pick one Drill per week. Think of it as practicing a musical scale or memorizing math facts.
Once a week, do a 30-minute drawing session, alternating between:
A lesson
And “free draw” time, or time to work on a self-directed project
TIP: This is a great way to begin elementary-age students. They will be developing a strong foundation with the drills, learning at a good pace, while enjoying plenty of just-for-fun drawing.
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Additional lessons, demos, articles, and categories are available to paid subscribers in the Archive.
Drawing Basics
These guides to materials will help you get started!
Coming Soon:
Paper: Everything You Need to Know
Drawing Drills
Drawing Drills are great for simple, starting lessons. Once each has been learned, they are perfect for Warm Ups.
The Drills are foundational drawing skills. Practice them any chance you get! They can be done anywhere with basically any tool. I enjoy doodling them while waiting in line, talking on the phone, or while watching TV or a movie. The more practice you get with these, the better you will be able to draw later on.
They fit into 4 Categories, as shown below. There are two ways to approach the Drills the first time around:
You can learn them in order: Line, then Shape, then Form, and finishing up with Value.
Or, you can alternate through them, doing one from each category in repeating cycles until you’re through.
TIP: While they are somewhat sequential and do build on each other, it is also possible to do them in any order, as you see fit. They are simple enough you can begin anywhere.
Since they are very simple, they can be done over and over in endless variations—allow yourself to be creative in how you practice. That’s where the fun is!
Line
Additional posts on Lines are available in the Archive, and via the “Line” tag: Line Page
Shape
Additional posts on Shapes are available in the Archive, and via the “Shape” tag: Shape Page.
Form
Additional posts on Form are available in the Archive, and via the “Form” tag: Form Page
Value
Additional posts on Value are available in the Archive, and via the “Value” tag: Value Page
Suggestions? Questions? Get in touch!
Sight Training & Life Drawing
These are the skills for drawing what you see. They train the eye and hand, and the emphasis is on realism.
More to follow…
Creative Drawing
Ever felt like your drawings didn’t measure up to what you imagined? These skill-building exercises will bridge the gap between what you see in your head, and what you can reproduce on paper.
View some previous creative drawing posts here and via the Imaginative Drawing tag.
More to follow…
Project Guides
Coming Soon:
Flipbooks & Animation
Comics
Zines
Stickers, Enamel Pins, & More
Interested in a particular project? Let us know in the comments what you’re most excited about!