#This is just a little thumbnail for a video that I'm trying to gather things for

[north-winds1]

Gourmand!

[artvaultz]

Hi just came here to ask you what should a beginner artist focus on. i currently have no money to afford an art education which means i have no structure to how I learn. So what should I do in self practice terms I feel like I am all over the place and when I draw I draw for three days and take weeks without drawing. what should I do please help 😌

Hello!! thank you for asking! I know I'm probably not the best resource or model, so anyone that is also seeing this: please feel free to chime in in the replies/reblogs if you have helpful/constructive advice as well!

(apologies in advance for the long post, and! really big apologies for the late reply!! ;o; I hope this is still helpful)

So, as far as learning resources, it depends on the type of things you wish to draw, but there are luckily tonnns of videos and tutorials online which are free, and which i feel have helped me and seem to help others! :D a few that come immediately to mind are tutorials and advice from proko, aaron blaise, toniko pantoja, eyecager, yen yen, lexin yuan, and ethan becker, who give really helpful breakdowns of the basics or insights or tools to study on one's own. if you are the type of person who enjoys learning from books, one that it seems to have helped some of my friends is michael hampton's figure drawing: design and invention textbook.

if you are more interested in drawing characters, perhaps trying to observe and practice drawing the structure of the body is a good place to start? likewise with character animation---for both, watching videos or observing in real life people doing things, and noticing how the body moves and how the different limbs connect. sakugabooru is a reeeeally awesome resource of animation clips, where one can step through frame-by-frame and see how the animators decided to handle different actions. and this video is a great starting point for understanding the basics of movement in animation. if backgrounds are more your thing, perhaps understanding perspective, and doing really simple black and white thumbnail studies of films can help get started, where you try to take note of the choices of composition, and where the eye is lead?

And as far as sticking to it, from what i've gathered based on what i hear from others and from my own experience, i feel that when getting started, trying to setup some sort of super easily accessible routine for drawing, and also drawing things that really interest you (as opposed to solely just grinding specific things that feel very tiresome and unamusing), are what seem to help get the ball rolling? i think it is important, especially if it is something you are trying to do on your own, that it should be at least a little bit enjoyable, right? then one would be more likely to continue. i think it can help a bit to carry around a small sketchbook of some sort, something easily portable, so that you can doodle whenever inspiration strikes! all one really needs is a writing tool and a piece of paper (don't worry about getting a super specific software!)

when I was sort of learning to draw growing up, i spent loads of time in middle school drawing fan art of naruto on random pieces of paper as i watched it, and i also drew silly caricatures of my classmates, and sketched while people-watching because strangers passing by look really cool and interesting to me. all of these also sort of helped my observation skills, as did life drawing classes in high school. but yeah, finding something that inspires you can be great! and i believe that fan art is one of the really great ways to learn haha, and there are so many different and exciting styles of shows/films and graphic novels/manga/etc.

i think also trying to find a community of people that are trying to do the same thing as you, or who have some people that are willing to offer advice or critique or mentorship in some way, might be helpful as well, and can provide an external source of motivation. discord seems to be a big place for those types of communities these days.

i was super lucky to have had a program that offered life drawing in high school, and i went to a uni that offered life drawing sessions that were also open to the public---right now it is safest to make use of online resources, but if things lighten up in the future with the pandemic, try to find someplace nearby like a school that offers open life drawing sessions, and try to make a habit of going there every week with a sketchbook. a couple online resources for now are line of action, and senshistock!

also please remember to take it easy, and don't stress! keep your hands relaxed. stretch your back. drink water. it is also totally okay to draw "crappy" sketches, just keep drawing and doodling! go go go! :D