big up to wattsatelier.com and vitruvianstudio.com for a more serious treatment
Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
71–80 of 127 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#72One fun (free!) resource is DrawABox. Despite the humble name, you'll learn a lot more :) Well structured, exercise-based, it takes you all the way from the absolute fundamentals. https://drawabox.com/lessons
Drawabox is excellent. What a delightful approach from first principles. I logged in to write it but I'm 2 hours late. It comes with a subreddit too learntodraw.reddit.com
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the worst way to learn how to draw. It is a short term satisfying thing to do and produces great result. The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it. In order to draw, you need to internalize the 3d shape. Start from basic s…
Suit yourself. The method I described worked for me. I was terrible at drawing before, and I was awesome at it after. If it helps the OP great, if not, maybe your way would work. I’m a bit surprised at the perceived hostility here. When it comes to making things, since when was there only one way to do anything?
There are different kinds of drawing, the person that replied to you refers to 'academic' realist drawing traditon which has a certain very specific way of training.
an example - https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/442760207118409728/ Generally such result is achieved through very specific rigorous steps to which that downvoted comment referred.
The training that you suggest is also nice but I understand why someone classically trained would object to it.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#74To learn to draw, you first need to learn to see. So copy things. Try this project: Take a sheet of paper and divide the space into 2 equal halves. In one half make a collage of black and white images. No color - this is important. Try to fill the space if you can. Once done, get a pencil, eraser and ruler. Your job is to copy the collage into the other half as accurately as possible. To do this, measure where every…
This is the worst way to learn how to draw. It is a short term satisfying thing to do and produces great result. The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it. In order to draw, you need to internalize the 3d shape. Start from basic s…
You are being downvoted because you may have come a bit crass in your point.
But I do agree. The best thing I did to improve my drawing skills (which are still shit) was to move from thinking in 2D to think in 3D. This small (but mentally big) change improved my drawing skills 10 fold.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#75Although I consider myself a hack, my family and friends think I have some God Given drawing talent. Not true I tell them, anyone can draw well. You just need this book and practice. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The Definitive, 4th Edition https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B005GSYXU4&preview=new... This is probably the best book I have come across and it took me from stick figures to what my family con…
can you share some of your drawings so I can manage my expectations?...!
The author's website has tons of before/afters!
https://www.drawright.com/before-after
Incredible results for only six days.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#76A few resources for learning how to draw.
Books:
* Fun with a Pencil by Andrew Loomis (everything Loomis is great)
* Perspective made Easy by Norling
* Christopher Hart's books (friendly to beginners)
YouTube:
* Proko
* Alphonso Dunn
* moderndayjames
Websites:
* Drawabox
* Kazone
Podcast:
* Draftsmen (Marshall Vandruff is an excellent source of guidance)
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#77It's been decades since I used it in a practical way, but "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" - https://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Comics-Marvel-Way/dp/0671530... is a surprisingly great tutorial for learning. You can ignore the bits on dynamic drawing that are more geared for comics, but it will give you a lot of foundational knowledge of composition and observing. The chapter on perspective is still one of the best writings on the subject I've ever seen. Pair it with a good life drawing book.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#78two possible solutions (either / or):
2. book: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the worst way to learn how to draw. It is a short term satisfying thing to do and produces great result. The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it. In order to draw, you need to internalize the 3d shape. Start from basic s…
You are being downvoted because you may have come a bit crass in your point. But I do agree. The best thing I did to improve my drawing skills (which are still shit) was to move from thinking in 2D to think in 3D. This small (but mentally big) change improved my drawing skills 10 fold.
It is actually frustrating how often it is repeated. Every time I come across any advice on drawing, it is leading masses of people the wrong way. What's worse on top of not learning how to draw well, is that a false sense of accomplishment. People who learn how to draw this way think they've learned and climbed the mountain of creative achievement but the truth would come out the moment you ask them to redraw with a different perspective.
This is my pet peeve.
Re: Ask HN: How do I learn drawing?
#80Although I consider myself a hack, my family and friends think I have some God Given drawing talent. Not true I tell them, anyone can draw well. You just need this book and practice. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The Definitive, 4th Edition https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B005GSYXU4&preview=new... This is probably the best book I have come across and it took me from stick figures to what my family con…
That book is amazing. I got it also when it first came out years ago. Although I unfortunately did not finish it, I remember two exercises that left me marked:
First is the exercise of drawing the "column / two-faces" drawing. You can REALLY feel your two brain sides fighting while drawing that.
The second is the "upside down" drawing. After I finished that I was amazed that I actually had drawn that (I cannot draw a cup or a house or whatever).
The premise is that a lot of people who have the "left" side of the brain developed draw the "concepts" of what they see and they don't really draw what they see. So if someone tells me to "draw that house", I will be drawing "a roof", "a door" , "the walls" etc. Instead someone using the "right" side of the brain will actually see the house and draw what they see.
Pretty clever.