Drawing Course/Book Recommendations

[Dark Kerman]

Hi all,

I'm currently starting to look at learning to draw properly, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a book/course that takes you from rank beginner to decent competence level.

As it is, I have got a book called Drawing a Complete Guide by Giovanni Civardi, and whilst it seems pretty good, it does seem to skip steps and focus on the art itself, whereas I'm looking for something which gives you exercises from the basics onwards.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DK

[Doomboy911]

It's in my experience that books don't help. I say this with a library of books that didn't help. Find a art class something to challenge yourself with and work on. Understand that it's going to be terrible. The time, the money, the effort, the art it will be terrible and it's not because you're new or just starting, you are an artist and this is our burden shame in our art that it couldn't be better.

In time you'll grow you'll develop techniques and become better you may even get confidence. It will still look terrible and you will still feel terrible. The path is long and painful but the sights along the way are always worth the trip.


Oh and learn to break images down into basic shapes and shadows that usually helps.

[shawnhcorey]

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone has told me. All of us who are in creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is a gap. For the first couple of years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do something interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all got through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's normal to take a while. You just gotta fight your way through.

Ira Glass