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How to Get Back into Drawing

how to get back into drawing

How long has it been since you last put a pencil on paper? Even if it has been years since you last drew anything, learning how to get back into drawing pictures is relatively easy.

“Re-learning” how to draw is like riding a bike. You never fully forgot it. You just need to put aside some time in your schedule for practice. Drawing is one of the most relaxing, yet still somewhat stressful, hobbies out there.

It can be stressful when you are struggling to get good, but as with all skills, the only way to get better is to practice. If you have been drawing quite a lot when you were younger, and you want to get back into the habit again, this article will teach you how.

How to Get Back into Drawing

What to Prepare:

  • A pencil (or any pens)
  • A small sketchbook (ideally something you can take with you anywhere)
  • At least 15 minutes of your time

Detailed Steps

how to get back into drawing

Step 1 – Set aside time for drawing

Most probably, the reason why you stopped drawing is that life suddenly got in the way. It might be school or work that made you suddenly not have any time for drawing. However, regardless of how busy you think you are, you at least have 15 minutes to spare.

You can set aside 15 minutes every afternoon during your break, or every evening before you go to bed. You might think that it is not enough time for practice, but you will be surprised at how much you can do in a quarter of an hour.

Step 2 – Start drawing

Even if you don’t have anything in mind to draw right away, you should still start drawing. Begin by making scribbles on the paper and then imagining what the lines look like to you.

As the great Pablo Picasso once said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working”. This means that inspiration will eventually come to you, but first, you need to start working.

Step 3 – Don’t Strive for Perfection

Frustration is one of the biggest enemies of artists. If a drawing does not come out as good as they hoped it would, they would throw it out in frustration and not pick up a pencil again.

Remember that no one gets good at drawing right from the get-go, and even if you were somewhat good at drawing in the past, you will not recoup all your skills right away. Don’t put yourself down if your drawing is not as good as you thought it would. You are still learning so it is okay.

Also, do not throw your early artwork just yet. You should save them so you have a basepoint that you can use to gauge your improvement later. Just have fun drawing. If you love what you are doing, it does not matter what the outcome is. You will still be happy about it anyway.

Step 4 – Be Consistent

It is easy to set aside enough time to practice your drawing skills, so you need to be consistent with it. Strive to practice your drawing skills every day, but also forgive yourself if you miss one day.

If you do miss a day, make it a point to practice the following day. What you should avoid is missing consecutive days.

Step 5 – Learn New Techniques

Just practicing will only get you so far. If you want to improve, then you need to learn from others. You do not need to sign up for art classes, especially if you do not have that much free time.

You can find a lot of drawing tutorials on YouTube and other websites (eg: easydrawingguides.com, rapidfireart.com). These tutorials are usually no longer than 15 minutes, so most of them would fit perfectly into your schedule.

How to Get Inspiration for Drawing

If you find that inspiration is not coming to you, there are many ways that you can “force” yourself to draw. One of the best ways is to use random drawing prompts, and you can use a lot of sources for them. Here are some of the things that you can use:

Pictionary – Randomly pick two cards and draw whatever it is that comes up.

Online randomizer – You can find a lot of drawing prompt randomizers on the web. (like: drawingprompt.com or artprompts.org)

Ask your kids for ideas – If you have kids, you can ask them what they want you to draw for them. If you don’t have your own kids, send messages to your younger cousins, nephews, or nieces.

Kids have unbridled imaginations and they can come up with wild and interesting drawing ideas. Their suggestions will always keep you on your toes.

Conclusion

Learning how to get back into drawing pictures can be somewhat difficult, but it will be mostly based on your discipline and dedication. Essentially, you need to practice every day, even for just 15 minutes per session.

You can learn how to get back into drawing after a long break, even if it has been years since you last drew anything. In addition, you can get a whole lot better at drawing than you were before. You just need a bit of discipline and a whole lot of practice.

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