Fundamentals: a central or primary principle on which something is based
My intent for this blog isn’t to include a bunch of tutorials. I think there are many well-qualified experts who have already produced enough tutorials, and I’ll list some of them when applicable.
However, I do think it’s important to have some guidance when you choose an independent learning path. It’s too easy to get so lost in the online world of tutorials and advice blogs, and lose site of your goals.
So, in the spirit of providing guidance, I plan on offering a post once a week, called Friday Fundamentals, focusing on the principles that form the basis for drawing. I hope you find them helpful for your learning journey!
To be good at drawing means you have a firm understanding of the fundamentals. It’s the only way you’re going to be able to get the creative idea that’s in your head onto your paper or canvas. If you don’t know the fundamentals, you’re going to be forever dependent on someone else to assist you with your art. Maybe you feel like you can’t draw, so you decide to use other people’s drawings and just color them in. Or maybe you are so uncomfortable with drawing that you consistently trace from a photograph so that you can color.
Neither of these techniques are wrong. Lots of artists use them and never feel a need to develop their drawing skills any farther than doodles. But if you want to create something that’s really your own, and not depend on someone else’s drawing or a photograph to make your art, you’re going to have to learn and practice drawing fundamentals. The really creative stuff happens when you start with the fundamentals and make your art unique.
So what are these fundamentals?
Line
Shape (or form)
Shading
Proportion
Perspective
Beginners will focus on these fundamentals for most of their art creating time. They’ll practice daily until they feel very comfortable with their technique. A skilled artist will continue practicing the fundamentals regularly. Sometimes they do warm-up exercises before starting their art work, or sometimes they’ll do a small work for the joy of practicing.
So, as a beginner, start learning your craft by focusing on the fundamentals. You don’t need to enroll in a semester-long school (online or brick and mortar) to learn. Here are some good places to look:
Paid platforms that I’ve tried:
Udemy https://www.udemy.com/ Udemy is an online academy that offers lessons in everything from accounting to foreign languages to dieting. They have numerous drawing courses, too. The classes are videos that the instructor sometimes supplements with downloadable materials. I’ve taken The Ultimate Drawing Course – from Beginner to Advanced by Jason Batchelor and highly recommend it. He takes you through all of the fundamentals, one step at a time, with plenty of practice activities. You also have the ability to upload your drawings into the website for critique.
Some classes are free, but if they cost money, don’t be put off by the price. My biggest advice for beginners choosing to use Udemy is to wait until the class goes on sale before you buy it. Sales are frequent, and most of the classes I’ve been interested in go on sale at least once a month. Since you’ll have lifelong access you don’t have to start the class right away – it won’t expire.
The Virtual Instructor https://thevirtualinstructor.com/ This platform is similar to Udemy, but it focuses only on drawing and painting classes. They offer a monthly subscription plan as well as individual courses. I’ve taken The Colored Pencil Course and recommend it if you are interested in the fundamentals of colored pencils. If you are unsure whether or not The Virtual Instructor is the right choice for you, search for them on Youtube and watch a few of their many free videos. If you like what you see, you’ll get much more information from the paid class.
Skillshare https://www.skillshare.com/ is another online platform that I really like. Similar to Udemy, they have courses in just about everything. The variety is staggering, and you can find classes as short as fifteen minutes or as long as many hours. I like that I can pay a monthly subscription fee and watch as many classes as I want. I can skim through the listings and bookmark the ones I’m interested in so that I can watch them another time. I can also “follow” specific instructors, so if I really like their classes I’m on the list to be notified when they post new classes. Of all the online academy platforms, I feel like I’m getting the most “bang for my buck” from Skillshare.
Scribd https://www.scribd.com/ Scribd is an online subscription service for books, audiobooks and documents. They have a huge selection of drawing and art references. You can browse through their selections and save the titles that appeal to you so that you can easily access them later. You can also download titles to a personal reader. The one drawback that I have found with e-books is that the illustrations can be difficult to view. This isn’t just a Scribd issue—it applies to a lot of e-formats, even books that I’ve purchased directly. However, most of the time, if you really like the book, you can find a print version somewhere to purchase for your own. Or you can try visiting your public library to borrow a copy for free.
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ Patreon is an online community for artists. It’s purpose isn’t to offer classes but to provide a platform for artists to showcase their work and offer tutorials in exchange for your patronage. I love this site because I feel like I have direct access to my instructor. I know that my money is helping another artist support themselves so that they can focus on their art. Finding an artist that you really like can be difficult, so I wouldn’t try going to Patreon first. Instead, take some classes elsewhere online, and if you like the instructor, see if they have a Patreon page.
Paid platforms that I havent tried:
I’ve either read about these sites in other blogs or have seen them recommended by reputable sources (like My Modern Met). I haven’t investigated them thoroughly because I find what I need from the sources I’ve already listed. But I feel like I should offer links to more than the sites I frequent, so here they are.
Craftsy https://www.craftsy.com/art/shop/art-classes
Shaw Academy http://www.shawacademy.com/
Lynda https://www.lynda.com/
Brit + Co https://www.brit.co/shop/classes/
Schoolism https://www.schoolism.com/
Free platforms:
Youtube.com There is so much information available on Youtube that it’s really easy to spend hours watching and very little time doing. Want to learn how to draw a cat? There’s a Youtube video for that. Want to learn how to shade? There’s 50 videos for that. In fact, the biggest challenge with using Youtube is deciding which video to watch. You only have so much time in the day!
originally posted at annettezimmerman.com
