3 Tips for drawing realistic humans

Making realistic drawings is not a cake walk. It requires some effort and at the same time, some keen observation.

While we might not need a realistic approach on all the case, most of the times, it is required. And there are some tips you can follow to make your drawings of humans look more realistic.

  1. The three heads: When drawing shoulders, make sure that the length of your shoulder is enough to accommodate three heads.
  2. The length of the legs: The legs usually have the same length as the torso and the head together.
  3. Position of the eyes: The position of the eyes is somewhere near the middle of the head. This leaves space for forehead and in turn, space for emotions.

3 Tips for Drawing Daily

One important way to improve your drawing ability is to draw daily. While it might seem like a simple gesture, on the long run, it will have a huge impact on your drawing skills.

There are some tips which you can follow to develop the habit of daily drawing and we are going to list them down below.

Get a cheap drawing book: To avoid the guilt of ruining a good paper, it is recommended to get a cheap drawing book so that you can use it daily.

Set a timer: Choose an amount of time that you want to draw and set a timer. Make sure that you do nothing else in this time frame.

Create a list: Create a list of things that you would love to draw. This can ease and fasten up the process of drawing.

A tip to overcome the fear of drawing

Fear of drawing is a real thing. When we start out, most of us are bombarded with millions of thoughts that will try to hold us back. And this can easily derail the whole process.

The idea is to have a mind shift.

When you are starting out, you need not show your drawings to anyone. In fact, you don’t even have to save them. Here’s what an expert Illustrator Saskia Wariner had to say about the situation.

“Don’t show your drawings to anyone but your dog. I’ve found that when I [draw] by myself, I am more free, and a lot more good things happen when I am calm and relaxed. I feel less afraid of failing. I could just rip out some pages of my sketchbook if I want[ed] to, but honestly I’d rather never do that, because those are the most funny and interesting drawings.”

Drawing Tips: How to look at the figure before drawing

Looking at the figure is one of the most important things before one starts drawing. And there are some tips that you can follow to make the process easier.

Firstly, it is important to take into consideration the reclining pose of the figure, horizontal lines, cropping of the photo and even format of the monitor when looking at the figure.

Secondly, notice how the figure is supporting its own weight. It is important to notice this as it will help you get a better output. Lastly, hold your pencil up to the figure and visualize three lines, one each through shoulders, hips and knees. The relation between these lines should be kept in mind when you draw your figure.

Drawing Tips: Why you should use varied lines

When someone starts drawing, they rarely make use of varied lines even though they are a powerful took to impart originality.

The idea is: Not all lines are equal. Small changes in the width and darkness of your lines can create a dynamic impact on the picture and make it more visually interesting. However, this is easier said than done. Changing the lines requires a lot of practice.

Experiment with different pencils ranging from 3H to 6B and holding the pencil in different angles to get the desired results. With some practice, you will be able to figure out how changing the depth of one line can impact your whole drawing.

Drawing Hair: Here are some tips you should know

Hair is one of the most important body parts when it comes to drawing. Ruining the hair can in turn ruin the whole picture that you are drawing.

Since hair holds high importance in making a picture look good, we will be listing down few tips which you can follow when you are drawing hair.

  1. Always start by laying the overall shape of the hairstyle with pencil.
  2. Dark pencil strokes create the illusion of length. The band of lights creates the idea of curves.
  3. The color of the hair is determined by the darkness of your pencil.
  4. The pencil strokes always replicate the hair’s direction and length.

4 Drawing Tips that a Beginner should know

Being a beginner is always good as it allows you to learn. This applies to drawing as well. When starting, there are some tips that you can follow and we will be listing down four such tips below.

  1. Start with the object that is in front of you
  2. When you are start drawing, draw from a point of focus, like an eye or a door of a building.
  3. Tracing is not a good idea and it doesn’t make you learn. So better to avoid tracing.
  4. Color the light areas first then overlay dark color on top when you are using markers or paint.

Following these tips can drastically improve your drawing and could set you up a good foundation which you can build.

Drawing Torso: Here’s what you need to know

Drawing Torso is one of the hardest things when it comes to drawing a person. One thing you should keep in mind is to avoid drawing a balloon torso.

Most of the artists end up thinking that the figure of a person is symmetrical on all sides when it is actually not. Even the biggest artists fall into this trap when they are drawing a heavy and muscular body.

To avoid this mind set, practice by drawing from the skeleton outwards. This can get you an idea on how you should draw the torso.

Drawing: How to warm up before you start

Drawing is a huge process. It takes a lot of time and you cannot just jump in and start drawing. And this is why it is important to have a small warm up before you start the actual picture that you want to draw.

You can get rid of anxieties and other issues with just 20 seconds of warm up drawing. It would be ideal to use a pad of newsprint and use your phone to set a 20 second timer. Depending on how you feel, you can also change the timer to a long period.

Warming up will help you shake off the rust and at the same time, will not impact your actual drawing.

Common Drawing Mistakes: The use of Hard Grade Pencil

When it comes to drawing, mistakes are important as it helps you to grow. But at the same time, you should know how to avoid repeating such mistakes.

One of the most common errors that everyone makes is the usage of Hard Grade of pencils. Pencils are important and it can have a huge impact on your drawing. So, if you end up using the wrong pencil, it might result in a disaster.

An easy way to avoid this is to have a variety of pencils at your disposal. Pencils such as a B, 2B, and 4B will give you the darker values you need. This will give you maximum control over the aspects of the drawing and also give you an idea on what each pencil can offer.