We’re halfway through the month, and for anyone who has already enrolled in My Modern Met Academy’s October Drawing Challenge, you are likely immersed in your sketching. If you haven’t taken the plunge already, don’t worry; there are still two weeks to enroll yourself—or gift it to a friend—and develop your drawing skills with three of our popular online drawing classes.
This bundle will give you all the tools you need to take your drawings to the next level, whether you are a beginner or already love sketching. For just $99.95, you’ll receive over seven hours of instruction from some of our most popular illustration courses—Matheus Macedo’s Realistic Portrait Drawing Made Easy, Demi Lang’s Architectural Illustration for Everyone, and Danison Fronda’s Write Out Your Future: Hand Letter an Inspiring Phrase.
To prepare you for what’s ahead, we’ve gathered some drawing tips and encouragement from our talented instructors to give you a head start.
Here are 5 drawing tips from the instructors of our October Drawing Bundle to keep you motivated to sketch.
Photo: Demi Lang
KEEP YOUR WORK CLEAN
Particularly when working with graphite, you don’t want to risk any messy smudges on your paper. “Place a clean sheet of paper or tracing paper under your hand to prevent any oils or dirt from your skin transferring to your work,” suggests architectural illustration instructor Demi Lang.
WORK WITH SHARP PENCILS
All three of the courses in the October Drawing Challenge require precision and accuracy, so make sure you keep your tools sharp. This will allow you to have better control over your lines and will assist with fine details.
Photo: Matheus Macedo
SELECT GOOD REFERENCE PHOTOS
References can be a great source of inspiration, and for realistic portraiture, they are fundamental to being successful. That is why instructor Matheus Macedo has an entire lesson dedicated to the selection process. He suggests picking a high-resolution, high-contrast image to create a final image that is pleasing to the eye. “When you draw a photo that has contrast, chances are your drawing won’t be dull, and it won’t lack volume.”
KEEP PRACTICING
While this may seem obvious, it can feel challenging to be persistent when tackling a new drawing style. With hand-lettering, in particular, practice is critical. “This might be self-explanatory, but if you’re trying to go for an overall lettering style, you’re going to want to practice to the point where you like what you see,” instructor Danison Fronda shares.
“It doesn’t need to be perfect since it is hand-lettered, but you don’t want to rush the process. The fun thing about this practice is that you’re more than likely only focusing on a few words, so you can literally take an entire blank sheet of paper to try different things out.”
Photo: Danison Fronda
KNOW WHEN TO TAKE A BREAK
Particularly when working on a detailed drawing, it can be hard to be objective about your own work. That’s why our instructors suggest taking a break and backing away from the page. Pressing pause for a few hours—or even a few days—will allow you to come back feeling refreshed and ready to see if any changes need to be made. As Fronda reminds us, it’s important to “give your brain a reset to be able to look at your design with a pair of fresh eyes.”
My Modern Met Academy: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Related Articles:
Practice Sketching Like Your Favorite Artists Through Portraiture
How To Build Up an Art Habit To Make Sure You’re Always Creating
Refine Your Drawing Skills With a Trio of Our Best Online Illustration Classes
These Books by My Modern Met Academy Instructors Will Jumpstart Your Artistic Growth