Curse

TaeZ246 · Jan 19, 2011, 08:07 AM // 08:07

I'm pretty sure i'm not alone on this but i have always wanted to draw. I don't really have time to dedicate myself to it that much, i just want to do it as a hobby. So could someone point me in the right direction of where to look for some sort of tutorial or anyone who would be willing to help?

Del · Jan 19, 2011, 08:43 AM // 08:43

http://www.dragoart.com/ <- some random decent tutorials, not much on learning the basics.

There's also tutorials on deviantart.com, and you can always go to ISOhunt or the piratebay and just download some how to draw PDFs

Tommy's · Jan 19, 2011, 09:47 AM // 09:47

Just start.

The best advice I could give lol. If it would be just for a hobby you should draw whatever you like. So just start drawing something and see what it is. I for a start always doodled faces and animals (not realistic ones though

) in classes I was bored. Just see what you like and go onwards from there. On deviantart.com there are quite some tutorials. But remember, tutorials only teach you how it can be done, not how you should be doing it. Just see what you like best. Would you like anime, realistic, chibi, fantasy, animals, landscapes, absurt things. There is no tutorial that fits them all

Also youtube is your friend. When I started drawing I had a lot of fun with Mark Crilley, just search him up on youtube.

Also if you are doing more realistic things, coming up with poses yourself is hard. Look for some pictures in a magazine that you like and try to draw those

I sometimes sit at the breakfast table (well its the lunch and the dinner table aswell, but its in the morning

) reading the newspapers and then I just take a pencil and paper and start drawing some interisting faces I see in there.

I think at the real start you shouldn't worry about all tutorials too much. Just start, see what you like and have fun with it. If you have done that for a week or 2, then choose a bit of a direction and look for advice on that.

Perynne · Jan 19, 2011, 03:10 PM // 15:10

Like Tommy's said, just start. Even a hobby artist just needs to draw every now and then to develop your skills, there's no magic wand to become a guru over night.

Nothing teaches you better than just picking up a pencil and starting to put shapes on paper.

What kind of style are you going for, btw? Realistic? Comic-style? Semi-realism? In the beginning, look at the kind of art you like as much as you can, and perhaps even try to mimic the style. Of course, you should never completely outright copy anyone's artwork, but for example, if you really like comic style art, then mimic the style you like but draw your own ideas.

Also, the important thing is to have fun and not set too high goals for yourself right from the start, otherwise you'll just become discouraged and it becomes less fun. Tutorials are guidelines and a way to see how others draw something, they're not the only right way to do it though. Just experiment, start doodling, draw what feels good for you.
Tommy's pretty much summed it up with everything else.

deviantart.com is one of the best places to go for tutorials, and youtube has lots of tutorial videos and progress videos. Also, if you want more realistic and in-depth (professional) tutorials, you could try conceptart.org.

gremlin · Jan 19, 2011, 03:20 PM // 15:20

Library would be my first choice for a basic grounding in how to start, should be plenty of books for beginners.
Local government funded courses in art sometimes also run through libraries or local colleges and schools.
I guess you want something for beginners to give you an idea of scale perspective etc.

But as they say above just draw and most importantly draw to please yourself.

TaeZ246 · Jan 20, 2011, 01:17 AM // 01:17

Thanks for the responses guys. Btw for digital drawing I'm guessing you would use a tablet, so what's a good one? I've heard a lot about the bamboo and the intuos but I don't know anything about them.

@perynne, I was thinking more like realistic/semi realistic. I've just always had ideas of stuff to draw and never really been able to.

Thanks for all the links, I'll start drawing as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll get something up in nolani eventually

gremlin · Jan 20, 2011, 03:18 AM // 03:18

btw do you already have a graphics package that your going to use ?

If not there are several free ones and you can get older versions of commercial packages for free and quite legally.

Before I could afford to buy a decent package I relied on older versions of Paint shop Pro, from here.

http://www.oldversion.com/

Perynne · Jan 20, 2011, 06:23 AM // 06:23

I'd suggest reading the last two pages of the Artists' Discovery Thread here in Guru. There was someone else asking about tablets and programs a while back, so instead of just writing a long post again it's easier to just check what was said before.

The conversation you want starts about halfway down the 9th page, from Woodelf Archer onwards.

You can find the conversation here.

Gremlin's link for older programs is a good one, and like he said there are some free ones too. Again, the link above should help you out.

TaeZ246 · Jan 21, 2011, 03:24 AM // 03:24

Ok thanks for the links and info all of you. I didn't actually know there was a search function >.>. Im a newb.

Perynne · Jan 21, 2011, 06:09 AM // 06:09

Eh, it's ok.

Generally, it's a good idea to poke around and look at what threads have already been posted, to see if there's any that might be helpful. There's some comments and works in progress in other threads that might help out too.
Still, just take your time, and we don't mind answering questions here too (or pointing you to a thread that's helpful).

gremlin · Jan 21, 2011, 05:53 PM // 17:53

Final note to the OP good luck in developing your skills and style we can never have too many Artists.