When I was small, nobody showed me how to draw.

Nobody showed me how to get shapes right.
- Or how to do shading
- Or how to place my drawings on a page.
- I just drew and drew
- And made lots of mistakes
- And did lots of rubbing out!

Slowly... very slowly... I got better, And very slowly, I found ways of doing drawings that really work!

For me, learning to draw laid the base for learning to paint and becoming an artist.
- Just the same as learning to read and write lays the base for being good at English and getting a good job

When I began to teach what I'd learned about drawing to grown ups and to children, I discovered that average, ordinary people can learn to draw really, really well!

All you need is to want to learn, some tips on how to go about it, and practice.
- Lots of it!
- Just the same as no sports star or great musician ever makes it without practice.

There's one more thing you really need and that's encouragement!
Though I never had lessons, I did get encouraged.
My family encouraged me.
A kind man across the road encouraged me.
As I got better, my teachers and school friends encouraged me.

As you draw, you teach your hand to do what your eye sees.
This also helps you to "see" pictures in your imagination.

1. Make a place on the wall where you can show your drawings. A big, soft, dark coloured board is good.
   
   
2. Always put your name and the date on your work.
   
   
3. Make a big, cardboard folder to keep your drawings/pictures in.
   
   
4. Start saving pictures of paintings, pencil or pen drawings that you like and put these in a scrap book. You'll find them in newspapers, magazines and some books. This can be a great guide to help you to aim high.
   
   
5. Don't be afraid of copying. You learned to walk, talk, read and write by copying. Copying teaches you "how". Once you know how, you can come up with your own bright, bold ideas on any art project.
   
   
6. Try drawing real things. Face squarely the thing you are drawing.
   
   
7. If you are working from a picture, place it squarely right beside the paper you are drawing on.
   
   
8. Keep your pencil sharp!
   
   
9. When I teach people to draw, I tell them to take these steps:
10. Start with an HB pencil - Draw lightly.
11. Set the limits - work out where your drawing will start and stop on the page.
12. Draw a Simple, Big Shape - this sits on the outside of all the smaller shapes.
13. Draw the biggest Sub Shapes - keep them simple. Get them in proportion to one another.
14. Draw the small shapes - each new shape is measured from the shapes you have already drawn.
15. Draw the details - use your 6B sketching pencil or your pen. Look for where the light is coming from. Put in the shadows.

10. A4 photocopy paper is ideal for small drawings. It's thin enough to see through so that you can put one sheet on top of another, redraw and shift things around.
    
    
11. Look for an art book that shows you how to get the subjects, styles and effects that you find most interesting.
    
    
12. Set up your own drawing/art space. a 20" x 30" sloping drawing board and a shaded light on a movable arm are excellent.
    
    
13. When you draw shadows, make lines that flow in the direction of the surfaces you are drawing.
    
    
14. Don't just use lines to draw shapes. Make lines that give the feel, the texture, of the things you are drawing.
    
    
15. There are many kinds of pencils, pens and papers. Buy something new and experiment with it. You'll get new enthusiasm.
    
    
16. Keep going! Practice, practice, practice - you'll be surprised at how well your pictures turn out!
    
    
17. Don't be in a hurry to start painting. The more you learn with pencil and pen about form and proportions, light and shade, the better prepared you will be for making really striking paintings.
    
    

I have published some very useful "How to draw" and "How to paint" lesson cards. I offer three types click below to see more!

More Detailed Drawing Lesson cards offered for sale.