Sketching for beginners

In the world of art, starting to draw is like entering an exciting adventure. However, as in any journey, it is important to have a plan of action to achieve the desired results. When it comes to sketching, the first steps can determine your creative path. Let's start by defining the right goals. Drawing is not only about mastering techniques and skills, but also about revealing your creative view of the world, expressing a unique perception of the surrounding reality. Determine what exactly attracts you in art, for example, picturesque landscapes, portraits of people, book illustrations, or maybe abstract compositions. Then develop a systematic learning plan that will include mastering the basic principles in drawing, and practice in the direction you have chosen. On the other hand, if you are a beginner artist, you can try yourself in various artistic styles and approaches to determine what fascinates you most in the visual arts and develop your creative potential. One of the most accessible methods of learning to draw is sketching. Practicing sketching, you will better understand the proportions of the depicted objects, learn to express the image and character of objects or people.

Types of sketching

There are several types of sketching, and each is suitable for certain purposes. Let's list them and figure out how they differ.

Architectural sketching

Focuses on the image of architectural elements, buildings and urban landscapes. Architectural sketching is widely used by architects, designers and artists when creating illustrations for projects, notes and conceptual ideas.

Industrial sketching

Used to create visual images of objects in the field of industry, as well as for graphic design, logos and layouts. Graphic designers use sketches to develop concepts and projects, and industrial designers create the visual shell of objects before creating the finished image of an industrial product.

Interior sketching

This is also a tool for a designer who is engaged in interior design. Interior sketches help the designer наглядно demonstrate their ideas to the client and make adjustments, add details and textures to the drawing during the discussion process.

Fashion sketching

Focuses on the image of fashionable elements of clothing and accessories. Clothing designers use sketching to visualize ideas and create images before starting to create their models.

Concept sketching

Often used by concept artists, illustrators to develop characters, their stories and the environment in which these characters live. In the video game industry, sketching is used to create initial concepts of characters, game levels and interface elements — this allows development teams to quickly exchange ideas and make decisions before more detailed work begins. Sketching is also used in the process of developing films, animations and comics. Directors and artists use sketching to create initial scripts, character designs, costumes and scenography. This process helps to visualize ideas before the start of film and cartoon production.

Sketches of people

This is also a type of sketching in which the emphasis is on the image of expressive poses and anatomy. Artists practice drawing sketches of people from натуры to better understand anatomy, human proportions and develop eye-hand coordination. For sketches, you can use a variety of tools, such as a simple pencil, sepia, sanguine, charcoal, markers, brushes, ink and others. In the process of drawing a sketch, you can set various tasks, for example, you can try to capture the relationship of the muscular forms of the figure and enhance their rhythm and dynamism with the help of composition. The task can also be to express the mood, image or character of a person. If you want to better understand anatomy, look at and analyze the sketches of other more experienced artists, it is especially useful to study the sketches of old masters — Rubens, Michelangelo, Dürer and others. Additionally, you can watch a video on how to draw sketches of a human figure.

Portrait sketching

Its goals are similar to sketches of a human figure, but its main goal is to draw only a person's head. Here you can also use different materials and techniques for executing sketches, but it is important to convey not only portrait similarities, but also to express prominent personal traits and the character of a person's face, try to convey the emotions of a person. Determine what facial features seemed to you the most interesting and unusual, and pay attention to these features, enhancing them to make the portrait more expressive and recognizable. And come to our course Portrait sketching 😉

Free video lessons on Sketching

Lesson 1. Sketching composite shapes - Part 1. Subtraction

Lesson 2. Sketching composite shapes - Part 2. Facets

Lesson 3. Sketching composite shapes - Part 1. Cutting