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"Can you learn to draw?"
Whether you’re asking this question because:
- you’ve realized that you would absolutely love to be ableto draw, or
- you’ve already started learning to draw, are feelingdiscouraged, and juuuust want to make sure that it’s possible …
I’m thrilled that you found your way here, and even morethrilled to tell you that:
Realistic drawing isa learnable skill.
Everyone can drastically improve their drawing skills withproper instruction and practice.
Let’s debunk a common belief or myth right from thebeginning:
Myth: Drawing is only for those born with innate artistic talent, ability andcreativity.
Fact: Realistic drawing is alearnable skill. Everyone can drastically improve their drawing skills withproper instruction and practice. (It’s worth repeating!)
“Who’swriting this, and how do you know that I can learn to draw?”
Hithere! My name is Marina Fridman. I’m a visual artist, arts educator, andauthor (or Drawing Source’ress) of TheDrawingSource.com and the DrawingDecoded Membership.
I’mpassionate about demystifying realistic drawing and making quality drawingeducation accessible to anyone wishing to learn how to draw.
I can confidently answer the ‘Can you learn to draw’question because:
- I was not born with drawing skills, yet Ilearned to draw (as you’ll see further on in this article)
- My students have learned to draw!
In my creative practice these days, I create drawinginstallations: largescale drawings that transform a space, such as the onebelow.
This is entirely hand-drawn using charcoal pencils andcompressed charcoal sticks on white paper (including the dark background surrounding the planets). Once your eyes adjust to the dark space, you begin to see the gestural marks that make up the drawn void.
This installation invites viewers to be enveloped inouter space, to approach the celestial body of Mars (the largest planet in theimage), to be towered over by one of the rings of Saturn, and to look up atplanet Earth and the Moon as though from a great distance.
Below is a more recent addition to this work: Pluto’smoons, drawn in 2022.
Now, I can see why you might look at this and think, “Whatdo you mean you weren’t born with drawing abilities?!”
Nope! This is not how my creative career began. I was notborn with drawing skills (and I can prove it!)
“Can You Learn to Draw?”
How it Began
My mother recently found the notebook below, containingthe earliest childhood drawings of mine that we can find.
One of my earliest childhood drawings that I've been able to find
Is it a cat? Is it a dog? Who’s tosay!
Was I displaying remarkable drawing skills at this point?No.
(What was evident at this age was actually a gift for piano-playing, unsurprisingly,as both my parents are pianists. I often joke that ‘something went wrong’ and Ibecame a visual artist instead of a musician.)
Fast forward a few years, and I remember a distinct drawingthat I wish I could find and show you. For now, a description will have tosuffice:
In this drawing was some sort of creature - I can onlyassume that it was a duck with long, flowing hair. She was looking at herselfin the mirror, and there was a caption scrawled in childlike writing that said,‘Brush your teeth, they’re yellow.’ (This was on my great-aunt’s fridge foryears – she was a dentist.)
So: I had learned how to write in english (somewhat), that wasexcellent, and a very practical, useful message in that artwork, but still no earth-shattering drawing skills.
A very early portrait drawing
I was enrolled in casual art classes throughout mychildhood, but for many years it was not at all evident that this would becomemy career, passion and calling. Back then, I wanted to quit my classes everysecond week, and my father would gently suggest, “Why don’t you just attend onemore class, and if you still want to quit, you can.” Each time, I would have anice time at my class and would continue attending. (That was some goodparenting, dad, appreciate you!)
However, by the time I was in high school, art was becoming oneof my main interests, and due to the accumulation of various drawing andpainting lessons I had taken, some years later we start to see some improvement:
Early portrait drawings of mine, around junior high/high school age, before I began my formal education.
Despitethe progress here, in all these drawings I’m making very typical choices often made by beginners, that detract from the believable realism ofthe images.
To become fluent in the visual language of drawing, wefocus on three areas: learning to ‘see’, obtaining essential drawingknowledge, and acquiring the drawing skills to translate what you see ontopaper.
I simply had not yet developed these three areas thoroughlyenough to produce convincing, believably realistic drawings.
Fast-forward to 2008: I was enrolled in business prerequisitecourses in University, but I was drawing constantly. The art programs in mycity were not what I was looking for at the time, so studying art formallysimply did not seem like an option. That is, until my mother approached me oneday as I was drawing, and gently suggested that I could move to a cityto attend a program I was inspired by.
I started researching programs the next day, and moved from Canada to the US soon afterwards to begin my formal art education.
What happened once I started gaining the drawing knowledge, technicalskill, ability to ‘see’, and combined that with consistent practice?
A portrait drawing in graphite, about a year into my formal art education.
Boom.
At 20 years old, I think it’s safe to say that I ‘could draw’.
At this point, it finally became safe to assume that Iprobably did have some natural ability, but!
That natural ability had to be unlocked by proper instructionand practice.
How can you learn to draw?
To learn to draw, we must:
1. Know what to learn, and in what order to learn it.
This is perhaps the greatest barrier as a beginner, becauseyou don’t know .. what you don’t know! Even if you look up tutorials online,you may not be able to determine which exercises are important, why they areimportant, what level they are, how to practice them effectively, what order topractice them in, etc. (Trying to grasp advanced skills and concepts before you havefoundational skills doesn’t work, no matter what you’re trying to learn!) Lookingup free tutorials can result in spending most of your time researching andtrying to figure out these things, rather than studying the actual skills thatyou need to learn to draw.
2. Be taught essential drawing concepts and techniques.
This is the ‘how.’ How to measure, using various measuring techniques. How to view your subjectat different stages of the drawing process. How to shade smoothly. This allbecomes much easier when simplified into easily digestible steps that progressfrom beginner to advanced.
3. Be shown effective exercises to practice.
How do we gain proficiency and comfort with our drawing tools and techniques? By practicing efficiently! There are more and less effective ways to practice theskills needed to create a realistic drawing.
And finally …
4. Practice regularly and consistently.
Learning any new skill takes consistent practice. However,the process and visible progress can be extremely enjoyable and fulfilling!
Nowhere on The Drawing Source will you read that drawing isquick and easy to learn. In my experience,the only ‘shortcut’ to learning anything is qualified instruction or mentorship.
I was extremely fortunate to be able to study at various institutions, to seek out the education I craved, and to discover what works when learning to draw. Now I'm delighted to distill my education and share it with others, so that you, too, can learn to draw.
In my Drawing Decoded membership, I take care of points oneto three above, so that all you need to do is enjoy learning new skills and conceptswhile practicing consistently.
If you’re looking to build the foundational skills,techniques, and knowledge to confidently face advanced drawing subjects likethe figure and portrait, I invite you learn more about Drawing Decoded here. Let’stake the guesswork out of what to do or practice next, so that you can focus onthe lessons and on your improvement!
So, can you learn to draw?
Absolutely! Realistic drawing is a learnable skill. Everyone can drastically improve their drawing skills with proper instruction and practice.
Happy Drawing,
