By continually answering this question of “how to learn to draw,” a short course for the student has formed on its own. This list is not complete and can be continued by developing the thought within each point. It summarizes many years of experience as an academic school teacher, statements from my peers, and my experiments. It is my contention that by following these tips, anyone can learn to draw.

Sketch.
The first and most important point. Do at least 5-6 sketches a day. The rule of thumb is: the more the better. Take every opportunity to draw at home, at work, on the road. This develops the “hand”, sharpness and speed of perception, the ability to see proportions, character. It is useful to draw storyboards for a movie, comics, step-by-step instructions. In them you have to control the movement of the characters, making sure they are recognizable. Read more

Copy the old masters.
Surround yourself with role models, develop taste. Make 1 copy in 3 months. These should be thorough studies from good originals of great masters (Michelangelo, Rubens, Holbein, Dürer, Repin, Serov, Feshin, and others). Try as much as you can to get close to the original, studying not only the technical methods of the master, but also his biography and the material culture of the time. Read more

Draw from memory
Even when working from nature, we work from memory. During a long study production, make parallel sketches from memory, taking apart the details, draw at home this or that element. Developing visual memory, you will not only draw well, but also convincingly compose.

study and verify with nature.
Study nature for at least 2 hours a day under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Principle: from simple to complex. Have an individual lesson plan or follow a set syllabus in order to master professional skills fruitfully. Combine work in the studio with a field trip. Don’t let yourself be led astray by formal experiments. Trust your feelings, and constantly check the theory with practice.

Read professional literature
Everything you need to know has already been written a long time ago – don’t reinvent the wheel. Read 1 book a month. Technique and technology of materials, history of art, anatomy, color science, treatises of old masters, biographies of artists, physics of natural phenomena, basics of perception, psychology, philosophy – read everything related to the profession of the artist. Today the Internet gives a global opportunity to get almost any material. But, not everything can be trusted.

Look for a mentor.
Constantly look for a mentor as you grow professionally. You must have complete trust in his knowledge, experience, and his creative work should be universally respected. Often good artists can’t be mentors. You have to have methodical and teaching talent for that. Giving advice is not enough – it is necessary to participate in the fate of the student, to come up with assignments tailored to individuality and ability. Full-time teachers, on the other hand, are more often than not in a supervisory role and haven’t practiced art for a long time. Their school truths have no real skill or mastery underneath them. Sometimes, just one encounter with a true master can change your whole destiny.

Repeat mistakes.
Usually, people encounter the first obstacle – abandon what they started. They are afraid of repeating mistakes. Fail – start a new one! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – take a closer look at them. Perhaps it’s your personality that “speaks”. Turn your flaws into your strengths.

Don’t draw from a photo.
The temptation to simplify work from life can have irreversible consequences. The novice artist, not realizing the intricacies of revealing form, becomes addicted, willingly or unwillingly, to looking at the world through a lens. It seems to him that this will bring him closer to nature. Believe me – it’s not like that at all.
A camera can’t replace the work of your mind and heart in conveying reality on the plane. And it certainly can’t recycle it creatively, which is especially valuable. Only by gaining enough experience and becoming a master can you use a camera to gather material and capture the moment.

Take breaks.
Don’t get hung up on the same thing, just know how to switch. If you can’t do it, take a break, go for a walk. Start a fundamentally different drawing, change your point of view, change technique, try a new material. It is useful to conduct several works at the same time with different tasks, using a new technique. Sometimes you just need to take a step back to look at yourself from the outside.

Get creative.
Set big goals for yourself. Always remember what you decided to study for. Don’t put off your artistic plans, your creative ideas. Start putting them into practice right now. Participate in exhibitions, contests regardless of your level or remoteness. Be an artist!