I need to get better at drawing but I don’t know where to start?

Does that sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve procrastinated because of that very same thing. I just don’t know where to start. So instead of actually trying to figure out a good starting point, I just put it off. So what can you do to figure out a good starting point?

Do a pre-assessment…

What do I mean by a pre-assessment? Well, you need to do a sketch of what it is you want to get better at and decide what you need to do from there. For example, I would like to create my own comic book. What’s the problem? I draw in a chibi style. My comic is a serious, action-packed, saga about a fallen angel seeking redemption. Does that sound like it would be good in the chibi style? Absolutely not. Of course I don’t want to do the Marvel style either. I’m looking for a hybrid style like my chibi-fusion only manga and American-style together. Hmmm, well I guess my style will evolve and I shouldn’t get too concerned this early. Regardless, I basically have to teach myself a new style to make my comic wish come true. My main character, the fallen angel, is a female. So, since it’s “not-my-strong-point” to draw women, I’ll start there. I’m not going to overload myself, I’m going to take it piece-by-piece. I’ll worry about the body later, right now, I’m drawing the face.

Below you’ll see, I drew a sketch of a woman’s face and inked it.

BE HONEST with Yourself!

Now, if I really look at this drawing, I could rip it to shreds but that really doesn’t help. STAY POSITIVE! Don’t just attack your art, be constructive.

For me, I definitely need to work on my hair styles. I also think I need to fix the jawline. I don’t think the placement of the jawline is feminine enough, too wide. I’ll have to research other artists and styles.

I like the placement of the features, so I’m good there, but the features themselves need some work. I don’t like the eyes and the lips. I want to make my fallen angel more sultry. I mean after all she has tempted mankind for centuries! I’m definitely going to need to look at that.

Now You have a starting point. Get to work!

Okay, so now I have some direction as to what to work on. I’m not just blindly drawing something not knowing what to improve on. I now know what I need to do:

• research how to draw the female face and head
• practice drawing hairstyles
• practice drawing eyes, and lips (that’s just for starters)

So what are YOU waiting for? Draw a picture and critique it to determine a starting point.