how I would learn to draw if I started completely over

Summary

Brynn Li, a self-taught artist, shares how she would approach learning to draw from scratch. She emphasizes that there is no single best learning path: people learn differently, so beginners should experiment and find what fits their needs.

Ideas About Learning Art

• Expect a learning cycle. Your ability to recognize what makes art work can develop faster than your ability to draw it yourself. That gap can be discouraging, but skill rises and falls over time; persistence is important.
• Choose your own direction. Self-teaching offers the freedom to study what interests you, but it also means deciding what to learn and how much time to give it.
• Start with perspective basics. Brynn considers perspective foundational to drawing many kinds of subjects.
• Prioritize consistency over a fixed schedule. Replace some mindless scrolling with drawing, or sketch during breaks and waiting periods. Even a small amount of practice can be worthwhile if it teaches you something.

Suggested Materials

• Pencil: Use any comfortable pencil you already own. A relaxed grip and comfortable tool can make longer drawing sessions easier.
• Broad marker: Use a thick marker for gesture drawing, since its broad marks discourage excessive detail.
• Fineliner (optional challenge): Drawing with a fineliner makes mistakes permanent, which can encourage decisive lines and quicker learning—but it may also be frustrating. Brynn suggests a 0.5 tip as a versatile starting size; thinner or thicker tips are alternatives.
• Paper or sketchbook: Use whatever is accessible, including inexpensive notebooks or printer paper. Larger pages allow more room for big movements and varied drawings. Avoid making practice feel precious.
• Digital tools: Brynn recommends starting with traditional materials for fundamentals, since digital features such as undo and liquify can make it easier to avoid confronting mistakes. Digital drawing is still fine for fun.

Beginner Practice Routine

Brynn proposes four exercises, ideally done regularly. Adjust the workload to avoid burnout.

1. Abstract lines and shapes: Fill pages with loose doodles, curves, loops, and scribbles. Try drawing each form in one continuous stroke without lifting the pencil. Use this as a warm-up.
2. Circles and ellipses: Repeatedly draw circles or ovals of similar size. Guidelines can help keep them consistent. Vary their size and orientation to make the practice less monotonous.
3. Connect the dots: Place two dots and join them with one clean line—no ruler and no scratchy corrections. Before drawing, “ghost” the movement by rehearsing it in the air or just above the page. Try horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines, then increase the distance between the dots.
4. Ten-second gestures: Use a timer and pose-reference sites such as Line of Action or Posemaniacs. With a broad marker, capture the pose’s motion in as few long, clean, curved lines as possible. The goal is to communicate movement quickly, not to draw anatomical detail.

Brynn recommends letting these exercises become warm-ups as skills improve, then shifting the main practice toward subjects or fundamentals the artist wants to develop. She also demonstrates her café-sketching approach: drawing a café directly in pen without an underdrawing, then giving the sketch to the café or its baristas.

Creators and Contributors

• Brynn Li — Presenter and self-taught artist.
• Peter Han — Referenced for the advice to hold a fineliner at about a 90-degree angle.
• Friends of Brynn — Mentioned as examples of artists with different learning routines; they are not named.