How to Start Sketching: Plus My Favorite Supplies for Beginners
In art school keeping a sketchbook is part of your educational journey. Our sketchbooks were checked every quarter to make sure we were utilizing them. The beauty of a sketchbook is absolutely nothing in it needs to be perfect – it’s a place for practice, to work out ideas, and to document life. Every time I see sketchbook pages of a famous artist hanging in a museum I think two things. One, how lucky are we that we get this inside look into the artists’ works. And two, if they were alive today they’d be mortified that this is on display.
I hear a lot of people comment on my sketchbooks that they’d love to start sketching, or can’t believe that I can do that. The thing is, anyone can start sketching, you have to do just that…start sketching.
Think About What You Want to Sketch
Start by thinking about what you want to sketch, what interests you? Is it people? Plants? Animals? Start with something that interests you. If you're drawing something you're interested in, it will be a lot easier to keep going when it feels hard.
Trust me on this. In art school we had to fill a sketchbook with 100 drawings of hands and 100 drawings of feet. While I understand the lesson, most artists have a hard time with these appendages (seriously pay attention next time you're at an art museum), I was not particularly interested in hands or feet and the assignment felt like trudging through mud.
Brainstorm What You Have Access To Sketch
Every art instructor I ever had said that sketching from life is the best way to learn to sketch. There’s something special that happens when you force your brain to convert what you’re seeing in 3D to a 2D space. So, what do you have access to? Do you have a nice garden? Do you work in an office where people are generally still? Do you regularly visit a certain place?
What you sketch does not have to be fancy or incredibly thought out. I enjoy sketching people in spaces. I’ve sketched at swim meets, the airport, and while my family is playing a board game.
Start With Good Tools
Starting your journey with good tools, but keep it simple. I like a smaller sketchbook that I can easily pop in my workbag or purse. I also keep it simple with my tools, a number 2 pencil, some assorted pens, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener all stored in a convenient bag.
My Favorite Sketchbook
I've had this Amazon Basics Sketchbook for about a year and I love it! It's a great size and works for both horizontal and vertical sketches.
My Favorite Sketching Pens
If you're just starting out, my recommendation is to just start with pencil. However, if you're looking to try a pen, I love these Micron pens.
Put Pencil to Paper
Stop listening to the voice in your head saying you can’t do it, or you’re not good enough, or who are you to think you could be a person who sketches. Tell that voice to shush. Next time you’re in a place where you can sketch people or plants or animals...or your foot...just do it.
While You're Drawing…
Don’t focus on the exact thing you’re drawing, focus on the line, shape, and tone of the thing. If you are drawing a dog, and you keep thinking, “I’m drawing a dog”, your brain will have a tendency to produce how you think a dog should be drawn, not what that dog actually looks like.
Instead, look at the shapes you see, the lines created by their form, and the difference in tone from light to dark. Where are the shadows? Do you see the highlights? When you draw the basic shapes of the dog vs. what you think a dog will look like, you’ll start to get better and better. Don’t be discouraged if this feels hard, I still have to trick my own brain sometimes and I’ve been keeping sketchbooks for over 20 years.
Key Tips to Make Sure You Actually Put Pencil to Paper & Start Sketching
- Always bring your sketchbook and pencil bag with you, everywhere.
- Put your phone away and observe your surroundings.
- Start out by sketching things that stay still.
- Remind yourself it does not need to be perfect, sketching is practice.
- Draw the lines, shapes, and tone…not the thing you’re drawing.
- Keep sketching, don’t stop.
Ideas of What to Sketch
Remember to start out sketching from life, not from photos. This is better for your brain and your skills. By sketching from life you're training your brain to see depth, volume, and true color.
I like to chose things that will stay rather still for an extended period of time. If you're interested in drawing cars or flowers this is a rather easy task. If you're more interested in sketching environments and people, it can be harder.
Look for opportunities where people stay rather still. Before our house fire I had loads of sketchbooks filled with the backs of people from church, school, or meetings. The benefit here is two fold, they don't move much, and usually they don't know you're sketching them so there's no pressure from a watchful eye.
Lastly, sketch where you are. My current sketchbooks are full of drawings from swim practices because we spend hours every week at the pool while our daughter practices. What you're drawing doesn't have to be a perfect composition. Even a messy kitchen presents an opportunity to practice your skills.
Here are some ideas of what to sketch to help get you started:
- The backs of people at events (church, sports, etc.)
- Things in museums like sculptures, dinosaur bones, and paintings
- Flowers and plants
- Spaces in your home
- People in places where they stay rather still like coffee shops, waiting for trains, or the DMV
- Parked vehicles
- Buildings or landmarks
As most things in life tend to be, sketching is a journey. You never arrive at perfect. Your skills get better. Your style may change. The point is you're doing it and you're learning and you're building brain pathways. I promise you are the only person that will pick out every flaw in your sketches. Trust me, I see every single one in the sketches I've shared above. But flaws are meaningless because everything has them. The meaningful part is that you took the time to try.
Now go sketch something!
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