19 Tips for Sketching
🍄 Go for a mental health slow walk, breathe deep, look for details around you that are peculiar. Photo them and sketch later.
🍄 Draw those clothes you can’t afford (yet) and that you think are your vibe or one of your character’s.
🍄 Draw those details that catch your eye in a painting or book cover or poster… try copying the technique or colors.
🍄 Sketch the composition of a really cool shot in a movie/series.
🍄 Draw yourself from a photo in an angle you don’t get to experience yourself through normally. (Ex: profile, 3/4 from back).
🍄 Screenshot from an instagram story or ad and draw it (be sure to respect people’s privacy/boundaries, include authorship etc, do it the nice way).
🍄 Redraw your favorite character in your way (explain it’s fan art if sharing).
🍄 Anotate thoughts and detail of a specific day (as big or small as it can be).
🍄 Draw your buddies while videocalling (their pets too).
🍄 Don’t forget to try environments around your characters (lots of interesting pictures for you on Pinterest). The space around them can inform us about their personality and help you generate storytelling ideas.
🍄 Ask your loved ones to pose for you once in a while.
🍄 Capture people in public spaces (very loosely or more detailed if they remain still. It is not easy but it will advance your skill a lot).
🍄 Draw a big scene or landscape in fron of you (do almost a visual scanning of its parts and details, little by little, it will teach your brain more deeply how things are organized, built and connected).
🍄 Draw your favorite meals (suprisingly difficult to record the different textures but very good to develop your skills). As in, dra things you normally don’t! Get out of your comfort zone. No one cares about that ugly drawing. You’re still a good artist!
🍄 Experiment drawing with transparent paper, draw background on one layer, try picturing characters on the second layer and see how they fit together. Puzzle that out a bit.
🍄 Add ink to the fun. And color!
🍄 Draw loosely and spontaneously like a child. Do the stiky figures. Teach your body the beginner’s mind and take the joy from it. Lean to stop the deep thinking, change directions of trace suddenly.
🍄 Try to portray an emotion you feel. Use characters, poses…
🍄 If you’re taking notes of someone talking, draw them next to the text.
I tried to think of personal new ones. There are many lists out there for you to follow, an endless stream of inspiration! 😊
Lastly…
I see my relationship with sketching almost the same way as I do with my relationship with meditation.
It is something definitely essential, that does wonders, a pillar in life and work, but at the same time… Something very easy to neglect and forget for a while.
Specially if you, like me, work full time for others, and dedicate yourself to your practice in a lot of your free time, with a will that is changeable like the seasons.
Just want you to know, or to remind you, that it’s always ok if you’ve fallen out of track. All you have to do is grab that pen and paper and re-discover the joy of it.
It is always there waiting for you. 😉
Stay safe and inspired,
