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Draw 101 - The Basics - Beginner Drawing Lessons

Learn to draw by working through these quick, simple lessons. This free, online Learn to Draw course will help you learn to draw what you see and develop your skills.
Learn How to Draw
You can learn how to draw. It's easier than you think. Start here with these free learn how to draw lessons. This Learn to Draw lesson hub will guide you through each step of the process, so make it your homepage for easy reference. Work through each article in each section, doing the exercises and trying out the ideas. Don't skip the exercises - they are like scales for musicians and will help y…
Pencil Shading
The first step to successful pencil shading is to control the movement of your pencil, making sure that every mark you make on the paper works towards creating the shading or modeling effect that you want.
Learn to Draw Exercise - Curly Wire Drawing
Wire Drawing - an exercise in hand-eye co-ordination for beginners. Loosen up and have fun with a non-threatening exercise that sharpens the hand - eye connection, developing observations skills.
Practice Graduated and Continuous Shading
Get control of your range of tone with this simple exercise in graduated tonal drawing.
Learn to Draw - Beginner Lessons
Learn to draw - beginner lessons. Learn how to draw with these step by step lessons. Just start with the first one, and work your way through!
Draw A Simple Still Life
Never drawn before? Try this simple still life. All you need is paper, pencil and a piece of fruit. Fruit is great to draw, because nobody knows if that bump is a mistake, or the actual shape of the fruit!
Learn to Draw What You See
How can I learn to draw what I see? Firstly, by training your mind and eye to work together with some simple exercises. Here are some top techniques that will help you learn how to draw what you see. The linked headings will take you to more information on each technique, with lessons to practice.
Cross Contour Drawing
Find out what cross contours are and how to use them to make your drawing more three-dimensional.
Draw Basic Structure
By sketching the structure of the subject before adding detail, proportion and placement can be correctly established. Learn how to get the framework down first by looking for the basic shapes that make up an object.
Graphite Pencil Drawing Lesson
Those marks on paper are your means of communication with your viewer - make sure they speak beautifully. This drawing lesson will help you get better control of your lines and shading.
Learn to Draw Values - Shading with Pencil
Value drawing requires a different approach to line drawing. This lesson will help you learn to draw values and shading by identifying the mental shift you need to make.
Learn to Draw - Improve Your Tonal Range
When learning to draw, most beginners draw way too light, or don't control their values, jumping from light to dark. Here is a short exercise you can do to broaden your range of tone.
Wire Drawing Exercise
Beginner Drawing Exercise - Wire Drawing - an exercise in hand-eye co-ordination for beginners. Loosen up and have fun with a non-threatening drawing exercise that sharpens the hand - eye connection, developing observations skills
How to Hold a Pencil
There's no 'one right way' to hold a pencil, but some methods are better than others. This article demonstrates the most popular ways to grip a pencil.
Blind Contour Drawing
One of the first exercises to try when you learn to draw, blind contour drawing develops your eye-hand connection. More advanced students can improve observation skills by including a short Blind Contour drawing as a warmup exercise.
Blind Contour Drawing Examples
Blind Contour drawing can sometimes look a bit strange, and you think you're doing it wrong. Chances are, you're doing just fine. Here are some examples.
Linear Contour Drawing - Pure Contour
Pure contour line drawing is the simplest form of linear expression. The line describes visible edges of an object from a particular point of view. This lesson explains what linear contour drawing is and offers some approaches to contour drawing.

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