How to Get Better at Drawing (The Real Answer)
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
If you've ever Googled "how to get better at drawing," you've probably seen the same advice a hundred times. Practice, practice, practice!
That advice isn't wrong. But it's also not the full picture.
I want to share what actually worked for me, and what I think is the true formula for improving as an artist. Because after years of making a lot of bad art, and finally getting to a place where I feel proud of what I create, I've landed on something pretty simple:
Learn. Practice. Repeat.
That's it. But let's talk about what that actually looks like.
First, you need the one thing no one can give you.
Before we get into it, there is one requirement for this to work…and that’s passion.
You have to genuinely enjoy making art. You have to light up when you sit down to create. This is essential. Because without that drive, learning feels like a boring day at school, and practice feels like homework!
But when you love it and have a passion for art, learning becomes exciting. And practice becomes something you actually look forward to.
So if you're here reading this, that's a great sign. :)
Learn
When I was younger, I took pride in being “self-taught“. It felt like a badge of honor.
But eventually, I looked at all the beautiful art around me and had to get real with myself.
I'd reached the natural limit of where practice alone was going to take me.
My skills had grown, but they'd hit a ceiling. And I knew the only way to break through it was to stretch my knowledge in a new way.
That meant accepting something humbling: I needed to learn from artists who knew more than I did.
And here's something I think people often don’t realize: You don't have to go to a traditional art school to get a real art education.
I never went to art school. What I did instead was study with artists whose work I genuinely loved and admired. And I think that distinction matters a lot!
When I decided I wanted to get better at portrait drawing, I found professional artists in my area who were doing exactly what I wanted to do and took classes with them. I took online courses. I sought out people who were better than me and generous teachers, people who actually shared their knowledge. I even hopped on a plane (all by myself for the first time! lol) and flew to Arizona to take a workshop.
I studied with people whose work I truly found beautiful. That matters because it keeps you engaged, and it means you're learning a style and approach you love.
Sometimes in art school, people go through the motions. They do the assignments, but they're not truly inspired. There's nothing wrong with art school, but don't limit yourself to thinking that’s the only path for learning as an artist.
Some of the best art education I've ever received happened in workshops, online courses, and local, non-credit classes.
Here are some ways you can learn:
In-person classes and workshops
Books and e-books
Online courses and tutorials
YouTube videos
Step-by-step guides and blog posts
Some foundations worth studying:
The elements of design
The principles of design
Your specific medium (whether that's Procreate, watercolor, pencil, etc.)
The fundamentals of drawing
Everything you can about the subjects you love to draw or paint
The more you understand the why behind what you're doing, the more confident and intentional your art becomes.
Practice
Learning without practice is just collecting information. At some point, you have to put it into action!
One of my teachers once said: You've gotta get a mile of canvas behind you. & I loved that.
You have to make a lot of stuff.
When I was working on my portrait drawings, I committed to making about one portrait a week. And I shared them online, because knowing someone might see them kept me accountable and motivated to keep going. They weren't all great lol. But each one taught me something.
Practice doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to happen!
A few ways to make practice stick:
Set a regular rhythm (once a week, a few times a week, whatever is realistic for you)
Work on projects and drills! Make actual pieces and do art exercises too
Join online challenges!
Share your work if that helps you stay accountable
Embrace the ugly pieces. They're part of the process! (And fun to look back on.)
Repeat
Here's the part people forget: this isn't a one-time thing.
You learn, you practice, you grow. And then you do it again. At a higher level with new goals.
And the cool thing is, as you grow and change as an artist, you get to try new mediums, explore new subjects, and new styles too! And the same process can work over and over again.
A Great Place to Start: The Foundations of Drawing
One of the most essential parts of the learning piece, especially if you're newer to drawing, is understanding the foundations. Things like how to hold a pencil, how to see shapes, how to build up a drawing intentionally, rather than just hoping it looks right.
That's exactly why I created Sketching Essentials: Become a Confident Artist. It's everything I wish I had known when I was first starting out and struggling to make my drawings look the way I wanted them to.
If you're ready to stop guessing and start building real skills, this is a great place to start.
You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to have natural talent to get better. You just need the passion, the willingness to learn, and the commitment to practice.
Learn. Practice. Repeat.
You've got this 💪
