By : Elizabeth Tapp

This is the hardest part. You have a brilliant idea in your head, you see exactly what you want to achieve, you have a feeling that you know how to do it, but … where to start? This is the biggest problem, because the first line is the basis for another line, and another, and another. Draw it wrong and it all collapses…or will it?

There is no one right way to start drawing. Artists use a variety of techniques that best suit their personal style of work. But if you’re a beginner, chances are you only know one or two methods, and you keep using them even when they don’t seem to work.

In this article, I will show you five popular methods for creating a creature/character drawing. I will show their pros and cons so you can decide which one is best for you. However, don’t just look at the pros and cons – not all of them may be important!

1. Stroke

What is this?

This is by far the most popular method among true beginners. Whenever I read the stories of professional artists, they always admit that this is how they started. Basically, a stroke is drawing over an image to copy its lines, partially or completely. The result is a drawing with clean lines and perfect proportions. To circle:

  1. Find a drawing/photo (the brighter the lines, the better).
  2. Cover it with a thin sheet of paper so you can see the original image (you can use some kind of transparent table, like a window).
  3. Draw visible lines.

For

  • The drawing is clean.
  • Correct proportions.
  • Requires little effort.
  • Improves handicraft skills.
  • A process that even a child can understand.
  • It turns out a decent picture without artistic skills.
  • Good result guaranteed.

Against

  • The drawing is not really yours (if you call it yours, it’s the art of stealing!).
  • And any praise you get for a drawing isn’t really yours either.
  • You cannot draw what you want, but only copy.
  • This is a one time solution.
  • Since great results are obtained without much effort, you may not want to strain yourself later for the sake of working on a real drawing.
  • This does not make you an artist, but rather a living copier.

How to learn it?

Doing it. It’s not that hard, really!

2. Stroke from memory

What is this?

This is a method that beginners may consider the only honest one. You may or may not use the template; in the end, it all comes down to imagining lines. The process looks like this:

  1. Take a blank sheet of paper.
  2. Look at it and imagine the future drawing.
  3. Draw imaginary lines.
If you expect your drawing to look like this, you are guaranteed to be disappointed.

For

  • It’s very lucrative.
  • If you consider yourself talented, it will be easy to a certain extent.
  • If you know what you’re doing, the lines are very clean and neat.
  • It does not require a sensitive instrument.

Against

  • The more complex the topic, the more “talent”/experience/visual memory it requires.
  • You don’t really know what you’re drawing until it’s done – it’s a guessing game.
  • The more you guess, the messier the drawing.
  • The result rarely matches your vision.
  • Every little mistake is fatal to the end result.
  • It requires a lot of effort with no guarantee of decent results.

How to learn it?

Don’t learn it. Learn other methods and this skill will update automatically.

3. Structural drawing

What is this?

When you begin to seriously learn to draw, you are told that the final lines come from the guides, the inner skeleton of the drawing. Here’s how to understand it:

  1. Get a set of samples of one item.
  2. Analyze them to understand the structure of the subject (something common to each photo).
  3. Circle from memory to simply draw the structure.
  4. Use the structure as guides for the final drawing.

For

  • If you understand the topic correctly, you can create very realistic drawings without reference.
  • This gives you confidence and the ability to fix bugs on the fly.
  • You don’t have to guess where to put the last lines in order for them to be clear.
  • You can change what you have learned before learning something new.
  • You can teach drawing to others.
  • This is perfect for the analytical mind.

Against

  • The drawing will come out messy if you have too many guides or draw them in too much detail.
  • The poses come out stiff and unnatural because you have to plan them first (unless you use a link).
  • It takes a lot of effort to study a topic.
  • It takes a lot of practice.
  • If you take a bad structure, the final lines will turn out to be bad, no matter how much time you put into it.
  • Structural thinking may not fit into the typical mind of an artist.
  • Structures can be easily forgotten if you haven’t practiced drawing them for some time.
  • You need concentration to draw like this.