I'm taking Art/Drawing classes this fall, whats a good way to get a head start on drawing?

Hi there. :) That's great you want to get a head start on your drawing. This may sound silly, but it's actually not - When you're drawing, actually -LOOK- at what you're drawing. Most people glance, assume they know exactly what they're drawing, and draw it pretty much from their head or what they /think/ they're looking at. [That make sense? Haha] My advice - Do lots of figure/life drawings and portraits. Live models [your mom, friend, anyone!] are always much more beneficial than working from photographs. So try that. Do lllloads of those. You will improve with every one. Also - Draw mechanical objects, start of simply, like, I don't know, cups, whatever, and gradually move on to more difficult and intricately built objects. And natural objects also - Fruit, plants, etc. Draw with different materials, like pencil, graphite pencil, charcoal, colouring pencils, oil pastels, whatever you like. Yes, get a sketchpad. Put /everything/ and anything you like in it, anything that comes into your head, observational or imaginative. Scribbles, doodles, writing, 'decor' for your sketchpad, haha. But also get A2/A1 sheets and draw LARGE. Don't get in the habit of all tiny little drawings. Shading. Try and achieve shading, light to dark. Instead of having to go on about it, I looked up something for you - http://www.learningnerd.com/drawing-day-2 Anything else, hmm, try and get texture! Ah yes. Think about it, the different textures between a towel, glass, wood, and so on. Well, good luck! :)

Hi Slaar?? i used to teach drawing and design, and if you will accept some advice... wait to see what supplies your instructor asks you to get, then you won't spend money on something you may not need.. but if pencils are used get maybe one hard for layout, HB maybe, then get soft pencils 4b or 6b, even a graphite stick, but wait on that. More importantly, don't turn your new class into a competition, instead, view it as self exploration, and a social experience, make friends. It should be "fun", you will learn the things you are hoping to learn, hopefully your teacher will be a guide. Good luck, have fun, art is not a sport, lol, jb

grab a pencil or pen and paper and draw! draw what you see before you and in your head. draw, draw, draw! take a short story or poem and draw it with out words. basically just challenge yourself.

since your interest is to eventually persue character design and 3d modeling/animation I would definitely study some anatomy. If you can't find actual people to pose or to draw from check out a local library or even buy an anatomy book from an art store. There's lots of artist anatomy books available. Anatomy is an incredibly tricky thing to learn, since we already have a percieved notion on what things should look like, so really learning it before hand should help you enter you art classes. If I were you I would definitely invest in a pad of newsprint, its cheap paper that you can do quick drawings on. I would also definitely invest in charcoal. Its a great tool to learn drawing skills with, since its easy to get quick values and can make bold strokes. Ofcourse I would also buy a range of pencils since every artist should have a set, you can usually buy them in an assorted package but definitely grab H, HB, 2B, and 4B. Along with the pencils get a hard eraser (magic rub works well) and a gummy eraser. I'm 99% sure you'll need all these items for the class. You also should consider buying a personal sketchbook where you can sketch from observation with pencils or the charcoal. Also don't be afraid to experiment with different mediums. Just focus on the shape of the forms and the way the light hits it. Good luck! Drawing classes are incredibly fun and its always great to look back after the class is through and visibly see your improvement. If I can think of any other suggestions I'll let you know :)

Just get a pad, some pencils and go to a place where you can relax and let your mind float. Just take a stab at it. It's not much different than anything youve already done it just takes a little time to get your hands to follow your feelings but if you practice it wont stray to far from whatever you had in mind from the start or whats in front of your eyes. Good luck. Chin up. Smiles. Later you can get into color. Peace. :) All my opinion, I'm not a 'by the book artist,' I'm just an artist.