Different people has diverse ways of relaxing; some indulge in a game or two, some rushes to shop, some play with their pet, etc. I sketch and I like it. Been a full time Otaku and extremely unwilling to go out for a Walk, I draw and paint as a simple way of escaping from my daily chores.

Since this is indeed a Designer (sketching, illustrating, drawing and painting included) blog, I feel obliged to Share with others some of the sketching tips and tricks for those who took up sketching and drawing and a hobby and those who really feel like improving.

I am a self taught learner in sketching and I have never attended any formal class on this, so the following sketching tips come only from my personal experience. I do recommend some other sites like artgraphica, artistdaily, or drawspace if you need more professional help.

1. Going from Macro to Micro-Learn the Big Picture FIRST

Do not go into details YET. This is a common mistake made by many beginners who always tend to draw out the details from one place to another, then they realise that the sketch look distorted and incoherent. So do start out giving a brief sketch of the scene then start adding details to them.

2. All complex formations came from simple shapes

A shortcut to improve one’s drawing/sketching skills is through fast sketching of real life objects. Take your handphone and put in on the nearest surface you can find, then give it a fast sketch. Don’t you find it difficult to draw out the outline from scratch? Therefore, always define the object you are sketch in easy to draw 2D and 3D shapes. This also ensures that your sketching proportion is not distorted.

3. Don’t forget to Shade!

An important part of sketching is shading. Shading add dynamics and existence to your sketch, turning it from a lifeless 2 dimensional illustration to a 3 dimensional virtual reality. Shading is not easy and must be done with a clear understanding of lighting and a lot of prior experience.

With that I present to you another fast 15 min sketch of a imaginative landscape.

That’s all folks, keep “Orz”ing!

Have you checked out my previous posts?