Disclaimer: I am by no means a perfect artist, I am still learning as I go on, these are some mistakes and things that I wish I knew when I started art. I hope that they can help you learn and improve your art.

 

Guidelines 

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Learning a couple basic guidelines and shapes to use for sketching can help significantly improve your art. Don’t be afraid of drawing rough shapes or lines in your sketch because it is just a sketch, it will be erased after the line art anyway. 

Here are a couple basic guidelines to help you get started with portraits.

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Don’t skip body parts

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Eyebrows, noses and ears are some of the most common body parts beginners skip. It is better to just draw small lines to just acknowledge them. See how for example I draw noses as just a little line, very basic and easy. Eyebrows for example help convey emotion, without them you can’t really see how she is a little determined but mostly at ease. She just looks a little bland and like something is missing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunbeam

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When you are just starting with art shading can be hard. It is easy to get confused on which direction the shadows should go. I like drawing a little sun in whichever corner the light is coming from, it helps you make sure that all the shadows are falling in the right direction 

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References

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Using references to help figure out poses can significantly help with lighting and anatomy. Notice how very little regarding looks is the same between the artwork and the reference image. The only two things that they have in common is that they are in the same pose and lightning. 

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That’s all for today, I hope that these tips can help you improve your art.