User blog:40DagreezKelvin/Tips On Becoming a Better Sketch Artist

Hey guys, 40DagreezKelvin here! I'm gonna be offering a few tips on how to become a better sketch artist ("sketch" meaning pencil and paper just to clarify). I'm gonna give you guys a few tips of the trade, and then walk you step by step through one of my own drawings so you get a little bit of insight.

"Start with the end in mind" - By this, I mean brainstorm and visualize your finished product before you actually start drawing. Know what pose you are going to use firsthand, whether it be static (sitting or standing in place) or dynamic (action pose or battle stance). Keep things in mind such as the direction of the hands, so you know which direction the thumbs should be at (something as simple as a misplaced thumb can ruin an entire piece).

"Keep it in perspective" - One of the most fundamental aspects of drawing thats the most often overlooked is perspective: the angle of the drawing as well as the size of different parts of the drawing. The perspective of your drawing should stay the same with the entire piece, if you are drawing at a downwards angle, you should not see a side view of the face or the bottom of the shoes (obviously).

"Its all about proportion" - Proportion varies depending on the style of art: chibi art depicts the body as being the same size of the head, basic cartoon art usually depicts the body as 3-4x the size of the head, and portrait art depicts the body as about 7x the head size. I draw my characters with the 3-4 head rule. Look at your own hands to draw proper finger size. Legs and arms are slightly longer than the body, but not too long.

"Back to the Basics" - Remember back in elementary school when we were taught to draw stick-people? Well, this practice can still benefit you today. I always start with lightly drawn "stickman" made of geometric shapes to mark where certain parts of the body will be placed. This seems very ameturish, but the skeleton allows you to keep proportion size as well as offers guidelines. Keep these "skeleton" lines as thin and light as possible so they dont show up later in your finished piece.

"Get to the point" - If you are using a regular wooden pencil, sharpen frequently to get thinner cleaner lines. This is super important when detailing hair, eyes, and clothing and accesories. It sounds obvious, yet many people don't do it and it makes their work look really bad. Also, place an index card or another sheet of paper under your hand to keep from smudging. Erase stray lines as you come across them, not at the end, so you aren't erasing other lines too.

The guide and its pictures is going up later today, i just wanted to go ahead and post this blog.