Hello there!
As an adult, I recently got inspired to learn how to draw by looking at one of my buddies' art. It's something I had always wanted to do but work/effort/random excuses put me off from starting. Two days ago I decided to say "screw it" and just start copying some drawings I find interesting, but of course I want to be able to draw stuff on my own.
This led me to research various tutorials and guides (included the one in the corner of this subreddit) but a lot of those were like "okay draw this by following these instructions, or use grid line while drawing this other image, etc..."
Don't get me wrong, I understand why they are structured like that and they seem to work for a lot of people, but to be honest just drawing a photo of an animal or a small object I have laying down in my house, like many of those suggests, just bores me to the point I want to do something else.

So my question is, is there a guide or resource that teaches you the fundamentals and techniques while letting you apply it to things you find interesting and want to draw, or should I just bite the bullet and stick to those kinds of guides?

Thank you all in advance! 😀

(The drawings in my post are just the two I did after I said "screw it" in the past couple of days, so they're unrelated to the post. Feel free to comment and criticize those but honestly I don't know if I could pick up on any criticism at my current knowledge level)

So I kinda feel like the eyes are very flat and I’ve tried erasing and redoing the shading but I feel like nothing worked Any tips would be realllyyy appreciated

Added to my previous page from day 1, once again random picture I found on pinterest for reference, could not find the real artist though

Advice for colour schemes and how to colour by using the colour wheel stuff would be appreciated since I'm not the biggest expert on that

I think tomorrow I will add one last small drawing and some 'details' and call my first page a day 🐢

P.S. last slide is not my drawing!

hello! first time poster here... i've been drawing for quite a few years (on and off) and i'd say i've improved quite a bit, but i'm still looking for ways to improve even more, particularly, i wanna improve in the way i draw heads, since i'm mainly someone who draws portraits, i figured if i just sat down and learned how to properly draw heads, id be able to focus on learning everything else afterwards, since, for me a lot of times when i draw it almost feels like i'm relearning how to draw the head every single time...

i also struggle with following most art tuts since i'm ND and have a hard time keeping up with a lot of the teaching, so please be patient with me!

here are some examples of my art! i'm looking to draw in a sort of semi-realistic/anime-ish style, some artists that inspire particularly are mewuza on twt and ryoko kui :)

I took a break but I’m back

If you put an image in front of me, I'm pretty good about copying what I see free-hand without guidelines. But whenever I try to make something new like an original character or use guidelines, it doesn't work. I can't draw original characters or put characters in new positions. I try to use guidelines and it looks like an entirely different artist. It's just so frustrating lol. For context, pictures 4, 5, and 6 were all drawn *after* pictures 1, 2, 3.

And along with all of this, I feel like my art doesn't really have a style. When I look at the pictures, it feels like each one was made by a different artist.

this sort of exercise centers around one vanishing point and i understand that each cube is tied to it. but it seems like there are no other things which connect the other cubes. each cube has its own other vanishing point (or points for the 4 in each corner.) i just dont understand how youre supposed to know at all where these points lie. i thought 1/2/3 point perspective can describe a scene but it seems like it can only describe an object within a scene

help! how do i figure out where to put the vanishing points of each square! i have no clue how to correct myself when i do this exercise!

I love Megan so much. Unrelated, well, kinda, but I feel as if there should be a word for wanting to draw something and being unable to convey it with your current skill set. 😭

Every time I try to sketch it just looks like shit! Someone teach me the ways!

Hello!! As the title says, I want to get better at concept art, specifically environment art. I am doing a 4-week challenge where during the first week I focus on perspective, values, and studies! Any feedback would be appreciated.

note: Rough sketch, Begginer. Yes i draw slightly different to make it easier or harder depending on the region.

Mostly drawn without references, finding it especially hard to understand the way the shoulder works in different poses

When learning about how to draw humans I have been told to practice gesture drawing over and over and over, so I've been practicing it, this has truly been the most angry and frustrated I've ever been doing this. Im drawing all these gestures, but I feel no closer to drawing people. This place has been amazing for getting advice, i probably just need some rest. Your help and advice would be appreciated

I’m still making stuff, I just don’t think it looks good. I guess my expectations are higher than my current skill level, but I just don’t know what to really do about it besides try and get better.

Loved doing these

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to figure out how to get back into drawing after taking about a five-month hiatus. Lately, most of my time and energy has been focused on other things mainly my reselling side hustle. I think the biggest thing I’m struggling with right now is finding my “why” again. Honestly, drawing has always felt like the one thing I was actually good at. I tried other interests growing up, like sports, but nothing really clicked or held my attention the way drawing did. It used to bring me a lot of joy. My original dream was to create my own characters and build stories around them, maybe eventually turn them into comics or even see them animated someday. But over time, I started feeling held back by what I don't have: the resources, connections, guidance, and sometimes even the skills to bring the bigger vision in my head to life.

Now, at 32, I look at my current skill level and even some of the drawings I made earlier this year, and I can't help but think they're just... decent, but not enough to do what I want to do. That mindset makes it difficult to see the point in continuing sometimes.

I want to find that joy again. I want to have a reason to pick up a pencil without immediately thinking about whether I'm good enough or whether I'll ever be able to accomplish the bigger dreams I have.

For anyone who has gone through something similar how did you find your motivation again when you felt like your skills or lack of resources were holding your vision back? And how did you learn to enjoy drawing for yourself again without putting so much pressure on the end goal?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences.

i dont know what im doing wrong. this is not my first attempt. im learning the asaro heas to improve the anatomy of my heads and so i can draw semi realism but i feel as if it isnt helping or making me improve . heres some of my past art. !

New to drawing online, using CSP. I've been drawing a lot of cartoon-esque styles, but I've wondered if using a circle tool for heads is a bad habit to get into, or if I should just avoid it altogether and draw the heads free-hand?

I wanted to ask some digital artists. Long story short, I recently bought a tabletop easel because I heard it helps prevent neck pain. In the future, I plan to draw on my Huion tablet. I’ve only been drawing for a very short time. I’ll attach two photos: 1. I drew a practice sketch on a table. 2. I drew on the easel.

Drawing on an easel is very uncomfortable, takes much longer, and you can’t rotate the paper for convenience. Should I just get used to it? When I watch manga artists draw, they all use displays that aren’t lying flat on their desks. Please give me some advice.

It's round