Drawing exercises can be fun as well as educational, and they can help an enthusiastic artist to become much more confident about their drawing skills. Regular practice is important, and daily practice would be recommended.

 

The idea behind regular drawing exercises is that it should be an enjoyable process and therefore looked forward to; creating your own fun exercises is recommended as you are then likely to practice drawing the items of interest to you. Here are some drawing exercises to start you off:

 

1. Take a good look at your thumb. Notice the shape of your thumb and the length of it. Then take a look at the nail bed and the shape of the nail as it leaves the tip of your thumb. Once you have absorbed all of the details, close your eyes and try to draw the shape of your thumb on paper. Keep your eyes closed, but just try to see the image in your minds eye and let your hand move the pencil intuitively. When you have finished, review your drawing and see how accurate you were.

 

2. For the next exercises, allow a candle to burn half way down (the shap of the candle and design is entirely up to you) ideally you require a candle where wax has dripped down the side. Focus on the candle and the flame, store the image in your mind and then close your eyes, try to conjure up these images once more and then draw the image as you remember it, concentrating on the shape of the wax. Once you have finished drawing the candle, review your efforts.

 

3. If you have a family pet, then take a few minutes to study it, notice the movements of the animal and any characteristics. Then close your eyes, and try to conjure up the image of the animal and start to draw. Try to retain the image of the animal in your minds eye as you move your pencil across the paper. Try to concentrate on the image still. Once you have finished your drawing once again, review.

 

Using these types of drawing exercises can help you to be able to draw what you actually see and to be able to retain the image for longer. The secret is to allow the hand to guide the pencil as if free flowing so that it is a long flowing line. Create your own drawing exercises and see how your art will improve.