Basic Skills / Getting Started with Drawing

Drawing is not a talent. It’s a skill anyone can learn. Designed for aspiring painters, graphic designers, illustrators and artists of all types, The Art & Science of Drawing series will teach you the foundation of art and design of all kinds: drawing.

BASIC SKILLS is the first course in the series and will teach you the basics of drawing one day at a time. 

Here’s how it works:

Each day you’ll watch one video lesson that will teach you an essential drawing skill.  At the end of each lesson you’ll be given a project designed to build your drawing skills quickly and efficiently.  After doing the project, you’re ready for the next day’s lesson and project! 

In this beginning drawing course you’ll learn:

• How to use the pencil like an artist
• How to draw any shape
• How to analyze and draw any subject by simplifying it into basic shapes

BASIC SKILLS is overflowing with powerful insights into the drawing process and offers some of the clearest, most accessible drawing instruction available.  Many of the tools and techniques you'll learn here are rarely taught outside of private art academies.

BASIC SKILLS is the first course in The Art & Science of Drawing  series designed to take students from the absolute basics to advanced drawing techniques like perspective drawing and shading. If you're a beginner, we recommend going through the entire series in the following order:

The Art & Science of Drawing:

• BASIC SKILLS / Getting Started with Drawing 
• DYNAMIC MARK MAKING / Drawing with Expression & Creativity
• FORM & SPACE / 3D Drawing & Perspective 
• MEASURING & PROPORTION / Drawing with Accuracy & Precision
• CONTOURS / Drawing with Compelling Contours & Foreshortening:
• SHADING FUNDAMENTALS / Drawing with Dramatic Light and Shadow
• SHADING BEYOND THE BASICS / Shade Any Subject No Matter How Complex 

The Art & Science of Figure Drawing:

• GESTURE / An Introduction to the Art of Figure Drawing
• VOLUME & STRUCTURE / Learn the Art of Dynamic, 3D Figure Drawing
• SHADING / Learn to Draw the Figure in Dramatic Light & Shadow

If you've got some drawing experience, feel free to mix and match The Art & Science of Drawing courses to suit your personal needs as an artist! Many frequently asked questions are answered here.