It all begins with drawing

- Drawing is essential to almost all art, no matter the medium. As kids, we start to draw as soon as we can hold a pencil. First it's scribbles, and then we learn symbols for things like the sun, a house, or a dog. Drawing is fun and empowering as a kid. We can tell stories with our images, even before we can write. As we get older, we're taught to draw what we see, and this process is as much about learning to draw realistically, as it is learning to look, to really look at the details of our world. Seeing detail is an essential skill in all types of art. The problem is, as we get older, we get very self-conscious about what our drawings look like. Many will say, "I can't draw a stick figure. I'm just not creative." So they never even try. However, drawing is a skill like playing an instrument. Anyone can learn to do it well. It just takes practice, a lot of practice. If you feel like you need to up your drawing skills, please check out our drawing foundation series. These courses will build your skills and teach you how to really see what you're drawing. We also have a great course on drawing 2-Point perspective that is a key skill to have. And you may want to check out Sketching for Product Design and AEC. You'll get a good sense on how to render objects in 3-D. Now, if you're serious about art, which I assume you are if you're watching this course, making drawing and sketching a daily habit is the best thing you can do for your career and your art. However, life is busy and it often gets backburnered. If you need some inspiration to keep that hand moving, our 21 in 5-day drawing challenges with Von Glitschka are a ton of fun. His short daily exercises will push you to work in ways you probably haven't in the past. Because drawing and sketching are so fundamental, it's a good idea to keep your sketchbook and favorite drawing tool with you at all times. This way you'll never have an excuse not to use it. And if you need a little inspiration, please watch out beautiful documentary on Adonna Khare, an artist of large scale drawings that will blow your mind. Never stop drawing, it's the lifeblood of great artists.