How many times have you been disappointed with the results? You thought that this location would look perfect in your sketchbook, but it wasn’t. The sketch is boring and dull, and you have a strong feeling that something is missing. You are not alone, it happened to every sketcher, believe me. When it happening to me, I try to cheer myself with a few things:
Process is more important
Did you enjoy the process of sketching? Process is more important than result because you had fun and it gives you a little more experience that you had before. If you tell yourself that you didn’t enjoy the process, you will only have your disappointing result. So try to have fun and to tell yourself that process is more meaningful than result. It will help you to be less stressed and will push you to keep sketching.
Practice more
Mostly if you didn’t love the result of your sketch it means that you probably should do it one more time . Continue practice until you gain your goal. Practice will improve your skills, you will learn both from your mistakes and strong sides. It will take time, so be patient and enjoy the small steps that you do. Anyway, to get a result that satisfies you 100% will take time. But don’t be upset about it!
Learn the basics
The fast way to get results is to learn the basics. Learn techniques, shadows and highlights, perspective. Also choose material that you want to start with. Usually it is easy to start with graphic media: pencils or charcoal. Choose what you want to specialize at first: still life, landscape or portrait. Take a short drawing course or a workshop and then you will be more confident in what you are doing and have a system. Anyway, developing a solid basis is crucial in any skill.
I started to draw and sketch in 2019. At first, I tried to draw everything without any system or a guide. I saw that my progress is very slow and results don’t satisfy me. So I asked a relative for advice on how to improve my sketches. I got some tips and tricks, but that wasn’t enough. I took a short course about basic sketching and that helped me. I practiced at least three times a week. After 3 years I suddenly started to understand more and really love my sketching results.
If you want to learn how to improve your sketch, read my post about it.
Draw more, practice a lot and enjoy the process!
