And no doubt they were right.Finding engaging art lessons can be difficult in our current world of art education. Many tutors I’ve had over the years were quite insistent that practising certain shapes and techniques over and over again hundreds of times is absolutely crucial to improve your art. However, muscle memory can take an obscene number of repetitions to build up. It’s your best friend in many a daily task. But it takes a lot of self-confidence not to get frustrated by bad sketches, even if you technically know they are not meant for keeping.Īs I’ve mentioned, artists that work every day tend to need less time warming up than their less regular colleagues, due to their brain being more used to thinking (and thus seeing) like an artist.īut it also has to do with muscle memory, which, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is the “ability to move a part of your body without thinking about it, learned by repeating the movement many times”. Of course you can also just draw whatever you see around you and accept that the first couple of sketches of the day are going straight into the bin. If you’re doing figure drawings your S-Shapes (see below) are a good call. If you’re out and about doing some architectural sketches, anything to do with boxes and perspective is of course a good choice. Just as musicians will practice their chords, you might want to start with the smaller elements of every drawing, such as your lines, curves and shading. They should be useful but not too difficult or complex.Ī good practice for an artist will involve a succession of short, easy exercises that are done over and over for however much time one has set aside for it. The best warm-up exercises are those that help you practice your muscles and your brain at the same time. I used to think five minutes are quite enough for me, but really, I do my best work after 15 minutes of practice, sometimes more. Just start off with a time frame you think could work for you and evaluate after a couple of tries. If you’re planning to spend several hours with your favourite hobby and/or your subject for the day is particularly difficult then I recommend 15 minutes or more of topic-related practice (see below) before you move on to the actual thing. If you’re a little impatient or you don’t have much time for your art in general, a few minutes of warm-up will suffice. That’s because their brain is used to switching back and forth between modes, as explained above, so it’s mainly their muscles that need some attention.Īnother consideration is how you like to work. I’ve know artists that do a few quick exercises for a couple of seconds, as well as others that take their time and practice up to 30 minutes before progressing to their actual work.Īrtists who sketch or paint everyday tend to need less time before they’re ready to go, as it were. Instead of your brain registering ‘tree’ we want it to see that particular tree, it’s specific shape, colour, branches and foliage. You’ll want your brain to basically take off the blinkers and switch into ‘receiver-mode’.

If we noticed every little detail, texture or convergence line walking around the office it’d would completely overload our system.įor a painting session on the other hand you’ll want to perceive all of these things. The thing is, our brain processes information during our everyday life differently than when we’re making art. Secondly, it’ll give your brain some time to change gears, so to speak. Your linework will be much more secure after a few minutes of practice.

Especially if you haven’t been sketching for a while.ĭoing some simple training exercises before you bring out the fancy paper and start to create your next masterpiece can make all the difference to your work, I promise.įirst of all it’ll warm up your body, specifically those parts you need for drawing, like your fingers, wrist, shoulder. Not warming up before a drawing session isn’t quite as dramatic, but it can still end in a lot of frustration and a waste of time and paper. Otherwise it leads to bad results and injuries. If you want to run a 10k or practice your splits, sure, you’ve got to warm up those muscles first. I used to think warming up was just for athletes. Ever notice that your first sketch of the day is always a bit wonky? In drawing, painting, or any art, a proper warm-up is needed for the best results and improvement.

Easy contour drawings of peoples