The Three Biggest Drawing Mistakes Made By Beginners

Typically, when you first begin drawing (or anything else for that matter), you will make plenty of mistakes. Remember that occasional mistakes are normal, as they represent a step in your learning to master a craft. Because drawing can be a difficult craft to master, expect to make plenty of mistakes yet still try to avoid making them. The best way to avoid mistakes is to first know what mistakes you are prone to making. When you just begin learning a skill, you are not likely to know enough about what is ahead of you to foresee potential mistakes, so it's nice to have a guide to help you. These are the top three most common mistakes made by beginners when drawing, and advice on how to prevent yourself from making them.

The most common mistake when drawing is using a pencil that is too hard. The standard pencil used in traditional schools is the number 2 pencil. This pencil, while excellent for typical writing, has lead that is too hard. When the lead is too hard, the resulting drawing will be very light. Using a softer pencil will give you the dark lines to very light and soft lines (since more or less lead is left behind on the paper). An important point with your pencils: always keep them sharp, very sharp. You will find you'll get a much cleaner line with a sharp point. Popular pencils recommended for drawing are B/2B/4B pencils.

Another all too common mistake drawing beginners make is using flash photography as their model. Photographs are two-dimensional, making it hard for an artist to get enough detail for a proper drawing. It is recommended you use the real model (whether it be a person, place, or object) whenever possible. This will allow you visual access to all the details, depth, colors, and shades to truly make your drawing as realistic as possible.

Finally, many drawing beginners make the mistake of using traditional copy or printing paper for their work. Some of these papers are made with a very smooth texture (especially business-quality letter or photocopy stuff) that is very hard for pencil lead to properly rub off on.

Sketching paper is a better foundation for most pencil drawings with a slight tooth as it's called. Also, when drawing in a notebook you may not be able to apply enough pressure with your pencil due to the stack of sheets underneath being compressed when you put your hand on the top page. So a notebook is out and a quality sketchbook is in. It is recommended that you purchase a ring bound sketchbook about 9 x 12 inches.