Are you a novice looking to cultivate your sketching skills?

Want to turn your love for drawing into a daily habit?
Well, you’re in the right place!

Today, we’re diving into how to start a daily drawing routine that fosters not just skill improvement but also a mindset geared towards success.

Let’s break it down:

How to Start a Drawing Routine and Stick To It

You don’t need years to learn how to sketch.

First off, let’s dispel a myth: 
You don’t need years to learn how to sketch.
What matters more is how you practice, not just how long.

• Success Mindset: Building a drawing routine starts with a success mindset. Focus on the journey, not just the outcome.
• Practice Smart: Instead of mindlessly drawing for hours, understand the logic behind sketching. This means learning from tutorials and strategies to replicate and innovate, not just copying blindly.

Build a sketching strategy

Establishing a sketching strategy is crucial:

• Learn from Tutorials: My blog is filled with beginner-friendly tutorials.
  Use the search bar or click on the tab on top of the menu to find them: Learn 1 TIP-A-DAY!
• Sketch Anytime: Your routine can be flexible. Sketch when you can, whether it’s a few minutes or an entire afternoon. The key is consistency, not duration.
• Draw What You Love: Keep your motivation high by drawing what excites you. Mistakes are part of the process, so embrace them!

So remember,
Having a routine is great.

But daily routine or not,
the duration of your practice routine matters less than how your practice.

1 hour, 2 hours, it is all up to you!

For me, I recommend you sketch anytime you can.
Some days it could be a few minutes, while some days you could block the full afternoon.

Don’t limit yourself.

With a drawing routine, the pleasure factor is essential.
Make sure you draw stuff you like without fear of making mistakes.

Mistakes are part of the game.
(Can you imagine learning how to play Darts without shooting the wall?)

Learn your basics of sketching in parallel, so your sketches will improve too!

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Join my step-by-step design sketching course

I’m excited to share something special with my readers:

• Sketch Like The Pros: This course guides you through my designer’s techniques step-by-step. You’ll receive personalized feedback to help you progress faster.
• Self-Confidence: Your self-confidence is more important than any skill at the start. Believe in yourself, and your skills will follow.

“This is how Confidence and Competence will nurture each other.”

Growth Mindset: Like a muscle, your brain will grow stronger, leading to more achievements and motivation.

Success through Method: With the right method, success is your logical path. Learn, practice, and grow.

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It is ok to start intimidated

Feeling intimidated or discouraged at the start is common:

• Normalize the Process: It’s a sign of passion, not weakness. Keep trying day-by-day, and remember, many have felt the same way.
• Don’t Give Up: Persistence is key. Keep practicing, even if progress seems slow. You’ve got this!

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“Practice is Key. “ (Ok but…)

Have you ever heard this from your family, friends or teachers on that?

And you keep practicing a lot!

But your sketches are still amateur month after month.
Year after year…
And you start to believe in the other Myth that drawing is an innate talent?

You doubt seriously of your capacities and may consider giving up since you can’t see any progress… and the books you buy don’t help…

We all went through this.

This is why I created this blog, to help you start even if you are a true beginner, and prove to yourself you can draw when you have the method!

So don’t ever think of giving up your drawing routine goal. “Do not underestimate yourself.”

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Do not skip the basics of sketching

I’ve just received an email from Yann.
He asks me for advice on his daily routine. He already has plenty of sketches using the technique of contour lines.

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However, he’s lacking fluidity.
To succeed, he’s thinking to set a time frame of 1 or 2 hours on

• Straight lines,
• Circles,
• Ellipses per day.

It sounds like a great idea!

• Master the Basics: Practice basic movements like straight lines, circles, and ellipses. These form the foundation for advanced sketching.
• Focus on What You Love: Draw what inspires you while keeping the basics in your priority list. This is how you’ll see exponential progress.

2 reasons to keep drawing anything:

• Drawing what you love keeps your motivation high.
  So don’t skip them if your heart makes you feel you want to draw.
• Drawing what you love often, is a great opportunity for you to put in application your basic movements as well!

It will be a great opportunity to apply your new abilities and see your progress!

So keep putting the basic movements in your priority 1,
and you will meet your exponential progress sooner. 🙂

A strong foundation makes everything easier!

You know what?

The cool thing is the foundations are not that difficult.
They may be impressive sometimes, from a beginner’s eye.

Decompose Objects: Think of drawing as breaking down objects into smaller volumes. This approach simplifies the process.

When you got it, drawing becomes addictive!

• Embrace the Joy: Once sketching clicks, you’ll find yourself wanting to draw all the time. That’s when you know you’re on the right path.

Wrap-Up!

We’ve embarked on a journey to build a daily drawing routine that fosters not just skill improvement but also a mindset geared towards success.

Here’s a quick recap to keep you inspired:

• You Don’t Need Years: With the right method and mindset, you can make significant progress in sketching without spending endless hours.
• Build Your Strategy: Focus on understanding the logic behind sketching rather than blindly copying others. Use tutorials to learn strategies that enable you to replicate and innovate.
• Join the Journey: Consider enrolling in my step-by-step design sketching course to learn techniques, receive personalized feedback, and grow with a community of like-minded creatives.
• Embrace Confidence and Competence: Your self-confidence is the key to unlocking your potential. Believe in yourself, and your skills will naturally follow.
• Start Intimidated: It’s okay to feel intimidated at first. It’s a sign you care about your work. Overcome this by learning the right way.
• Practice with Purpose: Practice is crucial, but how you practice matters more than how long. Focus on quality over quantity.
• Don’t Skip the Basics: Mastering basic movements like straight lines, circles, and ellipses is fundamental to your progress. Use them to draw what you love and see improvement.
• Motivation and Application: Drawing what you love keeps your motivation high, and it’s a great opportunity to apply your basics, leading to exponential growth.
• Work with Focus: When you set time for sketching, make it a time of full concentration. Engage with your work deeply, and you’ll accelerate your learning.

Remember, drawing should be addictive!
With a routine that aligns with your passion and includes the core principles of sketching, you’ll find yourself sketching whenever you can. Whether it’s for a few minutes or hours, the key is to enjoy the process, stay focused, and let your creativity flow.

And hey, if you’ve found these tips helpful or have any questions, drop a comment below or let me know if you’d like more tutorials like this.

Let’s keep sketching together, and soon, you’ll find yourself not just drawing, but mastering the art of sketching with confidence and joy.

Happy designing!
Cheers,
Chou-Tac

PS: Setting up a routine is a great idea.
However, I want you to work on your mindset.
If you set for example 1 hour of sketching, make it one hour of full focus.

Don’t watch TV, or let anyone interrupt you.
Your phone included. Put it in Plane mode.

Cut all distractions.

Otherwise,
you may just fill your pages with dozens of lines, circles, or ellipses for the sake of adding in more clumsy lines and shapes.

Draw with your soul and concentration.
That’s your best way to shortcut your learning curve!

For some people,
they need a few hours or days to get a new technique,
while for others a few minutes is enough (especially when the sketching technique is well broken down to them)!

Remember it is not a time competition.
But all about how you synchronize your brain with your arm and your hand movement.
Draw with pleasure, focus on the journey and you will naturally progress.

PPS: If you like music, I recommend you lo-fi music.
I recently learned about the binaural beats.

They are “music” you can find on Youtube by typing “Binaural Beats”
playing some sound frequencies your brain is sensitive to.

Some binaural waves improve your sleep,
while others can improve your focus for example.

You can’t use your laptop speakers.
It works only using earphones.

To get started, in case you haven’t registered for it yet, you can get your Designer Starter Kit here.