3 rules from Kimon Nicolaides to learn making 1000 mistakes

1 Learning how to sketch is about making iteration.

We try, we do mistakes, we adjust… we retry… and so on. That’s how we keep learning and get better at anything. If you want to learn the violin, you have to try, explore and train your ears. So you will fine-tune. Same for drawing.

Kimon Nicolaides Gesture drawing.png — Kimon Nicolaides – Gesture drawing without an eraser

I was reading an article from my friend Roy Pallas, blogger and illustrator from Blog-ledessin.com.

He was talking about Kimon Nicolaides, author of “The natural way to draw”. The author recommends to do not look for perfection.

“The earlier you do the 1000 mistakes,
the earlier you get rid of them and reach your goal.”
– Kimon Nicolaides

2 You do not need any eraser to sketch.

Kimon Nicolaides also recommends learning drawing without an eraser (a method I totally share as well) – we shouldn’t erase our mistakes but correct them. We can better keep track of the mistakes.

Sketch with no eraser.png — You will learn faster without an eraser – keep track of your mistakes.

3 Do not draw with contour, but gesture drawing.

I didn’t know much about Kimon Nicolaides, but he seams sharing a similar philosophy as mine – especially about gesture drawing. It’s about sketching with your feelings, not by contour – so your lines are dynamic and convey emotion. And I like to import this technique for Industrial design sketching, fashion design, concept art, urban sketch… That’s actually what I tell my students from my course [Sketch like the Pros].

Leonardo Penaranda - Sketch Random design sketching - student sketch like the pros — Leonardo Peneranda – Student of [Sketch like the Pros], 3rd module.

Put your pencil aside – make a try at sketching with a ballpoint pen only!
It’s pretty fun. The whole idea is to start any sketch with light pen pressure. Soon you will gain a lot of accuracies.

Have fun! And let me know how things going in the comments below.

Take care.
Cheers,
Chou-Tac

5 comments

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Tips you Should Know About the Ballpoint Pen – ✏️THE DESIGN SKETCHBOOK says:

May 5, 2025 at 2:03 pm

[…] an eraser, I recommend starting any of your sketches with light pen pressure. It will give you more room for mistakes or […]

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Throw Away Your Eraser! Learn Product Design Sketching Faster! – ✏️THE DESIGN SKETCHBOOK says:

December 16, 2024 at 5:32 pm

[…] an opportunity for growth. By not relying on an eraser, you train yourself to critically assess and learn from your mistakes, which can lead to faster improvement. The more mistakes you do, the faster you will improve by […]

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Yostina says:

March 15, 2016 at 7:03 pm

Oh ok then I will read all the articles here, and I will keep a close eye on the blog and if I am free around summer holiday I will register for the course.

Thanks a lot :)

Reply
Yostina says:

March 14, 2016 at 11:01 pm

Hi Chou-Tac,

Can I know where to find your course ‘sketch like the pros’? I am new to your blog and I want to learn to sketch because I want to change my career to a product designer.

Thank you,
Yostina.

Reply
- Chou-Tac says:
  
  March 14, 2016 at 11:27 pm
  
  Hello Yostina,
  
  I am glad that you decide to follow your passion :).
  
  The course is now ongoing with the students. I open the registration once every few months so I can take care of them. If you want to, I can update you on the next reopening ? Or maybe add you in the waiting list ?
  
  I should reopen around Summer Holiday.
  Till that day, you can already browse the other tutorials in the blog.
  
  Anything else I can help you ?
  
  Cheers,
  Chou-Tac
  
  Reply

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