Ways to Improve Art Skills

Improving your artistic skills takes passion and dedication. Whether you want to become a professional artist or just get really good at a new hobby, you can create well-rounded and truly skillful art with a little patience and diligent practice. You need to develop a daily habit of practicing and thinking openly about acquiring new skills and testing old ones. Training your eyes to see the world like an artist will also help you create practical works of art or treat light, shadow, and composition in new and creative ways. Art is supposed to be unique, so have fun and don’t be afraid to break the rules!

Table of Contents

Learn new techniques

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Watch free online tutorials to learn techniques like color blending or shading. If you want to learn how to create specific colors or shadows, and realistic-looking shades, check out some of the free online tutorials. Have your sketchpad and tools ready so you can pause the video and practice when the instructor pauses. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Please review the comments on the videos as perhaps other artists have left some tips and suggestions.
Look for tutorials on any particular method you want to learn. For example, you can find some good lectures on composition, lighting, stereoscopic, surrealism, or even three-dimensional effects. Perhaps the internet has documentation for anything you can think of!

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Take private lessons or an art class that focuses on specific skills. If you’re a beginner, look to community centers and local libraries to start art courses. If you already have some intermediate or advanced skills, you might consider enrolling in a class at a local university or art institute. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Taking a class is a great way to meet other artists and get some constructive commentary.
To find local instructors, classes, and workshops near you, visit https://artcantina.com/.

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Use the manual if you are a beginner or are learning a particular skill. Workbooks are a great place to start if you’re a beginner or are looking for a very specific skill like illustration or cartooning. This is a great option if you have a busy schedule as you can tackle each lesson at your own pace. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You can buy manuals online or at most major bookstores.
If you borrow a guidebook from your local library, instead of drawing on it, print copies of the practice pages so you can draw on it.
If you’re just starting out, look for manuals that have a training route so you can get a feel for it before practicing on canvas or sketchpads.
Beware of the “color or paint by number” format—it can help if you’re a complete beginner, but it can also get in the way of your own style. Great artist is unique!

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Interact with other online artists to get advice on styles and materials. If you want to learn to draw specific subjects (like people, animals, and landscapes) or work with certain materials (like oil paint, watercolor, and charcoal), join a community. online co-artist. Research the forums for any particular style or material and don’t be afraid to ask for advice! ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Deviant Art, Artist Daily, and Wetcanvas are great online communities with thousands of artists to socialize and learn from.
For example, you could visit a new artist topic and post, “I am trying to learn different techniques for mixing oil paints. I’m also not sure what brush is best for my geometric style. Can anyone give me some advice?”

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Assess your weaknesses and fix them. Take some time to think about the techniques you are really good at and the techniques you can improve on. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each of the following skills: realism, life painting, portraiture, fantasy or memorabilia, proportions, composition, body anatomy, blending color (or theory), and shading. Then work on improving the techniques you’ve rated at the bottom end of the scale. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

For example, if you are very good at drawing geometric shapes but have difficulty with shading, spend more time practicing different shading techniques.
Set realistic goals to improve weak special skills. For example, you could say, “I will spend at least 40 minutes in each sketching session practicing face shading.”

Hone your skills

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Practice your art skills every day and set goals for yourself. Schedule time to practice every day, even if you only have 20 minutes to spare! Daily practice is essential to learning and mastering new techniques. If you’re a beginner, make an effort to practice for at least 30 minutes a day and gradually increase until you’ve been practicing for 1 hour or so. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

After dinner or before bed is an ideal time to practice as it will help you relax after the day.
Save calendar markers and note the letter “x” for each day that you practice. Try to practice as many days in a row as possible to form good habits.
Set daily or weekly goals for practice. For example, you could say, “I will complete 1 sketch in graphite per week.”

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Use a wooden mannequin to practice drawing anatomy. Create a wooden mannequin in any position you like to practice drawing the body. This is especially useful for learning the proper ratio. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can buy a wooden mannequin online or at any art store.

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Refer to a photo to draw realistic art. Use a photo you took or cut out from a magazine. Place it near your work area and try to simulate it as best you can. Or, you can combine some elements of your photo (like color schemes and composition) and let them demonstrate your own artistic creativity. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Arrange your own still life scenes to draw or paint. Find interesting items in your home that you enjoy drawing or painting. Then arrange those objects in an eye-catching way against any backdrop you like. For example, you could place a vase, candles, and bowl of fruit on the table in front of a checkered wall. ^{[9] X Research Source}

When laying out a model, arrange the composition by moving the pieces around before you start working.
Consider creating interesting shadows by rearranging larger or taller objects to catch the light. For example, you can create an interesting shadow over a bowl by placing a tall candle between the bowl and the light source in the room.

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Ask a friend or family member to model for you. If you want to practice life drawing or portraiture, consider having a friend pose while you sketch or paint them. You just have to make sure they’re okay to sit still no matter how long you draw! ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you’re using a model, pay attention to the lighting. You can use a small table lamp to light them from the side to create interesting shadows.

READ More: How to Enjoy Alone Time

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Invest in quality art equipment. Good quality paints, tools, and materials will often work more efficiently and last longer. Spending money on art will also help you get serious and keep practicing. Don’t look down on all the cheaper materials, just try to use the best quality materials for what you’re trying to do. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Experience different brands for the same device at different price points.
Unlimited supplies (such as paints, pencils, and markers) are often cheaper than ready-made kits.
Don’t buy at a children’s art supply store! These brands often do not have the same characteristics as the more professional or artist versions.

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Get out of your comfort zone by trying out new vehicles and styles. Try out different vehicles and styles to expand your overall skills. For example, if you often use pencils and crayons to create vintage art, try using pastels for a new perspective. Or if you’re interested in drawing a Japanese manga character, try practicing surrealism or cubism. ^{[12] X Research Source}

If you’re okay with spending some extra money, try drawing on a tablet to take your work to a new (digital) level!
Learning different media will also help you to create unique multimedia works.

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Get inspired by your favorite artists. Research the work of some of your favorite artists and consider learning how they have implemented specific techniques. For example, if you want to learn how to use shapes in an interesting way, you could study Picasso’s Guernica oil painting and try to emulate the same urgent idea through geometry in your work. . ^{[13] X Research Source}

Another example is if you want to improve your dithering better, you can focus on emulating a specific part of one of Van Gogh’s works. Then take that skill and apply it to your work.
Visit local art galleries and museums for inspiration. When you visit, read the artist’s notes and presentations next to the works to see what materials they used. If the artist is there, question their technique.

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Don’t be afraid to experiment and break some rules. Some of the greatest artists have assertive opinions and unique perspectives, so feel free to creatively transcend artistic norms. Think of how Picasso rebelled against traditional methods of perspective or how Edgar Degas rejected classical methods of composition. Like Picasso said, “Master the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist!” ^{[14] X Research Source}

Art is about making mistakes and fixing them, so if you experiment and aren’t satisfied with the results, find a way to create something new out of it.

Train your artistic eye

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Take the time to show curiosity about your surroundings. Study the colors, shapes, textures, and sizes of random things you encounter during the day. Look at the face of the person you are talking to. Notice how the light affects the shadows and their characteristic shapes. Pay special attention to how light penetrates certain textures such as clothing and skin. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Paying attention to these will help you better understand how real objects look when different forms of light hit them.
As a fun exercise, try to describe objects without using their names to help you visualize and capture shapes. For example, if you look at a tree, you might describe the trunk as a sloping cylinder and the leaves as tiny lemons.

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Identify variations of colors so you can reproduce them accurately. When you’re looking at something, notice any color variation and how that makes your eyes want to linger or move to another area. Note the subtle hues in a given color (like all the different shades of red on an apple). ^{[16] X Research Source}

For example, if you are looking at a brightly colored tulip, note how the pink petals contrast with the soft green of the stem and how your eye is drawn to the tip of the petal.

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Squinting at objects to see the composition of their shapes and colors. Take the time to squint at a particular object, landscape, or scene. Squinting minimizes your eye’s ability to see color and detail, and blurs the differences between things. This is especially useful if you want to draw a block of individual things in the distance like a landscape or a forest full of trees. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Squinting will also help you distinguish between shadows and lights.

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Use negative space to create balance or tension. When you’re looking at a particular object or scene, pay attention to the surrounding background space (like a wall, table, or background). Illustrating negative space in your painting will give a sense of balance or tension depending on the scene and the overall aesthetic. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

For example, note the color, shading, and texture of the objects behind the central objects you want to paint. For example, a burnt orange wall with diagonal shadows can make the candles and flowers in the foreground stand out more.

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Study the compositions of a particular scene or object. Pay attention to how certain objects are put together to create a shape or line. The shape of a scene or set of objects that draw the viewer’s eye in a particular pattern. ^{[19] X Research Source}

For example, imagine a quiet scene of a bookstore. The left aisle creates a vertical eye movement, a string of twinkling lights between the shelves can move the eye to the top, and another bookshelf stimulates the eye to move up or down. Vertical eye movements on each side of the painting can act as a frame for still life work.

Advice

Join a local social group with other artists so you can share tips, comment on each other’s work, and practice together.
Ask friends and family to comment on your work—if one of them is an artist, even better!
Everyone has their own perspective on art, so learn to be receptive to comments and open to hearing different interpretations of your work.
Don’t worry about drawing or painting quickly. You just have to let the time pass and be really passionate about what you’re doing.

Warning

Don’t listen to others if they insult your talent or your art because everyone has different aesthetic preferences. Hold your head up high and keep making art!

Steps

Learn new techniques

Hone your skills

Train your artistic eye

Advice

Warning

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