You might think that most artists spend all of their time drawing things or trying to create their next masterpiece. You might also think that these artists never have to worry about what things to draw either, but that's not true.
It's very easy for any artist to run out of ideas or struggle to make some art because they don't know where to begin. If you're new to drawing and want to get started, it can help to have some ideas in mind.
In this article, we've got some beginner-friendly things to draw and things that can help you start your journey to becoming an artist!
Drawing Babies
Before you draw other humans, consider drawing babies. Their infantile features can make them a simple subject for new artists and unlike with baby animals, there aren't more details like spots and stripes to worry too much about.
Generally, babies are quite cute, but you can draw babies when they're not being cute, with their faces all scrunched up as they attempt to make it clear what they want. There are lots of opportunities to capture the humanity in babies, too, even in a simple cartoon drawing of them.
It also helps that you can draw babies without hair so there's one less thing for aspiring artists to worry about.
Beyond a simple drawing of a baby that looks cute, you also need to look at their fragility and innocence and as you advance, you have to make these qualities evident in your work. Their chubby cheeks might make them appear cute, but their small size and dependence on their parents are also aspects of their character that you might like to convey within your work.
If you get bored of drawing babies and are looking for a new drawing challenge, then you can work on drawing toddlers. At this stage of their lives, you'll need to add more humanlike qualities and personality.
There's an energy that toddlers have that can be fun for artists to try and capture. They're often more mobile than babies as well so you can attempt to draw them in more interesting poses and while moving.
In either case, babies and toddlers offer an interesting subject for both those new to drawing and experienced artists.
Whether you're drawing for fun, doodling because you're bored, or have aspirations of becoming a famous artist, you'll likely need to get familiar with drawing faces and the fundamental shapes that you can use to draw people, including babies.
You'll see that drawing a cartoon baby or a simple drawing of a child is quite easy, but to learn how to draw, you'll need to study extensively and maybe even work with a teacher or a private tutor.
Drawing People Kissing One Another
Kissing is one of the best ideas for things to draw. It's challenging, cute, and captures a whole gamut of emotions when done right. So many artists have decided to create works centred around two lovers locking lips passionately.
Whether you choose to draw people kissing in a romantic Renaissance style or create something cute and contemporary, there are lots of things you can try in your drawings to capture different emotions and the nuance of human relationships.
For inspiration, you could look at the Italian painter Francesco Hayez's work Il bacio (The Kiss). It depicts a man in red kissing a woman in blue against a subtly highlighted background of stone walls. The Kiss might be the title of the piece, but there are so many other elements that make it all work.
The kiss itself, once you look closely, is only a small detail and it's the two subjects, their poses, and the way they're painted that seem to suggest the kiss.
We have a few tips if you want to draw people kissing:
- Decide upon the perspective of your drawing or painting: Are the subjects facing the viewer, turned away from them, etc.?
- Choose which of the kissers' faces will be more visible. After all, you can't draw a kiss where both participants' faces will be fully visible.
- Pick the type of kiss: Not all kisses are created equal and as the artist, you get to choose whether it's a friendly kiss, a passionate kiss, or something in between.
- Start by outlining one of the faces with the nose, mouth, and chin of the participant.
- Add the eyes and eyebrows once you've completed the nose and the forehead.
Once you've completed this part of your drawing, you can start integrating the second participant into the piece. The second and obscured face is usually harder to draw because the features of the other person will be in the way. These features will be more suggested than overtly rendered in your drawing.
Cute and Kawaii Drawing
Anyone familiar with anime, manga, or Japanese culture in general might also be familiar with the notion of kawaii. Kawaii is the Japanese culture of cuteness. You may recognise the kawaii style in certain famous mascots such as the titular Totoro from My Neigbor Totoro or Pikachu from the Pokémon franchise.
Beyond these cute mascots, different kinds of kawaii can include everything from cute characters to fashion statements. You can even find kawaii food, but this cute-looking food might look too nice to eat!
For kawaii drawing, you can create a simple sketch or doodle anything as long as you can make it incredibly cute. The main elements of kawaii are often shiny eyes, fluffiness, big bellies, or the kinds of rounded features that also make babies cute.
Simplicity is also key to creating kawaii characters and drawings. Hello Kitty is perhaps another hugely popular example of kawaii culture and the design elements of the character are little more than circles for the eyes and nose, lines for the whiskers, and some basic shapes for the off-centre bow.
Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, even has a logo that's quintessentially kawaii with its bubbly and rounded lettering and a heart for the letter "o", the kind of thing you'd expect a girl in primary school to draw in her notebook.
Drawing Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy
Now something that might seem quite the departure from cute Japanese characters and animals. Groot has quite a few things in common with Hello Kitty, though. Both are characters that were initially made famous in comics and went on to be featured in movies.
Going from Hello Kitty to Groot seems like a mighty big leap, doesn't it? Still, there is a thread connecting these two characters. For one, they're both much older than they get credit for, although Groot is about 13 years older than Kitty. They've both starred in their own comics series and enjoyed movie fame.
Hello Kitty was a product of the kawaii culture we mentioned previously, but Groot is straight out of Marvel Comics before becoming a star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Initially evil, Groot found his "good" side. His original design isn't probably suitable for new artists, but his current design is certainly worth exploring if you're new to drawing.
Start by drawing a typical human shape. You can join three basic shapes together to draw humanoid figures, but you have to pay particular attention to the proportions. Groot has longer arms and legs than your typical human and his legs and feet are more like bell-bottom trousers (for those of you old enough to remember the 70s.).
Once you have Groot's general outline and silhouette completed, you can start filling in the details. Pay particular attention to his head, which is not like other human characters as his "crown", so to speak, is like a tree stump.
Making Groot's "skin" look like a tree is likely the hardest part of this drawing Groot. You need to work carefully with lines and shading to create the shapes and textures that will make the viewer recognise that Groot is made of wood rather than flesh and bone.
If you're still looking for help with learning how to draw or becoming an artist, don't forget that there are plenty of great art and drawing tutors on the Superprof website. There are tutors for almost every subject and skill you can think of, from artistic skills like sculpture and painting to sports coaches.
You can find tutors across New Zealand and from all over the world thanks to online private tutoring, and with many of them offering the first lesson for free, you can always try a few out.
Tutoring offers a tailored learning experience that works with the student. They can learn what they want in a way that works for them so they get the most out of every minute of the session.
If you prefer a more sociable experience, group tutoring is also available so you can either get lessons with friends and family members or meet other aspiring artists. Naturally, this won't offer a learning experience that's fully tailored to you, but it does provide students with opportunities to learn from their peers, often at rates much lower than that of one-on-one tutoring.
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