What you need to know to draw well?

David Revua is a great artist working with free software, a permanent member of the Krita Foundation and Blender Institute communities, the concept artist of the animation projects Gooseberry Open Movie Project, the Mango Open Movie Project (Tears of Steel) and Durian Open Movie Project (Sintel). In this article, he shares with the novice artists a list of knowledge that must be acquired in order to make the work realistic. He draws attention to the fact that for drawing “in figures” one should acquire the same skills as in the traditional technique. So, let's join his experience.

“It is difficult to choose what should be studied by those who are going to do drawing ... I get a lot of letters on this topic; newbies usually feel lost, lost in the midst of all this. Therefore, I decided to create a kind of table of contents - a list of what should be studied and what should be practiced in order to create high-quality works and learn how to draw better. Each item is supplied with my simple comments answering the questions “what”, “why”, “how”. This way it will be easier to find the material you need using your favorite search engine. Also this material can be useful for those who want to improve the quality of their work. I will use these starting points in my exercises and when looking for mistakes in my work. If you are just starting to draw, this is my advice: be scholars, learn the basics and focus on the individual elements in turn.

1. Perspective

What it is: The art of transmitting three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
What is the purpose: Do not draw flat, depict depth on two-dimensional paper.
What you need to know about it: Perspectives grid, how simple shapes (cubes, balls, etc ...) behave in perspective and how to keep the proportions.
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Work based on two vanishing points (green and red)

2. Proportions

What it is: The size ratio of all objects in your picture.
What is the purpose: To draw recognizable objects, thanks to stereotyped ideas about proportions.
What you need to know about it: Learn to memorize proportions, find a way to easily memorize the ratios of parts of an object, create a “dictionary” of proportions.


Orange lines show the basic proportions and ratios in the figure (left) and outline (right)

3. Anatomy

What it is: Studying the structure.
What is the purpose: To draw objects realistic (people, animals, plants, equipment, etc. ...).
What you need to know about it: Joints, bones, muscles, how they work, how they behave, how parts are connected, and so on ...


Exercise to draw hands (left), to draw a skeleton (center), to study muscles (right)

4. Composition

What it is: The location and presentation of the visual elements of the picture.
What is the purpose: To convey to the viewer feelings and emotions through a drawing.
What you need to know about it: Deal with a set of angles and understand how they affect the perception and "readability" of work.


Various sketches before starting work; composition search

5. Lighting

What it is: Light and shadow, transmitted in color.
What is the purpose: To create the illusion of light, to display the correct shadows, to reach the volume and convey the mood.
What you need to know about it: Values ​​of colors, shadow casting, the influence of surface materials, the reflection of light, the characteristics of light (refraction, scattering materials, etc. ...).


On the left: the light shows the difference in the material, on the right: using the light to show the second character (shadow cast)

6. Edges

What it is: A way to highlight the silhouettes of objects in your drawing.
What is the purpose: To facilitate the reading of the work, to separate objects and background, to enhance the effect of depth.
What you need to know about it: Edge style (clear / soft / lost) in drawing, line styles (weight, speed, softness) for contours.


Left and center: the edges in the figure, right: the thickness of the contours

7. Colors

What it is: The art of choosing the right shades (midtones, shadows, light).
What is the goal: Add more movement, mood and emotion to your work.
What you need to know about it: Color systems (monochromatic, complementary, etc ...), features of the influence of colors on mood, stereotypes.


Top left: 3 color circles reflecting the palettes for this work; three additional colors

8. Poses

What it is: The art of capturing active movement on a static sheet.
What is the goal: Add life, energy, movement and show the dynamics.
What you need to know about it: Emotional strokes, sketches, quick drawings, learning everything moving, frequent “warming up” exercises.


Left: penguin poses in a zoo, in the center: studying poses while moving, on the right: warm-up sketches of a figure

9. Style

What it is: Aesthetics, a sense of style. Often depends on fundamental standards (ethical, historical, social, symbolic), the art of cultural groups, the art market.
What is the goal: Pave the way for the audience to work.
What you need to know about it: your own taste, culture, creative team as an audience and creators at the same time.


Left: classic black and white portrait, centered: heavily stylized (and weird) character and drawing style, right: my comic style

10. Idea

What it is: Drawing abstract concepts, ideological associations, invention and proposal of a new design. This is mostly a development process.
What is the purpose: To offer new images of objects, characters and creatures to entertain or inform the public.
What you need to know about it: How things work, how to create new, associations of ideas, funny situations, the creative process.


A new type of technology (left), a new kind of dragon (in the center) and a medieval house that no one has seen before this drawing (right).

11. Communication

What it is: An image can convey a large amount of complex information quickly. The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” explains it well.
What is the purpose: The artist can communicate (internationally or not) with the audience.
What you need to know about it: Reading images (decoding sent messages, non-verbal signs), transferring meaning, history, information.


The drawing of the sheet does not carry any specific information (left), but the complex of details and facial expression can already tell a story (in the center). A symbol like the neck of a newspaper (right) can make you think more deeply about the problem of unethical journalism.

Conclusion: Significant Illusion

If you can correctly combine all of the above, you will get a sense of volume, depth, texture, light, movement and life on a static surface. It will immerse your viewers into your world, and you can easily convey your ideas, messages, or tell a story to them. And finally, as I see the result: the art of creating meaningful illusions . This whole palette of skills will serve your intellectual (memory, control, determination), as well as emotional development (feelings, emotions, subconsciousness). This is a complex exercise that requires knowledge, observation, imagination , but first of all you need to PRACTICE, PRACTICE and PRACTICE . Drawing skill is like a muscle (and you certainly will not get stronger from reading a weight lifting book or watching a video), so good luck with your drawing and painting, build your unique experience . ”