Some drawing advice?

[Seasonal]

Alright, I'll admit it; I draw like a three-year-old. Can somebody please help me improve my drawing?

I am specifically trying to learn how to draw cats. I have a "How to Sketch Animals" book, along with a book specifically about drawing cats. I know everything there is to know about cat anatomy; I can tell you where every bone lays, where every joint connects. I've read both books, and I've practiced drawing, but I simply can't do it. I cannot shade, I cannot highlight, I cannot draw fur. I think I'm just about hopeless. I look at the step-by-step guides, and I draw every shape. But no matter what, my drawings do not turn out well.

Does anybody have a bit of advice to lend me? All of my friends say I'm "great" at drawing, but they have not seen real art. Drawing is something that I would really like to do. What am I doing wrong? Am I simply not capable of drawing? Any help and advice is much appriciated.

[Seasonal]

I was thinking about tracing the picture and using that as my reference, but I wasn't sure if they would help. I'll have to try that. Thank-you!

[SaltyToothpaste]

I think tracing might help a little, but in the long run not as much as actually looking at a picture and trying to draw it... When tracing you only copy the lines, when putting the image in front of you and actually try to draw it, you force yourself to also understand the lines. And I think that's the most important thing when drawing, that actually understand what you're doing. Following these kind of step-by-step instructions there is - personally I feel they're pretty helpless since they only show me how to draw that particular thing just like the artist... Most doesn't show me why I should draw like that, and therefore all I learn is to copy it.
My tip is - practice by studying. Photos, real cats... try to find how what you see works. It takes a lot of practice, but it's probably the best way, I think. All artists need to constantly practice anyway, you'll never get to a point where you can't get better (which in my opinion is one of the joys of drawing).
I doubt you're hopeless at drawing, you've got the interest and motivation, and with that, everbody can learn (:

[pizzas and scream]

stair at lots of cat photos and burn all their shapes, lines contors into your brain, then go and touch some cats and do the same thing, close your eyes and go into some Zen mode and feel the shapes

then burn that into your memory, along with 'tracing with eyes' scan it and use symbolic imagry and invison your brain as a computer scanning the shapes and imagen it downloading into a memory bank.
*edit* break everything down into lots of shapes*
that is what i do.


http://i.pbase.com/o6/84/778484/1/80647 ... hite02.jpg

you can break down the parts, like how pattrens of plushies do, you can see some shapes, even if they aren't 'real'. the bridge of the nose and forhead is like an upside down vase
and wide crecent thingies cradle the eyes/eyebrow ridges. a 3ish heart thing for the mouth (upside down), heart and T bone steak T for the nose. crecent moons under the eye for the cheek bones
and draw from life, because photos are flat.

the entire mouth, jaw and forhead then will be like a weird peanut shape.
or get 60 cat photo and referance that. if not 60 then 3.

and rent/borrow a good book, not "this is one cat, she is sitting, lets draw her", I mean get like an anatomy book so you understand how the cat's bones and muscle works

[Seasonal]

Thanks, both of you. ^^;
Last night, before I went to bed, I tried to trace the lines. It actually turned out decent, but it wasn't something that I am proud of. It didn't really help, either. :/ On my second attempt last night, I often placed my sheet of paper over my book to compare the lines and see what I was doing wrong. I had all of my shapes right, but even so, it didn't turn out well. I made sure that my base lines matched up, inch for inch, and that my head was the right shape. I made sure the muzzle wasn't too big or too small... and I was left with something that I could have drawn without looking at the book.

Ever since I was about seven years old, I have been studying cats. I used to go to the library and get at least six cat books, bring them back when I was done, then get six more. I remember mostly everything quite vividly. I have a cat, but I'm not sure if she could help. She's quite small, though she will be six years old in June. Still, she is skinny enough to be able to study her bones.

[toxictwitter]

What part of your cat drawings is it that you don't like? What always helps me is to get a piece of paper and draw as many of one body part that'll fit. If you can't draw ears, draw a whole bunch of ears. If you can't draw the body, or the legs, or whatever, then draw a bunch of those. And not just facing one way, make them at a whole bunch of different angles, or if it's legs make them in a walking or running position. Watch your cat and see what the body parts look like and how they move. Looking at the animal or object in real life really helps (for me anyway), because you can see all the sides of it and everything instead of just photos or other people's drawings. But don't expect to become an amazing artist by just doing that for a day or two. Keep all the drawings you make, no matter how bad you think they are, and then after a while compare them to your newer ones and you'll see improvement :3 Copying something or using a how-to-draw book never helps me, because even if I draw that 20 times a day and get good at it, that's all I'll be able to draw instead of different poses or whatever I want. Also, do you use shapes when you draw? Like a circle for the head, etc.? If you don't I think you should try it, it helps a ton (:

[Seasonal]

I try and use shapes if I can for the head and body, but I end up drawing regular lines for the legs and tail.

Does working with a 16-square grid help? I was flipping through the book, and it seemed to look useful... my mother tried to draw a squirrel on the grid and it actually turned out really good (especially for her, since she's never drawn in her life). It seems like it would break the picture down into understandable parts...

[toxictwitter]

I've never used it before, so I don't know. But I can't type more right now because my rat is attacking me XD

[SaltyToothpaste]

Using shapes is great, when trying to find basic circles and similar in bodies you learn how it looks like... And it's a great help when sketching! Just don't feel you need to use them, when you feel more confident don't be afraid not to use them. They're just there to help, there's no rule about using them, I used them myself more when I was younger but now I feel it's easier not to focus on how many circles to put where...

Also about te grid, I think it's a great help, but only when you need to copy something. It breakes the picture up in smaller parts, which makes it easier to focus on minor details without getting lost on the paper. Though I think when learning, do not use a grid. It won't help you understand what you're drawing in the same way as looking and using your brain does.
Don't be afraid if things look a little off at first, it always does for everybody, it takes time to learn (:

If you're feel there's something off about your pictures but you can't really put your finger on it.... Post some of your pctures here? It would be interesting to see some of your actual works, and we could help you by giving some critique c: sometimes it's easier for another set of eyes to spot minor details, good or bad ones ^^ it's a great way of improving, sometimes things are not as bad as it seems and sometimes you just need a little help to spot what is not quite as right, it's esy getting lost on the same road if nobody is there to give you guideance.

[pizzas and scream]

http://elruu.deviantart.com/art/How-to- ... s-88572869 mammal leg guide
http://darkstripe4ever.deviantart.com/a ... -130032848
http://qexx.deviantart.com/art/How-to-d ... -114884004