Well hello! I'm Rae. I'm currently going to school for costume design in Washington state. I'm into comics, movies, fashion, feminism, and other random artistic pursuits. Also, I'm pretty into my crazy beautiful girlfriend.
Tips for a Beginning Artist
I was discouraged very often by other people in the art world because of ego unfortunately. In addition, I was overwhelmed by the vastness of the choices and selection, unsure of what to buy.
So I have compiled a beginning list of products and practices that will help lead you on the right path.
Supplies:
- Personally, I prefer to sketch outlines with a mechanical pencil. The lines are easy to erase and manipulate. I would look for a .07mm or .05 mm mechanical pencil with a good grip, and comes with a plastic white eraser.
- Graphite Pencils. You can buy a set or individual pencils. For a beginner I would suggest a set so that you can experiment with each type of pencil. Most sets include F, B, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, 2H, and 4H. F is a good outlining pencil and highlight pencil. The B pencils are softer pencils used for shading. The H pencils are harder pencils used for sharp details and highlights.
- Blending sticks or blending stumps. These are double pointed rolls of paper used to blend and shade. They aren’t expensive, and you only usually need one or two at a time.
- A sketch book. Okay. Now don’t look scared. I know when you walk into that craft store with a huge wall of notebooks you’re going to look at it all wide-eyed and frightened. But once you know what you’re looking for, it’s not so bad. What you want to find at the start is a ‘Sketch book’ nothing fancy. You don’t want Bristol or Vellum or Mixed Medium. Look for a book that says ‘Sketch’ on it. The pages are light and fairly smooth. You’ll want one that’s a good size and feels comfortable in your hands. I also carry around a smaller sketch book, about 4 inches tall by 2 inches wide.
Practices -
honestly the best piece of advice I have is to just draw. Draw what you want to experiment with. Draw faces and hands and buses and anything you see. Carry your sketchbook with you and take 15 minutes to sit and sketch the basics. Make it a visual journal of your day. I sketch on the bus, during rehearsal, when i’m with friends. It makes your mind see shapes differently, lighting differently, lines differently. Everything becomes related in a delicate balance.
And last tip:
DON’T BE DISCOURAGED. Art takes a lot of time. I’m not amazing at what I do, but I enjoy it and I’ve gotten better. It takes practice, passion, and patience. Get support from friends. Hell, get support from me! I’ll be glad to be there when you need a hand. And mostly, believe in yourself and your abilities. You can do this.
And if you ever have a heinous person tell you that you aren’t good, use that fuel to get even better.
