Many people would like to learn to draw better, but few have any idea about how to get started. Part of improving our drawing skills involves changing our mode of thinking. Many of us automatically assume that we can never develop good drawing skills. Maybe you had a negative experience as a child that convinced you that you weren't "artistic" enough to ever learn to draw. The truth is that just about anyone can develop drawing skills. Part of the process of learning to draw involves changing the way we see the world around us. Experienced artists have the ability to look at the world in terms of color, shape, lines, shadows, and composition. By learning to see the world in this way, you too can learn to draw.

Part of the process that many instructors use when they teach their students to learn to draw involves making a clear distinction between the logical and artistic mind. What does this mean? Your logical mind is the voice that tells you what you should do, without reference to your visual mind. For instance, your logical mind will tell you that you need to draw the eyes a certain way. Your logical mind is the inner critic that will tell you you're not drawing the eyes right. It may even keep you from finishing a drawing for fear that you don't do the job right. In order to learn to draw, you have to learn to quiet your logical mind, and turn on your artistic or visual mind. Your visual mind allows you to view your work with an eye towards detail, space, and color.

Perhaps the most important rule to keep in mind as you learn to draw is this: have fun! Why did you want to learn to draw in the first place? To torture yourself with your apparent lack of ability, or to have fun playing with color, light, perspective and shadow? Think of the process of learning to draw as playtime. This will make you a better artist in the long run.