12 Drawing Exercises to Improve Your Art Skills! Warm-Up Practice
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I put together some useful drawing exercises great for ALL levels! These will allow you to build muscle memory and hand mobility which you can apply to more complex artworks. Have fun with these! I hope you found these tips helpful and I hope they have inspired you to create. Try them out and tag me on instagram - I'd love to see how they come out!
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I wanted to have a list of all the exercises. I'm putting it here so y'all have it too :) 0. A nice stretch for your hands. 1. Free hand circles. 2. Crosshatching with different supplies. 3. Continuous line drawing. 4. Value scales. 5. Getting into the zone. 6. Use the other hand. 7. Quick drawings. 8. Line variation. 9. Silhouettes. 10. Creating grids and checker boards. 11. Hand eye coordination - symmetry. 12. Mix and match.
Thanks!
From one artist to another, thank you for taking the time to do this.
Thank you so much !
Thank you, Kathrine!!
Helpful!
Yes totally agreed on the drawing exercise. People may feel this is quite " childish" by drawing circles, oval ,lines.But this is where foundation is! Awesome sharing Jess😊
Absolutely!!! Thanks so much!
I always practice making shapes. It helps me get in the mindset of seeing the larger basic shapes of what I want to draw.
@@carmeldee08 yes!!
I really wanna ask , how do you draw with no dominant hand , I feel like I can't even hold & move my pencil properly 😭💔
@@animoorimi2858 you can practice your non-dominant hand muscle with using other les complicated things first, like using toothbrush. For me i try that with using chopsticks on my left hand.
As a woman in my 70's, I stopped drawing and painting years ago, but now I'm trying to start over again. My husband is an artist, and he always tells me less is more. I like it when you draw and teach, without speeding up the video. I learn more that way, and I feel if every artist who teaches would put less in one teaching video, us beginners would learn more.
I'm a beginner and just this year I started to take art seriously, I got overwhelmed with all the things that I had to learn to get better and stopped doing anything in fear of not getting good. I didn't know how to get back on it, even to just start somewhere, but I will definitely try this exercises, thank you so much for the video, needed it. Love you keep the amazing work ! 😍
I recently picked up my pencil to do drawing again. draw the thing you most fear and keep doing everyday. you will got imported a lot in a mouth. for myself i practise circle, wave line, straight line, etc. to warm up. it will draw much smooth after a week. if you really love drawing get start today dont make any excuses. good luck.
I messed around about for a few years but now that I'm in highschool I'm considering art school so I'ma try to get serious 👍✨
@@Sai-hc4iq absolutely go for it, you are gonna do great! Good luck 🤞
@@Sai-hc4iq I wouldn't recommend art school personally. I wouldn't recommend uni/college for anything you can learn and suceed in by learning alone. What I would do is try to invest in online learning otherwise, especially these days during the pandemic. Learning online through courses run by professional artists is just as effective and much cheaper. Of course art school is right for so many people, but I wouldn't recommend viewing it as a place that will "teach you" art. In the end, art is self-taught. You would mostly be paying for guidance. You might also consider going into a field that is more commercial/where you learn more technical skills, such as graphic design, web design, even illustration or animation. I would mostly advise against fine arts. But that's just my experience wasting a lot of money studying fine arts and not knowing what the real world was like lol :) my only hard and fast advice would be to devote yourself to learning now, work on improving and on doing more work than you do now... and see how you like it. If you have any questions from my unique perspective (only one of many perspectives on the subject of art education!), please let me know.
I feel like I’m in the same place right now!
As a self taught artist struggling with ADHD, I really appreciate these videos. I tend to jump into the piece right away. This is a great (and quite relaxing) reminder to be less impatient and let everything flow before I start creating. Thank you, Jess! Have a lovely day!
Hey I just started about a month ago his much did you know when you started?
@@micahrogers5933 hello!! So I had 0 knowledge when I started, I just drew my little heart out, haha. I was very young when I started, in fact I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing. However, you don’t have to start super young to be a good artist, my most successful learning experience was during the pandemic, I spent from 2019 to 2021 drawing consistently every day for hours and the improvement was incredible, night and day. Just practice every day and you’ll see how fast you improve, you’ll draw faster and with more confidence, I promise ❤️. Also, in my humble opinion, you’re never done learning, I still feel after all these years that I have SOO much to learn and that’s beautiful, I think. Good luck on your journey, I’m sure you are an amazing artist ❤️.
I also have ADHD-I, and recently have been battling a hard depression over these past couple years. Drawing has honestly helped so much and allows me to just zone out and unwind. Best of luck to you! Hope your journey is going well!
@@sqwatchy1010 same to you! ❤️❤️
I used to have ADHD, with meds it is now ADD. My doing warm ups, help me calm down. Than I usually can hyper focus. By continuing this way, you can use this as one of your tools to increase peace and joy in your life.
As a newbie trying to learn how to draw (I have always said I can't draw), this video was exactly what I needed to try to gain some basic skills. When trying to draw things I can recognize, I find that I am missing basic drawing skills. I am hopeful that these training exercises will lead me down the path to actually be able to draw.
One idea I learnt decades ago is an item that you wish to draw are 'lines' and only lines in different shapes and sizes. Look at a tree, think of all the different lines that make that 'tree'! It is a collection of lines that is the 'tree'.
Take a picture, turn it upside down and draw that. You’ll find it amazing how easy it is to draw when you stop your brain from trying to draw what you THINK you should draw and simply form the weird shapes.
Just added timing to contents 0. A nice stretch for your hands. 1. Free hand circles. 2:37 2. Crosshatching with different supplies. 4:05 3. Continuous line drawing. 6:59 4. Value scales. 8:19 5. Getting into the zone. 9:26 6. Use the other hand. 10:29 7. Quick drawings. 12:10 8. Line variation. 13:19 9. Silhouettes. 14:35 10. Creating grids and checker boards. 15:15 11. Hand eye coordination - symmetry. 16:46 12. Mix and match. 17:35
Thanks ❤️
Can you please share with us the name of the pen you used to create grids on exercise #10? Love your work 😃
Many thanks for that video Jess. As a 70 yr old total newbie I can see a shed load good common sense measures to get beginners started and help keep more experienced artists in shape. Best wishes & more to your artistry.
I still do all these exercises everyday before I start drawing or when doing studies, it have absolutely helped me gain more confidence when doing my lines. Always a good way to warm up, will recommend other people if they haven't done this exercises yet.
Thanks so much!
They are invaluable! I used to worry over "wasting paper" doing drawing practices such as these but I have come to appreciate any and all drawing as precious time well spent. I also would add the "Blind Drawing" exercise I learned from Jill Badonsky. It's a really fun way to free up that pesky perfectionism 😊
I was surprised by the exercise of drawing with the non-dominant hand. Since I couldn't control my fingers and wrist, I was forced to draw from the shoulders, so the drawing came out pretty good! What a lesson! Thanks 😊
Great! I'd love to try this too.
You can not only do a drawing, you can also articulate how you are using your body to produce the effect. I took an art class at a local arts & crafts center and the instructor certainly could walk the walk, but he couldn't talk the talk. Thanks for sharing.
A couple of years ago I did the “Draw a Box” course and doing their drawing circles and “ghosted” lines helped me so much. I gained so much confidence in my drawing just from those simple exercises. I look forward to trying these exercises as warmups and seeing where they take me. I think it would be fun to revisit the Draw a Box course, too, just as a refresher. Thanks for the inspiration and thoughts about how to continue improving my skills. Happy Holidays, Jess, and thanks for sharing your know-how with us!
Oh, I am starting that course =) glad that it really helps
I haven't drawn anything since I was 17 when an art teacher at sixth form college told me I was trying too hard to draw like my twin brother (who is incredible at art). It crushed me. I ditched art there and then. I'm 52 now and found this video. I've just done all 12 exercises! So freeing. Thank you.
My art teacher said I was not very good at drawing and I now paint and draw all the time sell some and teach people with complex needs how to relax and draw
I just started my artistic journey and found all the things to learn quite overwhelming. Every time I have a blank page in front of my I want to draw the most elaborate picture, but didn’t know where to start. This video has opened my eyes to the warm up idea (which now seems obvious) and I can’t wait to start doing this to help train my brain and muscles! Thank you!
It is an amazing video for beginners. I really appreciate this a lot, and not only for begginers this will also help different artist to improve their art. Thankyou so much for this video
This was soo helpful . I got a little busy with some things in life and didn't get much time to actually sit down and draw . I was afraid to draw after that loong break and didn't know where to start .Now I got a clear insight that I have to work on basics first and then build up . Thank you Jess for motivating me to pick up a pencil and draw !
You’re very very welcome! These are great to start and practice with. You’ll see yourself build confidence like never before! Enjoy :) thanks for watching
As a new beginner. Thank you for showing the different ways to hold and press using the pencil. I know that may sound like a basic thing. But I couldn't get the hang of something I thought that should be simple. Will definitely have to try these warm-ups. Thank you and we'll look forward to your videos
Love the zone out! I often find myself doodling random stuff and love how they tangle together ❤️ timed drawings are also a ton of fun! Helps me not focus on every single detail
WOW Some great ideas for practice. As a "new" artist (turning 70 in September) I'm thrilled at the opportunity to learn some new techniques, even if they're only practice. I started by learning to paint landscapes about 3 months ago. After a lot of successful feeling about the work, I'm finding that I need to progress, and such lessons as yours are invaluable to help me move on. Having such a lot of fun. Thanks
Thats amazing best of luck 🌟
this helped me so much. i havent really ever drawn anything but now I feel a lot more confident in the beautiful pieces I can make.
Amazing!!
Practice is the key, yes I'll do it even if I'm a little busy. Thank you for the tips! 🥰
Absolutely! Enjoy them!
Hi! I am very glad you put those up! These exercises are mostly what I do to warm up, but I have another one you might like: based on the continuous line, I write words in cursive (or any other continuous pattern) but when the end is reached, I proceed backwards on the lines I have drawn, then forwards again. This one increases your precision as it forces you to follow a established line, and if you use different words/patterns everytime, it grants you more control over time. Hope you like it!
I love these because they're so, dood-ly. They actually can help you improve but yet they're chill and satisfying to do. Reminds me why I'm doing this in the first place.
Thanks!!
I truly love all the videos I've seen that you've posted. Thank you for the reminder that perfection isn't expected and that this should be a healing and relaxing experience. I have learned so much from just this one video. Keep up the great work and the encouragement you send out every video.
This is gold! So important for all visual artists! I’ve got to try them now 😁
GOLD IT IS! Thanks :) enjoy and let me know how it goes!!
I am more of a cartoony artist that just starting to develop more and more…..but I’m glad that someone shares my same thought “ Everything begins with a circle!”
Its so theraputic and what joy when seeing the finished pieces. Makes even a beginner feel like they can draw!
Thank you very much for this. I kinda lost touch in making drawings because of depression. It is kinda ironic because other people used it to have ideas to create more artistic stuff but for me I lost inspirations, ideas and in return lost interest. This exercise might slowly keep me in touch to the old me that I lost. I might be able to create artistic stuff again. This gave me hope. I will keep practicing this exercises to develop and enhance the talent again. Thank you very much, I really mean it. 😊
Yessss, cross hatching is all I needed you to explain, I love them so much but don't know where to apply most of the times
Yes!!!
YES!!! This video is the best. Our elementary school art teacher (1966-72) scared me away from art for life. Now I'm 60 and have decided I want to learn to draw. My daughter bought me a book, but this video is better.
I'm so glad I never had kids. Drawing without interruption ✅
You are my real inspiration, you motivates me so much. The hard-work, how you push yourself for drawing and stays motivated always makes me to push myself to draw, to practice and try to do different medium. Thank you so much🥰🥰🥰
Thanks so much I am so glad! Keep going ✨
This up coming new year is gonna be the year where I really wanna improve on my art and take it seriously. These videos help so much and they help me realize that it's ok to have messy art or messy sketches. I always thought everything I draw had to be a finished piece, even in my sketchbooks, but that is not the case! I can be messy, crazy, and weird with my art all I want and in the end, I'm enjoying myself and I learn along the way so that I can be even better! Thank you for posting these videos Jess! Ur a huge inspiration! I hope you're holidays are going well! ♥️⛄🎄
I have been trying for days to improve my art work and this video is what i was looking for. I am so excited to try these exercises LOVE U ❤😍
That's what we have to practice more and more to get used to it. Thanks for making a clip on it, Jess!! Lots of love to you,💜❤️
Thanks! Enjoy
Love it! Thank you for this!!
I am enjoying your clear, informative, presentations. They are inspiring and helpful. Thanks for sharing 😊
THIS is the only way to fight art block TYSM ✨
Thanks for watching!
This set of exercises is so incredibly useful... yet so simple to implement. Thank you for such a beneficial addition to the drawing routine.
You're so welcome! Thanks for watching
Wow, there was an immediate difference for me just in changing my posture and using my shoulder. Seemed so benign.... Thank you!
Loving this. I am ultrabasic so the guidance really helps keep me in the right headspace. Thank you for sharing your skill.
Whenever in class I get bored while listening to the lectures I do this! *Drawing Circles* It's very helpful and now I have a better idea how it's to be done!❤️ Thanks Jess!
Thanks for watching :)
very usefull
This video is definitely for me. Been struggling for long now. Thank you for this video. You really are an angel.
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching
I enjoyed your 12 steps exercises. I discovered that I could achieve simple forms and get more comfortable each time. Thank
This tutorial is wonderful! Please bring us more videos like this. Very informative…. ❤️
This looks great!! Would love to see more of this stuff 😇
After all, it can't get tired of warming up for drawing and painting!! Thanks for sharing the gold tip.✨😊
You’re very welcome :) enjoy
Thank you so much jess . This is very helpful for me. These exercises are amazing and I really loved those warm ups you did in the beginning ❤️
Thank you for sharing these exercises. The explanations to each exercise and the continued comment of training the muscles including the brain was and is brilliant.
Excellent exercises! Im also a musician. Musicians cannot play without warm up. I forgot that the same is true for visual artists!! And, this is a beautifully done video. Thank you!
Great warm-up! I can use it when trying to think about what to draw. Thanks for sharing, Jess🙂
Absolutely!! Great idea! Thanks for watching
Totally loved it ❤ Will be trying out soon Thanks for sharing Much love ❤
Thanks a lot, dear Jess. I'm an artist for decades and love to learn more skills every day. Learning will never end and you inspire me to improve everything I ever done... 😊🌸💛
I really liked this video! Hope to try the exercises out soon. Thanks so much for great content! BTW your editing has gotten REALLY GOOD!😍
Hi Jess, I don't know whether this is also useful to anyone but as an artist who works in fine detail I discovered eye exercises a few years ago and have found these really beneficial as my eyesight was starting to deteriorate with the eye strain. They only take about 10 minutes a day to do and have been well worth while seeing a definite improvement. Thanks for a great video.
Can you explain more about the eye exercises?
@@laurielyon1595 Lots of KZhead videos on this, it is also worth watching the ones done by opticians to get a balanced view. Personally I found the focusing exercises helped me as I work in fine detail and it does take its tole.
@@JamieBoots Thanks Jamie...I'll check them out.
I love this!! ❤️❤️❤️ So helpful! Thank you so much! This is the basics that I remember doing in my studio art classes which I miss taking very much.
Thank you for your videos! I've been drawing since I was a child and kick myself for not taking art more seriously at a younger age. I'm 28 years old now and I've never felt so fulfilled learning the basics of art for the first time. I had to write a comment because I felt excitement getting to practice the next exercise in your video 😄 Awesome work and can't wait to learn more✌✏
so many good tips! I can't wait to try the continuous line drawing one and the left hand exercise :)
Yes!! Those are amazing :) enjoy
This video was very helpful! I really needed to get back into drawing and these exercises were very helpful. The 5th exercise's result was beautiful
love! love! love! your style of teaching - so easy to follow - thank you!
Thank you . I'm a very new to drawing & sketching , you have inspired me. I will practice as often as possible using your tutorial ❤
Thank you for making this video, these exercises actually look fun and very useful. I love how inspiring you are
You’re very welcome. Thank you for your kind words.
Hi Jess Mam, I have just started following you from November and have just fall in love with your masterpieces, your sketchbook, your style, Matilda and Of Course YOU. You have Motivated and Inspired me a lot, lot, lot and lot and I just want to be like you. Love from India.
Thanks!! Enjoy :)
Great collection of exercises and great explanation through the process.
Thanks for the tips Jess!!
Okay, now tomorrow morning, I am going to do all this, loving the video so far
Thank you!! I think it will really help. Let me know how it goes!
I especially enjoy doing exercises like this when I am trying out a new pen or a completely new medium.
This makes me realise that i hv tried some of them in my childhood and this explains why my drawings were better than kids my age cuz i loved to doodle and pretty much did that all the time in ever new exercise book i got.😃
This is good instruction for any artist. I've drawn and sketched all my life, enjoying it way too much to ever think I could make a career out of it. This is also great for testing types of paper and brush, testing paint finishes, changing size of objects, etc.
Cool. I'm going to be in charge of my niblings for a week this summer and I've been looking for some activities to keep them busy so they don't just watch cartoons the whole time. These drawing exercises should be a great way to spend some time together, and get them more interested in art!
Now I understand why our art class teachers make us practice drawing shapes and lines! Also this video helped me a lot to improve in my drawings thank you so much for sharing it 🙏😊
This is one of the most helpful videos I've watched. Changing how I hold my pencil helped me draw better circles 😊.
I am a beginner to drawing and your exercises were so informative and helpful… can’t wait to start trying them out 🤩
I love the idea of the continuous line drawing exercise. It seems liberating to me and I can't wait to fill some pages with it. :)
I enjoyed your 12 steps exercises. I discovered that I could achieve simple forms and get more comfortable each time. Thank 😊
Thank you
Wow I loved this video, and will come back to it to continue exercising. Thank you so much !!! 🙏
Thanks so much for this guide. I've recently picked up drawing and am looking for ways to improve. These exercises are incredibly helpful. You are very talented and made this easy to follow. I also really enjoyed how you talked through it all; you are clear, concise, and your voice is easy to listen to. I look forward to watching more of your videos. 🙂
Awesome video! Thank you for helping out beginner artists like myself! 💖😊
Thanks!! These are great for all levels :)
Thank you this was very helpful! I'm a beginner so this helps me stay motivated!!
So much fun! Thank you! It really unlocked something in my creative brain.
Thank you so much for these wonderful exercises. Can't wait to watch more of your vid's !!
Really needed this video thank you! Can't wait to do these in my new sketchbook💃
You’re very welcome. Enjoy. I hope you find these helpful
This is the video I needed after loving your 5 ways to fill your sketchbooks and improve your skills
Yes!!! I’m so excited to have a new one out :)
Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think
I could watch your techniques all day! Glad I found your videos.
Your teaching is really fantastic and incredible many thanks ❤
She can literally draw 100x better than me with her opposite hand 😭.. My confidence is broken
You should not, just keep practicing and learning, enjoy and be happy.
What an excellent video. Thank you for sharing.
I can’t wait to try this. I struggle with a shaky hand. Hopefully these will help me with control! Thank you Jess!
Wow! I recently picked up drawing again after so many years. I'll definitely try out these excercises. Thank you very much.
Thanks so much for these tips. They honestly really help. I’ll definitely have to try them out. Also, I didn’t realize it before but I think you inspired me to write aspiring messages into my drawings. It never really hit me till now seeing that one piece in this video.
Hi! You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for letting me know. I really appreciate your support :)
@@artofjesskarp of course, I appreciate your content so much!
A much needed video after 1/2 years
😊😊😊
It was great and very enjoyable.... Thank you Jess 🥰🤩
Thank you so much Jess! I have attempted to start drawing a number of times, but ended up finding it‘too hard’. These exercises have definitely freed me up, they’ve broadened my topics of what to draw, and I’ve already increased my confidence. Many thanks 😊❤
Thank you for this. I find myself struggling with what to start with in terms of practice drills. This was so well thought out a few of these exercises are new to me. I'm excited to try.
Thanks! I did tons of planning before making this. But I think it will help tons! Enjoy :) let me know how it goes
Warm ups still beautiful than my finished craps 🤧✨
Stay positive !!! ✨
Super content! These are great for beginners, and the seasoned artist, alike! I've been in a slump for a few years, and have recently come back to visual arts. I'll be using these exercises to warm up. Thanks for the continued, quality content!
Excercise 5 your art work was absolutely amazing
Your videos always inspire everyone to try once and I’m pretty sure that these exercises will work 😉 keep it up you’re really a great artist 👩🎨 👍🏻
Yes!! Thanks for watching. Goodluck!
Loved this! I watched it while running on the treadmill today. Burned 230 calories! And most importantly I got inspired for my next studio session. 👍
That sounds amazing!! 😍😍😍
Really useful once I picked up drawing and my skill even went better after practicing exercises. Thank you🙏🏿
Thank you so much, I have inproved alot in my art and drawing skills❤