Most people believe they can’t draw realistically because they lack talent. But that’s not true. Realistic drawing is more about learning to see accurately and skillfully transferring what you see onto paper. With dedicated practice, anyone can learn this skill. In this article, you’ll find helpful tips and insights to guide you toward realistic drawing. So put on your artist hat, and let’s dive in!
What is Realistic Drawing?
Realistic drawing is the art of capturing objects and scenes in a life-like way. Achieving this requires practice, skill, and an understanding of perspective, lighting and shading principles. When executed well, realistic drawings can look almost like photographs.
How Can You Learn to Draw Realistically?
Several techniques can help you develop realistic drawing skills. Start by studying your subject closely, whether it’s a still object, a scene, or a live model. Pay attention to proportions, shapes, textures, and colors, and try to replicate them as accurately as possible. Practicing with reference photos can also be very helpful.
Basic Shape Blocking
Starting with basic shapes is a tried-and-true approach to creating a strong foundation for your drawing. Before diving into details, begin with simple shapes like circles, squares, and triangles, which act as building blocks for more complex forms. By learning to draw basic shapes, you can create a clear, guided outline that gives structure to your work and sets you up for refinement in later steps.
Using light strokes for these primary shapes is key—they’re meant to serve as guides, not permanent lines, making it easier to adjust your composition as needed. This technique not only helps in establishing proportions but also builds confidence, especially when tackling more challenging subjects. By breaking down a complex object into manageable shapes, you can approach the drawing step-by-step, moving from basic forms to a fully developed sketch with ease and precision.
How to Draw People Realistically
Drawing people in a realistic style is one of the biggest challenges in art. It takes considerable practice to portray the human form accurately, but understanding a few fundamentals will make it easier.
Start with human anatomy. Learning the proportions of body parts and how they connect will give your drawings a strong foundation. Studying reference photos in detail or taking a life drawing course can help improve your understanding.
Perspective and lighting are also essential when drawing figures, as they affect how the form appears within its environment. Proper lighting gives shape and structure to your drawing, making it appear three-dimensional.
A helpful tool for visualizing body positions and refining your skills is a drawing figure. These models allow you to study poses and body parts from various angles, adding versatility to your practice. While many models exist, it’s worth investing in high-quality options like those from Armature Nine, which, though more expensive, offer impressive flexibility and detail for realistic figure drawing.
How to Draw Animals Realistically
Similarly, drawing animals in a realistic style requires skill and practice, but a few strategies can help.
First, look for high-quality reference photos that show the animal in various poses and angles, which is especially useful as animals are often in motion. In the 16th century, Albrecht Dürer famously painted a wing of a roller bird from a real specimen—a practice that seems unusual today. Thankfully, modern artists can work from photographs instead.
Familiarizing yourself with the animal’s anatomy is equally important. Each species has unique features that define its look, so studying these characteristics will enhance the accuracy of your work.
Albrecht Dürer: Wing of a Roller
Selective Detailing
Selective detailing allows you to balance your drawing by focusing intricate detail on specific areas while simplifying others. This technique prevents your artwork from becoming overly complex or cluttered and directs the viewer’s eye to focal points, creating a harmonious composition. By choosing where to emphasize detail, you also add depth and interest, making certain areas feel more prominent or lifelike while allowing other parts to recede.
In my drawing of an orangutan, for example, I intentionally left the background without detail, which draws attention directly to the ape and emphasizes its presence in the composition. This approach not only helps the viewer focus on the main subject but also creates a sense of depth, allowing the orangutan to stand out vividly against the simplified backdrop. Selective detailing like this can elevate a drawing, making it feel both dynamic and thoughtfully composed.
Precision Drawing
Achieving realism in your drawings relies heavily on precise observation and accuracy. Instead of drawing what you think you see, focus on capturing the exact shapes, angles, and proportions in front of you. This practice, known as observational drawing, is essential for capturing lifelike proportions and details.
Foreshortening is also crucial in realistic drawing, as it helps depict depth and perspective—whether it’s the extended limb of a figure or the layers within a landscape. You can further enhance precision by employing measurement techniques; for instance, using a pencil as a guide to gauge angles and proportions, with one eye closed for improved accuracy. These techniques may seem small but are instrumental in building a realistic, three-dimensional effect in your work.
Edges
In realistic drawing, edges are not outlined with hard lines but are created through soft or hard transitions. Edges come to life through these contrasts—soft edges help create gradual transitions, ideal for textures like fur, hair, or distant objects, while hard edges use crisp, controlled strokes to define sharper areas, such as the outline of an object or overlapping forms.
Achieving these subtle effects requires avoiding direct finger smudging, which can leave oils on the paper; instead, use tissues or blending tools designed to create smooth transitions. These careful distinctions between hard and soft edges add depth and dimension, enhancing the overall realism of your artwork.
Tips for Improving Your Realism Skills
Improving your realistic drawing skills takes commitment, but here are some tips to help you along the way:
- Practice consistently. Draw from life, from photos, and try different techniques to strengthen your skills.
- Observe your subject carefully. Pay attention to proportions, shapes, textures, and colors to capture them accurately.
- Master perspective and lighting. Perspective is crucial for drawing figures and environments, while lighting adds realism and dimension to your work.
- Be patient and persistent. Realistic drawing takes time to master. Don’t get discouraged if your work isn’t perfect right away. With patience and effort, your skills will grow, and soon your drawings may look as real as photographs.
Are Non-Realistic Drawings “Bad”?
Absolutely not! Non-realistic drawings are not “bad” by any means. In fact, hyper-realism sometimes faces criticism for being “boring” or lacking artistic flair. Ultimately, art is subjective—different viewers appreciate different styles.
If you’re focused on achieving realistic drawing, don’t let critics hold you back. Remember that your art journey is yours alone, so stay true to your vision and keep growing as an artist
