5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint (2024)

Like the age-old question “which came first--the chicken or the egg?” a similar question in the art world is whether you should first learn to draw, or paint. Spoiler: you should learn to draw first.

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint (1)


What is drawing? Technically, it’s making dry marks on a surface. What is painting? Same thing, with a wet medium and a paint brush. When we think of drawing, many examples come to mind.

Sketching a still life, a live model, a random object or animal, perhaps. In a professional sense, people can be illustrators of children’s books, fashion designers who sketch their design concepts before actualizing the garment, architects drawing plans for a building, and even sketch artists helping investigators find criminals by drawing details from reports made by victims.

If any of that was done as painting without clear lines and proportions first, it would probably be tough for anyone to decipher.

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint (2)

(Artwork by: @glenn_arthur_art)

Drawing is beneficial in several ways:

  1. Helps you identify your style
  2. Teaches you basic concepts such as shape, form, light, and shadow
  3. Increases accuracy in painting rather than painting freehand —you end up coloring in the lines you’ve drawn
  4. You can more easily control proportion as you can see the scale first when drawing before painting
  5. Drawing loosens up your hands, helps you paint with a better and freer flow

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint (3)

(Artwork by: @katezambrano)

Another huge benefit to drawing is that it’s faster than painting, period. You can see immediate results when you’re drawing a subject.

Whereas when you paint, it’s a multi step process and there’s drying time involved until you can evaluate what your next step will be, and so forth until your painting is complete.

Better to master drawing and then go on to learn painting so one doesn’t become frustrated with the slower speed of the painting processes.

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint (4)

(Artwork by:@katezambrano)

All this is not to say that one cannot paint without learning to draw; but the best approach to develop your skills as an artist is to learn to draw first and then build on your skills by learning how to paint.

Drawing makes your overall ability as a painter more technically correct and informed rather than just freehand painting something you want to replicate. You’ll develop your own style and your paintings will be unique expressions, which is what becoming an artist is all about.

    5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint (2024)

    FAQs

    5 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Draw Before You Learn to Paint? ›

    While it is possible to paint without prior drawing experience, learning to draw before painting is highly beneficial. Drawing establishes the fundamental skills, techniques, and concepts necessary for artistic growth. It refines your abilities, improves accuracy, and empowers you to develop a unique artistic style.

    Why is it important to sketch before painting? ›

    Sketching would help you identify your style and would also enlighten you on various other critical aspects which is required during painting such as shape, form, light, and shadow. Sketching and drawing act as a key in the contemporary art world.

    Why should we learn to draw? ›

    Drawing helps you explain concepts, illustrate new ideas, create new designs, and communicate thoughts in ways words can't. And schools can easily integrate drawing with the rest of what students learn.

    Do you need to be good at drawing to be a good painter? ›

    You do need to be able to draw something on your canvas in order to paint it. Paint gives it form and expression. "If you want to be great at your preferred subject, I strongly suggest studying a subject by drawing it in many ways.

    What are the 4 purposes of drawing? ›

    Drawing allows them to experiment, to develop, refine, test out and modify their thinking, to solve problems and visualise possible outcomes. It enables them to communicate with others.

    What are the 5 basics of drawing? ›

    The 5 basic skills of drawing are understanding edges, spaces, light and shadow, relationships, and, the whole, or gestalt. These 5 basic skills of drawing make up the components of a finished work of art when put together.

    Is it better to sketch before painting? ›

    Sketching a scene before painting it helps me distill it to its essence and then figure out how to communicate that essence in my painting.

    Why do we sketch before design? ›

    Sketch to convey ideas

    Visualizing a project together from the start can help your team get a clear idea of what might happen with a design. Sketching can be used as the design progresses to help clarify ideas, provide meaningful feedback and keep the project moving forward.

    Why do artists sketch first? ›

    The first sketches or drawings done by artists show a more personal and in-depth understanding of the artist's process. To many artists, the preliminary sketch is often considered to hold more spontaneity and freshness than the finished piece.

    How important is drawing from life? ›

    Drawing from life is an important part of the artist's life. Or it should be. It's perfect for honing skills, exploring new or potential subjects, and just having fun. And as you've seen, it's easy to fit into your schedule whether you're a full- or part-time artist.

    Why is it better to draw from life? ›

    The benefit of drawing from life is that it develops your eye to see in REAL time. Your brain is analyzing the scene around you in 3-D and deciphering how to crop it on the page. Being able to see and draw in real time is invaluable.

    Why is drawing a skill? ›

    Drawing is a skill that is taught, learned, practiced and developed. It's just like any other skill such as playing a musical instrument, or learning a sport. It takes knowledge and practice to develop it. Anyone can learn how to draw, including you.

    What is more important drawing or painting? ›

    From an art historical perspective, painting is seen as a higher art form in comparison to drawing. However, in a contemporary context, both media are seen as equal, although painting remains the more pertinent and dominant medium in the industry.

    Is drawing an essential skill? ›

    Drawing is a fundamental skill for the visual arts.

    Designers don't need to be master draftsmen, renderers and illustrators, but they should be able to do rudimentary sketching.

    Is important when drawing or painting realistically? ›

    To teach yourself to draw realistically, it's important to master shading, learn to draw eyes, avoid scenes at first, draw upside down, use tracing paper, use the grid method, and use a ruler to keep everything in proportion. These seven tips can help you learn to draw realistically more quickly.

    What is the 43 uses of drawing? ›

    The 43 Uses of Drawing is a large scale group exhibition that seeks to explore contemporary drawing practice by not only looking at the work of fine artists, illustrators and practitioners with arts backgrounds but also at the work of non- artist professionals who use drawing in their practice.

    What are the 8 elements of drawing? ›

    Contents
    • 1 Line.
    • 2 Shape.
    • 3 Form.
    • 4 Color.
    • 5 Space (positive and Negative space)
    • 6 Texture.
    • 7 Value.
    • 8 Mark making and materiality.

    What are the 6 purposes of art? ›

    • What are six functions that art fulfills?
    • The six functions are: Art for Delight. ...
    • ART FOR DELIGHT. ...
    • ART AS COMMENTARY. ...
    • ART IN WORSHIP AND RITUAL. ...
    • ART FOR COMMEMORATION. ...
    • ART FOR PERSUASION. ...
    • ART AS SELF-EXPRESSION.
    Oct 10, 2014

    What are the 10 principles of drawing? ›

    They're also known as the elements of visual design, and are: movement, balance, contrast, proportion, repetition, rhythm, variety, emphasis, harmony, and unity.

    What are the 10 principles of art drawing? ›

    The ten common principles of art are balance, emphasis, harmony, movement, pattern, proportion, repetition, rhythm, unity, and variety.

    What are the 6 principles of art drawing? ›

    PRINCIPLES OF ART: Balance, emphasis, movement, proportion, rhythm, unity, and variety; the means an artist uses to organize elements within a work of art.

    What to do before painting art? ›

    7 Things You Should Do Before You Start Any Paint Project
    1. 01 of 07. Patch Any Holes. Getty Images. ...
    2. 02 of 07. Clean the Walls. Getty Images. ...
    3. 03 of 07. Don't Forget the Painter's Tape. Getty Images. ...
    4. 04 of 07. Start With Primer. Getty Images. ...
    5. 05 of 07. Consider Caulking. ...
    6. 06 of 07. Set Out Tarps. ...
    7. 07 of 07. Gather Your Supplies.
    Jul 8, 2021

    Why is drawing important in art? ›

    Vasari states, “Drawing… is the necessary beginning of everything [in art], and not having it, one has nothing.” Drawings are not only the beginnings of everything in art, though this is an important element of their value; they also facilitate the artist's creative process by describing what is seen, visualizing what ...

    What is the important of drawing in art? ›

    In art and design, it helps to develop and work out composition, scale, proportion, line weight, mark making and details, whether the work be traditional interpretation with line and marks, as well as in abstract art.

    How healthy is drawing? ›

    In addition to creativity, there are cognitive and cerebral benefits to sketching. We use our brains when we draw, and this not only releases endorphins, but helps build new connections and pathways. When drawing, we actively use both sides of our brain, the right for creativity, and the left for logical thinking.

    Does drawing benefit the brain? ›

    Not only is drawing a form of literacy, it also helps your memory! A study from Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology found that participants that doodled were 29% more likely to remember mundane information. IT MAKES YOU HAPPY: When you draw, you release Serotonin, Endorphins, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine.

    Will drawing everyday improve? ›

    Making a commitment to draw everyday, for even just a few minutes, will lead to drastically substantial results. You may not see these improvements everyday, but you will over time. Creating a drawing habit, and sticking with it, will improve your skills – it's almost guaranteed.

    What skills do you gain from drawing? ›

    All of these aspects are intertwined, as kids gain vital skills through practice with tools such as crayons, pencils, markers and paintbrushes.
    • Motor Skills. ...
    • Creativity. ...
    • Cognitive Development. ...
    • Planning Skills. ...
    • Eye-Hand Coordination. ...
    • Visual Perception. ...
    • Attention Span. ...
    • Healthy Emotional Release and Expression.
    Jan 16, 2023

    What does drawing do to the brain? ›

    Not only is drawing a form of literacy, it also helps your memory! A study from Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology found that participants that doodled were 29% more likely to remember mundane information. IT MAKES YOU HAPPY: When you draw, you release Serotonin, Endorphins, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine.

    What are the powerful effects of drawing? ›

    It's long been known that drawing something helps a person remember it. A new study shows that drawing is superior to activities such as reading or writing because it forces the person to process information in multiple ways: visually, kinesthetically, and semantically.

    What skills does drawing help with? ›

    The skill and process of drawing also develops attention to detail, concentration, fine motor skills, problem solving, spatial reasoning, and understanding of proportion and perspective. The benefits of drawing extend into the social-emotional arena, as it has been used as therapy to reduce anxiety and stress.

    How does drawing help your mental health? ›

    Drawing — and other forms of art — can help you release stress and anxiety. You can draw at home to boost your imagination and creativity, be more mindful and grounded, and relieve anxious thoughts. You can also work with an art therapist to help you manage mental health conditions or trauma.

    Does drawing help with painting? ›

    Drawing is beneficial in several ways:

    Teaches you basic concepts such as shape, form, light, and shadow. Increases accuracy in painting rather than painting freehand —you end up coloring in the lines you've drawn. You can more easily control proportion as you can see the scale first when drawing before painting.

    Is drawing a talent or learned? ›

    Drawing is a skill that is taught, learned, practiced and developed. It's just like any other skill such as playing a musical instrument, or learning a sport. It takes knowledge and practice to develop it. Anyone can learn how to draw, including you.

    Is drawing related to IQ? ›

    In particular, children's drawings are very often linked to their IQ. Developed by Goodenough in 1926, Draw-A-Man test was the first scoring system to measure intelligence through children's drawings.

    Does drawing cure anxiety? ›

    Drawing may offer a way to reduce anxiety and improve mental health. Drawing is a researched approach to treating anxiety. This approach uses methods such as drawing, painting, sculpting, music, and drama to boost mental health by providing an outlet for creative expression.

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