“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” - Scott Adams
There are many fun and relaxing hobbies out there that you can easily pick up if you have ever wanted to try something new or change up the pace of your routine. Dance classes or music lessons can end up costing quite a bit, but if there's one hobby that is quite cheap to take up, it's learning how to draw!
So how can you learn how to draw without having to pay to go to art school?
Here are our tips.
#1. Learning how to draw from social media
Be it charcoal, gouache, acrylics, or graphite pencils, drawing involves a lot of different techniques and styles. Before you try and learn how to use all these different tools for drawing, you need to learn the basics like perspective, anatomy, still life, light and shadow, etc.
Not everyone has the means to attend an art school or private art lessons. It’s hardly surprising that families earning less tend to source out educational opportunities or schools that are more economical - art courses can be very expensive in Malaysia! - and they will spend even less on leisure activities. If you’re a student or unemployed, you’ll have even less to spend on art classes.
Similarly, not everyone wants to make a career out of their art. You can pursue a career unrelated to art and still love to draw! There is nothing wrong with wanting to draw as a hobby or pastime and still be good at the drawing skills you have picked up.
Despite the rising costs of art courses and materials, there are many resources out there to help you learn how to draw at little to no cost.
Thanks to social media, you can learn to draw for free. Start by exploring YouTube and discover thousands of drawing tutorials from talented artists and teachers. This is a great way to discover new techniques you want to include in your drawing or even find tutorials for how to start drawing as a beginner.
YouTube videos are a good way to learn about different mediums, too, such as coloured pencils, graphite pencils, paintbrushes, etc. If you would like to watch short videos on how to draw for free, you can also look for YouTube shorts and learn how to create simple drawings in under a minute.
Similarly, if you visit Pinterest and search for “draw a face” or “draw manga”, you’ll find lots of stuff on these topics and likely find the art style you’re looking for. Pinterest leans more towards collections of art and sketches for artists looking for drawing inspiration. If you are looking for art communities or places to get help and advice about your drawing, head to Facebook and have a look around. While this isn’t the best social media platform for finding drawing lessons or tutorials, you can ask around the art communities or get updates on posts related to art tutorials.
Among all these social media platforms, we would say that Instagram is one of the best platforms for learning how to draw for free. Plenty of artists share their art on the platform as it is the quickest way to reach out to their target audience and showcase their skills and talent.
One way to find artists on Instagram you may like is by following popular drawing hashtags like #art, #drawing, #sketch and #illustration. You will be shown posts and stories from various artists after following these hashtags, and even be linked to their other platforms like Behance and DeviantArt where they are displaying their artwork.
Here are some of the top Instagram accounts for learning how to draw:
- Charly Clements (@charlyclements)
- Samantha Sarles (@colormadehappy)
- Andrew Scott (@andrewscott_art)
- Gláucio Barreto (@glaucio.art)
- E?rico Collyer (@collyerart)
- Diego Koi (@diegokoi)
- Sam Yang (@samdoesarts)
Hence, amateur artists can improve their art without having to break the bank!
Of course, if you want to work on your drawing skills, social media offers you the chance to post your art on the platform and receive constructive feedback on your drawings. Make sure that the feedback you get is helpful. In many cases, users might be too critical or not critical enough. If you want to improve, focus on the comments and opinions that tell you how to improve your drawings.
Learn more about learning to draw for free.
#2. Using books to learn how to draw for free
Books are still among the best resources to learn new skills and you don’t necessarily have to pay for them.
You can find books on drawing that will show you all the techniques you need to know. This could be a book focusing on how to draw manga, how to draw comics, or even how to draw dragons and other fantasy creatures. It also helps that these types of books are regularly published by famous artists and art studios to sell their artwork and also teach others how to draw.
Start by choosing a book on the fundamentals of drawing before moving on to other specific techniques and styles like cross-hatching or stippling. After using certain art mediums and tools like charcoal or crayons for some time, you may want to find books that teach you how to use watercolours, pencils, oils and more. Whether you want to be really good at a certain drawing style or explore different methods of drawing, you’ll be able to find something.
Now, let’s talk about how you don’t even need to pay for the books! Most libraries will have these types of books available and you can borrow them or even use them as you draw in the library as long - just don’t make too much noise or take up too much space! If you are planning to borrow books out of the library and use them back home, you can look for a book that covers a variety of drawing topics. Say, a book that teaches vanishing points, 3D objects and anatomy all in one. In this way, you don’t have to worry about carrying around too many books with you.
Have you thought about purchasing pre-loved drawing books or secondhand books that were used by previous artists and illustrators? Look out for used book sales, car boot sales and secondhand bookstores in your neighbourhood or city. You won’t get drawing books for free, per se - but you will be able to purchase art books and books on drawing at extremely low prices. Buying a book that will teach you how to sketch for only RM10 is well worth the price!
If you can’t find pre-loved books in your area, you can also turn to community platforms like Books n Bobs, Second Hand Books Malaysia, and Second Time Around Books which have websites for you to purchase used books at affordable prices. You may find just the drawing book you need!
Once you’ve finished reading the book, why not head into the streets and sketch something?
Drawing a street or a landscape is a great way to practise the techniques you have learnt in a book. Of course, you can't do a step-by-step drawing tutorial in the middle of the street, but if you want to draw people or work on some perspective drawing, sitting on a park bench or cafe that looks out into the street could be a good place to do it.
Learning how to draw in a public place can be a rewarding experience and all you need to do is sit somewhere moderately comfortable with your sketchbook and a pencil, and work on a quick drawing or do some doodling.
Discover the best drawing websites.
#3. Joining a club to learn to draw
There are plenty of clubs for artists or beginners learning how to draw. Some are free and others may ask for a modest membership fee.
You might not immediately think of joining an art club if you’ve got a busy schedule. However, groups usually only meet up once a week and take about one to two hours to practise drawing. If you think about it, that’s really not too much time out of your week and could be just enough for you to practise drawing with the free time you already have.
Have a look around at what’s available in your area and check out some of the clubs and groups near you. You may also want to find out where and when they meet to see if the art club meetings can fit your schedule. Joining a club is fantastic for finding like-minded people, making new friends, sharing art advice, and improving your art in a friendly environment. It’ll also encourage you to practise regularly, especially if you’ve been struggling to practise your drawing techniques daily.
Art clubs for drawing usually conduct workshops that come in all shapes and sizes. You may join a beginner’s course on sketching, learn how to use paint in your drawings, and you might even go for a walk in the woods before sitting down to draw a landscape or some portraits. Being in a club means you will have other members to share ideas with and have the chance to support one another.
Excited to be part of an art club? Explore these places below to socialise with other budding artists and be part of a drawing community:
- A Space To _ (A creative studio offering art workshops in Petaling Jaya, Selangor)
- ArtCore Malaysia (Art studio in Desa Parkcity, Kuala Lumpur)
- Malaysian Institute of Art (Institution offering art club gatherings in Kuala Lumpur)
- Pakat Studio (Art studio and lifestyle store in Miri, Sarawak)
- Lara’s Place (Activity and learning centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor)
And that’s it! If you want to learn how to shade, draw a cat, or even just get better using a graphite pencil, being surrounded by others with similar goals is the way to do it.
Check out the best drawing apps.
#4. Learning to draw with MOOCs
Have you heard of MOOCs?
MOOCs have been a teaching revolution. It stands for “massive open online course”. This means that you can follow a course designed and guided by professional instructors and teachers online. Usually, you can follow the course whenever you want. There should also be an open forum for MOOC participants to discuss things with one another as well as with their instructors.
Many of the world’s best universities offer MOOCs. This means you can study at a great university from the comfort of your own home.
Many MOOC courses are free and you just need to sign up for them. There are exercises that you have to do for each module so that you can progress to the next level, and there are also versions you can pay for that come with a qualification or certificate of completion.
Looking for where to find free MOOCs for drawing? Check out these popular websites that offer free MOOCs for artists and beginners:
- Udemy
- Coursera
- My MOOC
- MOOC List
To quicken your search for your desired MOOC, be sure to use specific keywords like “figure drawing”, “digital drawing” or “coloured pencil drawing”. If you want to get the most out of your MOOC, you’ll need to study regularly and stay motivated because, without a regular schedule, it’s easy to give up and not complete the course.
One of the cons of using a MOOC to study drawing is that you won’t have the advantage of learning one-on-one with the art lecturer or instructor. Instead, you have to pay attention to instructional videos and audio recordings, and work with the art materials that you have at home. This may be difficult for beginner artists who need more guidance on how to use their art mediums and tools, or have difficulty using these tools correctly.
However, in terms of improving drawing techniques, the advantage is that you can learn with MOOCs from all over the world. You can learn drawing techniques from lecturers of top art colleges and universities, which you may not have access to otherwise in Malaysia! Not to forget, you can still access the forum to talk to students and course lecturers on how to improve your drawing skills and receive useful feedback.
In a matter of weeks, you’ll learn about the fundamentals of art and techniques to improve your drawing. It’s also wise to complete all the drawing assignments you’ve been given!
Find out how to get better at drawing.
#5. Swapping skills in exchange for drawing lessons
Skill swapping is a budget-friendly option to learn new skills without having to pay money.
Rather than pay to learn how to draw, you can offer your time or skills as payment. For example, you could get drawing lessons and offer sewing lessons in return. Thus, money can stay in the same hands. It’s all about trading favours for favours.
Some sites exist to facilitate the exchange of services. In other words, one good turn deserves another. There are also sites where you can organise these service swaps, so you can put up a forum that says you are looking for drawing lessons in exchange for the service you are offering, be that cooking classes, English language lessons or basketball lessons.
The possibilities of the types of services you can offer are endless - have you ever considered babysitting in exchange for an hour of sketching lessons?
The websites and apps below are popular for skill swapping and you can do your own research to look for artists willing to swap drawing skills for the services you can offer:
- Skillbound
- Barter and Be
- Letswap
- SkillSwap
Here’s another suggestion… why not look for a friend who knows how to draw?
Perhaps your interest in drawing and using charcoal stemmed from watching a friend or family member create art. You can ask the same person if they are willing to teach you how to draw in exchange for some skills you can teach them in return. Since you already know them, it’s probably easier to schedule the skill swap session just by getting their contact number.
Who knows? Your friend may even be willing to just teach you without asking for anything in return!
Plus, you can treat the session as a friends’ hangout!
Nonetheless, the setback of learning to draw with an acquaintance is that you may not be able to fully hone your drawing skills. It can be frustrating asking for a friend’s feedback if they are already biased towards your art style (or are afraid of hurting your feelings with their criticism!). That is why it may be better to learn with a professional art tutor, like the ones on Superprof.
#6. Enhancing your drawing skills on Superprof
If you need help with your drawings, figure drawing, one-point perspective or linear perspective, sketching simple shapes, or using different drawing tools, it’s time to sign up for drawing lessons from one of the many gifted and talented drawing tutors on Superprof.
“But wait… learning with a drawing tutor is going to cost me, right?”
One of the biggest reasons that students sign up for lessons on Superprof - a global leading platform connecting students to tutors of various subjects - is the great affordability of lessons on the platform.
Right now, you may not be ready to commit to studying a fine art course in Malaysia which will cost you around RM33,000, or more than RM6,000 per study term.
On Superprof, you can build your interest in art and take drawing lessons from professional artists at an average price of RM80 per hour. To top it off, you can search for drawing lessons for as low as RM24/hour on Superprof!
Even with these affordable lesson prices, you can still take quality drawing lessons from various artists, comic book writers, and art teachers worldwide. Gain access to more than 5,000 art tutors who are ready to teach you drawing, and learn from the comfort of home by taking online drawing lessons with a tutor from Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Kolkata, Rome or other places where art is popular! Only on Superprof.
Let us walk you through how to find your ideal drawing tutor. On the Superprof Tutors homepage, key in “Drawing” as your preferred subject and choose between “Online” or “Search near me” depending on whether you want to have virtual or face-to-face drawing classes. You can also specify your search to botanical drawing, pastel drawing, life drawing and other areas of drawing on Superprof.
You should now be looking at the Superprof catalogue of drawing tutors. You can click on any tutor’s profile you are interested in and book a lesson with them. Simple, right? We also encourage you to take note of your tutor’s lesson rates, teaching background and levels, lesson mode, response time and student reviews - find all of these details on their Superprof profile.
Before you choose your tutor, remember that many of the tutors on Superprof will offer free tutoring for the first hour. This gives you time to discuss what you want to learn with your drawing tutor and see if they're right for you!
Now you have all the resources on hand to learn to draw for free and the added advantage of a qualified Superprof tutor to enhance your drawing skills. Have a blast!
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