This free drawing course will guide you through a series of fun and easy tutorials which will develop your drawing skills quickly.
If you’re a seasoned artist, this course could be a great refresher! You might even learn something new.
My name is Darlene and I created this free drawing course because I want to provide beginners with all the resources to learn the skills they need without having to fork up loads of cash or rummage the web for bits and pieces.
Shout out to Nadia Adalath for inspiring me to create this course! Thank you :)
The unique thing about this course is that I’m going to use my non-dominate hand to learn along with you.
That means that I won’t have the same level of control as my right hand and will basically need to develop my drawing muscles from scratch! I want to prove to you that you can learn how to draw even if your writing looks like chicken scratch!
Some of the things you will learn:
- How to draw the smart way
- How to draw more realistically
- How to draw what you see
- How to shade realistically
- How to draw with perfect proportions
- And more!
Tools you’ll need to begin:
A sharp pencil, blank piece of paper and an open mind.
- HB Pencil: Also known as #2 pencil
- Any sketch paper
- Eraser
How to Draw for Beginners: Course Outline
There are 5 levels in this free drawing course with a total of 10 lessons (I may decide to add more). Each lesson can be completed at your own pace and comes with a series of homework assignments.
You can submit your homework assignments on the RFA facebook page and get feedback from me and other students participating in the course, just like in a real classroom. It will be a great way to track your progress as well!
I like to date all of my work (yes, even if it’s bad) so that I can go back and see my improvements later. It’s really fun and I highly suggest you do it as well :)
If you want to make some suggestions on what to cover in future lessons, let me know. I’m always taking in new ideas and since these lessons are for YOU, I want them to be more personalized.
You can access all lessons from this page, so make sure to bookmark it in your browser. You can even subscribe to my mailing list to get notified when new lessons are posted!
Ready to start?
LEVEL 1: The Building Blocks of Art
Level 1 covers the very basics of drawing and why you don’t need to be perfect when it comes to sketching. You’ll learn how to draw faster and how to draw things that are more structurally sound.
Lesson 1: How to Sketch
If you can make a mark on a piece of paper, you can sketch! –> Go to lesson!
Lesson 2: Learn to see things differently
Learn how you can draw more accurately and quickly by breaking complicated objects down into simple shapes –> Go to lesson!
Lesson 3: Going from 2D to 3D
Step up your game and learn how to make your drawings go from 2D to 3D using various techniques. –> Go to lesson!
LEVEL 2: The Devil’s in the Details
Level 2 allows you to really pay attention to what you’re drawing and how you can make even your line drawings look realistic!
Lesson 4: How to draw with accurate proportions
Learn 4 awesome techniques to get your proportions more accurate. –> Go to lesson!
Lesson 5: Common Drawing Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Are you paying enough attention? Learn how to analyze your artwork and easily identify areas that could use improvement –> Go to lesson!
LEVEL 3: Techniques to Step Up Your Game
Lesson 6: Introduction to Linear Perspective
Learn how you can draw unique scenes with people using one-point and two-point linear perspective –> Go to lesson!
Lesson 7: Introduction to Line Quality
Learn how to further enhance your drawings by varying your line weight –> Go to lesson!
LEVEL 4: How to Shade Realistic Textures
Lesson 8: Introduction to shading techniques
Learn four different shading techniques to shade a variety of realistic textures –> Go to lesson!
Lesson 9: Learn how to shade
Learn 7 simple steps so you can start shading today! –> Go to lesson!
LEVEL 5: Wrapping it all up
Lesson 10: – Putting it all together
Learn how to put everything from lessons 1-9 into practice through 3 examples –> Go to lesson!
😍
Thank you for teaching us how to draw :)
Hello Ms. Darlene! I know that I am quite late but I still have to say it.
I was quite crazy about art a very long time ago. I got introduced to drawing quite tediously due to my lack of confidence in putting pencil to paper. However, being forced to draw really opened an avenue of inspiration for me and I found myself gaining confidence as I could draw cartoons and mostly any illustrations I could get. However, when I started attending high school, not only was my time occupied, I could no longer find the zeal to draw because of the mandatory art classes I had to suffer through.
Learning theory was good but when it came to drawing still life and portraits, I was at a loss. Even the fruits and veggies were tough for me to draw and I felt that all I practiced was not enough. My shading was also terrible.
However, I have been skimming through all your free course material and would like to say that you have captured everything to be taught in such a comprehensive manner that makes me impatient for the weekend to start so I can begin your courses! From what I have seen and read, I know that my inspiration and passion for drawing will once again resurface as you have spelt everything out in a way that high school teachers could never really do for me. I would also like to thank you for making this a free course as it doesn’t limit me from harnessing my true artistic potential and that I could also save up for my design degree. This has truly been a godsend. Thanks a million!
Your tutorials are the best i ever seen and ive watched tons and yours was the easiest to follow and the most understanding to follow. Thank you so much! Keep going at it girl!
i need help
Hello Darlene. I just found your site this afternoon. I’m a moderate artist 55yo, and I definitely need instructions. I also have a 12yo daughter whom I’ve introduced to art. We both love it, but I’ve never had any training to pass along.
So, in short, I look forward to your course. (We) look forward to your course.)
Thank you.
Thank you so much, this was really helpful for me! I was amazed by the drawings you made!
its u again
I am a beginner but anyone can’t say that i am a beginner. But there is a problem i can not any sketch without see. By seeing i can make everything. I love you Miss darlene and also love your art. #Mahadev
same
By the way i do not know i find you very diligent and you drawing look very sharp and good
I appreciate your desire to help others, and I wish I can have a good start with drawing.I am 67 YO but still have the stamina to do something. I need some encouragement and guidance to which way I should be heading. Nguyen my dear Vietnamese, would you stand by my side until I do good drawing.
I know! When I was 8 I was still drawing stick figures. now Im 10 and Im drawing waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better! :)
Hi Darlene, even though your videos are long but they are very very helpful. I really like that you show each and every step properly. thanks a lot for all the tutorials you have made and please keep making more!!! and love your videos:):)
Hey…I am 11 and I am learning to draw. My drawings are very bad and I need help. Am I aloud to do this if i’m a preteen? I’m almost twelve…
You know every source I find online and even in my school tells me to avoid sketchy lines, and now you’re telling me to use sketchy lines and sketch! I am not really making any progress, I’ve been meaning to learn to draw since last year but I’ve just been so clueless as to how to get started. Hope this helps me get started on the right foot!
Thanks for opening a site for free for helping beginners like us!!!!Thankyou