Practice makes perfect. But what makes practice perfect?
I have been drawing ever since I can remember. That is a lot of years of practice. But I've seen a lot of artists who are better than me, without as much experience. How can this be?
Sure, part of it could be due to talent. But most of it is due to the fact that not all practice is created equal. My problem? I've been practicing wrong most of my life.
So, learn from my mistakes! Let me tell you right now that buying an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil will not turn you into a pro! Learn from my mistakes and join the group of people who are better than me even with less experience! Turn your practice into power practice, ASAP.
How to turn your practice into power in 3 easy steps.
1. Find a goal so you can mark your progress.
The difference between just drawing and power drawing, is that power drawing has a purpose. A goal. And this perfect kind of practice doesn't exclude non-artists. This is how to improve your skills in general.
So, how do you find a goal? Find someone better than you. An inspiration. That is the first major step. It may seem irrelevant, but it is very important to be able mark your progress, and having a set goal is the only way to do that effectively.
If you are drawing, this can also mean finding a reference photo. I can't begin to tell you how important this is.
2. Try new things.
Push your limits. It's the only way to improve. As I mentioned in my last post (Why a Webcomic?), for years of my early artistic journey, the only thing I wanted to draw was floating heads. Yes, it is as creepy as it sounds! I was good at drawing faces, and so that was what I drew, and I regret it bunches now. I could have improved so much, yet because I was satisfied with how things were, I didn't try to change anything.
3. Let go of what you know.
There is a drawing exercise that involves taking a reference photo, turning it upside down, and drawing it the way it appears upside down. In the few casual art classes that I've given to young children, the improvement was obvious when drawing upside down. Why?
Because sometimes you have to take a new perspective. Your old perspective may be wrong, and if you can learn to let go of your old perspective in the blink of an eye, you will go far in life.