Drawing Practice Exercises (2025)

FAQs

Is 1 hour of drawing practice enough? ›

Tiring: Too tiring to be done sustainably over the long run for more than a few hours a day. Beginners should start drawing with one hour and gradually work up to more. At the peak of their abilities, expert performers only do about four hours of practice a day.

Some may want to draw 20 minutes while others 2 hours or even all nighter. If you wanna progress fast (even if you have a busy shedule, a family…), do not focus on HOW LONG you need. But draw as long as your heart tells you to. That way, sketching is going to be your lifestyle and be part of your daily routine.

Working with an expert can help identify your weak areas and tailor your practice regimen in a way that's most effective for you. 10,000 Hours is Approximate – The actual amount of time required to master a skill can vary wildly and is not universal.

Art students who would like to become fine artists, start their art education in art schools from the age of 9 or 10. By the end of this school, which takes 4 to 5 years, they have very good drawing, painting, decorative arts, composition, and sculpting skills as well a firm knowledge of the history of arts.

You should, if possible, set aside a specific time each day to sketch, even if it's just for a few minutes - it will help relax you. Perhaps use it as part of your end-of-day wind down process.

Learn to draw better by copying.

Building off the work of those who've come before you is a great way to learn. Trying to pass off the work of another artist as your own is plagiarism, but emulating the work of accomplished illustrators is an observational exercise that can help you improve your drawing skills.

Artists, whether beginners or seasoned and experienced, are always looking for a way to perfect their craft. When it comes to improving your drawing skills, practice does make perfect, or at least it can lead to developing the capabilities needed to achieve the type of artwork you dream of creating.

Keep in mind; the more regularly you draw the easier you are likely to find warming up. Try challenging yourself to do this, drawing once every day. Even if it's only for a very short time you'll likely begin to see and feel a difference in your drawing as a result!

Progress is measured not in hours, but in months and years. Be patient with yourself. The more you draw, the better you will get. As I look back through my journals, I see that every time I challenged myself to try a new idea, I made a leap forward.

Early Bird or Night Owl: Consider waking up a bit earlier to squeeze in some drawing before the day begins. If you're more of a night owl, wind down in the evening with a peaceful drawing session before bed. It's a great way to relax and unwind - it can even lead to better sleep.

How late is too late to learn how to draw? ›

There's no time limit on any of these skills or passions. As long as you have a passion for it and the willingness to learn it and put energy into it.

Start with 5/10 minutes practice per day, max. Then you can build upon it. Even better, attach your drawing practice to something you are already doing everyday. For me, drawing when I wake up, before breakfast, is the best motivation (I'm one of those people who wakes up STARVING).

Some artists are faster and can do two or three pages a day, At one point, Jack Kirby was doing four pages a day (four comics a month including covers). At minimum, the artist on a monthly comic book has to be able to produce around one page a day. Any longer than that and the artist misses the deadline.

There are plenty of excellent artists that have been drawing properly for less than 5 years. And you can also see how far people have been able to progress even in 3 years.

The great thing about setting a 30 minute practice time is that it often leads to more than the 30 minutes you allocated. 30 minutes a day is probably enough to raise your skills noticeably over time, especially if you're mindful of what you want to improve and make a commitment to practice.

In some areas of learning, once you know how to do something in theory, then you can also do it in practice. Drawing is more like a sport, where the skill is quite slow to develop. Once you have a breakthrough with your practice, your skill level can suddenly increase rapidly.