How to Create an Easy & Rewarding DAILY DRAWING HABIT

[@VictorLonmo]

I started drawing 4 years ago and I told my personal trainer about it. I told him that some days I feel like drawing and other days my motivation is just not there. His advice was to draw every day but on days when I am not feeling the desire to do draw something quick and simple. To be clear my trainer is not an artist. While it is not exactly what Stephen is suggesting in this video there is a consistency in the message. Drawing every day, even just a quick sketch, without judging the drawing will produce good results in time. Whenever some one suggests that I am talented I just tell them that the only talent involved, in my case at least, is being stubborn. I still have a long way to go but I am enjoying the journey. I hope everyone else learning to draw is also enjoying the journey even if it is not a very scenic journey when you start... I think Stephen's advice in this video is applicable to a lot more than drawing. Glad to give it a thumbs up!

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Victor. Appreciate these thoughts, and I think it does apply to a lot more as well. 😀

[@kathleenhartegilsenan1534]

When I was teaching I required my art students to create 5-10 min sketches in ballpoint pen from observation at the beginning of class. Then, we would also have a month-long challenge of daily sketching. I would also do the assignment and loved it. It was so great to look back on the accumulation of quick sketches at the end of the month. Thanks for this great reminder of the importance of daily sketching. I especially appreciate your explanation regarding the benefits of limiting the time spent on the daily sketches. You have inspired me to build daily drawing back into my own studio practice for 2025!

[@KZee7]

Sounds like a very good idea, I will get everything ready this evening and start in the morning when I have my cuppa. Thanks Stephen.

[@stephentraversart]

All the best with it. 😀

[@MrTobie11]

I will, I will. I will. So difficult but so important. Yes, fun is the reason! Thank you Stephen.🙂

[@stephentraversart]

All the best with it. 👏😀

[@jdhayes]

Stephen, excellent video. Drawing is a skill and with this type of intentional practice will improve.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks, have fun with it.

[@crisalidathomassie1811]

Hi Stephen, just found your channel today and decided to watch this video. I’m glad I did it. I love to draw but not consistently. Mainly when I need to paint. Many years ago I was drawing very often but the desire went away. Now I’m in the process of getting all materials needed an set up a space where I can just sit and draw. Your video is more like a wake up call, very interesting, full of great advice and most important do not aim at a finished drawing. I will go back and follow your videos from the beginning of this journey. I’m a self taught artist and I have successfully learned a lot about oil,painting, my favorite medium. Thanks so much for your time, your knowledge, all the work you put in to make such exclusive drawing videos. Very helpful and inspiring.

[@21ruevictorhugo]

That’s brilliant, the idea of deciding the night before what you're going to draw in the morning. That way it’s in your head overnight. I think that means your brain things about it in the background and the next morning is ready, even eager, for it. Thanks!

[@stephentraversart]

Certainly helps me off to a quick start. Thanks 😀

[@MKisJ]

Professor Travers Sir! Much respect thank you.

[@stephentraversart]

Kind of you to say. Thank you 😀

[@JoanKentBible]

I have never felt more motivated to get started on drawing. Thank you for your inspiring videos which I find both uplifting and relaxing.

[@stephentraversart]

That’s just what I was wanting from the video. Thanks for sharing Joan. 😀

[@TheLittleEconomist]

Hi Steve, Perfect timing for me. May for me is a month of building new habits. Mostly it’s building up a daily habit for exercise. Drawing is a habit I want to develop to help my paintings. I’m finding I love drawing with ink as pleasurable as paining with watercolour. I’d follow along with your daily exercise videos but I’m trying to develop the confidence of creating in my own. Love that you pointed out the trap of drawing/exercising too long and putting on a limit to make it a daily habit. For me that’s going to be 10 -20 mins max. 30mins becomes something I’ll have to schedule. Love your style. Thanks again.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. I always love being timely. For me, my oil painting for ten years helped my drawing when I began it. I think effort in any area does pay dividends in others. All the best with it. 😀

[@darranthompson6464]

Vary motivating. Thanks for the pep talk. Keep up your good work.

[@stephentraversart]

Hope you try it out Darran. Thanks.

[@darranthompson6464]

I do, but I was letting time get away and forgetting that it’s practice.

[@rayrowe2156]

Thanks so much for this. Your tips make so much sense. I totally see the logic behind these.

[@stephentraversart]

HOpe you can apply them gainfully in your drawing. thanks Ray

[@Rhonda.D.Wright]

Yeah, I still have that “worry factor” going on. I will give it a go though as it would be quite fun to see how I start off versus where I’m at in ten days. 😊

[@stephentraversart]

Absolutely. I’ve just posted a video where I list the unexpected 5 ways I’ve benefited from doing this. It’s not just for beginners I’ve discovered 😀

[@my2cworth4U]

I often do a drawing on a large canvas, so it takes a long time to do. This seems to give much satisfaction.

[@stephentraversart]

Whatever works for each of us is great😀

[@oo.646]

Working quickly also develops attention to negative space, which helps with accuracy and visual interest.

[@stephentraversart]

Negative space is such a help both in drawing and in the effects we can create.

[@karincarter4962]

When I got to the end of the video I decided to watch it for a 2nd time !! Very relevant information for me ! And all comes down to self discipline !? 😅 I'll keep on trying !

[@stephentraversart]

That's great. Thanks

[@imanishtanwar]

Thanks

[@stephentraversart]

That’s very kind Manesh. Thank you 😀

[@TarsicioMolle]

Tus consejos son prácticos e inteligentes. Me resultan gratificantes, Gracias, saludos.

[@stephentraversart]

Wonderful to hear. I always want to be practical and intelligent 😀

[@EnglishwithAlan]

thanks so much for this Stephen. I started this video assuming it would be just a review of 3 or 4 ideas I already knew and just wanted to be reminded of. this was so much more thorough and deep and informative than that. I'm planning to watch it again and take some notes. I've wanting for a long time to be more spontaneous and less slavish to my references when I draw, but within minutes ot starting, those more precise and perfectionistic habits creep in again. it sounds like this may finally be the path toward learning to be freer and more expressive in my drawing. thanks again for this one and for all your videos and the work that goes into making them.

[@stephentraversart]

It’s certainly worked for me Alan. I have a few videos that deal with perfectionism as the main topic you might find interesting as well. This has certainly been beneficial for me most unexpectedly. All the best with it. Thanks for sharing your experience 😀

[@beece2413]

Thank you for these videos!

[@stephentraversart]

Glad you like them!😀

[@davidsmith812]

You ALWAYS have great information in your videos! Thanks so much for inspiring me to do more and to do it in a better way!

[@stephentraversart]

Thank you. My pleasure 😀

[@adityaksengupta]

Thanks very much! You've motivated me to start this from tomorrow (albeit with minor modifications to the system you suggest). During the Covid lockdowns, I'd ordered a whole bunch of art supplies and started teaching myself to sketch from KZbin channels such as yours, but I don't do any nowadays-- exactly for the reasons you diagnose. Hopefully your 15 min routine idea will not only help me restart to continue, but also reduce my hesitation with pen as well as unnecessary clutter from my trials (for starters I intend to use the same reference photo for the next 7-10 days for this).

[@stephentraversart]

Sounds great Aditya. Keep at it. 😀

[@danielservranckx2771]

I find that combining the excellent advices of this video with the ones about doing consecutive drawings of the same subject and warming up sqetches of the more challenging elements are most benefical at this stage of my learning journey. Thank you for your generosity in sharing so much.

[@stephentraversart]

So good to hear it's been useful for you Daniel. All the best with your drawing progress

[@johnheilferty2581]

Thanks Stephen! Needed to see/hear this!!!

[@stephentraversart]

So glad to oblige. 😀

[@debrachristidis4376]

Thank you! I have been considering getting back to sketching/drawing as a way of practicing,.. And suddenly your video popped up!! Yeah! These are exactly the motivating techniques that I needed to hear today!!🎉 I'm all in!! ❤ Thanks again

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks for the encouragement Debra. So great to hear👏😀

[@elizabethlang3022]

New follower here - much appreciation for your good energy and thoughtful advice! Time management meets Mindset management!

[@stephentraversart]

Great to hear Elizabeth. My playlists might help you navigate through my content. All the best with it. 😀

[@TotoLakay]

I've put your advice to work and I definitely forgot to not use an eraser every now and then. i can still see more results. Thank you again. I never thought about drawing a figure like I would draw a building until recently. I laugh how stupid I was, I can't remember why I never lean on my strengths this whole time. It is easy for me to draw a building, it should have been obvious for me to draw people like buildings * smacks forehead* duh!.

[@stephentraversart]

Haha. Yes, in the end, everything flows from how we think. Glad it was helpful 😀

[@jsihavealotofplaylists]

The no eraser rule made me immeditately say No! but then your reasoning: "this is practice. this is training" that it basically lets us better review WHY we made that wrong line or how we see it's wrong is immensely enlightening at second glance, and helps self review, like when a chess master reviews his old games.

[@roxasparks]

I been no eraser for years.... It's the bees knees

[@tinavanzyl880]

Hi Stephen I enjoyed watching this and I am surely going to work in getting into this habit. I am new in the art stuff.

[@stephentraversart]

It’s a great habit to get into Tina. All the best with it. Hope my channel is a help to you. 😀

[@tinavanzyl880]

I'm sure it will.

[@RegalRaphy-i2r]

Thanks for the help🎉🎉😊

[@stephentraversart]

Happy to help😀

[@nabamitaray846]

thanks for your advice, i will definitely try it.

[@alanjameson8664]

Very interesting ideas. I am approaching 80 years old, would like to do some artistic stuff, but long ago internalized the conviction that I couldn't do anything artistic. (My parents discouraged me.) I took a watercolour class several years ago, and did all right-- not the best in the class, but clearly not the worst either. That's a nice little woodland you use for a backdrop; I don't have anything comparable. But if I am to draw, say 15 minutes per day, it needs to be done very nearby. Or from photos; but I have a strong feeling that I ought to draw from direct observation. Thank you for the suggestions.

[@stephentraversart]

We're never to old to give it our best Alan. Good on you for the watercolour course. My advice is to draw from photos while you find life subjects that you can easily get to. that woodland is my backyard with some clever camera angles - but it is beautifully natural I think.. (Although none of my bush drawings are from there). Drawing from photos still has lots of skills overlap with drawing from life, so when you get to draw outside you'll be further along. All the best with it, and have fun.

[@rainagamingmagex2195]

I'm going to start doing that today thank you very much for this idea just never thought of it I've drawn most of my life but I'm still have a little bit of issues with perspective so if I do these drawings more hopefully that'll help me and I am terrible at trying to use pin so I'm going to make myself do it. Thank you 😊

[@stephentraversart]

I’m always happy to have helped somehow. Thanks for sharing 😀

[@jsihavealotofplaylists]

ALSO the "finished drawing" is basically impossible. When you stop is when it's finished. You can't dig half a hole! You can't draw half a drawing. But you can be dissatisfied with the ending :)

Stephen, great stuff. Can you suggest a few reference photos for the 10 to 20 minute sessions you recommend?

[@stephentraversart]

I have a playlist of daily 10 minute drawings each with a reference photo on my channel Community Page. There's over 60 on it at the moment.

[@my2cworth4U]

We need to set up motivation. Have a studio. I keep all my writing and drawing stuff in a van and drive away at 9am every day to park somewhere with great light. There are too many distractions at home.

[@stephentraversart]

What a great strategy!👏 Thanks for sharing the idea. 😀

[@my2cworth4U]

@@stephentraversart Yr Wlcm. Works for me.

[@fionabryce3428]

Great video, where did you get the shirt my husband would love it.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Fiona. The shirt brand is Ben Sherman, but it could be close to 10 years old, so I don’t think you’d track it down. 😀

[@fionabryce3428]

@@stephentraversart yes no luck with the current selection, thanks for answering the question.

[@xbrc70]

How do you decide what to focus on and what to draw during that time?

[@stephentraversart]

Choose something to draw at a suitable level and of a size and time limit you can make work - at least have a chance to draw well. All the best. 😀

[@kars6670]

im new to drawing wanna learn to different environments leaving this comment so that i can return in a month to talk about how this strat worked for me

[@stephentraversart]

Looking forward ward to hear in a month Kars. 😀

[@kozlorog]

It's been a month.

[@leviathan6071]

Been 6 months, hows the progress?!

[@als.c]

it's been a while, u still breathing?

[@nikkiwells1688]

This is my main problem 😂. I will follow the advice and NO excuses

[@stephentraversart]

Really hope it works for you. 😀

[@nikkiwells1688]

I cant find your video on mark making , line drawing which you mentioned in one of your other videos 😂 problem is i cant remember which! I am struggling with how loose to make a line 😅

[@lucythumm6361]

Your drawings are awesome. Are you or were you an architect?

[@stephentraversart]

My KZbin drawings, anything from 15 to 75 minutes. My INstagram ones are 5-6 hours.

[@marcouxjean2543]

Hi, what size copic pen do you use to start a drawing

[@stephentraversart]

It depends on the drawing- its size and the amount of detail and what effects are called for in it. There’s no one pen I use. 😀

[@XD-rd8zd]

I was hoping you'd say to eat a chocolate after every session... I mean - where's the reward part? XD

[@stephentraversart]

I’ll keep it in mind for another video 🤣

[@Jaxplode]

ok ok that basically right. But you can draw everyday. If you don‘t know WHAT do draw and practice than you even wouldnt develop when you dont practice the right things.

[@stephentraversart]

That’s why I made the daily drawing playlist, so people could have something to easily draw every day. 😀

[@Jaxplode]

@@stephentraversart Thanks Steve! I watch your videos DAILY, but at often I am a bit hustling to get to start.

[@brendasaltz3038]

I have enjoyed aspects of a lot of your videos but I am puzzled at your encouragement of drawing from reference photos instead of real life. Why don't you advise students to find things in their environment to draw?

[@hmnhntr]

Probably because that's more limited by what's around you? And some things are hard to have available for reference in a good working environment. Maybe it's different for other people, but I can't draw while outside very well at all, so drawing things like plants and landscapes from life is difficult. And some subjects are difficult to have available for long enough periods, like people or animals. They don't tend to stand still for 30+ minutes at a time