Learning To Draw Isn't Actually That Hard

[@cake869]

as a programmer who's switching careers into concept art - THIS. the amount of beginners and ppl i mentor who can barely draw a cube in perspective but are worried about nailing anatomy or some other complex topic is huuuuuuuuuuge. seems like everyone wants to climb this impossible mountain instead of just trailing a nice hill up. i sorta blame it a bit on this "improvement fever" a lot of ppl have that makes them unable to enjoy their own work unless its equal to someone with decades of experience

[@AnimeCharlie]

You’ve got it exactly right, my friend! We all want to make these huge leaps in our drawing skills, but we often forget that drawing, while creative, is still a skill. Just like programming, physics, or engineering, everything we do has levels to it.

[@altashiro]

I think that a part of it is that it's difficult to grasp what exactly it means to be better at those fundamentals. Like, I can draw a decent circle, I can draw an okay cylinder, I can draw a passable cube in perspective. I know that improving these skills would help my drawing, but it's just so difficult to know what it even means to be better at these skills. Like, how can you draw a cube in perspective "better"? A cube in perspective is a cube in perspective. (I understand it is a skill to improve -- I'm just verbalizing what my subconscious is telling me whenever I try practicing cubes in perspective.) It just feels much more like a pointless grind. While the improvement from a better knowledge of anatomy, for example, is obvious.

[@AnimeCharlie]

One thing I should mention in the next video is that the goal of these skills isn’t just improvement...it’s internalization. I totally agree with you when you ask how to draw a cube in perspective better. But the real question is, can you draw shapes in perspective effortlessly? It’s like the Bruce Lee saying: “I don’t fear the man who’s practiced 10,000 different punches once; I fear the man who’s practiced one punch 10,000 times.” The goal is to master the skill to the point where you can do it without even thinking.

[@cake869]

@@altashiro i completely get what you mean ! i'l try to explain "what it means" to get better at that and then maybe tell you why ( from my experience ) - you probably realized very early on ( consciously ) that as artists, we're trying to give the impression of 3D in a 2D surface , the issue with that is that the "2Dness" of the paper usually overtakes our senses and makes us draw in 2D even though we experience reality in 3D , when you 'grind' practical knowledge about those basic shapes in 3D, is like you're fooling your own brain into thinking that the paper is in fact 3D , so you mentally slowly turn that 2D piece of paper into blender or Zbrush as you keep getting more familiar with those basic shapes, and even more importantly with perspective ( which is just a technique to 'fake' depth ) - eventually , drawing ANYTHING becomes just a matter of taking those basic shapes and treating them just like you would a clay blob. the reason why most beginners study anatomy and still make 'bad' drawings is because they're unable to mentally visualize how those 3D forms that represent muscles are wrapping around other 3D forms that represent the base shape of whatever you're drawing ( like how a bicep would wrap around the arm, then tuck beneath the shoulder ) - as with anything, anatomy is just knowing shapes and places. the reason why you might feel like that is because beginners lack the understanding that drawing is a technical-pratical skill, which means that being good at it requires a small amount of theorical knowledge and a substantial amount of practical work so that you can expand your understanding of how that theory works in practice, and usually people tend to veer towards one side of this in an extreme way ( such as a lot of theorical knowledge with not as much practice to understand that, or the other way around ). there's also the point of skill vs perceived skill , but this is already a huge text wall to go on about this - if you ( or anyone ) wants to discuss this further, my discord's name is Zethr #0188 ( no space between the 'r' and the hashtag with numbers, i'm just separating them in case youtube doesnt like it - if it doesnt work just "Zethr" might do it)

[@dantheplanner]

So I just need to take it easy. (Thanks)

[@NavajoNinja]

Drawing is easy if u dont think. Flip through a magazine. Pick a model. Sketch out the main parts. Repeat a few more thousand times. Then its like learning guitar; at some point it clicks and you start being less technical and more flashy. Same with art. 99% of humans over think. Thats what we do. Hope this helps some humans out there struggling with art

[@ghadeerjamel]

What's the main parts?

[@NavajoNinja]

@@ghadeerjamel head, torso and 2 dots each for the limbs. (Hands, elbows, knees, balls of feet)

[@Topfiveofkdrama]

You are so right! When I think too much about my drawings, they turn out awful but sketches I give no thought to turn into great works. Now I've just figured I won't think through before drawing😅

[@Wow_its_Ethan]

Couldn’t agree more with this comment

[@amongthebots]

@@ghadeerjamel bobs and vagene

[@LuoDrawing]

I am a painter from China, and I cannot understand what you are saying in your video, but I can feel the accurate structure under your pencil lines and your passion for painting

[@ashfield4313]

I started art 5 years ago at the age of 25. One of the biggest problems was trying to get over perfectionism and feeling like I was terrible at art. My practices looked like 5 year olds. Why? Because I had put as much previous effort into art as a child has - none. I was starting from scratch. It's not that I was drawing like a kid, I was drawing like a beginner. The next revelation I had was I had to stop thinking "Today I'm going to draw a face." because I would always fall short. Instead, I said "Today I'm going to see how close i can get to drawing a face." The expectation was lower and entirely impossible to fail on an objective level

[@tommyvestb6617]

I’m 24 and i am in the exact same boat you where when you where at 25. Your comment was super helpfull! Thanks :)

[@unprovoked99]

my friend has been drawing for 8 years and has incredible realistic style art and even still they keep saying they're not good enough and far behind others.

[@unprovoked99]

my friend has been drawing for 8 years and has incredible realistic style art and even still they keep saying they're not good enough and far behind others.

[@Ayowildin]

I just found your channel and I got to say that it's been helping me out a lot. Your smooth voice, editing and drawing really pulls me into your videos and it has been really helpful in my art lately. Thank you, and I hope you keep making videos like this!

[@leschroder7773]

Art isnt a long endeavor. Its just a excruciatingly long process that most people arent prepared for. If you're a beginner artist or a artist who thinks they will nevet become as good as your inspiration. Just remember these guys are 30-60 and has been drawing since they where in the womb.

[@Niklas.the.13th.]

Learning isn't hard. Doing is what takes balls.

[@KuromiDarklord]

Back in high school I use to draw everyday. people will always make fun of my drawing because pretty much any of them will draw better than me if they sit down and try even if they hadnt been drawing for year like me. I have been drawing for 12 years and I can only draw cartoon faces looking forward. I can't draw object or people looking sideways or even a 2d heart symbol. only cartoon faces looking forward. thats all I can do. I decided to give up last year finally. I started to avoid people who draw a lot so I wouldnt feel bad comparing myself to them but just today I talked to someone about asking them to draw something and they declined and it got me thinking about how happy i would be if i could make my own comics without having to pay someone to draw them. if I could just portray in paper the fantasy worlds I have in my head. I am good at writing stories but not all my stories are dense enough for a novel. some of them can only be good in a comic and I just cant make it. well enough complaining I will try to sit down and draw again....

[@phantasy5608]

Well hello there doppelganger of mine. I'm rooting for you 💪🏾 draw and be a star. Just try to draw those little stories and you just might get yourself a cool compilation instead of one long novel. And over time, who knows...

[@alexmccaleb2152]

This is the first video we should see before getting into the drawing biz. I compare the journey to math ALL the time. They're so alike it's crazy.

[@kyperactive]

Easy for you to say, you're clearly on fire with it. For others... might as well be like operating a train with how complex it can seemingly be. Not that I struggle with this myself mind you, im generally fine enough when it comes to art, but others, not so much.

[@theenergeticturtle9489]

Wasn't easy for him to say lol if you watched some of his other videos the reason he got so good so fast is gesture drawing pouring hours upon hours into that drawing is like a instrument practice until you perfect it and even then you shouldn't cap out of learning new ways to make your art even better it's not talent it's a skill you have to perfect like singing

[@kmuhammad100]

This is excellent work brother, keep them coming

[@abestartstudio]

Excellent your works ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@tBiblaxs47]

Such a good video !! Thank you !!

[@DaReelSlimN80]

Mad thanks charles

[@AnimeCharlie]

absolutely!! Glad to meet you.

[@EXxCloudEXx]

You def doing something right. Baiting me to watch the full 11 min by saying stuff like " you need to learn Algebra to draw" im sitting here like " i gotta hear this" . None of these analogies hit home or explained how its related to math execpt geometry. I see what you re doing tho.

[@markanthonyart]

I agree, using the math analogy kinda made it confusing.

[@lucid4635]

Loved the video thank you !

[@AnimeCharlie]

Thank you! 😊

[@Digital_Painter_0114]

Fantastic work! ^^

[@itmeCLaD]

bro is reading my mind, i was wondering how basic shapes improves art and you just answered it

[@theboygonegamer]

Thank you! You're like an alternate version of Ergo Josh

[@cloudeater9571]

Humans all start by observation and eventually we make those neurons fire that make connections. It’s hard wired: ever look at a cloud and say it looks like X animal? Art was your cloud and math your animal. Great way to highlight that most learning (art included) is mainly learning to learn. Brilliant analogy with math (building block method no?). Lovely content!

[@dplj4428]

We learn to value the joy of getting up off the floor or finding a different way to tool. On the way falling, we sometimes catch a flash of those possibilities. Can't yet apply those flashes, but they are seeds hidden in our subconscious. Until one day, up they pull us.

[@FoxYinnyy]

When it comes to drawing, you have to learn to analyse what you see. Dissection, shapes and then also training your hand to do the practical stuff. But drawing requires a lot of theoretical stuff as well. If someone keeps baking cake when they don't know that they need butter or eggs for it, they'll always be lacking something.

[@dplj4428]

no matter the media, drawing is the bones. Foundational is not just the mind eye hand. Drawing is not just physical gymnastics. We don't discover or learn just from knowing about the numbers and variables. We have to do the work, the practicals, so we can connect all that theory. Design, calculation, coordination, art of illusion.

[@Peter-wl3tm]

Fundamental is key, learn the fundamentals

[@maokai09]

Thank you

[@SL2797]

If just drawing more was the key to improving at art, Chris-Chan would've become an art god by now... but he became a CPU goddess instead 😂😂😂

[@Kur0Gaming]

2:00 I swear to god… if I need to learn algebra I’m leaving this video.

[@AnimatedEscapism]

5:14 That smooth transition into an ad was top tier lol 😂💯

[@hameeeed5992]

Fr

[@stumpedtroper]

Kinda struggling with learning art. I have all these anatomy books, online courses and pose references, but I feel the knowledge I gain flows like sand in my hands sometimes. I skipped a year before coming back to art and it's annoying trying to regain that skill back.

[@mukandeinc]

I think I'm gonna get back into it

[@AnimeCharlie]

Please do!!!😉

[@Kloudikobe]

Been drawing for the last week so far so good, I started with gestures and mannequins then went to drawing objects by breaking them into shapes. I can draw from my imagination just not detailed lol

[@thealdoc]

me already knowing how to draw watching this because I need something playing to eat

[@RoddVeiler]

Same here❤

[@ZoraVisions]

Intresting

[@AnimeCharlie]

Right!!! Lol

[@ZoraVisions]

@AnimeCharlie I got the free mounth of skillshare thanks imma use it to the best of my ability

[@Black-f1e4t]

If drawing isn't that hard how am I still struggling to master a single fundamental out of the 6 fundamentals of art when I've been drawing for 5 years! :C

[@AnimeCharlie]

That’s a great question! Let me answer with another question... What makes a great writer? Is it perfect grammar, spelling, or punctuation? While those things help, the true magic of a great writer is their ability to tell a compelling story, build conflict, and take us on a hero’s journey. But of course, without proper language structure, we wouldn’t understand their work. Drawing is similar. From the outside, it can seem simple, but behind every impressive technique lies the fundamentals. Just like a writer uses sentence structure to communicate a plot, artists use fundamentals to communicate ideas that resonate. So, if we’re struggling with drawing, it often means we haven’t fully internalized those basics yet. The goal is to make the fundamentals second nature just like writing comment without overthinking every letter or every word. And sadly, this is where the the boring work comes in. It takes a lot of practice to get there, but once we do, drawing becomes so much easier. It’s all about mastering the basics, my friend, step by step!

[@Black-f1e4t]

@@AnimeCharlie alright

[@SL2797]

I bet out of those 5 years, you only spent a few days total learning and practicing.

[@Black-f1e4t]

@@SL2797 No I spent a lot of days practicing from youtubers like Marc Brunet, Drawing like a sir and Proco. I've been focusing a lot on drawing anatomy and sometimes i try to practice forms and perspective too.

[@Br35hon]

What exercises do I use to improve my perspective drawing n understanding of shapes? If I can learn a concrete routine Ik I’ll be solid. And what do I focus on after perspective? Do I do anatomy next? And should I learn fully about anatomy or will a basic understanding suffice?

[@Brokeyn1]

After watching your channel for a while and i been realising that i got better and thats pretty cool but i also realised that now i feel like i draw in your style so thats really cool

[@AnimeCharlie]

Hahahah I think that's cool too!!😉

[@Filtaido]

Girl we been knowing how to draw

[@LovelyBarf]

Beatboxing puppy

[@LannyLeArtist]

@@LovelyBarf”Huh?” *Music starts*

[@Ciorno2K]

What is the best place to find dynamic action poses Anime Charlie because whenever I go to Pinterest all I see is photoshoot poses not real poses in motion

[@AnimeCharlie]

Great question! 🤔Pinterest is fantastic for modeled poses, but when it comes to action, it can be pretty limited. What I like to do instead is find a movie with action, adventure, or sci-fi scenes that I enjoy. When I spot a pose I’d love to draw, I pause the movie right at that moment, screen capture the pose, and save it to my photos for later use. Hope that helps!

[@Ciorno2K]

@@AnimeCharlie Thank you for the advice guess it's time to watch John Wick

[@hieumai5637]

Hello Charlie, I want to see your artwork, any platform you use, please ?

[@ghadeerjamel]

Why can't I learn how to draw a head, no matter how many times I practice or what method I use? Even the anatomy doesn't help It always turns out horribly.

[@matiaseinersen8735]

I had and still have the same problem, I would recommend for you to go step by step, I often would try to draw, shade and paint all at the same time. Now I make a solid foundation first, for like the 3D space of a head, and little by lillte adding details. Dont know if it helps in any way but I’m feeling improvements just by goong slower, and not being afraid of it turning ugly, you can always start again and try identifing your mistakes.

[@rikyesposito7126]

Hi, I know you have done a lot of anatomy videos but still.. how do I develop my own anatomy (foe which part to use which shape and collegate them well?) I'm finding it very hard...

[@AnimeCharlie]

Hi Ricky, I emailed you back...if that was you! But to answer your question, I mentioned shapes as a skill, but that’s just half of it. The real skill is learning to see shapes within complex forms. It’s more about improving your observational skills. Think of it like this: when you see the word “CAT,” you can easily identify the letters C, A, T. You recognize the shapes of the letters and match what you see with what you know. The same idea applies to drawing. Consider cylinders, cubes, squares, and circles as your alphabet. When you’re drawing or using a reference, identify which shapes fit the parts of the body. But don’t just think in 2D think in 3D. This is what makes drawing challenging. We’re often looking at flat images or drawing on a flat surface, but we need to create the illusion that what we’re drawing is three-dimensional. It should feel like you could reach into the drawing and pull out the object. I know this was a long explanation, but start by focusing on identifying shapes. Then, think about how those shapes fit the human body. Finally, make sure to express them in 3D. I’m working on a video about this next, so it’ll be out next month. Stay tuned!

[@rikyesposito7126]

​@@AnimeCharlie thank you for answering! Now I've understood a bit better what I have to do. Yes it was still me for the e-mail, sorry I then forgot to see if you answered 😅. I'll absolutely stay tuned for the next video! I'm trying to practice everyday and I hope I'll become as good as you.. I'm also subscribed to your newsletter! :P Anyway, as always, the most important thing to go forward is practicing. May I ask you where do you find all those fantastic references? What do you search for them? Thanks for all and for having disturbed u!

[@LIght-qx3mt]

Im so stuck on the transition from mastering 3d shapes(folding them and adding combining them) too people who mastered this how?

[@skeci]

As a maths high school student, I can confirm that i suck at drawing, but damn I never thought of this

[@pason6811]

How do I enjoy art after learning to draw?

[@AnimeCharlie]

What might seem impossible about drawing at first are all the steps involved. But here’s the fascinating part once you learn those steps, they become second nature. Just like walking or talking, you won’t even have to think about them anymore. All that’s left is the pure enjoyment of the process.

[@Koko_jojo-i6o]

Math like simple shapes right !!?

[@JameyMyburgh-og9ou]

😭 ive learnt faces and hair nearly perfect and eyes, But anatomy and Hands OMG its been 3 weeks i leanrt faces in a week

[@MeMeMaxi]

It's my secret and you say it easily and for free good you were boring only who have the will will find it useful also thank you 😂😂😂❤

[@caspian-dib]

No se lo que dice pero se olle bacano😃👍

[@-solo-4225]

And the other most important thing is - Patience. Not only with your self, but with your art, too. You can’t rush greatness. Take your time and have fun drawing. ❤

[@alphacrusaders6535]

Your free drawing guide isn't working unfortunately; haven't received any emails from you for the pose references :/

[@AnimeCharlie]

Hey. If you don't mind please share your the first name of the email you used and I'll send the guide to you directly. Sorry about that. Not sure why you didn't receive it.

[@rynecarrie9342]

I just wanna learn to draw so I don’t have to pay artist.😂😂 No offense i love a lot of art but too much money when it comes to comics and im a writer.😅

[@guillaume9795]

Hey where did you get those references ? 😯

[@AnimeCharlie]

Pinterest! They have some great references however sometimes you have to do some digging. 😀

[@guillaume9795]

@@AnimeCharlie thks man 💪

[@penono]

you think you slick with that sponsor sneak? just cuz you dark dont mean we cant see that

[@AnimeCharlie]

Hahahaha. Don't know how to take this but it definitely made me chuckle. No sneaking though lol. It's a good class and it's free. Just cancel before the month is up.🤫

[@roachewy]

it is hard

[@Joel0mokaro]

Just practice daily sketches, nonstop EVERY SINGLE DAY

[@ColdDrink25]

i have started drawing for about 3 weeks now and im still terrible at everything, i cant draw faces, hair, feet, dogs just nothing - i dont understand what to do, im drawing 4-5 days a week for atleast 30 minutes often up to more than 1 hour, im practicing to draw forms like a circle or a cube but i just cant do it, i tried to copy manga panels but it ended up looking nothing like the original i have not made any progress in the 3 weeks and im just super frustrated and when i see other peoples drawings like yours and how good it looks, it makes me so mad

[@dplj4428]

You will eventually be your own original. It's natural to want: Sooner than now. Be your own better friend. Remember, you are beginning. Just like I did, just like all of my life. - I had a teacher who tricked us. We were so nervous. I don't recall all of that class day. But, he asked us to draw a face he provided. He walked around observing and encouraging. The time limit not announced. Suddenly, he had us turn our sketches over to write name and date. As we did he insisted we leave them face down as we placed them into a folder he handed to a student. - The folder was not mentioned as he continued to teach the mechanics of drawing. Gesture drawing, shapes, lines as illusion not fact, using only 3 colors or using erasers as if they are pencils. - In our last week coming, he said we would celebrate. We would have food and treats. - And so that last day came. We received our certificates of completion. As he announced that we would end the class day early, he began to tape our first-day pictures all around the border of classroom. None of us had seen our classmate's work because we were spaced apart. -- I forgot to say he had a more recent drawing hung next to each first-day. -- - It was crazy! No one ever sees this. Some people you expect will improve. We assume it's all about so-called "natural ability". Every one of us had improved so much! I remember thinking that it was so wrong to tell us kids that we can never ever. - This moment in my life proved that possibilities vary but is there for all us beginners. Excellence is in making the journey, not the impossibility of perfection. Perfection mindset used to take my joy. When I struggle tonight, I honor my spirit by looking to the next mornings and the chance to try it again. . I am blessed to remember that last summer school day. I thank you for sharing your feelings. Recently, I was feeling frustrated. I needed to tell myself about that day, too. PS: sorry about the corrections,. I needed to do.

[@yasuke267]

First, you've only been drawing for about a month. Second, you shouldn't be hyper-focused on getting people and other living things perfect yet. If you watched the video, he talks about starting by learning shapes. After learning 2D shapes, then you learn 3D shapes to use in perspective. You should learn like this, mastering one thing at a time. If you skip steps, you'll be lost.

[@yes-ji2vc]

Na this is peak sponsorship