Stumbling Into Pro-Level Drawing
Okay so I saw this viral reel yesterday showing some artist whipping up crazy-good sketches in minutes. Got me thinking “how the hell do they make it look so easy?” Dug out my dusty sketchpad and decided today’s the day I figure this out.
Started with this simple pencil I found in my junk drawer – the eraser end was all chewed up. Figured I’d copy that reel’s landscape tutorial first. Grabbed a random receipt to practice shapes because nobody warned me paper matters. My “mountains” looked like lumpy potatoes smudged with fingerprint grease. Got so frustrated I snapped the pencil tip pressing too hard.
Actually Trying Those Pro Tips
Watched the tutorial again slower and realized three things:
- They kept rotating the paper constantly while shading
- Used like 4 different pencils from light to dark
- Made tiny circles instead of back-and-forth scribbles
Rummaged through my kid’s school supplies and found a semi-chewed HB pencil and a crayon. Better than nothing right?
Redrew the stupid mountains but forced myself to:
- Outline faint chicken scratches first
- Layer scribbles sideways with pencil flat
- Smear shadows with my pinky finger
My fingers turned charcoal black and the shading still looked dirty. But hey – one peak actually looked dimensional!
Discovering the Real Game Changer
While wiping graphite stains off my table, I noticed the light hitting my coffee mug. Tried sketching just that simple thing but holding my pencil like a damn violin bow like the tutorial showed. Could barely control it at first – looked like abstract spaghetti. Then…
After erasing (badly) seven times, something clicked. Started using my elbow instead of wrist for curves. Made thumbnail-sized practice doodles of:
- Crumpled napkin textures
- Spilled coffee blob shadows
- Even my damn fingerprint smudges
The mug? Still wonky. But the steam swirls looked alive! Progress not perfection I guess.
What Actually Worked (For Me)
After three sweaty hours, here’s the truth:
- No magical shortcuts – my hand cramps prove that
- Cheap tools only work if you adapt (crayon + pencil = okay shading hack)
- Tiny 2-inch studies beat full-page disasters every time
I won’t be selling masterpieces tomorrow. But I finally drew something that didn’t embarrass me completely. Time to scrub these charcoal hands…
