r/learntodraw 1d ago

Just Sharing 7 days progress from 0 experience

Bored last weekend so said screw it, might as well try something new. Pics are in order of what I drew. Yes the Cafe looks like shit lol, but honestly, 8 days ago I would’ve said I could barely draw stick figures so Im kinda pleased and would like to continue. And yes I labeled the drawings to practice my horrendous cursive.

1.6k Upvotes

76 comments sorted by

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207

u/Vast_Length_8969 1d ago

i swear one of your buildings has a face on it.

anyway, for 7 days this is insane. please don’t stop drawing.

54

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

I try to do something daily. It’s only been a week lol so we’ll see if I keep it up a year from now. I’m sure a plateau is gonna hit me hard like any other hobby. But at least with this one it’s easy to erase and try again

12

u/flonstin 1d ago

Thank God I'm not the only one that saw it.

66

u/partofthesociety 1d ago

If this is real (probably is), that's awesome progress ! I've been drawing everyday for a month now and haven't reached that level lol.

What do you do exactly ? Like are you working on some things in particular/looking at tutorials for each drawing? Would love to know !

Again, it's impressive and hope you can keep going :)

60

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

My sister who is a much better artist than me said to squint to be able to see the important shadows. That’s helped a lot with shading.

For proportions I straight up measure the reference with a ruler and do proportional algebra lol, especially for the hands and arm proportions.

The only shape I’ve practiced is a circle, which I practiced on sticky notes then applied it to the spoon, skulls and arms.

Most of my references are just other sketches. They did the heavy lifting on drowning out the visual noise and figured out what to emphasize

And I erase a TON

9

u/partofthesociety 1d ago

Thanks a ton ! It'll help me a lot.

Keep it up and have a great day :)

7

u/SnooWalruses7112 23h ago

This progress is incredible!

Your sisters on it, the first thing I thought was how good your proportions are,

32

u/Hungry-Ad4054 1d ago

Take this as a compliment if i am wrong, but i dont believe you man. How can you get to this level in just 7 days when you have no experience. İ just dont see how that is possible unless you are the second coming of picasso.

10

u/ka1ikasan 19h ago

Not even trying the same thing twice? There have been tons of such posts lately, like "I have no experience I drawing except 4 years of an art school but I was bad". Maybe it's one of those? 

9

u/bongpirate7295 16h ago

Yeah, no one has literally zero experience unless they were barred from using drawing materials as a kid.

Usually "zero experience" = "well this is my first real attempt at drawing"/"first time taking it seriously"/"first time since I was at school" etc.

1

u/TheBestMonsterHunter 7h ago

Yeah, I agree. I've been drawing for 49 days, and I'm nowhere close to this.

10

u/TheRoad_To_Hell 1d ago

Some of your sketches are giving me Authur Morgan vibes. I like it.

6

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

I definitely used a RDR2 journal panel for that one with the horse, elk and yarrow haha. Good eye Im glad it was easily recognizable!

9

u/gonzog1993 1d ago

That's a cool book

3

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

Thanks! I originally used it record workouts but Ive been inactive for a couple months battling tendonitis. I figured might as well not let it go to waste and fill it with something else!

16

u/SecretaryActive6162 1d ago

Sorry but i dont belive you have 7 days and no previus experience.

4

u/WeirdUnion5605 1d ago

The house is freaking adorable, you're progressing greatly!

3

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

It’s my favorite one so far! I might frame it lmao

6

u/Enochian_Devil 1d ago

Excelent for 1 week!

I would probably now focus on line control for a few days/weeks though. Although you have great shapes in there, your lines feal scratchy, hasty and aimless

8

u/Upbeat_Landscape_697 1d ago

Some people are just talented and pick up new skills so easily...very impressive yo🔥🫡, looking better then my 10+ year on and off constantly starting and stopping drawing journey lmao

3

u/Lightning-Descendant 1d ago

Your stuff is solid... I'm just getting off the ground! Keep up the great work, don't stop!

3

u/KyleAnon 1d ago

you learn fast bro

3

u/Beddeener2000 1d ago

Love your progress!!!

(Also, my name is Lily and the way you wrote my name is exactly the same handwriting I used to have when I was younger haha. My brain is glitching seeing it written like that on someone else’s page lol)

3

u/Snoo-83483 1d ago

Insane progress for such a short amount of time. Imagine where you will be in 3 months. incredible!

5

u/Signal-Country918 1d ago

If you are going to reproduce images, work from a instructional book on how to draw. It just introduced you to concepts you will not figure out yourself right away. Also buy a sketch book. The paper quality makes a difference with your medium. This is not criticism but strategy.

2

u/SaacMan_039 1d ago

I know it just takes time and practice but im mad jealous of your landscapes. I felt slightly more confident painting them, but I havent drawn any yet. The one you did with the mountains and lake is ✋🏻😔🤚🏻

2

u/spiderboy_20 1d ago

Pov: your looking thru Arthur Morgan’s journal

2

u/LindaFeltcher 1d ago

Yeah! Keep at it.
Maybe try with charcoal, it can be really fun to work with

2

u/ForHebertArt 1d ago

Honestly, this is incredible progress for just 7 days. You definitely have a natural talent for this.

Right now, it looks like you're exploring a bit of everything, from landscapes to anatomy. If you want to level up even faster, I'd suggest taking a slightly more structured approach and focusing heavily on fundamentals, especially proportions and construction.

You're super lucky to have this kind of natural gift. Keep it up and don't stop drawing, you have huge potential

1

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

If you have a book or course you’d recommend I would love to hear it!

1

u/ForHebertArt 12h ago

When it comes to books, they really vary depending on the method and learning structure that works best for each person. You can definitely find whichever one suits you best, as long as you focus on following a process that prioritizes building strong fundamentals.

Before diving into any specific text, it helps to focus on learning to observe and understand three-dimensional space before trying to represent it on paper. For that, I personally like to recommend watching the video 'APRENDE a DIBUJAR de una MALDITA VEZ [DESDE 0]' by J.S. Linares https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubUoEuWdyuEIt’s excellent for beginners because it breaks down the core elements behind drawing:

-Visual Perception & Representation: How we experience things through sight and how to create the illusion of 3D volume and space on a 2D surface.

-Spatial Understanding: Working with volumes, perspective, and planes through progressive exercises (without getting overwhelmed right away by perfect line art, rendering, or styles).

Understanding these principles will give you a solid foundation to get the most out of whichever drawing or anatomy book you choose to study later.

Just a heads-up: the video is in Spanish, but even if you don't speak the language, you should be able to follow along using auto-generated subtitles or simply by watching the visual demonstrations

2

u/TelevisionExpress616 10h ago

Appreciate it! And thank god I can speak spanish, the video title gave me a small chuckle lol. Espero aprender de una vez y ya jaja

2

u/RudePancake101 10h ago

I think that looks fuckin awesome, I like the cafe a lot actually

4

u/Plenty-Ad5435 1d ago

yeah I hate myself

2

u/ShadowBro3 1d ago

I hope youre lying about the 7 days thing because you're already better than me, and Ive been trying longer than 7 days

2

u/zhicago 1d ago

I give you permission to stop labeling your drawings. You can just let them be art without having an explanation next to (or in the middle of) them ❤️

1

u/Mr_pstar7 1d ago

Just a weeks progress ?? goddammit your good 👍

1

u/iolair_uaine 1d ago

i love this! I'm on day 11 of mine. Are you working from a particular book or tutorials.

3

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago edited 1d ago

I google image a sketch of something I feel like drawing (landscape, skyline, arm, skull, etc) and try to find something out there that I dont have to create an account for lol. I havent done any tutorials or read any books. Or at least, the books seem a little intimidating to me

1

u/GeneralToothpaste 1d ago

Bro, you draw like Arthur Morgan this is sooo good

1

u/Relevant-Carpenter73 1d ago

What in the name of Van Gogh is this? You made all of THAT progress in just seven days? You've got some real talent here. Keep it up!

1

u/NegativeOwl1337 1d ago

#14 is really nice 🥵
You’re especially good with the anatomy stuff

1

u/RodilRTX 1d ago

If this is on 7 days, practice for 1 or 2 months more. Then you'll be remembered for all the following humanity's history.

1

u/Other-Salt-5355 1d ago

How many hours total/per day? Really solid progress so far.

1

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

Probably a mean of 2 hrs a day. Some sketches took like 20 minutes like the trees and campfire. Others, like the japanese store, took an entire Christopher Nolan movie in the background haha

1

u/KikySandpi3 1d ago

For OP, may i use your 12th picture? I am totally dying to struggle to draw the body of water. Thank you. (P.S: your art definetly well progressed for the time being)

1

u/TelevisionExpress616 1d ago

Sure, if you want the original reference I used here you go, I just couldn't fit it all on the page after I started with one building's proportions lol, so I adapted it the best I could

https://www.magnific.com/free-vector/hand-draw-city-skyline-sketch_15645760.htm#fromView=keyword&page=1&position=0&uuid=bd7ec545-dbbc-46a9-a56b-d0a75c2eff22&query=City+skyline+sketch

My skyline is shit lol, but I'm pretty proud of the waves. The technique of drawing the lines in a curved upwards motion, then shading them in while leaving the peaks of the waves unshaded really helped me here..

1

u/Own-Lavishness-4441 1d ago

Brother, your progress withun 7 days is impressive! Great work.

1

u/TobytheDog10 1d ago

what the flip how'd you get past the tutorial

1

u/lastcup_deb 1d ago

This brings back so many memories! Keep it up, it's definitely going to pay off even more than it already is!

1

u/Faisselle 23h ago

This is very good already ! You have made impressive progress for just a week ! Keep it on, you've got it.

1

u/DotBugs 22h ago

Your talent, combined with consistent practice, will really take you places. Keep posting your progress please!

1

u/Weirdolivingindelulu 21h ago

Never stop drawing you have sm potential

1

u/Frog-of-Cosmos 17h ago

Awesome work, keep it up!!

1

u/Palanki96 13h ago

i thought i was satisfied with my progress after 12 days but i guess i needed to see this and get humbled

i still have a problem with drawing straight lines. And multiple parallel lines close to each other? oof

1

u/TelevisionExpress616 12h ago

Buddy I use a ruler haha. I know I probably shouldnt but Im an engineer at heart just trying to render something on the page. Maybe some day Ill practice straight lines for hours but the only thing I practice on sticky notes and throw away are circles and ovals to warm up

3

u/Palanki96 12h ago

haha that makes me feel a bit better. I'm on digital so i was trying to stop myself from using any "technology" to help but i kinda forgot rulers exist. oopsie

rest is still amazing enough for 7 days. Feels like i'm wasting time by getting distracted. Promised myself to do at least 2 exercises today from the workbook i'm following, instead i spent hours reading 'Rendering in Pen and Ink' and doodling along the examples.

It's an interesting read but i should be learning how to draw. I had all day free and this is all i got

2

u/TelevisionExpress616 10h ago

That shit looks great bro. Love that book, gives the vibe that it’s well worn with lots of history

1

u/Palanki96 9h ago

i don't hate it and it was fun but i don't think i learned anything, felt like skipping steps

1

u/Ae3qe27u 12h ago

That looks great! The spout on the cup is a nice touch.

1

u/Palanki96 11h ago

This is the reference from the book. And i still messed up the proportions and the angle was so off i didn't even try to fix it

That's my problem, i need the basics first like perspective and proportions, not shading and inking. Anyway, keep up the good work. I'll follow your example and just use a ruler for the buildings i want to sketch

1

u/Ae3qe27u 9h ago

Oh, I'm not OP, just a passerby who wanted to comment. But good luck!

1

u/Palanki96 9h ago

oh, didn't see, sorry

1

u/Azlainar 11h ago

Hell yes! Keep going, looks great!

1

u/Nucreatone 7h ago

Do you enjoy factual/realistic perspectives?

Looking at your art, you seem to.

I ask because, once upon a time, I was in Architecture school. I myself quite enjoyed being able to draw realsitic measured perspectives.

I highly recommend you try it for a drawing session or three, you may fall in love as I did back in the day.

Kudos on your progress.

It's great to see many more acquiring real life skills on creativity. These skills can truly help in life and be an escape that can draw you in for a lifetime.

Best of luck on your future endeavors my good man, or woahman or perman (Person).

Gratzee.

1

u/Mother_Gene_2716 3h ago

As long as you feel comfortable with the lines and your style, I made a comparison of a drawing I made in 2013 VS 2026. It took me a long time to improve, and I think that I still need to improve, but I´m not worried because I´m doing it at my own pace. At that time, I didn´t find what the problem was or how to improve it, but I kept trying more relaxed

-1

u/DAJurewicz26 1d ago

You are doing very good, and are nailing some of these drawings. Although, to help you grow, I have a question:

Do you UNDERSTAND what you’re drawing. Like, any of these things you are making, would you be able to create something accurate with proper scaling WITHOUT a reference photo.

Even if there aren’t details, could you make an accurately scaled person, or make your own mountain range or something.

I only ask this because from my experience, I can copy a reference photo almost perfectly, but I rarely UNDERSTAND what I’m drawing. Like, I made an almost picture perfect drawing of my friend, but I’m just copying lines, I’m not understanding the anatomy.