#beginner

How to get rid of your fear and finally start your artistic journey 

You get inspired, you want to grab a brush or a pencil and get creative, but then anxiety and fear of failure take over. Sounds familiar?  You are not alone! Many people are afraid to start and if you are one of them, we hope this article helps you break down the barriers that are holding you back and inspires you to finally take the first step – maybe after you’re finished reading? 😊

The good news is, art is like any other trade, and trades can be learnt! Now, every trade comes with its own set of rules and principles and drawing or painting are no different! Think of the process of learning to play an instrument – someone has to explain it first before you can start practising, and it’s just like that with art. 

You can start at any age. It doesn’t matter if you dive in as a child, a teenager, or at 70 years of age. You’ll do great as long as you keep your enthusiasm! Creative activities are also proven to slow down the ageing process, which is why all artists, new and old, always remain young at heart 😊

Creativity is a skill like any other, which means you can practice and get better at it! Grabbing a pen and making a few doodles is enough to give your brain a chance to work differently than it usually does, thus practising your creativity. Pretty cool, right?

It takes time and practice to become good at drawing and believe us when we say that every great artist used to be a “rookie” at some point – we all have to start somewhere! You just need to keep at it, working your way toward improvement. And that means making mistakes and trying again… and again. Your last mistake is your best teacher, and that saying is especially true in art.

And finally, creative activities are good for you! They help us relax and release our emotions, so by discovering your inner artist, you are actually doing something positive for your mental health, improving your empathy and awareness! And what better way to discover that hidden inner artist than by simply drawing, painting, and making art?

Believe in yourself and your talent will surface, trust us! All you need is some practice and a good teacher – and pssst, we don’t want to brag, but ours are really nice, friendly, and amazing! Have no fear and come join us at one of our courses; we have plenty of options for complete beginners! Choose what you like at — and become a confident artist!

Roses are one of the most popular flowers out there, often considered to symbolise love. Composed of many layered petals, they are notoriously hard to draw since you have to work in layers too before you can move on to shading.

You will need:

• A hard pencil (like HB)
• A medium pencil (2B or slightly softer)
• A soft pencil (5B or softer)
• A sheet of paper
• A pencil sharpener

Step 1
Use a hard pencil to draw a drop or egg-shaped outline – this is the inside of the rose, the bud.

Step 2
Draw the “opening” part.

Step 3
Add petals inside.

Step 4
Think of a heart shape when drawing these petals; they will also work as the edge of the other petals.

Step 5
Connect the “heart” to the rest of the bud to create a petal shape.

Step 6
Draw another heart, this time connecting it to the lower part of the bud.

Step 7
Draw another heart, making it more open and less smooth this time.

Step 8
Now it’s time to add more petals. Think carefully before adding each of them – too many will only cause you to get lost in the picture.

Step 9
Now it’s time to plant the bud into a “bowl” of petals. Start by adding small petals and continue working, adding more and more of them.

Step 10
As you add petals, make sure to make them point more and more downwards, as if they were almost laying down.

Step 11
Once you are satisfied, put a bit more pressure on the pencil in the areas that you want to accentuate with shading to mark them

Step 12
Now grab a softer pencil and darken the inner parts of the rose. Start with light strokes first…

…then add more pressure to create deeper shadows.

Step 13
Use the same pencil to place dark accents at the tips of the petals, but don’t go over their entire outline!

Step 14
Now use the hard pencil again and use it to add light structure to the parts that are “lit”. The more shaded the fragment is, the crisper your lines should be.

Step 15
Finally, use the softest pencil to add final strokes to the dark parts, especially in the darkest folds.

All done – you know how to draw a rose now!

Would you like to learn to draw other things too? Sign up for our beginners’ drawing course at https://www.drawplanet.cz/kurz/kurz-kresby/ and learn to work with pencils, charcoal, pastels, ink, and other exciting media!