Drawabox | A free, exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing

Anyone can learn to draw. It's not some magical talent a few people are born with. It's a skill you can train. We can help.

Drawabox is a set of free exercise-based lessons that focus on the fundamentals - the skills you'll need to make sense of all the other resources and tutorials out there. First we focus on the basic mechanics of mark making, and how to use your arm. By the end, we develop a strong understanding of form, 3D space and construction.

I won't lie to you - our approach is tough and involves a lot of hard work. It's also structured and gives you a clear path with concise explanations and assignments you can complete and submit for review.

You can read more about Drawabox and how it came about here.

Or you can join the community of thousands of beginners and professionals alike and get started.

Homework

Once you've completed a lesson, one of the best ways to refine your understanding of that material is to help others by critiquing their work. After having done thousands of critiques and having improved immensely over the last few years, I can attest to that myself.

  • Lesson 2: Contour Lines, Texture and Construction

    r0m1

    3:15 PM, Sunday April 28th 2024
  • Lesson 4: Applying Construction to Insects and Arachnids

    kotka

    2:50 PM, Wednesday April 24th 2024
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    Cornball

    5:23 AM, Monday April 29th 2024
  • Lesson 2: Contour Lines, Texture and Construction

    toai3

    3:44 PM, Sunday April 28th 2024
  • 25 Wheel Challenge

    Absolute

    10:11 AM, Sunday April 28th 2024
  • Lesson 2: Contour Lines, Texture and Construction

    Isaias

    5:14 AM, Friday April 26th 2024
  • Lesson 2: Contour Lines, Texture and Construction

    Gushing

    1:52 PM, Wednesday April 24th 2024
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    dargonfyl

    5:32 AM, Thursday April 18th 2024
  • Lesson 4: Applying Construction to Insects and Arachnids

    UncleHarambe69

    6:22 PM, Sunday April 21st 2024
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    Supertree22

    10:39 AM, Sunday April 21st 2024

Questions/Discussions

Take a moment to answer someone's question, or contribute to a discussion, if you have anything to offer.

  • Questions regarding form intersections

    Tuanz

  • In 50 box challenge it feels too late for lines this rough!

    parappa_catkin

  • Can i count homework pages in my warmups?

    anstupidartist

  • Cylinders in Perspective; Varying Points of View

    ariejamesdallas

Sketchbooks

Along with Drawabox work, our community members also post other artwork to their sketchbooks.

  • Snowguy's Sketchbook: 50% Rule 2

  • Omertoso's Sketchbook: 50%, Part 2: Impatience

  • Ritz's Sketchbook: A typical day in the life of my pet lucy, struggling to complete her work as she constantly gets distracted by things outside. Meanwhile her colleagues are occupied by their chores.

  • LuigiTookTheL's Sketchbook: I screwed up, link was brokey.

  • Sonia_S's Sketchbook: Stuff I would like to draw better

The recommendation below is an advertisement. Most of the links here are part of Amazon's affiliate program (unless otherwise stated), which helps support this website. It's also more than that - it's a hand-picked recommendation of something I've used myself. If you're interested, here is a full list.
Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens

Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens

Like the Staedtlers, these also come in a set of multiple weights - the ones we use are F. One useful thing in these sets however (if you can't find the pens individually) is that some of the sets come with a brush pen (the B size). These can be helpful in filling out big black areas.

Still, I'd recommend buying these in person if you can, at a proper art supply store. They'll generally let you buy them individually, and also test them out beforehand to weed out any duds.

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