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.

  • 25 Wheel Challenge

    Tygerson

    6:53 PM, Monday December 4th 2023
  • Lesson 7: Applying Construction to Vehicles

    wifu4lifu

    8:34 PM, Thursday November 16th 2023
  • Lesson 7: Applying Construction to Vehicles

    Lalincechelancia

    11:59 AM, Wednesday November 29th 2023
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    ShyPenguin

    8:56 PM, Saturday December 2nd 2023
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    MuskanNaerula

    4:19 PM, Tuesday December 5th 2023
  • Lesson 2: Contour Lines, Texture and Construction

    MuskanNaerula

    3:38 PM, Tuesday December 5th 2023
  • Lesson 5: Applying Construction to Animals

    Fairuz

    1:30 AM, Friday December 1st 2023
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    BanditOfTheEast

    3:00 AM, Monday December 4th 2023
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    Teh_StamPer

    7:36 PM, Tuesday November 28th 2023
  • Lesson 3: Applying Construction to Plants

    Arcayl

    8:50 AM, Saturday December 2nd 2023

Questions/Discussions

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

  • Problem- I don't think I'm outlining my boxes right

    fruitYogurt

  • Not Completely Sure That I Get Convergence (250 Box Challenge)

    UsualGarbage

  • Overwhelmed and Stuck

    vicolove

  • Exercise "Generator"/Selector

    Rakned

Sketchbooks

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

  • Tygerson's Sketchbook: 12/2023 50% stuff

  • Irca's Sketchbook: Help !Daniel Coleman drawing dynamic creature course.

  • VitorOliveira's Sketchbook: Peter Fortnite D:

  • kettooo's Sketchbook: Filling le blank. 50% rule

  • razgriz0531's Sketchbook: Canvas Compass Pouch - Still Life 50% Drawing

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.
Color and Light by James Gurney

Color and Light by James Gurney

Some of you may remember James Gurney's breathtaking work in the Dinotopia series. This is easily my favourite book on the topic of colour and light, and comes highly recommended by any artist worth their salt. While it speaks from the perspective of a traditional painter, the information in this book is invaluable for work in any medium.

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