In the world of video and social media, we see a lot of stock assets, all of which have been created in some way or another. Those designed from scratch impress us probably more than any others. It’s fair to say that drawing doesn’t come naturally to everyone, translating your mind’s eye onto paper is never quite the success story you envisage, well not without practising it isn’t. On top of that, for those of you with an interest in graphic design, or learning digital art just for fun, using a mouse makes the job much even tougher, so we definitely suggest investing in a graphics tablet with a stylus/wand. TryDraw is a website that teaches you how to develop your sketching skills using a side-by-side analysis as well as tips and tricks for the sketching process of the more complex objects (we’re looking at you, hands).

We recommend creating an account for TryDraw, which is free. An account allows you to save your drawings and see your progress, but you can just try it out without an account if you’re just interested in seeing what it’s like. There is a premium version that offers unlimited lessons - this is currently 50% off and is only $2.50 a month. TryDraw’s approach to drawing is the same as you may find in an artist handbook, creating shapes that you fit your drawing within, to keep your images within the dimensions required to capture the realism of objects with ever-changing perspectives. TryDraw offers lessons for hands, eyes, noses, feet, lips, head, face, poses and objects like vases. (Note the images above, our efforts - which we’re quite happy with). TryDraw gives you the option of free-handing with a grid - with their drawings aside yours for reference, or you can trace over their images, which can build your understanding over time. You reap what you sow.

TryDraw doesn’t stop at the sketch lessons, they want to build communities to showcase how their tutorials are helping users improve their skills. They provide links to Discord and to Subreddit in a bid to expand their outreach, which is necessary in today’s digital world. These channels are currently in low use, but this will hopefully grow over time - especially as TryDraw’s tutorials actually work. Their blend of information and self-intuition allows for an organic approach to the drawing, letting you hone your skills with your own approach. We improved immediately, and let me tell you, we cannot draw. 

All in all, TryDraw is a great free/cheap drawing service, giving you an ideal platform to learn a skill you may never have thought was possible.

TryDraw, great effort. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼/5!