Light and Tools

• Not every artist has to be a Picasso.Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Working in the right light is an essential part of learning to draw. Make sure you have a good light source and that it is coming from the right direction. Light should fall from the right for left-handed people, and from the left for right-handed people. When you first begin to practice your drawing, all you really need is paper, a sharp pencil and the desire to draw. As you progress, it becomes more important to have the right tools to accomplish your tasks. An art supply store will have a variety of art pencil types, as well as paper suitable for drawing.
  
  

Lines and Circles

• Draw lots of lines. Short lines, long lines, curved and intersected lines. Practicing drawing lines and circles is at the core of learning to draw and becoming an artist. This continuous practice helps you get control of the movement of the pencil and soon you will be noticing how many objects are made up of lines and circles. When you are ready to begin to draw objects you see, the control you have over the lines and circles will come in handy.
  
  

Shading

• Practice, practice, practice.Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Shading gives life and depth to a drawing. Learning how to shade is more than just making one area of the drawing darker. You have to know from which direction the light in the drawing is coming, as well as which is the best shading technique for the drawing. Practice the various shading techniques by themselves and by combining two or more. As you become more proficient, adding different colors to your shading can add more depth and realism to your artistry.
  
  

Artistic Individuality

• Draw what you see, but don't always try to make an exact copy; allow your own individual style to develop. Find an object or image you like and draw it over and over, until you are satisfied with it. Keep each rendition of your drawing and pay attention to what worked for you, and what didn't. Try to avoid too much erasing; instead, redraw the lines where you think they work best. Keep the old lines for comparison and to ponder why a line works better, in your view, in one position than it did in a different one. No matter how expert you become, you will probably spend years studying and experimenting in your artistic life.