Learn How to Draw: Drawing Lessons and Resources

The fine art of drawing can be done with a variety of tools such as pencil, color pencils, charcoal, pen and ink, and digitally. Styles include representational and abstract rendering, sketching, illustration, cartooning, and caricature. Learn how to draw with Creativity Portal's featured free projects, lessons, and tutorials — and experiment with different techniques from our recommended resources featuring more free lessons, inspiration, drawing instruction, and tips. See also: Doodling, Cartooning

Featured Free Drawing Lessons

Free Drawing Lessons by Joy Sikorski
It's not that hard to learn how to draw! Let Joy Sikorski show you how through simple lessons from her books: Squeaky Chalk and How to Draw a Clam.

Sample Twitter Bird Lesson:

Cartoony Drawing Tutorials by Chris Dunmire
If you're new to the world of drawing, using a simple cartoon-style approach of rendering is one way to teach yourself how to draw. These fun drawing lessons focus on using line, shape, and other easy techniques to understand object structure and proportion.

More How-to Drawing Resources

More of Joy Sikorski's Free Drawing Lessons
An extensive index of fun and easy drawing (and coloring) lessons from her books available online for a bat, bird, Popsicle, border collie pup, bow and a bug, bubbles, bunny, and dozens more.

The Scribbles Institute
The Scribbles Institute is dedicated to promoting the importance of drawing in culture and society. Their products and services help kids and adults learn drawing skills for work, school, and enjoyment. The site includes a number of how-to articles and tutorials related to drawing and creativity, plus video snippets from their Draw to Learn program.

Artgraphica: Art Lessons
Free and commercial art lessons and demonstrations dedicated to traditional arts. Features tutorials and art instructions for use in all mediums — graphite, painting, oils, watercolour, pastel, ink, charcoal, acrylics from sketching to finished artworks, and portrait drawing.

The Art Window | Spotlight
Presents fine art concepts with student work as teaching displays. A separate directory offers explorations in Art Fundamentals, Drawing, Graphic, Painting, 3D, Mixed Media and Word art. Pages explore basics in art experiences and techniques at various levels of competence with light, friendly content.

Duey's Drawing Tutorials
Features a variety of how-to draw tutorials and tips including: face drawing, pastel painting, still life, circulism technique, and negative drawing.

Artyfactory: Art and Design Workshop
An art education resource you can use to teach yourself art and design by following simple step-by-step instructions featured in their gallery.

The Draw Squad
A site based on the book by Mark Kistler featuring online drawing lessons. Learn the seven keywords of drawing and concepts that will help you to draw in 3D.

Portrait Artist
A portrait art tutorial site with lessons on sketching and drawing faces, anatomy, and people; digital art; and an overview of art and drawing techniques.

Toad Hollow Studio
Drawing lessons and how-to articles about drawing technique. All you need is a pencil and paper to follow along with the site's free online drawing lesson.

Drawing Coach
Free step-by-step drawing guides show you how to draw the fun and easy way! Learn how to improve your technique in no time with the help of an online drawing coach. Great resource for artists interested in cartoons, illustration, painting, and portrait.

Art Studio Chalkboard: Drawing
Covers fundamental drawing topics such as linear and atmospheric perspective, one- two- and three- point perspective, vanishing points, shading values, textures, values, grayscale, and grids.

Understanding Drawing Media
Michaels Artist’s Studio Education helps you learn about various drawing media including ink, pen, pencil, charcoal and pastel. Features an explanation of terms, and features and benefits of each type of media.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
A site based on the famous book by Dr. Betty Edwards. "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain has enabled millions of people around the world to learn to draw." Covers information about the theory in the book and has online exercises 'that demonstrate its effectiveness.

Mark Kistler's Imagination Station
Expand your imagination and learn to draw in 3D! Features over two dozen detailed step-by-step drawing lessons featuring Mark Kistler's unique animal and people characters. Dinosaurs, ducks, pandas, spaceships, robots, and space stuff.

Drawing and Sketching at About.com
A solid drawing resource that includes step-by-step drawing lessons, tips and ideas, kids drawing, articles, tutorials, resources and community. Topics include graphite and colored pencils, pen and ink, pastel, charcoal, printmaking, contemporary art, realism, cartoon / animation, anime / manga, nature, sci-fi / fantasy, horse / western, and figure / portrait.

Drawing Essays
Essays by Marvin Bartel with good tips and advice for teaching children how to draw. Discusses observational drawing, relating work to other artists, and what to do with your child's completed work. Essays include: How to Teach Drawing to Children and Art Rituals in the Classroom.