Drawing Warm-Ups

Like an athlete, an artist needs to warm-up before going for the gold! The following warm-up exercises should be conducted before you draw. It will help ease the mind into drawing mode.

Random Warm-up

Freehand shape drawing is an excellent warm-up and will help you learn the five basic shapes! Simply draw the five elements all over your paper with a random process: dot, circle, straight line, angle line, curved line, circle, dot, angle line, straight line, dot, curved line, et cetera...

Duplication Warm-up

Draw a grid on your paper with large squares. Using combinations of the five basic shapes, to fill the squares of your grid.

Matching Warm-up

Although it might sound silly, Sesame Street had the right idea! One of these things is not like the other one? Find examples of the types of things from children's activity books. As you pick out the differences between 'things' and find the twin objects, you'll be putting your mind in a position to pay attention to fine detail.

Mirror Imaging Warm-up

Practice drawing the object of a drawing. For example: try letters of the alphabet. Draw the letter "b" with a long vertical line next to its side: b| Then draw the reverse of the letter on the opposite side: b|d

Practice using letters that are more difficult, such as R, and K. Then try more complex shapes, such as head silouhettes of your favorite cartoon figure.

Always complete some form of warm-up before beginning your drawing. Don't forget that many ideas stem from pure accident scribbling! Let your imagination run wild.