When I first started sharing my art online 5 years ago, I only used colored pencils. I’ve since progressed to Gouache as my primary medium. I often wonder what would have happened if I started with Gouache and skipped the drawing part all together. First word that comes to mind - DISASTER.

If I use the analogy of building a house, drawing is putting up the wood frame. Painting is all the cosmetic touches that come after - drywall, trim, and light fixtures. You must master drawing before you can master painting. I believe this to be true with every fiber of my being.

When I was younger, I hated painting. I didn’t get the appeal. I felt a lack of control using paintbrushes, and I insisted I was only a drawer. Now I can see that I just wasn’t ready to paint. I needed to spend enough time drawing first.

Now that I’ve spent more time studying art, I know that most painters actually start with a sketch. Believe it or not, I didn’t used to do this! Now, I lightly sketch every single one of my paintings in pencil before painting over it, and it has made a world of difference. This is a major pro tip, if you aren’t already sketching your work first. I’ve written an entire article on it here. If you’re painting without a plan, you’re painting blind.

If you are a painter, and it feels like a constant struggle, I suggest you go back to drawing for a while. Even if you just focus on drawing for the next week, you’ll be surprised how much easier painting feels when you return.

So the big questions now are - how do I get better at drawing? And, how do I know when I’m ready to paint?

To get better at drawing, you must obviously practice. However, I believe there’s a way to get better faster, without having to put in as much work. You must have repetition in 5 categories - people, plants, buildings, objects, and animals. If you were to create 30 drawings in each category, I think you’ll find you’ve come a VERY long way. Another piece of advice is to start with the category you’re least comfortable with and work backwards (I know, this stresses me out too!). This category is probably the one you need to work on most. Lastly, when you are drawing, don’t focus too much on shading or perspective. It’s much more important to nail the forms and proportions.

So how do you know if you’re ready to paint? You’re ready to paint when I could ask you to draw anything, and you wouldn’t feel much discomfort or stress. There’s always a little anticipation that goes into creating art, but overall you should feel pretty confident.

Once you get to this comfort level, drawing should still be something you’re always working on. You can ALWAYS get better. Even though painting is my primary medium, one of my favorite things to do is to sketch in front of the TV - repeating forms over and over again. There are a lot of subjects I could still be much better at. Lately, I’ve been focusing on character illustrations and that has helped my work A LOT. I even like to mix drawing and painting together in my pieces, to continue to develop both skills. I think this is a really interesting look.

I know there are some of you out there who just don’t like to paint. That is great! Not everyone is a painter! You are one of the lucky ones, who can just continue to get better at drawing without mastering a new skill. I will say that with any other medium that isn’t pencil or pen (like pastels, sculpture, or digital techniques), this same advice applies. You must have a foundation of drawing first.