Reddit mentions: The best pencil drawing books

Alright, you requested a critique and I've had time to give some thought to your work now.

Right off the bat I'm going to agree with the common sentiment here: The writing is strong. The story has some great propulsion. I'll go as far to say that you know how to write at a fairly proficient level. That's excellent! To paraphrase the guy who made Beetle Bailey, you can be an unskilled artist and still have people read your comics, but you can't be an unskilled writer.

Here's where the actual critique of detailed points starts.

Off the bat, the art is very rough. Like the art of anyone who is starting out, the art here shows a lack of practice. It seems like you know what you want to do, but don't have the mastery over the basics that is necessary to execute on it the way you want to. There are plenty of ways to build these skills. For human figures, figure drawing with a live model will help immensely in understanding how humans work, and help you understand how your favorite artists have stylized their work with their own understanding of human anatomy, which in turn should help you take what you have here and turn it into something closer to what you want from it, or at least what I'm assuming you want from it.

However, despite it being rough on a technical level, you achieved something very cool with the character designs. Morris is drawn in a much more insane-looking, much less realistic looking way to Angela White, which lends to us, as readers, feeling that insanity even before we're told. Combined with the warped camera angles you use when he encounters the alien warden and surreal pages we get when he is being questioned ends up reinforcing this idea that he is insane. White is drawn more like a reasonable human being by comparison, and this reinforces the idea that we should trust her. You've used the medium to your advantage despite being unrefined in skill. You have a good sense of how to approach these things that will only serve you further if you decide to improve your drawing skills.

You've got some interesting paneling going on, and I do not want to discourage that experimentation, but I do want to give you feedback on the effect it has had on your page flow and balance.


On Page 4 you've got a problem with the weight of the composition along with the overall flow of the page. My eye was drawn around the page as the red line indicates. Everything about the page wants to keep your eyes on the right side of the page (this is what I mean by weight, you could think of it as a kind of gravity as well) until you reach the bottom of the page where you are given an invitation to move back up the page into the center and left-hand side. This creates a situation where a reader who is taking in the art and isn't just reading from text box to text box will read the panels as I've indicated with the green numbers, rather than the intended reading order indicated with the blue. I can see that you did think about the flow of this page and it looks like it is intended to flow like this, but the text itself in the first box of text leaves your eye in a place where it wants to be pulled down by the slope of the Metro Waste dumpster when you're done reading it, undermining the page flow. If there is a less to be learned about this specific page, I think it's that text leads the eye as much as shape and rhythm, and keeping that in mind when you are designing a page will help you control the reader's eye more effectively in the future.

There are similar issues on some other pages. The layout itself in many cases is perfectly fine, the problem ends up being the flow of the page leading the reader to read the dialogue out of order, making for a confusing experience. Don't you dare think that I'm telling you to stop being so ambitious with your layouts. I don't think that's the answer at all. Keep trying to make these work. Keep these things in mind when making your own pages and while reading other people's comics. When something works, figure out why. When it doesn't, ask yourself why.

You can use a disjointed or chaotic pageflow to your advantage though. I don't really know if there is a name for this in comics, but in music there is the idea of "word painting", which is when music matches up with the meaning of the song. This page of A Lesson Is Learned, But The Damage Is Irreversible does just that. As the tidal wave hits and the man goes outside, the page gets more and more chaotic. You'll be scanning things twice and trying to figure out what is going on, but you still have the flow of the water in the center of the page to return to to guide you through the image, as well as sudden, clear borders in color creating panels without using panel gutters. It's really just the illusion of chaos, but this is what can be achieved through a solid understanding of how to guide the eye through a page. It's a pretty well known example among people who read a lot of webcomics I think. I'd highly recommend giving their archive a read.

You attempted something interesting on this page right here. The motion of the hammer going from resting position to smack dab into the Alien Warden's head was a cool, good idea. From the other comments here, I see that you have read Understanding Comics, and so probably remember from that book that Scott McCloud equates the space between panels to time. What happens between any two panels? Time passes. With so many panels and no other indications of speed, despite being probably one of my favorite things you attempted here (I do really love when motion is created in a still image, which you totally achieved!), it feels very slow, like he's sort of pushing the hammer into the Warden's head rather than a quick and violent bash that the situation seems to call for. I otherwise like what you did with this page. There are a number of ways you could change the perceived speed of the attack, from using less frames to complete the action (animation techniques like less frames = less time apply here), to somehow indicating that it only felt slow somehow and using that "time" for some purpose. Like any advice given here, it's mostly just trying to arm you to make more informed decisions in the future, not tell you what to do flat out.

Bringing it back to this musical idea of "word painting", here is Meredith Gran of Octopus Pie using the technique you used above to create a wonderful scene. You're on the right track by attempting these things.

The reading order on this page doesn't seem right to me. The red numbers are the order I read them in, and the blue are what I perceived to be the intended reading order. It appears you're supposed to read it in a clockwise motion, but there's nothing to actually indicate that to the reader, which will leave them lost momentarily. I really enjoy the line of action you have created for just the character's head in panel 1, and I find the final panel on the page to be delightfully creepy.

So, as far as actionable advice goes, working on your technical skills is the most obvious place to improve. Keys to Drawing and Perspective Made Easy are both books that focus on some basics that will help you improve. If you can, a figure drawing class is probably the best way to learn how to draw people, along with studying anatomy on your own time. If you can't do that, you can draw timed from photos, but drawing from life is definitely best. I haven't read a whole lot of horror comics, but I know that with those I have, grotesque detail often heightens the feelings of unease and can get me feeling squeamish. Junji Ito comes to mind for that. If you haven't read it, maybe The Enigma of Amigara Fault could provide some visual inspiration. Ito's other works often go more overtly detailed and grotesque, so it's possible that you may want to look further into him if he isn't already someone you've read.

You'll notice I haven't much touched on your story in detail. I could, and if you want to I will to the best of my ability, but I wanted to cover the art bit first since you seem to have a better handle on telling a story at the moment, and because this has gone on long and might be better digestible in parts anyway.

I hope this is helpful.

That right shoulder looks much better with the shading, it doesn't look like it's floating now - good on you for giving it go!

Keep track of your light source and always think of where on whatever you're shading that light will hit, and where it won't - this way you'll know where you highlights and shadows will be.

For a good introduction into shading I recommended reading the grpaphic novel 'The' Drawing Lesson' by Mark Crilley. It's a good starting foundation in the basics of drawing. His YouTube videos are quite good too.

I'd also recommend these channels and learning resources (I'm a novice myself) :

Mark Crilley - YouTube

• Mark has many videos and is a phenomenal artist, though many videos are How to Draw X-Thing, there are lots of tips along the way.
  https://www.youtube.com/user/markcrilley
  
  Draw with Jazza - YouTube
  
• Jazza's newer content isn't as good for learning from - it's mostly YouTube entertainment - but his older videos have a lot of great information in them.
  https://www.youtube.com/user/DrawWithJazza
  
  Alphonso Dunn - YouTube
  
• Alphonso's YouTube channel isn't as popular as the others I've linked above, but he is a great pen and ink artist and I love the way he teaches. I highly recommend his videos to help anyone get a better grasp on perspective and drawing 3D objects with depth.
  https://www.youtube.com/user/LighterNoteProd
  
  The Drawing Lesson - Book
  
• This is the grpaphic novel I mentioned above - the price is pretty good if you get the eBook version. Amazon has a web reader too, so you don't need a Kindle to get use out of it.
  https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Lesson-Graphic-Novel-Teaches/dp/0385346336
  
  Draw a Box - Online Drawing Lesson and excercises (free). See also r/ArtFundamentals )
  
• This website takes you through a number of fundamentals and sets exercises and homework to help you practice. You can submit your work to the Subreddit and the community will help by providing feedback. If you use this service for receiving feedback, don't forget to give back to the community where you can. But I recommended you learn to self critique and correct your work as well, it will help you improve more quickly.

It's Doodling for Dog People in English.

"Doodling for Dog People is designed to appeal to seasoned artists and doodle enthusiasts alike. Packed with more than 50 fun and inspirational prompts, doodling exercises, and canine-related factoids, professional illustrator Gemma Correll sparks the imagination and spurs canine lovers to explore, experiment, and brainstorm ways to draw and doodle their favorite furry friends with her cute and clever art style. The artist's simple, unique, and whimsical approach is sure to inspire, entertain, and guide artists of any skill level. Doodlers will find inspiration for drawing different types of dogs, dogs in outfits, dogs in action, and even doggie accessories. An interactive book, Doodling for Dog People demonstrates how to draw whimsical doggie doodles, while encouraging artists and doodle enthusiasts to develop their own style and techniques. With its portable format and plenty of open doodling pages, this quirky doodle book is perfect for on-the-go creative types."

I personally have no experience with the books you have mentioned but Drawing for the Absolute Beginner is a good place to start.

Once you're comfortable with the basics, I definitely recommend getting Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil by J.D. Hillberry. Great book for a beginner to start and grow with.

Here's a picture of something I'm still working on. I'm a self taught artist and I truly believe that there is no such thing as "natural talent." You get what you put into it. Dedicated time and hardwork pay off, so never be discouraged!

If you ever want any tips/advice, I'd be happy to help. :)

If you are interested in learning more about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc., and the pros and cons of these financial instruments I strongly recommend these two books; A Random Walk Down Wall Street and How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street. A Random Walk does a good job at explaining all the different investment options and introducing the language to a person whose had no exposure to Investments before. How a Second Grader sort of treads along the same lines but it is an easier and more entertaining read as the author does a better job with engaging the reader. The book also gives good starting points for a person with no experience, which I followed when I first read it, and it has worked well for me. Essentially both books share the same theme, which most books on investments do, what's the most accurate way of predicting the true value of an investment instrument in theory and can the theory be applied to real world scenarios? Last but not least, I suggest you look into index funds. Good luck!

Good Morning!!

This happens to me a lot too. I have an active imagination and get bored easily. I've noticed I get these kind of like, day dreaming spells when I feel burnt out, tired, or particularly bored with the routine of school.

Something that's helped me is finding a different, non-school thing to be completely engaged in. I find/learn skills that are easy to pick up, and that you can get good at quickly. This gives my brain something to focus on besides day dreaming, but that is also not school. For example, I'm currently learning how to draw (look up this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MYFV0O/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) and learning to code HTML through code academy. I didn't have any art or coding experience previously, and I've gotten good at both really quickly!! Whenever I feel like I'm drifting off to day-dreaming world, I just pick up a pencil and sketch something or log on to code academy. This keeps me grounded better.

I can't speak to an ADHD diagnosis, if you think it's something worth investigating, certainly seek medical attention!! I hope this helps and best of luck!!

/u/AppStoreVeteran gave you a great reply, but I just wanted to add in another perspective:

If you're interested in a more traditional approach to learning art, you can get to the point where you're making decent (not mind-blowing, but functional) illustrations with just a few months of serious effort. If you treat it like a semester-long course and put in the work, you can reach art student levels in a little under half a year.

1. Pick up either this or this book (I recommend the first one if you lack confidence/motivation, but the second one is great too; in fact, pick up both if you can).
   
2. Set aside 30-60 minutes every day to practice (using the book[s] as a guide).
   
3. Practice faithfully and with legitimate effort.
   
   Art is learning just like programming, playing an instrument, or public speaking, so, if you're even vaguely interested in it, I highly recommend you give it a serious try.

So I've recently started drawing too and maybe what I've learned can help you too.

Learn to gesture draw. This is where you make quick intuitive strokes. When you draw this way your drawings should contain lots of energy(and they'll be messy at first but that's ok). I recommend this book. This is the book that was used in my art class this last spring and it tells you all about gesture drawing. Gesture drawing is a good way to go. Best way I can explain it is that you don't think about what you're drawing you just draw. It's like in Phantom Menace when Qui Gon Jinn tells Anakin "Don't think, feel". It's the same, don't think--draw.

I recommend getting an easel, standing up, and drawing. Learn how to hold a pencil when you stand and how to draw by moving your whole arm (the book elaborates more on this). The book also gives you tips about how "see" the world when you draw. How to see space, angles, shading, etc...

If an easel is a bit too much for now and then get a sketchbook and draw in permanent ink(no pencil--so you can't erase). This guy is an artist whose worked on many movies and currently has his own design school. In this video he tells you how to gesture draw in a sketchbook, how to hold the pencil, how to move your arm, how to practice, what kind of sketchbook and pen to buy.

And that is the key, practice drawing what he says. In the video he tells you to practice drawing straight lines and ellipses over and over again. Now this might sound weird but I assure you it helps immensely. In just a week my drawings have improved. As you practice you'll get the urge to try new things and experiment and by doing this you'll discover what works and what doesn't.

Now don't just drill on straight lines and ellipses. Draw things you find around your house. Don't stick to stuff you feel won't be too hard. Challenge yourself to draw things that kind of scare of you. Challenge yourself by trying to draw people--this tool offers random images of people in poses and you have 30 seconds to draw as fast you can each one: pixellovely (NSFW: it's tasteful but it does contain nudity so if you're at work wait till you get home)

So get a cheap sketchbook and some permanent markers(fine ultra tip or ball point) and get to drawing.

BTW: A lot of people recommend the book Drawing on the Right Side of your Brain. This book is alright but it's filled with a lot of over simplified neuroscience. You don't need to buy this book. I bought it and it's advice boils down to this:

Try to draw photographs that are flipped upside down.

That's it. It's a helpful exercise I suppose. But you don't need to buy the book.

So I have an adult swear word colouring book however due to the current excahge rate (I'm not sure what it is at the moment) it may be 1p over :( - would soothe anger haha! on my 'Books' wishlist.

On my 'Craft' Wishlist I have many things for under $4.50 (mainly hama beads!! Haha!

On my 'Games' Wishlist I have a Tumbling Tower - which would be exactly $4.50 :)

My 'Health & Beauty' Wishlist has a few things :)

My 'NSFW' Wishlist has a couple of things ;)

'Stationary' and 'Things that would better my life' also has a few things :)

Basically I thought I would list a few as I just like surprises! :) <3

Hi - thanks! Yes, this was drawn with an H and an HB and maybe a B pencil, I think.

Edit: Actually it was an H, HB but mainly done with a Dixon Primary #1 pencil.

I found a book called The Pencil by Paul Calle in the 7th grade and have been in love with his style ever since.

Here are some examples of his work as found on Google. His work is just beyond awesome – it's just so awesome, unbelievably great work.

There really aren't any requirements for the contest, except that it has been completed within the last two years, and the size requirements, because if you win, your piece is included in a traveling show for the next year. This is actually the only piece I've finished in the last two years (besides some commissioned portraits), so I didn't really have a choice on what to enter. I haven't entered anything in the last two years, and I hadn't started this one with that in mind, I was actually just experimenting with the grey paper because I've always used white paper in the past. And as for having a good handle on charcoal, I feel like a bit of a fraud, because I use the techniques I learned in this book and they're pretty fool proof. I pretty much hated charcoal before I read that book. I only used graphite, but I wanted to do a piece that required really tricking the eye, and graphite is too reflective for that to work, unless you're standing right in front of it. This was actually my first charcoal drawing since high school, ten years prior--now charcoal is one of my favorite mediums. If you like charcoal, you should read that book!

Edit: Oh, and thanks for your compliments and suggestions. :)

Kudos to you. I recommend a decent color art pencil set to go with that. I'm a big fan of giving kids stuff a bit advanced, she can grow into it, and she has the internet to look up things she doesn't understand. That book is a wonderful mix of science and art and not what I had in mind when I read coloring book. You could even round out a bit more of the art theme by getting her something like


http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Cool-Stuff-Illusions/dp/0692382518/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449870508&sr=1-2&keywords=art+instruction+books

This one is free on the kindle app.

Books, books and more books. Or courses.

I like to draw anime and I spent a few years just photocopying.
https://www.instagram.com/chrissyatsea/
The problem with that is that it made me better at copying not composing. Also I didnt like to get off my comfortable areas. I didnt know why the artist drew it like or how they did it. I just copied it. Like if you are copying a math problem you dont know what it means at all. So you need to be taught why it works like that. Unless of course you are gifted.<br /> <br /> So there is a good handful of books out there to help you with such things.<br /> <br /> The whole case on books is that if you arent a talented or gifted artist youre gonna have to do what we normies do best. Learn the fundamentals. Gifted people are gifted with the ability to just do and not know. Since we arent we start here.

Another thing to ask yourself if you arent willing to commit atleast an hour or more a day or atleast a good amount of hours a week on drawing is this: &quot;Does this just sound good or do I really want it?&quot;<br /> <br /> Here is a few books<br /> <br /> http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Right-Side-Brain-Definitive/dp/1585429201<br /> http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377/ref=pd_sim_14_5/189-6540426-4014231?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;dpID=51BQ2AW%2BCWL&amp;amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&amp;amp;refRID=181BN40T9TTX026F0EBF<br /> <br /> I am currently working with anatomy on George Bridgman Books.<br /> <br /> http://www.amazon.com/Constructive-Anatomy-Dover-Artists/dp/0486211045/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;dpID=51vQXcL6ZyL&amp;amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&amp;amp;refRID=13K2R2Y1Y6FZD3BJCBKK<br /> <br /> (Oh yeah try to find all the PDFS to these if you can`t afford them. I know that sounds wrong but these books are bestsellers if that makes you feel any better..)

I'm going to play devil's advocate and not recommend Drawing on the right side of the brain.
The exercises are standard introduction to drawing exercises, which are fine, but the text is ... really debatable.
She took "Quit drawing symbols" and applied all kinds of psychology to it, when it's important to just stop drawing symbols.
The book's exercises itself are great however, if you can get your hands on the workbook instead, I would recommend that because it's just all the exercises with 5% of the text.
The most important part of drawing is actually doing it, especially when you're just starting out.

Also, I've heard good things about Keys To Drawing

In the meantime, draw everything. Everything. EVERYTHING.

Keep a sketch book with you always! Draw people waiting for the bus, cars parked outside, city blocks, landscapes, trees, ideas, concepts, doodles, nonsense.

Take pictures of things and use them for reference. Constantly! Can't figure out how an arm looks like in a certain pose, get someone to pose the same way and take a shot with your phone. Its not "cheating" and most artists worth their salt will stare at you like you're insane if you told them to do a large scale project with no live or photo references.

Go to figure drawing meetups. There's usually some at art schools or in any big city. You will be terrible at first but drawing people is a good way to train your eye.

Copy your favorite artist. Not just draw from, but try to copy a whole piece of art, from start to finish, line for line, as closely as possible. Do this a lot! It will help you understand why they put this thing there, and put that thing here, and drew that thing like this.

Its the same reason musicians practice other people's work before they start composing their own!

Figure out who their influence are, and do the same thing with them.

If you're looking for books to get you started, here are some good ones.

Wow. . .I . . I really. .
This is just fantastic.
I'll be bold enough to enter to this since it's in my wishlist : P

Also in my wishlist is this book. I know how to color with prismas but I want to enhance my coloring skills. I currently am reading the latest Dan Brown novel so I suppose that's covered but this book would be a big upgrade to what I can do in skill.

Thanks so much for doing something like this! That's so generous of you!
BTW, my name is Da Mangaka Tania : P

Nicolaides's Natural Way to Draw seems to be a good program, but it's EXTREMELY tedious. If the op can't draw a recognizable likeness of something he is looking at, then Nicolaides's program would probably just get super frustrating with its hundreds of hours of gestures and blind contours. Studying gesture anatomy is fantastic, and seems to be the best way to learn how to draw figures from imagination, but if you can't draw well from observation, then your drawings from imagination probably won't look the way you want them to.

I've tried to start learning how to draw several times in my life, but I always got frustrated at the results and quit very shortly after starting. Then 2 months ago I decided to start again using Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Edwards, and I'm still drawing almost every day.

For beginners looking for quick results, I'd recommend Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Another book that I've found to be extremely helpful for general drawing instruction is Keys to Drawing by Burt Dodson.

Read this 16 pages of free and great information from William Bernstein. https://www.dropbox.com/s/5tj8480ji58j00f/If%20You%20Can.pdf?dl=0

Also this book was fantastic!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470919035/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Learn about Index funds :)

I'm the lazy kind too. Drawing isn't very strenuous, and you can sit and draw your own foot for your drawing of the day, if you want. :)


I actually bought two books--the one I mentioned (http://www.amazon.com/The-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0007116454), and Keys to Drawing, by Burt Dodson http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413937201&sr=1-1&keywords=keys+to+drawing+by+bert+dodson. They are fab books that made me understand that anyone can draw. Some days I got inspiration from the books and did exercises, and other days I'd pick something from around the house or out of a book or even froze the tv and drew people I saw there. No rules except to draw what I saw or imagined once a day, and to finish what I started. For me, finishing was the most important thing, because I get frustrated and want to quit.


Would love to share! That means I'll have to learn how to upload here ...


If you do choose drawing, I'd love to see how it goes!

Since you said you don't know much about investing, I think what's more important than what you do with this $5k is learning about yourself and finding tools that work for you. I recommend reading "How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street" by Alan Roth. It's a great into to read when you're starting out. (And it's probably available through your local library) https://www.amazon.com/Second-Grader-Beats-Wall-Street/dp/0470919035

There's a concept about CD layering in the that might work for your short/mid-term goals. Plus, it's a pretty quick read 😁

Mark Kistler's Draw Squad for $.23 from amazon

It is aimed at kids, but it is a great start for fundamentals of drawing. After that, i'd pick up How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way

It has one of the best explanations for perspective that i have found

Edit: I suck at links

This can't be considered "finished" by the realism standards, you should consider filling the contours with pencil, even if lightly, and if you still have your reference, try to look a little more at it, see how light and shadow behave on its surface.
Realism/drawing from life is mainly observation, would be great if you read some books on the subject. keys to drawing and drawing on the right side of the brain are a good place to start. They may help you learn how to hold the pencil correctly, measure effectively, also may show the basics of light and shadow, and perspective.

Are you using a book of some sort?

I learned when I was little by using a book similar to these:

1 2

Seriously, no matter what type of stuff you want to be able to draw, from scenery to cityscapes to still lifes to people, get a book similar to the ones I linked. Getting a good grip on shading, perspective, and general "drawing boxes correctly" is the best place to start.

The best thing to do is to draw everything very lightly. Sometimes I'll go over a line ten different times before it's the right shape I need it to be. Then you just erase all the extra that didn't work right.

Just don't let it stress you out too much, as I'm assuming you're doing this as a hobby and not for work or anything.

Come over to /r/sketchdaily to try to get some more practice in too. Every day a new prompt is posted. If you like drawing people, you could also go to /r/redditgetsdrawn for more practice.

I spent most of the day yesterday doing this exercises, so maybe like 6 or 7 hours... I didn't use any other resources, there's a great book that I have, and I have read in the past about animal constructions:

I'm using Uncomfortable's aproach on the exercises, but there are some great constructions there. One difference is that the guy from that book masses the whole shoulder area together.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Animal-Drawing-Construction-Action-Analysis-Caricature-Instruction/0486274268

In some time I plan on giving that book a re-read.

You don't need to pay for financial advice. It will just rob you of your wealth. If you have a $50M net worth, maybe you'd be rich enough to pay for financial advice.

• Quit your job now. Quit school now. These are distractions from what you need to focus on. You can find a job and/or go back to school later when you have set up your finances.
  
  
• Buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Grader-Beats-Wall-Street/dp/0470919035 . This will explain the rationale behind the rest of my instructions.
  
  
• Once the check shows up, deposit it in person at your local bank. Say no to all requests from the bank to "assist" you or "advise" you. Bank fees to invest money are borderline theft.
  
  
• After the check clears, book a hotel room or AirBNB in near where your current bank branch is. With a $5M deposit coming followed by a bunch of withdrawals as per my instructions below, your bank might want you to show your face in person a few times. Book this for at least 14 days. You need to be away from distractions.
  
  
• If the $5M is before income taxes, reserve 50% of it for income taxes. Put that reserve in an interest bearing savings account that pays at least 2%. Goldman Sachs, American Express, Ally, Discover, etc. have accounts and can be opened online
  
  
• Pay off all your debts.
  
  
• Open a brokerage account at fidelity.com
  
  
• Transfer 96% of what is left to your fidelity account
  
  
• After the transfer is completed, each week day, M-F, put 1% your fidelity cash into Fidelity's zero free S&P 500 mutual fund, FNILX. Do this until it is fully invested. It is tedious, it will take 4 months, but this way you don't invest all your money on the day before a massive stock market crash and then feel really shitty for year while it recovers (fear not though ... the S&P 500 always recovers in 7 or less years after a down year).
  
  
• The remaining 4% that is in your local bank branch is what you get to live on next 12 months. Including your hotel bill. Divide it by 12. That is your monthly budget.
  
  
• 12 months from now, you look at your fidelity money in FNILX, and take out no more than 4% of it, and transfer it to your bank account to live for the next 12 months.
  
  
• Any purchases you want to make have to come from your monthly budget. Want a $60,000 sports car? 4% of $5M is $200,000, or $16K a month. If you need $4K a month to live on, then that leaves $12K a month to save up towards the car. So you can buy that in 5 months. And then pay huge registration fees and insurance fees each year, which have to come from your budget. Wanna buy a house? Pay cash for it, and yes it will have to come from the fidelity money. But budget 3% of the purchase price in annual expenses to maintain the house, and pay taxes and insurance. So if you bought a $3M house, that would leave you with $2M. 3% of $3M is $90K, and 4% of $2M is $80K. Thus a $5M net worth cannot sustain a $3M house. Whereas a $1M house has 30K annual costs against 4% of $4M or $160K. 30/180 < 0.25, so you can easily afford a $1M house.
  
  
• You want to share money with your family which is fine. But it absolutely must come out of your monthly budget.
  
  
• 12 months later, rinse/repeat. Some years your 4% withdrawal will be more than last year, and some years it will be less. Because the stock market historically pays 7% compound annual total return (appreciation + dividends) after inflation, the 4% withdrawl rate will tend to produce an annual income that grows each year.

I don't know that much. On this subreddit every "beginner" is told to get "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. I personally don't have this book, but I have this one "Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson, which basicly teaches the same stuff as Betty Edwards. Both these books will help you get started and teach you to draw what you see. I prefer "Keys to Drawing and is in my opinion better because I prefer the language he uses.

Also check out ctrl+paint. The "traditional drawing" section and the "Drawing 2" is quite helpful.

I don't know how much you practice, but you should draw everyday, even if it's just a five minute scribble. I personally try to draw one hour a day (which is really little). Maybe start with 30 min a day and then go upwards from there. It's quite hard to do this, but if you manage to do it everyday for about 2 weeks it will become automatic in a way...

Those do sound like they would fun to color. Medieval seems easier than towns, though here's a city:
https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Cities-Coloring-Amazing-Imagined/dp/1452149577
https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Structures-Coloring-Buildings-Imagined/dp/145215323X

Medieval:
https://www.amazon.com/Coloring-Medieval-Times-celebrated-illustrator/dp/1600584039

There's several books of castles:
https://www.amazon.com/Castles-World-Coloring-Dover-History/dp/0486251861
https://www.amazon.com/Castles-World-Coloring-Dover-History/dp/0486251861

I ran across some images from this one today:
https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Country-Fantasy-Coloring-Book/dp/1250094461

I got this one last week and am pleased with it:
https://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Tapestries-Coloring-Dover-Fashion/dp/0486436861

I don't know if you're a fan, but there's one for Game of Thrones
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101965762/

Here's some free coloring pages
http://www.medievalists.net/2012/09/coloring-pages-about-the-middle-ages/

I've always felt that this book is a great resource.

But seriously, there's nothing better at improving one's sketching abilities than simply doing it, over and over and over. Carry with you a sketchbook and a pencil (or pen), and draw what you see every chance you get; coffee shops are great for this. Do some quick sketches, do some long sketches, do sketches. There's no right or wrong way to do it.

Life drawing classes can also be super helpful if you need someone/something to give you a push to actually put pencil to paper.

complementary to what /u/cajolerisms as said about resources, someone else recommended the book Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson. It is a book from the 90s, however, people gave it good reviews on Amazon and no one else has recommended other book instead. I bought my copy few weeks ago and I'm waiting to wrap my hand around it :)

Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson is good. I also like Drawing and Perceiving by Douglas Cooper.

The main thing is just practice. You have to train your hand, and improve your observation skills. It's not uncommon to get halfway into a drawing only to find problems, so try to practice proportioning and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Just keep going.

Another fun thing is to see other artists' work and try to copy their technique. You can give that a try once you get used to the basics.

Are you currently sketching animals? You learn by doing, so go ahead and sketch. It's totally fine to get proportions wrong as you are improving. My sketchbook is daaaaamn ugly.

If you're familiar with drawing humans, you know that we measure the ideal human body in "heads", like the distance from the heel to the crotch is 4 heads, for example.

When you grab a picture of an animal, you can do the same. Measure the length of the head with your pencil, fingers or whatever and then measure out the rest of the proportions. For example, the legs are 1.3 heads, the body is 3 heads and so on. It doesn't have to be precise - no need to be more detailed than 1/3rd of a head.

I hope this helps! Sketch animals every day, save all your scribbles and show us the before-and-after later ;)

Edit, I also own this book (Amazon link). You could check your library for it.

That's not too bad. I wish I had your skill at that age. Stay humble, always strive to learn and keep at it. You'll be really really good.

Since you seem to like drawing animals, here's two books that can really help understand their realistic form. It helped me at least.
Weatherly Guide to Drawing animals
and
The art of animal drawing

My son enjoyed using Draw Squad to learn to draw. The cover looks corny, but he has a fun, unique way of teaching the drawing fundamentals.

Link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0671656945/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480942243&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=draw+squad

Hi, I am learning how to draw using this book:
https://www.amazon.fr/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377

I just started to learn portraits. Here is one from a 3/4 view. Do you have some advices?

Here is the original: http://orig11.deviantart.net/0b46/f/2014/007/3/4/touch_my_face_by_wondermee-d71908j.jpg

I guess my main shortcoming is that I am not patient, I don't like to spend a lot of time on details, so my drawings will never be even close to the very realistic portraits I see in this sub.

So as a side question: do you have to be patient to be a good draughtsman?

Thank you for your replies!

If you're interested in investing, I recommend "Index Revolution" and "How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street".

Obviously both advocate index investing :)


https://www.amazon.com/Index-Revolution-Investors-Should-Join/dp/1119313074

https://www.amazon.com/Second-Grader-Beats-Wall-Street/dp/0470919035

I have a book coming in a couple of days which I think will get me off to a good start. How To Sketch by Kerry Godsall.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Sketch-Exercise-Kerry-Godsall/dp/1479322237/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1468117116&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+sketch+kerry+godsall

From what I read of it it seems to be pretty straight forward and not too dialogue driven. I believe I can pick up a lot from it and I'll be buying the one by Liron Yanconsky in a couple of weeks.

Definitely DO NOT consult a financial advisor or anyone who's going to charge you money to help you invest anything. You're getting ripped off if you do it. I honestly cannot believe people here are recommending that.

Very simple: Put you money throw the flow chart. This chart does a good job of explaining the steps, in order, you should follow. https://i.imgur.com/lSoUQr2.png

After paying down any debt, securing your emergency fund and enrolling in 401K, you have more options to do your own thing. But you should still keep it simple, at least at first. I recommend a quick read of this breezy book: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Grader-Beats-Wall-Street/dp/0470919035

It explains how you can set up a basic 3-fund brokerage portfolio. Only after you do all these things should you look into more "specialized" investment vehicles like real estate (though a solid real estate ETF options are OK to include in your brokerage portfolio) or crypto or stupid shit you're going to lose money on.

Different strokes for different folks. Depending on their learning style, some love Loomis but hate Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain or say Keys to Drawing didn’t help them a bit. Truth is, most artists eventually read them all and use portions from each of them.


My personal reading focused more on the philosophy of art. I wanted to learn the traits and mentality of a successful artist and why they do what they do.


Books by Steven Pressfield:
The War of Art,
Do the Work,
Turning Pro.


I also re-read The Art Spirit by Robert Henri.

Me-yow! My hobby is drawing and you can never have too many sketchbooks! You know, I tell people that every year and you wouldn't believe how many people think it's too lame to gift paper. Seriously, I LOVE getting paper! ^___^

The Art of Animal Drawing:... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486274268?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
This is a book on drawing motion and emotion of non human characters and its also pretty useful to have and study. It will teach you to make an artistic goal for an image.

Have you gone through all the fundamentals first? Form, perspective, gesture, light/shadow, composition etc? The way im approaching it is to tackle all the fundamentals and slowly integrate drawing from imagination. Im still really grinding through forms right now. Theres a cool tutorial here that talks about how to take form knowledge to the next level and use your imagination to recreate the forms in the way you want vs. what the reference shows.

I think theres another level to it as well that i have gotten from reading a lot of the 3d publishing books, Drawing from Imagination, there are multiple different ones on different categories. None of them tell you exactyl how to do it, more so they show how different illustrators approach the problem. Things that they do include lots of thumb-nailing ideas and keeping "idea" sketchbooks where they can quickly toss down ideas in words or sloppy drawings. I do feel like form and perspective is the basis to all drawing from the imagination though. Without knowing how forms work and intersect with one another or how light bounces off forms, i think it would be a real challenge to ever draw from the imagination. Big shoutout to /r/ArtFundamentals to learn the basics of form and perspective. I think it also takes a long time. Not going to be doing amazing drawings right away, you have to fail a lot.

I've actually started just drawing basics shapes and trying to figure out shading using a biro and some lined paper I had around the house, but when my stuff comes I'll be following this, it's for complete beginners and only 20 minutes a day for 30 days which I can do no problem. I like the added structure it gives and I hope there are more books like this one for when I'm done.

Check out the Full Metal Coloring book this artist did, it’s awesome! Full Metal Coloring Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/1533006733/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2MEXDb3ZNYWSZ

I'd recommend one book: Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson. The book is worth its weight in gold largely because Bert emphasizes the point Yosafbrige made prior: draw what you see NOT what your brain imagines. Drawing from memory (at least initially) will like lead to numerous inaccuracies since our memories are quite faulty and can't retain all the detail our eyes can perceive. Essentially Keys to Drawing teaches you to ACTIVELY OBSERVE your subject. Frankly this is exhausting at first. It takes more effort to stare and study your subject than merely fixating on the paper in front of you.

PRO TIP: Spend more time looking at your subject than the paper in front you. As soon as you find yourself spending too much time looking away from your subject, you begin (unconsciously) to use memory and fall on tried and tired techniques. This is the easy, and faulty way to draw -- at first. With enough practice (several years) drawing from memory will become a more reliable source.

http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377#

We will just have to agree to disagree then. Because you are obviously curious about learning art, but you can't get over your own mental barrier of "I am not capable of artistic expression". Don't deny yourself an opportunity right now and look back in 20 years in regret.

Before I go, I want to leave you this, and I hope you can give it a shot. Patience and time is all you need.

Thank you very much. I had a big assist from Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil by J.D. Hillberry. Highly recommended.

Bert Dodson! It's this one :)

If you can draw people, you can draw animals. It's the same process- draw the bones, put on the meat. The skeletal structure for four-legged animals is pretty similar, from chihuahua to elephant. All you need to know are the proportions.

Here's a book that really helped me. Maybe you can find a PDF somewhere

If you seriously have your mind set on wanting to improve, get yourself Bert Dodson's "Keys to Drawing".

I'd recommend looking at the book How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street or A Random Walk Down Wall Street if you're starting to invest.

Short answer: just do it. I wouldn't try too hard to guess the future of the market.

a book that helped me immensely was this book.

Start out by drawing spheres, boxes, etc with different lighting; there are lots of beginning tutorials on the internet (and that book) for stuff like that. Then, begin to post your work on here and ask for feedback.

Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson will give you the fundamentals which is the most important thing, from there you can apply them to whatever style you choose.

Practice practice practice.

If that's as far as you've got in "years" then you need to approach the craft from a different angle. Study typography (for letter structure) and architecture (for learning how to draw).

Two books worth reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Right-Side-Brain-Definitive/dp/1585429201

http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377/ref=pd_sim_b_5

Jack Hamm, How to Draw Animals. I have this one and recommend it highly.

I've also got Ken Hultgren's book The Art of Animal Drawing, but it's skimpy on the how-to aspect of things.

I don't have any books exclusively like your friend's style, but Sketching From The Imagination is a phenomenal collection of basic sketches from dozens of artists. Lots of different styles in there.

www.drawabox.com

And someone also recently suggested this book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0891343377/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

'The Classical Drawing Atelier' by Juliette Aristides
https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Drawing-Atelier-Contemporary-Traditional/dp/0823006573

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Kistlers-Draw-Squad-Kistler/dp/0671656945

Where did you get the book?
I just started down this road @a week ago.
I found this book but is it the same?
http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Draw-30-Days-ebook/dp/B004MYFV0O

Look for a copy of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain in your local library. https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Right-Brain-Betty-Edwards/dp/0874775132/

You don't have to read through, just try some of the exercises and see if they suit your learning style. You don't need the drawing kit or workbook, just the book. They have a website here: https://www.drawright.com

Alternately. look for a copy of Bert Dodson's Keys to Drawing: https://www.amazon.com/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377

In both cases, see if you can find an older edition. They are just as effective to use and often cheaper, and the newest editions of both books are printed terribly.

All or nothing thinking is a problem. There is always room for improvement, but we're talking tens of hours starting out, and then each successive plateau will require another tens of hours to overcome. That's if you're taking pencil and charcoal mediums seriously. Painting in each medium has its own hurdles.

If I was starting over, I'd probably go with 'Keys to Drawing.' It's a very practical book for someone teaching themselves. No shortage of youtube videos after you get done with it, so be ok with googling topics you want to learn more on.

Sorry for unsourced and vague advice. Maybe it will sound familiar to someone and they can expand/correct.

I read about a 10-20% allocation into international/foreign. The thought process was to weight your portfolio in your country (especially if you're in the US). IIRC, it was something about you're investing in the economy and you have much more to worry about than your investments if the US economy tanks. I believe the rationale was also to take advantage of growth opportunities without taking on too much undue risk from unstable and emerging markets.

Edit: IIRC, source was ["How a Second Grader Beats Wall Street: Golden Rules Any Investor Can Learn" by Allan S. Roth] (https://www.amazon.com/Second-Grader-Beats-Wall-Street/dp/0470919035)

The only investment book you need is: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Grader-Beats-Wall-Street/dp/0470919035

Establish a 6 month emergency cash fund. You might have that already.

If you have a job, open a Roth IRA at a broker, and fund it to the maximum. Your IRA should be in the S&P 500 (index fund) as you have suggested.

After you have exceeded your maximum a year, open a second account at the broker, and put your money again to the same index fund.

Get this book and do all the assignments in it. Practice like crazy. If you want it you can do it. The idea of magical talent that you just have or don't have is silly. You just need passion and a hell of a lot of working time. It will hurt.

I did this real quick on a work break. /u/186394 is literally covered in (reddit) gold and /u/Anitaxjffdskjarizard is a paintbrush (for obvious reasons) on an epic journey to draw the sunset. Not as creative as butterflies and steaks but GODDAMMIT IT'S A STRESSFUL DAY AT WORK. ):

I would rather be surprised but since it's in the rules, this is a $4 book i need. :D