5 Ways to Blast Through Your Sketching Plateaus

Just like any skill that can be learned, often times we will inevitably hit a learning plateau. Something just stops us from progressing to the next level. Our brain gets locked and comfortable with sending its usual signals to achieve the same result. Sometimes all it takes is one small jolt, one new way to think of things, or a different frame of reference to keep progressing.

When it comes to sketching, it’s very easy to be overly comfortable with the level you are at. It already looks alright why should I get any better? Or perhaps you know your sketches need some help but you’re not quite sure how to approach it. Whether you’re just starting out or an experienced sketcher, here’s what helped me progress through all of my sketch plateaus.

Break Things Down

If we continue to break matter down further and further, all that will be left are atoms. These atoms and how they interact with each other help us understand what happens at all levels of physics and chemistry. When sketching, it is important to keep in mind the basic underlying structure of how things are visualized and formed. We do this by using shapes.

A water bottle is just a fancy cylinder. How about your dog? They’re 4 long cylinders attached to a rectangular prism with a sphere on the top and another curvy cylinder at the end. Everywhere I go I’m constantly breaking down my surroundings into more basic forms. The more you practice thinking this way, the easier it’ll become to apply other techniques like perspective to your sketches. When you’re first tackling a sketch, it never hurts to do a few underlays with simplified geometries before you begin to add detailed structure and curves.

Ditch the Eraser

Do you sketch with a standard pencil? Not a problem, just cut off the eraser and throw any other gummy erasers you have in a box and lock it away. Unless you are at a point where you’re using an eraser to achieve complex highlights and shadows, an eraser will only become a mental crutch.

The day I switched from pencil (with eraser) to pen, was the day that I became more thoughtful and direct with my sketch lines. I had to think a bit more about how my lines were going to be created. Over time this meant that I became more precise and faster with expressing my ideas on paper. I learned to control my pen pressure and create consistent arcs and lines. Now I look at it as one less thing to carry with my sketchbook. Just a pen and paper is plenty to draw any idea out no matter how complex.

Be Confident

Now that you’ve ditched the eraser, you have no choice but to become more confident with your sketching. In order to progress and learn anything in life, you have to subject your brain and body to a level of discomfort. And in order to tackle those challenges well you must be confident and fearless (with a strong dose of humility). Being fearful of making the wrong marks on your paper will keep you stuck in light scratchy sketches for the rest of your life. Give it some oomph! Create dark and intense lines and shadows. Give your sketches the contrast they’ve been craving for!

Fake it till you make it works. The brain and body will adapt to how you envision yourself now and in the future. It has the capacity to become the kind of person you want to be. Before you know it, you’ll be striking beautiful lines full of intent across your paper.

Don’t be Hard on Yourself

In order to be more confident with your sketching you’ll also have to learn to let go. For many people, sketching is a personal act that shows a part of who they are. It should absolutely be this way but often as a result we are constantly comparing ourselves to others and afraid to sketch freely and share with others out of fear of scrutiny. What’s the worst thing that will happen? Someone thinks it’s bad? Great. Take any piece of criticism you can and improve your work. Someone loves it? Awesome. Take pride in yourself that you brightened someones’ day and showed them something new that you created.

One of the best ways that helped me overcome this was to sketch around friends even if we didn’t look at each others work. Don’t be afraid to be silly! Sketch weird and wacky concepts knowing you’ll be less worried if someone doesn’t like it. For me, finding a way within my brain to sketch as a means of communication and utility worked wonders. I had to sketch more things so I could express my idea more clearly. Even the messiest of napkin sketches can inform much more than just hand waving and words.

Empathize With Your Surroundings

This last piece of advice i’d like to share with you requires a good level of imagination and creativity. If you already have this then great! If not, do not worry. The more you ease into visual expression, the easier this will become.

When I first started sketching, when I looked at a tree, all I saw was a tree. Now I see it as a combination of organic shapes being stretched through space by the perspectives my eye sees. My brain can now empathize with the tree structure as I visualize my hand and pen floating through space along each ridge of the tree bark going up, down, in, and out. As if the objects around me are the underlay to a piece of paper as my horizon backdrop.

In time you will notice that empathizing with your surroundings will transform sketches that feel cartoon like and copied, to sketches with life and expression.

Whenever I hit a sketching plateau I will reference these points to see what more I can learn from them. There may be a time where you have already absorbed these tips but by then I am sure you would have come up with your own ways of translating the world onto paper.

Happy sketching!