The Courage to Be Terrible: How 'Bad' Sketches Made Me a Better Artist
Sometimes I feel like I was born to have a pencil in my hand. When I was a young child, I loved making things from all sorts of craft supplies. As I grew older, I loved to draw. I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't really make an effort to learn any techniques (no Internet searches, ha. No Internet.). I was quite happy with a graphite HB pencil and some cartridge paper.
Self-doubt hit me hard in my teens. There was always something wrong with my drawings. Always something a little... 'off', spoiling the likeness. If I wanted to draw realistically, I'd need to be better and I really didn't have that 'special something' - that innate ability to freehand that some people have. I put my pencil down. I didn't practice.
Fast-forward to my forties and I picked up a pencil again. I felt like me. For two and a half years, I've drawn several times a week. What helped enormously to build my confidence was creating a line art. Getting those proportions right, I could just enjoy drawing*. I could get lost in building up the layers, the texture, the values. Coloured pencil artworks take a long time, however, and a part of me longed for the quick sketches. So many artists made it look so easy!
Last year, I took a few life drawing classes. I learnt something from there that was invaluable - most of my drawings were... crap. And that's okay. Sometimes (many times when new), freehand drawings look rubbish. Sometimes you get lucky and the sweep of your arm makes a perfect mark. Most of the time it's making a mark and then correcting it. Sketching back and forth to refine the shape (try not to erase or you get lost in perfectionism, I find).
Here are a few that I kept (yes, not that bad):
There were a few more lessons to learn. I learnt to work quickly. Quicker than I ever had before. Where there's little chance to think. You reduce form down to simplest shapes: circles, squares, lines.
I wasn't able to attend many sessions due to scheduling conflicts (aka I was tired in the evenings and I had to travel after work) but I started sketching my cats at home. I worked quickly and I wasn't afraid to be terrible.
My Three-Month Challenge
My mum had bought me a 'One Sketch A Day' book years ago. I found it last December and sat at the kitchen table and drew... an apple. How original! Next night, I looked around for something to draw. Inspiration to strike. It was New Year’s Eve, I drew a wine glass. The following nights it seemed I would spend longer looking for the perfect subject than actually drawing. After a week, I got into a routine - I started drawing my cats - weaving drawing practice into my night time routine with the kids (when the cats would come and sit at the end of the bed).
Most nights, I sketched the cats from life. They had two modes that can best be described as 'in motion' or 'immovable'. Frequently changing between the two. Early on, I needed to accept I had no control over the subject, and make the best of it. I tried different things. I tried rapidly sketching in the overall shape - like a silhouette. I tried looking for simplified shapes. I tried just focusing on one area (cats move their head the most so I have more than a few cat bodies with missing heads).
Over time, you might expect improvement. Or a big shift in technique. It's been more gradual than that. The biggest change has been mindset and the realisation that sometimes it works for me. And sometimes it just looks awful. But... at least they're quick.
My intention was to draw for a whole year and look back, but life got in the way - routines changed - but I did keep up the habit for three months. In those latter weeks, I shifted to drawing from reference photos on my phone (cats and kids, so I didn’t overthink the subject). Still quick. Still a little hit and miss. But they gave me the confidence to try something new this week. I was, objectively, getting better (or more confident).
Bringing It All Together: This Week's Kitten Sketches
A new commission came in for a British Shorthair cat. Oh my goodness the reference photo was lovely and with two BSH of my own, I have drawn many cats. A special request: could I also include some kitten sketches? I said yes.
Now, let me tell you - it's much easier sketching from a reference photo when you've spent weeks drawing from life. The challenge for me was to avoid reverting to the precise techniques I use for my coloured pencil commissions (those that take upwards of 20 hours). So, I set myself some rules. I'd remove all pressure by carrying out some 'test pieces' first. I limited myself to one coloured pencil and I drew only when I'd got a cuppa and a break between other commitments.
I started with the shape of the head. The ears. Super light pressure. I'd refine. Then I'd add construction lines for the eyes and nose. When I was happy with the overall proportions, I'd start adding in value changes and a little texture. Detail only where necessary - e.g. the eyes.
With any creative activity, there's a difficulty in knowing when to stop. We can always tweak. Honestly, now I think I just know when it's enough. That, I appreciate, is truly unhelpful. So my advice here would be to be objective. Come at the drawing with fresh eyes. Imagine someone else has drawn it. Are improvements needed? Is the essence of the subject there?
Techniques That Changed Everything
I stopped drawing in my teens. I wasn't going to be an artist. It was too competitive. I neither had the required skill for realism or imagination for other art forms. Freehand drawing killed my artistic ambition - or self doubt did. Now I'm a huge advocate for it. I do think anyone can draw. But it's taken me this long to say that. In addition to a mindset shift, easier said than done, here's some practical advice:
Shifting Perspectives
Work at a slight angle rather than completely flat - I use a table easel or a drawing board propped with a few books behind it.
Try turning your reference photo AND your sketch upside down halfway through. This helps your brain see shapes rather than interpretations. Refine shapes here. When a drawing looks "off" but you can't figure out why, this perspective shift often reveals the issue
Shape-Based Thinking
Train your eye to see basic geometric forms: circles, triangles, rectangles
Break complex subjects into simple components - a cat's head isn't a cat's head, it's an circle or oval with triangular ears
Notice how shapes relate to each other spatially - is the ear half the height of the head? Is the eye positioned at the midpoint?
This approach transfers beautifully to detailed work later
The Pen Experiment
Try using non-erasable media like pen or a single coloured pencil
When you can't erase, you learn to problem-solve differently
Start with super light pressure, building layers gradually
Embrace the scratchy, imperfect lines as part of the sketch's character
The freedom from perfectionism is worth the occasional "mistake"
Starting Your Own Sketching Practice
First Steps for the Hesitant Artist
Choose a simple, everyday subject to start with
Set a timer for just 5 minutes - this removes the pressure
Don't share your early sketches if it makes you anxious - this is for you, not social media
The Five-Minute Challenge
Focus on one subject for a full week (your pet, a plant, your coffee mug)
Date each sketch but don't critique them until the week is complete
Look for patterns of improvement rather than judging individual sketches
Remember that consistent short practice beats occasional long sessions
Sketching Improves All Your Art
Even if your goal is detailed, realistic artwork, these quick sketches have tremendous value. Since embracing this practice, I've noticed:
My observation skills have sharpened significantly
I spot proportion issues earlier in detailed works
I make more confident marks even in my precise pieces
I enjoy the process more and judge myself less harshly
Perhaps most importantly, I've reclaimed drawing as something joyful rather than something to prove. That freedom alone makes every "bad" sketch worth it.
*although I did have a love-hate relationship with line art for a while too - see an earlier blog post here.