Next steps for illustration?

[TheSeveredWorldNovels]

My current artistic skill level is "Can reasonably trace silhouettes using something like Inkscape."

I'd like to get to "Can reliably draw fictional characters the same way, scene after scene." I need that for a children's book I have planned. That or to suddenly be able to break through whatever kind of employment blacklist I'm on.

There is an enormous gulf between tracing silhouettes using waypoints and tangents to creating unique (even simple) scenes that are good enough to try to sell in a children's book. And I really basically don't know what I don't know.

When teaching people to code and starting from nothing, I start with the classic, ubiquitous "Hello, world!" example and then just start adding little changes one at a time. Each step helps them understand one new concept. I'm looking for something like that but with drawing/illustrating.

So, for those of you out there who do know what I don't know, what's a good next step? What is one step more creative than selecting and tracing a subject that I can practice?

I could try drawing a subject by sight rather than tracing, but I think that's probably too big a step.

 

[Stanley Steamboy]

Take an illustration course. Find a similar book and see if you can execute what you see. Form a partnership with a young illustrator. Try a different medium, like paper cut outs. Take photos of yourself or friends acting out the shot, then draw what you see.

 

[TheSeveredWorldNovels]

Hmm. Those are big steps, but I suppose the illustration course is already broken into smaller ones. I bet I can find someone who runs an "illustration basic training" on YouTube and it is likely divided into the kind of digestible lessons I'm looking for. Thanks.

 

[Stanley Steamboy]

Hmm. Those are big steps, but I suppose the illustration course is already broken into smaller ones. I bet I can find someone who runs an "illustration basic training" on YouTube and it is likely divided into the kind of digestible lessons I'm looking for. Thanks.

It doesn't sound like you know what it takes to draw and think there is just some tricks to do it.

 

[TheSeveredWorldNovels]

It doesn't sound like you know what it takes to draw and think there is just some tricks to do it.

What is actually happening is that I do know what it takes to learn a hard skill like drawing. The things you listed are all the result of sophisticated learning paths and each of those paths involves many, many small steps.

 

[Stanley Steamboy]

What is actually happening is that I do know what it takes to learn a hard skill like drawing. The things you listed are all the result of sophisticated learning paths and each of those paths involves many, many small steps.

Those were a list of five different methods of trying out illustrating people. But all of them require a little innate skill - either of seeing or scribing. If you have neither it is going to be a futile exercise.