Some people can draw stuff naturally, and their work looks great. My previous attempts at drawing anything (objects / people / buildings) looks like the scribblings of a demented person. I need to draw a scene for a small info-poster about Health and Safety. Thanks.
Depending on how soon you need it, it would probably be a lot faster to just get someone who is already good at drawing to draw it for you. Otherwise, just make lots of sketches of what you want it to look like, and slowly refine them with tracing paper,etc until you get something great. then trace it in reverse with carbon paper and outline the result with ink. That’s the generally accepted way to create a precise, finished-looking graphic design with nothing but “crummy sketch ability”.
I agree that in the short term you are unlikely to be able to improve dramatically, but in the longer term I can recommend a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
Why not use computer art like word art and paint.
Practice, practice, and more practice.
First you have to train your eyes to see what it is that you are drawing in a different way
(e.g don’t just think ‘oh this is a head i’ll draw it as an oval’)
it works like sports if you havn’t done it in a while then you won’t work very well until you practice and get used to it.
yes, many people have the talent of drawing naturally these people don’t even think when they are drawing. Others don’t have this natural flow but can still train themselves to draw really well.
If you understood that
(if not)
i’ll simplify….
…PRACTICE
Use an image from the web.
There is nothing like practice!
However when I was in my first year at art college we had a day where we had to do figure drawing and we only had 1-2 minutes to do a drawing before the pose was changed. The idea was to loosen up your style and to get you to ’see’. It was the best thing that I was ever taught and from then on I found that drawing became much much easier and I started to be quite pleased with the results from then on.
The other advice I remember from that time was to always carry a sketchbook and draw at every opportunity that you have. Before long it becomes a habit and you start seeing things that you hadn’t noticed before. It also is very good – keeping you at parctice.
It is really important to keep anything you draw for a while so that you can go back to it later and see how you have progressed.
I hope this helps and good luck with your project.