Most people need at least a year to get decent at drawing, and about the same time to reach a comfortable level of painting. There’s a lot to learn, from hand-eye coordination and perspective to rendering, and anatomy.
But the main reason why learning to draw is so slow is because we are unable to critique our own work effectively. If you’ve tried to learn on your own, you know what we’re talking about.
There’s an old trick that artists use: they flip the canvas horizontally. This will show you the mistakes. But the new trick, which is even more powerful, is to ask AI for personalized advice on your artistic journey. Here’s how to do it.
Ask AI to Critique Your Work
Ask AI to give you detailed, helpful feedback about your artwork. To get the most out of this trick, do this:
- Choose a free tool where you can upload files and ask AI about them, such as Overchat AI.
- Ask the chatbot and be specific about what you want to improve.
You can try “What’s wrong with the proportions in this figure drawing?” or “How can I make the colors in this drawing more harmonious?”
If you give more context, the feedback will be better. Explain what you were trying to achieve, the techniques you used, and the specific problems you’re having. AI can spot problems you might miss, like lighting that isn’t even, perspective problems, or images that don’t have a balanced composition. It can also suggest specific ways to fix these issues, giving you a clear plan instead of general encouragement.
Generate Ideas and Reference Material
Stuck in a creative rut? AI is great at coming up with ideas and helping you think in new ways. Ask it to suggest unusual combinations of subjects, colors, or artistic styles to explore.
You can request specific scenarios, like surreal landscape paintings that combine natural elements with mechanical objects, or ask for variations on themes you’re already exploring. For example, if you’re drawing cities, the AI can suggest unique angles or times of day that you haven’t thought of.
AI can also help you understand and gather reference material.
If you want to draw something you’ve never seen before, ask AI to describe it in detail or suggest what to look for in photo references. This is especially useful for fantasy subjects, historical scenes, or technical objects.
Learn the fundamentals by asking questions
Instead of trying to learn everything at once, use AI to break down complex artistic concepts into simpler parts. Ask specific questions about the fundamentals you’re having trouble with. Here are the specific art fundamentals where AI assistants can clearly explain them — and some tools can even generate pictures and infographics to illustrate these concepts:
For drawing:
- Line weight
- Line quality
- Perspective
- Shapes and volumes
- Proportions
- Anatomy
- Composition
For painting and digital painting:
- Value
- Lightning
- Color theory
- Rendering
AI can explain these concepts in many ways until something clicks. If the first explanation is too difficult, ask for simpler language or examples.
Make study plans and exercises
Ask AI to design a personalized learning path based on your current skill level and goals. Here are a few prompt ideas you can use:
- I’m learning digital painting. I have two hours per week to practice. Make a study plan for a month that focuses on the basics.
- I can draw okay, but my paintings always look muddy. Give me exercises to improve my color mixing skills.
AI can break down your goals into specific, measurable exercises. It might suggest drawing 20 cylinders with different lighting setups, spending 30 minutes daily on gesture drawing, or creating color studies of the same subject under different lighting conditions.
The great thing is that you can ask for changes. Is exercise too easy? Just ask to make it harder.
Try different artistic styles
AI knows about art history and techniques from different cultures and time periods. You can use this to learn new artistic terms and try new approaches. For example, you can ask it to explain about the most important features of impressionist painting, or how Renaissance artists create skin tones that look so real, or even about the methods manga artists use to express emotion in simple drawings.
You can also ask AI to help you adapt techniques from one medium to another: I love how watercolor paintings, for example, can create a mood so well. But it’s hard to do this in digital art. Are you also unsure about how to do this on a technical level? Ask the chatbot to explain and go make new and exciting art.
Build Confidence Through Understanding
Most importantly, AI can help you understand the reasons behind artistic choices. When you understand why certain techniques work, you feel more confident to try new things and make decisions about your own work. Remember, AI is not meant to replace human creativity and practice. Use it to learn faster, overcome challenges, and explore new possibilities.
Anna Freehill, a key contributor to Avant Garde Artistry Hub, plays a vital role in shaping the platform’s vision. As an author and collaborator, she helps bridge the worlds of art and technology, offering insightful articles that guide artists through the rapidly evolving creative landscape. Anna’s dedication to highlighting art's therapeutic value has contributed to the platform’s focus on mental and emotional well-being through creative expression.
Her involvement in building Avant Garde Artistry Hub has been instrumental in providing valuable resources to artists seeking to enhance their careers. Whether through her writing on business strategies or her support in platform development, Anna is committed to fostering a space where artists can thrive and embrace the future of art.