I want to learn how to draw. What are the best online tutorials for an absolute beginner?

Starting your drawing journey is all about building foundational habits—like controlling your pen, seeing basic 3D forms, and understanding light and shadow.

Here are the best online resources and tutorials structured for absolute beginners:

• Drawabox : Available at Drawabox , this free, rigorous web-based course focuses heavily on retraining how your brain perceives 3D space. It is infamous for being tough and repetitive, but it builds unbreakable confidence in line control, spatial reasoning, and constructive drawing.
• Proko (YouTube) : Run by Stan Prokopenko, the Proko YouTube Channel offers some of the best free fundamental tutorials on the internet. He breaks down anatomy, gesture, and shading into entertaining, bite-sized, and highly professional lessons.
• Sketchbook by Abhishek (YouTube) : For a structured, gentle start, structured programs like the Sketchbook by Abhishek YouTube Video offer step-by-step beginner challenges (like free 60-day drawing courses) that help you get comfortable with daily sketching and simple shading tools.
• Controlled practice videos : To grasp the absolute core physical mechanics of holding a pencil and mapping out ratios, checking out introductory overviews like the Beginner Drawing Principles Video can teach you essential rules—like starting with light lines and breaking subjects into basic shapes—in minutes.
• Skillshare : If you prefer structured project-based classes with community feedback, platforms like Skillshare host comprehensive beginner tracks that let you learn at your own pace across various distinct art styles.

Community Advice

Communities like Reddit’s r/learntodraw often emphasize that progress comes down to consistency over perfection. Here is what learners frequently share about starting out:

“Opinions differ dramatically on Reddit but I had great results with DrawABox.com”

“Artwod is excellent! It's the first program that clicked for me as a true beginner”

To help me narrow down the best path for you, are you looking to learn pencil/paper sketching, digital drawing (like Procreate or a tablet), or a specific style like anime/cartoons vs. realism?

If you’re an absolute beginner, I’d avoid jumping between dozens of “how to draw a face/eye/animal” videos. You’ll progress faster with a structured fundamentals course and regular practice.

Here are my top picks:

1. proko.com — Best overall

• Excellent explanations and demonstrations.
• Covers shapes, form, perspective, proportions, value, shading, gesture, and drawing from reference.
• There are substantial free lessons, and the course is explicitly aimed at beginners.
• Start here if you don't know what you want to specialize in yet.

2. drawabox.com — Best for disciplined fundamentals

• Free and very structured.
• Concentrates on line control, perspective, 3D forms, and constructing objects.
• It's less flashy than YouTube tutorials, but excellent for developing the underlying skills that make drawing easier. Beginner artists in Proko's community frequently recommend it as a starting point.
• Best if you like exercises and don't mind repetition.

3. youtube.com — Best relaxed introduction

• Brandon Schaefer's free beginner material covers basic drawing, observation, perspective, proportion, shading, and composition.
• A recent course roundup rated it among the strongest free beginner drawing courses.
• Good if DrawABox feels too technical.

4. proko.com — Best next step

• Marshall Vandruff's perspective lessons are particularly useful once you've learned basic shapes.
• It teaches you to understand and visualize perspective rather than simply memorizing rules.

5. youtube.com — Best for individual topics

• Great when you want a focused lesson such as shading, line quality, gesture, or drawing 3D forms.
• Proko's beginner material includes free lessons on these fundamentals.

What I'd do if I were starting from zero

Weeks 1–2: Proko Drawing Basics Weeks 3–4: DrawABox exercises Weeks 5–6: Perspective + simple objects from life After that: Choose a direction—people, portraits, animals, cartoons, landscapes, etc.

And spend more time drawing than watching. A good rule is roughly 20% tutorial, 80% actually holding the pencil.

You don't need fancy supplies either: a cheap HB or 2B pencil, an eraser, and a sketchbook are plenty to begin.

If you tell me what you want to eventually draw (people, portraits, anime, landscapes, animals, realistic objects, digital art, etc.), I can give you a 30-day beginner drawing curriculum with specific tutorials and daily exercises.

The absolute best online tutorials for a beginner start with basic shapes, hand control, and simple light principles.

Watch this quick introductory guide to learn five essential drawing principles that you can apply right away:

Top Free Online Drawing Resources

• Proko (Drawing Basics): Offers clean, highly structured video lessons explaining anatomical forms, volumes, and 3D space in simple terms.
• Drawabox : A strict, free foundational course focusing heavily on line confidence, mark-making, and spatial awareness using a pen and paper.
• RapidFireArt : Great step-by-step written tutorials designed specifically for people who feel they have zero natural talent.
• Jazza's Beginner Tutorials : Entertaining, highly visual YouTube guides breaking down proportions, shading, and cartoon or realistic basics.

Recommended Beginner Focus Areas

If you want to narrow this down, tell me:

• Do you want to learn realistic art, anime/cartoons , or digital drawing?
• Do you prefer video courses or interactive written exercises?

I can give you a custom starting plan.

Absolutely. If you're starting from zero, I’d avoid jumping between random “how to draw X” videos. You’ll improve faster with a structured fundamentals course.

My top beginner tutorials

1. proko.com — best overall

• Excellent explanations and demonstrations.
• Starts with genuinely beginner material: tools, shapes, observation, form, perspective, shading, and gesture.
• You can do it with just a pencil and sketchbook; no prior experience is expected.
• My pick if you want one main course.

2. drawabox.com — best for building fundamental skill

• Free and very structured.
• Emphasizes confident lines, 3D forms, perspective, and construction.
• It's more exercise-heavy and less immediately entertaining than Proko, but that's part of its value. Beginner artists frequently recommend starting here.

3. ctrlpaint.com — best if you want digital art

• Hundreds of short, free lessons.
• The traditional-drawing section covers pencils, visual measuring, proportion, contour, negative space, constructive form, and still life before moving into digital painting.
• Particularly good if you're planning to draw on an iPad/tablet.

4. youtube.com — best for traditional pencil drawing

• Brandon Schaefer focuses on practical observation, proportion, simplification, shading, perspective, and composition.
• A good alternative if Proko's teaching style doesn't click with you.

What I'd actually do

Don't try all four. I'd use this progression:

Weeks 1–2: Proko Drawing Basics → Learn basic shapes, line control, observation, proportion and simple shading.

Weeks 3–4: DrawABox → Practice lines, ellipses, boxes, and thinking about objects as 3D forms.

Weeks 5+: Go back to Proko → Perspective, form, light/shadow, gesture, and drawing from reference.

And throughout, spend 15–30 minutes a day drawing actual objects around you. Tutorials teach you concepts; drawing is where the skill gets built.

One important tip: don't wait until you're “good enough” to draw things you actually want to draw. If you want to draw people, animals, cars, landscapes, anime, etc., start doing some of that alongside the fundamentals. It keeps practice enjoyable.

If you tell me what you ultimately want to draw (people, portraits, anime, landscapes, realistic objects, cartoons, etc.), I can give you a much more specific beginner path.

Starting your drawing journey is all about building hand control, learning to see basic shapes, and not overcomplicating things . The best online tutorials for absolute beginners balance structured fundamentals with approachable, step-by-date guidance.

Top Structured & Exercise-Based Courses

• Drawabox : This is a completely free, highly rigorous, and famous web-based course. It focuses heavily on line control, spatial awareness, and constructing 3D forms. It requires patience and a lot of mileage on the page, but it builds an unbreakable foundation.
• Proko (Drawing Basics Playlist) : Stan Prokopenko’s YouTube channel and website offer some of the best foundational instruction available. Start with his "Drawing Basics" playlist, which breaks down concepts like light, shadow, and proportions into digestible, entertaining video segments.
• Drawspace : A massive library of structured online lessons created by professional artists and educators. It caters explicitly to absolute beginners, guiding you smoothly from basic mark-making to more complex observations.

Best YouTube Channels for Beginners

• Alphonso Dunn : Perfect if you want to learn traditional pen, pencil, and ink sketching. His subject-specific tutorials break down complex natural objects, textures, and perspective step-by-step.
• Mark Crilley : Known for his friendly, accessible approach. He is fantastic for absolute beginners who might feel intimidated by heavy academic theory and just want to get comfortable putting pencil to paper.
• DrawlikeaSir : Offers brilliant, modern roadmaps and straightforward advice for absolute beginners transitioning from stick figures to structured sketching.

Check out this comprehensive video overview for a visual breakdown of foundational drawing fundamentals:

Community Perspectives

Artist communities often emphasize keeping your initial toolset simple and focusing on the process rather than seeking immediate perfection.

“Copy what you see (something you want to draw is a bonus) and you do that until you are frustrated and want to learn more about how to make your drawings better than you go into fundamentals and do those until you're bored and then go back to drawing what...”

To help tailor this, what specific style or subject (e.g., realistic portraits, anime, architecture, or general sketching) are you most excited to learn how to draw?

For an absolute beginner, I’d focus less on “how to draw a cool thing” tutorials and more on courses that teach the foundations: lines, shapes, perspective, form, shading, and observation. These are some of the strongest online options:

1. Drawabox — Best structured beginner course (free)

Best for: building fundamentals from zero
Teaches:

• confident line control
• drawing simple forms in 3D
• perspective
• construction methods

It’s very exercise-focused, almost like a drawing gym. Many beginners find it challenging, but it gives you a clear path instead of random tutorials.

2. Proko Drawing Basics — Best all-around beginner instruction

Best for: learning why drawings work
Teaches:

• how to see shapes and values
• shading and light
• perspective
• gesture and structure

Proko’s free beginner lessons are especially good because they explain concepts rather than just showing steps to copy.

3. Ctrl+Paint — Best for digital artists

Best for: people who want to draw on a tablet
Teaches:

• digital painting basics
• brushes and layers
• values and color
• workflow habits

It’s a good companion if your goal is digital illustration rather than pencil-only drawing.

4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art online resources — Best for art inspiration and observation

Best for: learning to see like an artist
Study artworks, composition, and techniques from master artists. This pairs well with actual drawing practice.

5. YouTube Drawing Tutorials — Best free supplement

Good beginner-friendly channels include:

• Stan Prokopenko (fundamentals, anatomy, portraits)
• Marc Brunet (digital art and character design)
• Jazza (creative exercises and motivation)

A simple beginner path (first 3 months)

Weeks 1–4

• Drawabox Lessons 0–2
• 15–30 minutes of daily line, shape, and box exercises

Weeks 5–8

• Proko Drawing Basics
• Practice cubes, cylinders, spheres, and simple objects

Weeks 9–12

• Start drawing real objects around you
• Add beginner perspective and shading studies

A few supplies are enough:

• sketchbook (printer paper also works)
• HB pencil + 2B pencil
• eraser
• ruler (optional)

The biggest beginner mistake is spending months watching tutorials without drawing. A good ratio is roughly 20% watching, 80% practicing.

Learning how to draw as an absolute beginner can feel overwhelming with so many resources online, but a few structured, highly-rated tutorials and free programs stand out for building a solid foundation.

Top Structured Online Tutorials & Courses

• Drawabox : A completely free, rigorous, and famous self-study web course. It focuses heavily on line control, basic shapes, and 3D spatial thinking. Be warned: it is strict and repetitive (lots of straight lines and boxes), but it completely rewires how your brain understands form.
• Proko (Drawing Basics Playlist on YouTube) : Run by Stan Prokopenko, this is one of the internet's premier art education hubs. The free Drawing Basics playlist breaks down the absolute fundamentals—line, shape, value, and perspective—with a lighthearted and clear teaching style.
• Alphonso Dunn (YouTube) : Incredible for traditional pen, ink, and pencil work. His channel features hyper-clear, step-by-step breakdowns of value, shading, texture, and basic perspective that make intimidating concepts approachable.
• Brent Eviston's Courses on Udemy : If you prefer a structured, linear video course without a subscription model, his beginner drawing courses are frequently recommended by self-taught artists for a one-time purchase fee.

Essential Art Youtubers

For a broad overview of essential art fundamental channels to explore as you grow, watch this helpful breakdown:

Watch this overview of top art educators to find a teaching style that clicks with your goals:

7:45 🏆 THE BEST ART YOUTUBERS (to learn to draw)162K views  · 3 years ago YouTube · Marc Brunet

Recommendations From the Community

Getting Started Realities

When starting out, artists often emphasize keeping your tools and expectations simple.

“I agree with others that YouTube is the best source. Don't waste your money paying for a class. Just see if you get hooked after the YouTube tutorials.”

“Just a pencil and a cheap sketchbook or even just printer paper is enough.”

If you'd like to narrow this down, tell me:

• Are you aiming for traditional pen/pencil or digital drawing (like an iPad/tablet)?
• What specific style or subject do you eventually want to draw (e.g., anime, realistic portraits, cartoons, or architecture)?

Absolutely. If you're starting from zero, I'd avoid bouncing between random “how to draw a face” videos. You’ll progress much faster with a structured fundamentals course.

My top picks

1. Proko – Drawing Basics — Best overall

   • Excellent explanations and demonstrations.
   • Starts with lines and shapes, then builds toward form, perspective, construction, and shading.
   • The course currently has 58 free lessons, with additional paid material.
   • Best if you eventually want to draw people, characters, objects, or from imagination.

2. Drawabox — Best for disciplined practice

   • Very structured and beginner-oriented.
   • Focuses heavily on lines, ellipses, boxes, perspective, and 3D forms.
   • Less entertaining than YouTube tutorials, but extremely useful for developing control and spatial thinking.
   • I'd pair it with Proko rather than use it exclusively.

3. Marc Brunet's Beginner's Guide to Drawing — Best quick introduction

   • A good overview of the major fundamentals: construction, perspective, gesture, anatomy, light/color, composition, and design.
   • Particularly good if you're wondering “What am I actually supposed to learn?” before committing to a course.

4. Ctrl+Paint — Best if you want digital art

   • Free, short video lessons designed for self-directed learning.
   • It starts with digital-painting fundamentals, but also has a traditional-drawing primer for people without drawing experience.
   • Especially useful if you're planning to draw on a computer/tablet.

What I'd do if I were starting today

First 4–6 weeks:

• 15–20 min/day: Drawabox exercises — lines, ellipses, boxes.
• 20–30 min/day: Proko Drawing Basics.
• 10–20 min/day: Draw something you actually enjoy — animals, characters, objects, landscapes, etc.
• Once a week, redraw something you attempted earlier. Seeing the improvement is hugely motivating.

And don't worry about finding your “style” yet. Your first goal is simply to learn to see shapes, proportions, angles, and 3D forms. Style comes much later.

If you tell me what you want to draw (people/portraits, anime, cartoons, realistic objects, landscapes, or digital art), I can give you a much more specific beginner path.

Starting your drawing journey is all about building hand control and learning to see objects as simple 3-D building blocks . The best resources for an absolute beginner balance clear fundamental instruction with practical, low-pressure exercises.

If you want an encouraging, structured introduction to the core physical and mental basics of drawing, watch this introductory lesson from Proko's drawing basics course:

7:16 Learning How to Draw 993K views  · 3 years ago YouTube · Proko

Top Free Online Drawing Resources

• Proko (YouTube & Website) — Stan Prokopenko breaks down anatomy, shading, and the absolute basics of construction into highly entertaining, bite-sized videos. His "Drawing Basics" playlist is gold for beginners.
• Drawabox (Website) — A famously rigorous, free, exercise-based course. It focuses heavily on line control, spatial awareness, and learning to construct objects in perspective rather than just copying lines. It requires patience, but builds incredible structural habits.
• Alphonso Dunn (YouTube) — Highly recommended if you want to understand how light, shadow, ink, and pen mark-making work. His tutorials break down intimidating subjects (like trees, faces, and textures) step-by-step.
• RapidFireArt (Website) — Features a fantastic, highly structured Free Beginner's Course that walks you from basic line confidence all the way to 2D-to-3D transitions and shading mistakes.
• Mark Crilley (YouTube) — Known for his long-running, accessible demo videos. He draws everything in real-time on camera, showing you that mistakes are normal and making the process feel completely approachable.

Community Perspectives

“I found Mark Crilley's drawing videos on YouTube. His tutorials sparked something in me. He made drawing feel accessible, like anyone could do it. And so I did. I drew every day, again and again” “Alphonso Dunn is fabulous. His urban sketching series is very nice and I find it very beginner-friendly”

To help me narrow down the best starting point for you, tell me:

• Are you interested in a specific style (like realism, anime, or cartooning)?
• Do you want to use traditional pen and paper or a digital tablet?

Absolutely. If you’re starting from zero, I’d avoid jumping straight into “how to draw realistic eyes” or “how to draw anime.” You’ll improve much faster by learning the fundamentals first: lines → shapes → 3D forms → perspective → light/shadow → observation.

Here are the online resources I’d recommend:

1. Proko – Drawing Basics ⭐ Best overall

My top recommendation for an absolute beginner.

Proko’s Drawing Basics starts with essentially no prerequisites and covers lines, shapes, perspective, values, edges, form, and observation. The course currently has 185 lessons, with a substantial amount of free material.

Start with:

• Learning How to Draw
• Intro to Drawing Basics
• Intro to Lines
• Simplify from Observation
• Then move into shapes, perspective, and values.

Why I like it: It teaches you how to think about drawing, rather than just copying a particular picture.

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2. Drawabox ⭐ Best for disciplined fundamentals

Drawabox is particularly good if you want a structured curriculum and don't mind doing somewhat repetitive exercises.

It emphasizes:

• confident lines
• ellipses
• boxes and other 3D forms
• perspective
• constructing objects from simple forms

A beginner discussion on Proko specifically recommends Drawabox for its structured, beginner-oriented approach.

Downside: It can feel dry. I wouldn't make all of your drawing practice Drawabox.

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3. Ctrl+Paint — especially for digital drawing

If you're planning to draw on an iPad/tablet, Ctrl+Paint is an excellent free library of bite-sized lessons. It's particularly useful for understanding digital-art fundamentals rather than just learning which buttons to press.

It's also specifically recommended in the Proko beginner community for digital artists.

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4. Proko’s free YouTube lessons

Even if you don't want to take a paid course, Proko has a huge amount of free material.

Good beginner topics include structure, gesture, shading, measuring, perspective, and drawing from observation.

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What I'd actually do if I were starting today

Don't try to complete 10 different courses. Pick one main curriculum and practice alongside it.

Weeks 1–2

• Lines and basic shapes
• Circles/ellipses
• Simple objects
• 15–30 minutes of practice per day

Weeks 3–4

• Cubes, cylinders, spheres
• Basic perspective
• Drawing everyday objects from observation

Weeks 5–8

• Light and shadow
• Form
• More complicated objects
• Simple environments

Then choose a direction—people, portraits, animals, cartoons, landscapes, comics, or digital art—and start specializing.

One important tip

Spend more time drawing than watching tutorials. A 10-minute lesson followed by 30 minutes of actually drawing is far more valuable than watching three hours of art videos.

And don't worry if your first drawings look terrible. Proko's own beginner material emphasizes that drawing is a learnable skill rather than something dependent on innate talent.

If you tell me what you ultimately want to draw (people, anime, landscapes, realistic objects, cartoons, etc.), I can give you a 30-day beginner drawing curriculum with specific tutorials and daily exercises.