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How to Draw and Sketch for Absolute Beginners pt 1 (Udemy.com)

Learn the Basics of Sketching and Drawing

4.6
5,425 reviews

Created by: Rich Graysonn

Last updated June 2022

Our take

Based on the ratings of 5,425 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in June 2022. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a pencil-and-paper drawing course for people starting from nothing. It runs about 12.8 hours across 111 lectures and 18 sections, and it builds in a sensible order: lines, flat shapes, 3D forms, a short perspective section, then light, shadow, hatching and texture. It finishes with composition and practical lessons. Nothing needs to be bought beyond a pencil and paper. With about 31,900 students and a Bestseller badge, plenty of beginners have already tried it.

Reviewers keep coming back to Rich Graysonn's manner. They call him kind to beginners, encouraging and down to earth, and one says he explains things other courses skip, like how to hold the pencil. A student in their 60s found a section on what art is thought provoking. The complaints are fewer. A German reviewer felt the course could be cut to five or six hours without losing anything, since short ideas get stretched into long, spontaneous videos. Another says it overlaps with the instructor's other Udemy courses, which they found better.

The rating is 4.6 from 5,425 reviews, and only about 200 of those are one or two stars. The course was last updated in June 2022, which matters little for pencil work. There are no quizzes or graded exercises, so progress depends on you doing the practice yourself. It is a good pick for true beginners who want patience and structure. Anyone who already sketches a bit may find the length hard to justify.

Best forTotal beginners who barely know how to hold a pencil and want lines, shapes and form taught from zero.
Skip it ifYou have drawn before, or have taken the instructor's other Udemy drawing courses, which one reviewer found better.

Pros

  • Starts from zero: lines, then shapes, then 3D forms, with no skill assumed
  • Reviewers describe the teaching as kind, encouraging and free of fluff
  • Covers basics other courses skip, such as holding the pencil and using reference
  • Later sections add hatching, texture, shading and draw-along practice lessons

Cons

  • At 12.8 hours, one reviewer says it could be cut to 5 or 6 hours
  • One reviewer says it overlaps with the instructor's other Udemy courses
  • No quizzes or assignments, and last updated in June 2022
by far, the best content on udemy for true beginners that dont know even how to hold a pencil.
Ayoub Douch, a student

Genuinely beginner: the requirements list only a pencil and paper, and no drawing experience at all.

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What you will learn

  • By the end of this course you will be able to draw almost anything
  • The correct way to use reference
  • Draw what they see and observe
  • Draw basic lines and shapes
  • Understand the basics of volume , light , shadow and composition
  • Feel confident enough to further their artistic learning on any subject.
  • Understand that everything is made of a few basic shapes

Course content

18 sections · 111 lectures · 13 hours of video

  1. 1Welcome to Drawing for Beginners 2 free previews6 lectures · 37 min
  2. 2LIVE DRAWING INTRO!!4 lectures · 29 min
  3. 3The Power of Lines 1 free preview12 lectures · 1.2 hours
  4. 4Making Simple 2D Hard Shapes7 lectures · 40 min
  5. 5Making Simple 2D Soft Organic Shapes6 lectures · 39 min
  6. 6An Introduction to Form10 lectures · 1.2 hours
  7. 7Organic 3D Forms5 lectures · 34 min
  8. 8Perspective Crash Course5 lectures · 21 min
  9. 9Putting Shapes Together7 lectures · 44 min
  10. 10Understanding light and Shadow5 lectures · 17 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone who wants to learn how to draw using a pencil and paper
  • Anyone who wants to learn drawing in a more "traditional" way.
  • Anyone wanting to increase their drawing skills
  • The absolute beginner with zero ability to draw
  • Graphic artists that want to learn to draw.
  • The hobbyist who has wanted to learn to draw
  • Anyone who wants to make comics or games or express their artistic desires.
  • Everyone who has "How to" art books on their shelves but still couldn't draw

What you need before you start

  • There is absolutely no prior experience required to take this course
  • No software is needed
  • Only a pencil or pen and paper is needed

How it compares

Against the other 194 rated Udemy courses in Drawing on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 51% of them
  • Reviews5,425#12 of 195 by number of reviews
  • Length12.8 hourslonger than 85% of them
  • Last updatedJune 2022more recently than 57% of them

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Course Description

Drawing and sketching can seem like magic if you don't know how to do it. It's not magic, it's a skill. that means it can be taught and I will be your instructor. Just like anything and everything you have learned you had to know the very basics. You can't do math without knowing how to count and you can't drive without knowing what the key looks like.

This course is your "key". All drawing starts with lines, some are straight, some are curved and rough but all are lines.  Lines are used to make shapes and shapes become volumes (3d shapes) and everything in the world is made from shapes. 

I will teach you to use those shapes. I will show you how to make lines shapes and volumes. You will learn to hone your observational skills and draw what you see, and even what is in your head if you study and practice enough.

You need no experience in drawing. Absolutely zero ! There is no special software just a regular pencil and some paper. 

If you have always wanted to learn to draw this is the course for you. If you are a graphic artist that knows learning to draw will save you time and money, take this course. If you want to make comics or cartoons then this will be the course that will be your starting point. 

This is the beginner class. Often books tell you to start by making 3d shapes but what if you are having trouble with that? If you are , I got you covered.  
Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 12.8h

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Instructor Details

Rich Graysonn

Aside from being an artist as long as I can remember I started offering a few tutorials on Youtube. Little did I know that by teaching people the fundamentals of art and anatomy i'd begin a new dimension to my career. Being a working freelance illustrator with a youtube channel is hard work, and I wouldn't change a thing. I steadily expanded my work from clients who needed branding to doing work on indie games and apps. i enjoy helping artists and non artist achieve that next level. The road to artistic expression and freedom is paved with hard work and dedication. There are setbacks and monsters to slay , but the rewards are great.

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Reviews

4.6

5,425 ratings on Udemy

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Write a review

By Margaret Malone on 4/21/2026

I'm in my 60s and have wanted to develop drawing skill for 30+ years. I'm a writer by profession (copywriter), but several members of my family have considerable talent with art, most especially my daughter who is a very talented, self-schooled, artist. For me, I have big ideas and absolutely no skills. Used to draw silly doodles as a kid but nothing much beyond that. This section of the course made some very good points about what art is, and ways to learn it. Overall very useful and thought provoking.

By Vicente on 2/14/2026

Es excelente para un principiante: como el profesor dice, muchos recursos de aprendizaje dicen "has tal cosa así" (por ej, dibujar desde el hombro o como sujetar el lápiz), cosas que a mi personalmente me había frustrado mucho. Además, explica muy bien hasta ahora (voy recién en las primeras secciones) lo que hace que incluso en videos cortos, se entienda a lo que se refiere. Y lo otro, aunque parezca tonto: te sientes apoyado; otros cursos que eh tomado para principiantes tienen un discurso de "debes poder hacer esto, aunque seas principiante" y con este curso realmente te sientes "bienvenido" como alguien que recién empieza.

By Antonia Krähn on 12/28/2025

I love the way how you explain everything very down to earth, no hoity-toity fluff stuff. It's easy to follow, fun to try out and see how I make progress. Thank you so much for your effort you put into this course I really appreciate it. When I've finished this I gonna go on to the next one. (Btw "staedtler" is pronounced 'shdetlah' ;) :) )

By Dareen Al Attas on 8/25/2021

i am in love with this course because it gave me what i need to start knowing how to learn drawing basics .. it gave me the way how to start with comfortend mind and understanding what i am doing in drawing thank you so so much for this course ✨✨ befor this course i was lost now i anderstand my way to start drawing with understanding what i am doing ✨ big thanks for you .. you are the best

By Chloe Ensign on 11/14/2020

wowwwwwwwww

By Don Hanks on 11/14/2020

I'm an absolute beginner. This is good.

By Mary Ann Urbashich on 11/7/2020

I liked the instructor's candid defense of his approach. "Absolute beginners" should have answered the question of "why is his delivery is slow?" (I did see the one review) and I agree with and appreciate his explanation. I liked the principles of problem solving. Made sense.

By Angela M Ovando Duarte on 10/27/2020

Excelnete

By Grace Symes on 10/22/2020

So far so good.

By LaBeverly D on 10/21/2020

So far, this course has been amazing. The instructor seems passionate, knowledgeable, and knows a thing or two about teaching and what the basic foundations are for the area of teaching. I believe this teaching style is compatible across a wide variety of learning styles and the dedication and commitment to this course is amazing, especially seeing how long the course has been available and how many updates there are. I've only gotten through half of a section after the introduction and I can tell I'm going to learn a lot here. Even if I become incapable of completing the recommended exercises, the theories behind the practice make complete sense.
I'm so happy I chose this course as my first ever on the site.

By Devaux moller on 10/16/2020

So listen we all can agree that drawing a box seems pretty easy right?
BUT HAVE YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LIGHT UNTIL YOU DO THIS COURSE. Damn Daniel the way he makes you understand how to visualize shapes is amazing.
Well done to the man giving us this course. Stay frosty

By Coding Beagle on 10/16/2020

I'm a very systematic person, in that when I want to learn something new, I love to go in at the deep end from the very foundations and then built my way up. I feel uncomfortable doing the higher levels without knowing the basics first. I've tried a few other courses now labelled with "beginner course", but for some reason they all skip the very foundations such as drawing basic shapes and lines, or spend very, very little time on them and instead rush to the more advanced topics, almost as if afraid that students will get bored. But that makes no sense to me, as the one thing I have learned is that if you never get the fundamentals right, nothing you draw will ever really look "right".
So I'm very glad to see a course like this where it's about nothing but the basics, and that each shape even gets its own lesson and exercises! It's great! :) Exactly what I was looking for!

Showing 12 of 305 reviews

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Overall Score : 92 / 100

How to Draw and Sketch for Absolute Beginners pt 1
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 12.8h
  • Price: $22.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon June 2022
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:111 in 18 sections
  • Students:31,900
  • Subtitles:4 languages
  • Udemy badge:Bestseller
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