Learn How To Draw Anything Using 3 Simple Shapes

Cat Outlined in Simple Shapes

Beginning to draw requires no special knowledge. You just need to know how to sketch three shapes you learned in elementary school: circles, rectangles, and triangles. From there, you can build on that basic geometry and create compositions that look nothing like the shapes you started with. But how do you get from drawing a circle to creating a fully realized picture? Illustrator Margherita Cole will take you from point A to point Z in her class, Drawing 101: Learn the Building Blocks of Sketching, only available on My Modern Met Academy, our e-learning platform.

The two-and-a-half-hour class is ideal for anyone starting on their drawing journey. Maybe that’s you—you never took up drawing when you were younger, but are interested now that you’re older. It can be intimidating to try something new. But with the right starting point and some practice, you can become a great sketcher who can draw anything you like.

Cole demonstrates that even the most complex subjects can be broken down into basic shapes. Her course is divided into easily digestible, bite-sized lessons, which include how to draw a house plant, human figure, and cat. As each lesson begins, she reveals the building blocks of each form. A feline, for instance, is a collection of mostly circles with a couple of triangles and rectangles. Once those shapes are on the page, Cole then shows you how to refine the blocky forms and eventually ink a calico cat.

Scroll down to see what else you’ll learn in Drawing 101: Learn the Building Blocks of Sketching. Then, enroll today onMy Modern Met Academy’s website.

Beginning to draw requires no special knowledge.

Side-by-side photo a cat and a drawing of the cat

You just need to know how to sketch three shapes you learned in elementary school: circles, rectangles, and triangles.

Ink Drawing of Cat

But how do you get from drawing a circle to creating a fully realized picture? Illustrator Margherita Cole will take you from point A to point Z in her class, Drawing 101: Learn the Building Blocks of Sketching.

Types of Mark Making

Cole demonstrates that even the most complex subjects can be broken down into basic shapes.

Side-by-side photo a plant and a drawing of the plant

As each lesson begins, she reveals the building blocks of each form.

Ink drawing of a plant

Ink Drawing of Plant

Once those shapes are on the page, Cole then shows you how to refine the blocky forms and eventually ink a finished piece.

Outlining a Ballet Dancer in Pink Marker

Side-by-side photo a dancer and a drawing of the dancer

Ink Drawing of Dancer

Get a peek into the class in the teaser below:

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
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