How to Draw Step by Step: Easy Drawing Lessons for Beginners

Updated

DrawingNow offers thousands of free step-by-step drawing lessons that break each picture into simple sketching steps. The lessons suit kids and beginners, and you can follow them through video tutorials or printable pages with images and explanations. To use them well, pick a subject you like, follow one step at a time instead of copying the finished picture, and expect to redraw lines as you check proportions.

How the Step-by-Step Method Works

Each DrawingNow tutorial splits a finished drawing into a sequence of small steps. You draw one stage, then move to the next, so the picture builds up gradually rather than appearing all at once.

The site describes two ways to follow a lesson:

  • Video tutorials — watch the sketching steps in order and draw along.
  • Printable tutorials — print coloring pages with images and detailed explanations, useful if you prefer drawing away from a screen.

There is also a newer "Pictures Only" tutorial method alongside the original format, so you may see two styles of lesson on the site.

Choosing a Subject for Your Skill Level

DrawingNow organizes lessons by category, which makes it easier to start with something simple and move up.

Category Example lessons
Animals a dog, a cat, a horse, a snake, a wolf, a bird
Cartoons Family Guy, Ben 10, Disney characters, Minions
Manga and anime Chibi, Pokemon, Naruto, Super Sonic
People a face, a girl
Fantasy a dragon
Nature and still life a flower, a rose, a vase, a car

For a first attempt, the site's own beginner suggestions include a dog, a rose, a dragon, and anime. If you are 6–15 years old or a complete beginner, the dedicated kids' section lists simpler subjects such as a bird, a face, or a wolf.

Following a Lesson: What to Do at Each Step

  1. Open the tutorial for your chosen subject and note how many steps it contains.
  2. Draw the first shape only — usually a basic outline or guide shape — and stop there.
  3. Compare your line to the step image before continuing. If the shape is off, erase and redraw it now rather than later.
  4. Add the next step on top of what you have, working through the sequence in order.
  5. Check proportions at each stage, since errors compound if you carry them forward.
  6. Finish with details and coloring, using the printable coloring pages if the lesson includes them.

The expected result is a completed drawing that matches the tutorial's final image, built from the same sequence of shapes.

Common Problems and How to Handle Them

  • Proportions look wrong. Go back to the step where the guide shape was drawn and correct it there. Fixing an early shape is faster than adjusting a finished outline.
  • Lines are too dark to erase. Sketch lightly in the early steps so you can redraw without leaving marks.
  • The finished drawing doesn't match. Redraw the lesson from the start rather than patching one section; the steps are designed to be followed in sequence.
  • You want to practice offline. Print the tutorial's coloring page with its images and explanations and work from paper.

Practical Notes

DrawingNow states that its how-to-draw lessons are free to browse by category. The site shows Login and Sign Up options in its navigation, but the lesson content described in the page evidence — video tutorials, printable pages, and category browsing — is presented as available without a stated payment requirement. No pricing details are given on the page, so treat any account-related features as separate from the drawing lessons themselves.