How I Improved My Sketching Without Expensive Classes

When I first started sketching back in school, I honestly thought I needed some big art class or professional course to actually get better. But over time, I realized I didn’t need to spend a lot of money to learn the basics. With simple tools, free resources, and daily practice, I improved my sketching skills more than I expected.

In this post, I’ll share how I did it, step by step, and how you can start improving your sketching today, without burning a hole in your pocket.

1. I Started With the Basics, Not Fancy Tools

In the beginning, I thought buying expensive pencils or sketch pads would instantly make me draw better. The truth? It doesn’t work like that.

I started with a simple graphite pencil, a cheap eraser, and regular paper. What actually made me improve wasn’t the price of my tools but how often I used them. Sketching daily, even if it was just a few lines, gave me more progress than anything else.

👉 Over time, I upgraded to proper sketching kits like charcoal pencils and better sketchbooks, but only when I actually needed them.

2. YouTube Became My Classroom

One of the best things I did was use YouTube as my free art school. I watched tutorials on shading, anatomy, perspective, and even little tips like how to hold a pencil differently for smoother lines.

Sometimes I would pause the video, sketch along, and then compare my result. It wasn’t perfect, but I could clearly see myself improving.

What helped the most was repeating the same exercise again and again until it looked better.

3. Daily Practice Made the Real Difference

I used to believe that if I didn’t have hours to sketch, it wasn’t worth it. But I changed that mindset and began sketching for just 10–15 minutes daily.

Sometimes it was a quick doodle of my headphones, my hands, or even random objects on my desk. Other days, I’d sit for an hour when I had the time.

That small consistency created a huge improvement. Even on busy college days, I made sure to sketch something.

4. I Studied Real Life Instead of Only Copying Pictures

At first, I used to copy anime characters or random photos I found online. While that’s fun, it doesn’t always teach you how objects really look.

So I started drawing real objects around me, my shoes, my phone, bottles, plants, even my own hands. Observing real light, shadows, and proportions helped me way more than just copying pictures.

5. Mistakes Became My Teachers

I used to get frustrated when my sketches looked “bad.” But the more I sketched, the more I realized that mistakes are the best teachers.

Every messy line, wrong proportion, or weird shading taught me what not to do next time. I even started keeping my old sketches to compare progress. And honestly, seeing how much better I got over the months was one of the most motivating feelings ever.

6. Cheap Tools That Helped Me

I didn’t buy anything fancy at first, but when I started taking sketching more seriously, these tools really helped me grow:

• A sketchbook with thick paper so my shading and erasing looked smoother.

• A graphite pencil set so I could try different shades instead of only using HB.

• A charcoal pencil set that gave my sketches a bold and professional feel.

• A blending brush (yes, even a simple makeup brush works) for smooth shading.

👉 If you want to try them, here are some that I recommend (I personally use these now):

• Brusto Sketch Paper

• Derwent Graphic Full Set of Graphite Pencils

• Qionew Professional Charcoal Pencils Drawing Set

These are affordable and super beginner-friendly.

7. Art Is About Enjoying the Process

The biggest lesson I learned is this: sketching isn’t about being perfect, it’s about expressing yourself.

Once I stopped stressing about making every drawing “good,” I started enjoying sketching a lot more. And ironically, that’s when my skills actually improved.

If you want to get better at sketching, start with what you have, sketch daily, and keep going. Improvement will follow naturally.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t need expensive art classes to improve my sketching. I just needed consistency, curiosity, and a few simple tools.

If you’re starting your sketching journey, don’t wait for the “perfect” setup. Pick up a pencil, draw something around you, and make mistakes proudly. That’s how real improvement begins.

And if you want to take your sketches to the next level, try out those beginner-friendly tools I mentioned. They made a big difference for me, and I know they’ll help you too.

Happy sketching ✍️

— Black Heart