15 Must Have Skills Every Art Student Needs

“The most difficult step ever is the first step. It comes with doubts, uncertainties, and all sorts of fears.
​If you defy all odds and do it, your confidence will replicate very fast and you'll become a master!”
There are as many opinions about “must have” skills for art students, as there are art instructors. My personal perspective arrives as a long-time art instructor and judge of art shows and competitions. If you concentrate on the essential skills I will point out, you’ll be much better off in your art career for the long run.

The Making of a Great Artist

I believe there are certain core skills that sets great artists apart from the average or mediocre. Here are the skills you should master to become a  skilled one:

Line Weight or Line Contour Variation   001

If you study the work of any good drawer vs that of a beginner, you will always find that the novice will use the same line weight in almost all contour or outlines. Unfortunately, that  is precisely what creates the stiffness of a drawing. Professionals will vary the thickness of line in their drawings depending on the light source and other factors. We have the greatest success with our students, both adults and children, when this one rule to drawing is applied efficiently.  

Drawing and Painting from Real Life   002

It is OK as a student to imitate the work and styles from other artists when we begin this journey in art. But eventually, one has to work from real life. Students face challenges when drawing from real life, in particular if it is a skill they haven't mastered fully and will find that it requires an entirely different way of seeing. Schools that encourage real-life drawing skills help re-wire their student’s brains to think and draw in 3-D. And that’s a skill that only good artists possess!

Knowledge of Materials    003

Successfully mastering the art of producing great sketches, drawings and paintings, is primarily about knowing which materials to use, and why. For instance, if the objective is to have a drawing that should last for a long time, you have to avoid acid-rich paper. Or if you would use normal drawing paper to paint with watercolour, you won’t succeed; you need to use special watercolour paper to get sound results. These subtle skills can make the difference between being a successful artist, and one who struggles to produce high-quality work.

Draw and Paint Proportionally Correct   004

Some types of artwork, like drawing portraits, require far more attention to proportional correctness than others. Most newcomers to the field of art feel challenged to understand and represent factual proportions, yet someone trained in these skills can quickly spot a disproportional work of art. Art teachers should teach very early how to find proportions and what it is that beginners don't see it at first. They should demonstrate  how an artist is searching for the varied connection points, angles, and lines to scan an image thoroughly to find every single proportional problem. 

Drawing and Painting Realistically   005

Learning how to draw and paint realistically is an indispensable skill for aspiring artists. When all is said and done, in almost all cases, the level of skills highlighted by realistic academic ateliers outshines those learned practices by other types of art schools and modern colleges. I think the motto : “You can take out learned skills, but you can't add what you don't know.” says it all. So many students want to paint abstract because they are afraid of realism, but secretly wished they could incorporate realistic skills at occasionally to their work. It is always worth spending time on fundamental ground knowledge, and learning realism is never wasted.  

Understanding Linear Perspective   006

​Just as a great Chemist must master the rules of Chemistry, so too, do young daring artists need to master the rules of perspective to become a believable artist. Nothing can reveal lack in skill quicker than a realistic artwork with flaws in linear perspective. 

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Atmospheric Perspective   007

​To draw and paint perfectly, you need to have a firm grasp on the rules of background versus foreground perspective; aerial perspective, also called atmospheric perspective or multidimensional perspective. Sadly, some art schools don’t reinforce these skills among their students. The extra dimension an artwork receives by applying those rules is remarkable and worth to be invested in. Get a teacher who has a good grasp on those issues. 

Composition Awareness   008

The literal meaning of the word “composition” means “to create” or “to arrange”. Mastering the golden rules of composition will result in viewers become gently fixated on your drawings and paintings (…and of course, admiring them!) much longer than those who create unassuming aspects of subject placement. Composition has much to do with mastering the rules of proportions, symmetry, of guiding and locking a viewer’s gaze. These are ‘must learn’ rules for any student of art, but is a widely overlooked skill and few workshops and colleges focus on them today. Composition is an artist's control over their audience. One can lead people visually out of an artwork, or nicely direct them into it. An artist should know what it is that makes people tick. 

Understanding Typical Beginners Mistakes   009

Sometimes, as you watch online art videos teaching some core skills, even you (as a relative newcomer into the field) may feel left aghast at the amateurism at times. You may see “trainers” use overly blunt pencils, or  create works full of smudges and smears. Of course, there are rough and smeared images that are supposed to be loose and gestural, but that is not what I am talking about. A good art school should not only point out your shortcomings, but help turn those occurrences into learning opportunities. A well-trained teacher understands very well the most common mistakes that are made by almost all beginners. To early point those out  creates an environment of good habits. The earlier you will be taught those errors, the faster you will improve. ​

Holy Grail of Drawing & Painting: Tonal Value   010

​The understanding and appreciation of tonal values, both in colour and grey scale renditions, is arguably a skill that’s even more critical than colour. Sadly, if the skill to see values well, in particular when using colour, is not habitually taught, you learn  to glance over them and lose information. Mastering the skillful use of tone can make all the difference between producing an amateurish work or impressively producing a 3-dimensional piece of art! Arts academies and ateliers of the highest standard agree that tonal value is the hardest of all skills to be learned. It is crucial for your art teacher to raise tonal value awareness over and over to point to its importance.    

Strong Colour Practice & Theory   011

​A strong foundation of colour theory, and a firm understanding of colour mixing, tints, shades and hues, is indispensable to your future as an artist. The number of art students I personally encountered that lack such skills, and have learned their basic skills online or at other art schools is staggering! The ability to produce a very specific colour with only the (double) primary colours plus white, to naturally dull or darken colours or to create bright and clean colours, or the usage of creating shadows with colours, is all part of the core skills that budding artists must master.

Laws of Light & Shadows   012

​Different materials react differently to light and shade. The proper use of light and shadows can bring about the precise effect that an artist wishes to achieve. For example, the use of clear core shadows within a portrait can produce a further dimension into stunning 3D effects, which can't be achieved without this knowledge. Or to know that a shadow contains a different colour depending on the incoming light is crucial. Knowing that a vertical cast shadows reacts differently to a horizontal one can produce a greater ambiance in your drawings. Without the knowledge or understanding of these laws, students are unable to produce high-quality, real-life-like drawings and paintings.

Mastering Pencil & Brush Strokes   013

Contrary to what many new art students might think, the results of similar strokes from brushes and pencils aren’t alike! Just as a master carpenter knows which type of saws and files to use on what types of wood, so too must art students learn and understand which types of strokes, from pencils or brushes, create what types of results.    

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Seeing Lost and Found Edges   014

Most art students are unaware that, in order to create high-quality drawings or paintings, the edges between two shapes or  colours need special attention.  The skill to accentuate or de-emphasize soft and hard edges oftentimes spells the difference between works that look childlike and those that are picture-perfect! This skill will make or break a master piece. 

Knowledge of Anatomy   015 

If you want to master drawing and painting faces and human figures, then you need to master anatomy and understand what the human body comprises of, and what lays under the skin. Your knowledge of the proportions and characteristics of the head, facial expressions and other aspects of the human body, are vital for you to be able to draw, sketch and paint realistic human portraits and figures. 

Putting It All Together

Make no mistake: To become a great artist, you must understand and master all of these skills. And to do that, you have two options, you draw, draw and draw on your own until you master everything or you get some guidance and instruction from professionals which makes the process much faster but also more encouraging.

Make no mistake: To become a great artist, you must understand and master all of these skills. And to do that, you have two options, you draw, draw and draw on your own until you master everything or you get some guidance and instruction from professionals which makes the process much faster but also more encouraging.

Many will give up along the way, as we are naturally avoid problems.  Through professional direction and reassurance you’ll be able to put all of these skills together into your repertoire of artistry skills.

I understand that every student learns differently and you will make mistakes, so get the best help you can get in order to learn fast.