How to Draw: A Beginner’s Guide Pt 1 – Basic Shapes

Overview

*PLEASE NOTE* This Specialization will be deprecated and removed from Coursera on April 5, 2026 Unlock the fundamentals of drawing with award-winning instructor Brent Eviston. In this beginner-friendly course, you'll learn to see the world through the lens of basic shapes—the essential building blocks of drawing. Through a series of hands-on lessons, you’ll gain confidence in drawing circles, ovals, rectangles, and irregular forms, and discover how to simplify complex subjects into these foundational elements. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to begin a drawing with light, editable lines, and develop your observational skills through targeted exercises. This course is ideal for absolute beginners or artists looking to solidify their core techniques. With Brent’s clear, supportive instruction, you’ll start developing the skills needed to draw anything with greater accuracy and ease. You'll learn to: - Identify and draw essential shapes - Simplify complex subjects - Start with confidence using light sketch lines - Build a daily drawing habit that sticks Let this course be your first step toward drawing with clarity, control, and joy. Instuctor bio: Brent Eviston is an artist and educator whose passion for teaching is matched only by his love of drawing. He is the creator of the award-winning online series The Art & Science of Drawing, which has enrolled more than half a million students across 180+ countries. With over 20 years of experience teaching in art studios, schools, and museums, Brent has developed highly effective methods for helping students see the world differently through drawing. His own practice spans traditional figure drawing, architectural and anatomical studies, as well as contemporary explorations.

Syllabus

Welcome to Drawing Basics

Start your drawing journey with clarity and confidence. In this module, you’ll get an overview of the course structure, explore essential tools and materials, and learn what it takes to build a sustainable drawing practice. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the mindset and resources you need to begin sketching with purpose.

Mastering Simple Shapes

In this hands-on module, you’ll build the core drawing skills that everything else relies on—circles, ovals, rectangles, and triangles. You’ll practice drawing both curved and straight-edged forms with increasing precision, and learn how to combine these basic elements to create more complex structures.

Foundations of Simplifying Subjects

Learn how to see the world like an artist. This module focuses on breaking down real-world objects into simplified shapes that are easy to draw. By training your eye to focus on form rather than detail, you’ll gain the confidence to sketch any subject quickly and effectively.