Improve your drawing skills with AI

Using AI for drawing

Generative AI tools make images of all kinds, and they also guide creative endeavors. Here are several ways to use AI to improve your drawing skills.

Achieve the extraordinary with

Copilot in Microsoft 365

Seamlessly tackle your to-dos and track budgets, projects, and calendars with AI-powered features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.

Try now for free

Drawing techniques and tips

Are you having a hard time mastering a certain technique? Do you need tips for improving your techniques like shading or hatching? Are you hung up on drawing hands? Ask AI for tips on all these things! Remember to specify that you’d like step-by-step directions for drawing techniques that might be tricky. Try these prompts to better understand what you’re working towards:

• What techniques should I learn when I’m learning how to draw?
• What are different ways to add shadow to line drawings?
• Is stippling a type of shading?
• What is the difference between blending and smudging when drawing? Please explain each step-by-step.

Feedback and guidance

If you don’t have the time or funds for a professional art teacher, upload your drawing directly to AI and ask for feedback. If you’re trying to emulate another artist’s style, request a comparison between your drawing and theirs. Generative AI provides tips on what you need to work on to achieve your goal and improve your drawing skills. Try prompts like these for AI feedback on your work:

• My favorite artist is John Singer Sargent. Review the portrait drawing I’ve uploaded and compare it to the example of his work that I’ve uploaded. Give constructive criticism and point out the technical differences so I can improve.
• Review the drawing I’ve uploaded and provide critique on basic drawing and shading technique. Provide links to helpful resources in areas that need improvement, with a focus on finding the light in my drawing.
• I struggle with drawing realistic faces and hands. Give me exercises to improve my drawing skills, and provide feedback on the uploaded drawings.

Drawing exercises

Whether you’re brand new to drawing or are looking to refresh your skills, AI creates drawing exercises for you. Specify your level of experience and what you’re hoping to learn. If there’s a technique you want to know more about, make sure to mention that, along with any artists you really admire, so that a custom curriculum can be created for you. You might even ask AI to generate a series of images for you to copy to work on your skills. Try prompts like these:

• I want to learn how to draw, but I have no idea where to start. Make a list of tools I need to get started and a list of helpful exercises.
• Create a series of drawing exercises for beginners focusing on mastering technical skills.
• Provide a list of sketching exercises that mimic [artist’s] style so that I can improve at drawing with perspective.
• Create an image that looks like a sketched line drawing of an ornate dresser with shading. Provide five step-by-step exercises that teach me how to draw the image myself.

AI is an incredible tool with a range of creative uses. To use generative AI for drawing and improving your drawing skills, simply write prompts that ask for the exercises and guidance you need to make your own masterpiece.