Why I created the Beginner Drawing Course

I’m Taylor Payton. I’m nothing special. I’m merely an artist who happened upon principles, practices, and methods to see dramatic improvement in my artwork. 

A sketch approximation of how sick my Goku drawings used to be as a kid

Lemme back it up. I’m 29, and I’ve been drawing since I was about 4. Despite putting a lot of love and time into the craft, I was always getting pretty mediocre results. As a child my standards weren’t very high-- I mean, if I could copy a dope picture of Goku as good as any kid, well, that was enough.

Yep. Did this when I was 15. Kazuma from S-Cry-Ed

But as I entered my late teens, I saw my art for what it really was, a series of mushy drawings that only happened to turn out good once in a while...Or if I was deeply wedged into my comfort zone.

Despite seeing all the flaws, I went to school for animation. It was alright, save for the fact that kids were graduating from the program without being able to draw well enough to get work. 

Luckily, I wasn't in that camp. I leveraged the library, and learned what the instructors weren't teaching when it came to drawing: a crisp and clear understanding of the basics.

Sure there were classes and stuff, but I saw kids doing those by rote, and scarcely learning anything from them. Meanwhile, I was digging through books and tutorials to understand WHY I was learning perspective, or WHAT I was trying to capture in my skill set by doing 948 gesture drawings in a quarter.

When I started getting better, it felt like magic. Literally seeing improvement in a few sessions with deliberate practice. Sure enough, the classmates and initiative-takers were getting better at their crafts too. The fundies were always there to bolster anyone's abilities, so long as they were learned to the point of being second-nature.

Anatomy, color theory, values, edges, form, line quality, gesture….all of these topics have their basics, and when you learn to harness those basics, your work glows more. It has a vibrance and a magnetism that it would otherwise lack.

When I graduated in 2013, I wanted to make sure that other artists didn't have to suffer like I did. Always wondering why other artists got better faster or if they're "talented" enough. It's nonsense to compare, and to dwell on the notion of talent is largely a waste of precious energy. I freelanced for a few years to sharpen my skills further.

Then, In 2015 I created the Beginner Drawing Course to help artists structure their practice and grow. My goal was (and is) to help 1,000,000 Artists learn fundamental drawing skills that will bring life and power to their respective crafts. 

Lesson 01 from the course has over 300k views on YouTube alone. 

And as for me? Well, I still practice my basics. I still set aside time to work on gestures, play with perspective, study anatomy, or improve my linework. 

I know that whatever I want to express on the picture plane is more than doable, It's just a matter of attuning to the basics, developing a solid process, and putting in the work.

So, dear artist, I invite you to provide yourself with these fundamentals. To continuously refresh them and deepen your understanding of them. One day you'll look back and realize that you've improved dramatically, and can easily do what once challenged you. 

I mean, if you can do a dope Goku or Sailormoon copy, power to you. But if you want to draw an entirely new character from imagination, well...you'd best look to the basics.

Happy drawing.

Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Grow & Sharpen Your Drawing Skills here. (1,800+ students)

2. Build better Paintings and get Commissions here. (500+ students)