LESSON ONE

Dividing Your Time

When first starting out, students often find themselves asking the same question: How do I effectively divide my time so I’m not just studying, and I’m not only drawing for fun?  

A good rule of thumb is to divide your time into three parts: spend 30% of your time studying, by watching or reading different resources, taking notes, and drawing thumbnails. Spend 30% of your time practicing by turning what you learned into sketches. And spend the remaining 40% drawing for fun.

This division provides you with structure through focused study, helps to prevent burnout, and even provides space to explore and develop your creativity. Just remember to implement what you have learned, as drawing for fun is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reinforce your new skills.

All three aspects - learning, practicing, and having fun - work in tandem to help you stay consistent,  keep showing up, and, together, they leads to real progress.

The 10,000 Hour Myth

The myth I would like to dispel is that mastering a skill requires 10,000 hours of focused, deliberate practice. Maybe over time you’ll accumulate those hours, but - let’s be honest - that number isn’t practical. If you were to take this on at 40 hours a week, it would take nearly five years of full time effort to pull this off.

Most learners are lucky to get in a couple of hours a day (with this time frame those 10,000 hours would take 13 years) which means we can’t afford to waste that kind of time. The truth is, other factors matter just as much - like the strategies you use, the instructions you follow, and personal aptitude. So instead of obsessing over a specific number of hours, focus on consistency, deliberate effort, and practice.