Before even drawing what is the first step before even drawing what you want to down on paper? What's the process of trying to draw the first thing you would recommend to someone who's beginning or in the Beginning stages?

Has anyone tried this Art book for tutoring purposes? I got it a while back and plan to use it and videos from Proko to help improve my art..

I'm practicing pencil exercises and drawing random circles, curves and lines before I head onto my first attempt at figure drawing. Wish me luck guys. I plan on doing this for 4 weeks straight before moving on. What do you guys think of this?

Someone who's new to drawing more professionally and want to practice using the pencil in the beginning. So I watch Proko's "how to hold and control the pencil" before I move onto practicing figure drawing. These are a few drawings I have done in practice and would appreciate feedback and critique in regards to this. I plan on spending these past 6 months exclusively practicing pencil exercises and figure drawing to improve my skill during any free time I have. What do people also recommend as far as practice goes?

For someone learning art more is it recommended to do pencil exercises first? How long should I practice before going into my first attempt at gestures?