In art, especially in the field of cartoons, illustrations, line is vital to making something look like a million bucks or foobar. Lucky for you, I’m going to show you a neat little trick to making your line look like a million bucks. Truth be told, applying the correct line weight can vastly improve the overall look of any piece of art.

1. When drawing, always use an anchor point. Rest your hand/palm on the drawing area itself, or use your pinky. True, some artists, actually many trained artist do not need and anchor point, and I will explain in a bit, but for now, if you’re still learning, you must anchor yourself!

Start out by drawing your basic outline. don't worry about looking messing or crossing over other lines. You're just laying out the foundation now. Just be carfeul not to draw to dark.

2. Use fast strokes, forget about going slowly and getting all the detail. When making the base of your drawing there is no need in drawing slowly; I actually tell you to do otherwise. Use quick strokes, you’ll be surprised how much straighter a line will be. I know this sounds counter-intuitive but it’s true. Use quick strokes to build your base foundation of a drawing. If you’re just starting out drawing, go crazy. Don’t hold back, let your imagination flow. Don’t get caught up in trying to make everything perfect the first time around.  I think speed drawing has been neglected in drawing all together, and is a subject that should be taught. If you’re a freelance illustrator, this can mean sleeping regular hours or busting your butt til’ the crack of dawn, trying to get something to look right. I’ll write a blurb about this in the future, but for now lets make those lines look sexy!

3. Draw in the details. After you have the foundation of your drawing down, go back and fill in the details. Pay attention. It’s as simple as that.

4. Add line weight and thickness. Adding those different strokes to give some character to what your drawing. If you look at DaVinci’s drawings or Michaelangelo’s sketches, you’ll notice that they vary their own line thicknesses dramatically. This is a detail that most beginning artist don’t realize. Varying line weight and thickness also adds depth to a drawing. Use it, and use it well.