This document provides 4 tips for novice artists who feel intimidated drawing from photographs or life. 1) Focus on drawing only part of the subject rather than the whole thing. Simplify what you draw by just drawing key shapes rather than details. 2) Simplify the drawing further by "blocking out" the major shapes before adding details. This helps ensure the overall structure is correct. 3) Remember that practice drawings are just exercises and do not need to be shown to others. Removing judgment allows you to focus on learning. 4) Practice seeing photographs and subjects as two-dimensional shapes rather than three-dimensional objects to make rendering them on a flat surface easier.