If you’re staring at a blank sketchbook wondering where to begin, this plan gives you a clear road map.

This guide divides your study into three stages and tells you exactly how much time to give each one so you can build real skill without spinning in circles.

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Why the split works

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Most aspirants get stuck at one of two extremes:

• Endless basics—hours of straight lines and cubes with no idea how to use them.
• Jumping into big pieces—ambitious drawings built on shaky technique.

The 20-50-30 split keeps you moving forward while still laying a solid foundation.

It’s just a reliable way to balance learning, building, and applying.

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How the time breaks down

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You’ll be working every day, roughly 1–2 hours at a time.

Across your whole prep period, aim for:

• 20 % Foundations – the essentials: getting comfortable with tools, lines, and basic forms.
• 50 % Execution & Principles – the core skills: perspective, proportions, rendering, composition.
• 30 % Application & Genres – the fun part: full drawings, posters, storyboards, product sketches—anything close to the exam.

You can treat these like stages (finish one before the next) or weave them into each week.

The key is that, when you add up all your practice, the total time roughly matches the ratio.