Keep your furries out of this topic.
Damnit, why can't we have a nice topic without controversial stuff like furries and ponies.
It seemed as if Nym was just trying to give some advice.. Valid advice at that. This forum and its members usually aren't the most accepting. Pointing something out or having ___ trait can make people randomly turn against in my experiences.
On Topic:
It seems stereotypical saying this, but practicing does matter. If you just draw off and on (luckily for you, you will probably be forced to draw a few times a week in the class), you won't get any better. Also, if you get a chance to read any art books it will be a good experience. Andrew Loomis is probably one of the best authors for art. For you though, if you just want some basic skills or whatnot, something like his books probably won't be necessary.
When trying to learn how to draw the human figure, I started off just drawing from sight.. it didn't work out well. A next step up, was searching google for art tutorials on the subject. DeviantArt is a great site for finding tutorials. Also, Deviantart can be great for critique giving and receiving, as well as a good community. Anyway, that was helpful, but I still wasn't where I wanted to be. I got an art book, and actually studied. Some times without pencil in hand. The art books that I am talking about don't have line-by-line drawings and stuff. You probably don't want THAT intense of a book, but if you do it would be good for learning.
Like I said, online tutorials can help bunches. For basic drawing tips, its kind of hard to have a set list.. It really depends on what subject you are trying to draw. Like I said above,
DeviantArt can be a great place to find tons of tutorials for both traditional and digital art.
One of the best skills that I have learned, and that you may too if you would like is how to simplify your subject into three dimensional shapes. An example, a cat. A slight oblong with a small sphere in the middle as the face, and two triangles as ears. It may not look it, but it actually is a very very useful skill to have. If you are trying to draw a still-life, without proper planning or if you just started sketching, it will probably turn out out of proportion and.. odd.
Also, constantly carry a sketchpad or moleskin. I use
this one. Well, maybe not CONSTANTLY, but it is very useful to be able to jot down an idea or just have around to practice.
Anyway, that's about all that this 14 year-no-art-classes individual can share c:. You will probably learn a lot in the actual art class, hopefully. If you have any questions, feel free.
