Created this after reading conversation in comments below some tech article somewhere. Someone mentioned "surfing the #internet sewer" and I really liked that phrase.
In the last year or two of learning to draw, I've accumulated a number of art books. Here are some particularly good ones for beginners.
Kistler, You Can Draw in 30 Days
Very friendly, exercises that don't take hours on end, and a concise list of drawing principles on pp. 2-3.
Dean, Animal Line Drawing
You can crank one of these out in a spare moment and it will look reasonable.
DeWilde, 30-Minute Drawing for Beginners
More short exercises and principles.
Howard, 101 Textures in Colored Pencil
This is more of a reference, but drawing these will get you in the habit of layering colored pencil to produce rich textures.
Bower, 101 Sketching Tips
A long list of clever tricks and observations for sketching from life.
The Sketch Encyclopedia
Some mediocre general advice followed by a HUGE catalog of things to sketch, each with four reasonable stages.
This is my foiled #drawing, Cat of Ukraine, and is based on a photo of a #Ukranian soldier with this fierce #kitty on her shoulder. The war has gone on for far too long...
Every time I've opened my 'in progress' file for the last three days this has been facing me. It has undergone many tweaks, and is still not quite right, but I have run out of tweaks. In a different frame of mind I would delete, but today it feels mean, so I am declaring it to be finished. Whatever it is, it is very pleased to meet you.