How long does it take for someone to reach a high level of drawing?

Practice daily, any chance you get. Then see how far you get and if you enjoy doing it.

Kinda depends on what you think of as high level.

Now, only some of what I'm going to say is first person, because I've never "drawn" professionally, and that's part of what you're asking. So be aware of that.

But, if you want to reach the point where you could realistically be a professional comic artist, expect to put in some work. Maybe years worth. Even the artists that get their first job early tend to have years of practice in, working with perspective, the human form, and general use of the tools of the trade.

Like, you don't necessarily need art school to achieve technical proficiency, but you do need practice that's going to be the equivalent in time. If that's you doing the work independently as a teen and young adult in your time, great.

But that's just technical proficiency. All the comic artists I've ever heard describe their job, it's not just being good, it's being fast, because even the indies that publish their own stuff can't just have no schedule because things have to ship and be on shelves at a reasonable degree of accuracy, or not only do the shops have trouble with that, readers give up and forget about it.

All the stuff with layout in panels, formatting, etc, you can learn as you go, once you've got the fundamentals down, but don't expect a ton of interest at first. Doesn't matter how good the drawings are if they don't fit the page and tell the story. If that side of things is sloppy, making money at comics is harder.

I actually know one artist that went from high school, to art school, and into pencil work by the time he was 21 at marvel. Not naming him, but he had been working on his skills as far back as elementary school, and had gotten serious about it before high school, and that's how he got a job of any kind that quick.

Thing is, comics are harder than they look. A lot of them, you aren't doing super realistic stuff. But you have to convey movement and dynamics in a scene. You have to do that in a limited space, and clearly enough for an inker to have something to work with, then the colorist if it's a color comic. Just sitting down and doing a realistic sketch of someone might take an hour to get nice enough to hang on the wall, but doing a page of a comic can take just as long or longer, depending on what's going on.

The simpler the comic is, the less work you have to do, but you still gotta do enough to tell the story.

So don't expect to get good at all of that fast. Expect it to take at least as long s an associate's degree if you're already into art. Longer if you're starting from scratch

Who says you need a high skill level?

Look at XKCD or Cyanide and Happiness very popular comic strips that doesn't require a high skill level.

This depends on the amount of time and dedication you put into it plus your natural ability to understand and represent the world visually. Which isn't the same for everyone. Nature and nurture both make a difference.

In short I've seen most people make significant progress in the first year or two of their art journey, but after that you sort of hit a plateau. Here's where the difficult stuff begins and it's a life journey. Whether or not that is good enough for you and what you want to draw is only for you to decide.

As someone that loves to draw: definitely worth it. Is it worth it for you? I can't tell you. Having a clear goal helps tremendously so wanting to create your own comic can be good motivation.

As for how long it'll take you: depends completely on what your own measure is. The more you practice the better you'll get. Also: set goals for practice (I want to learn hands, I want to draw clothes etc.)

And: drawing is a rather inexpensive hobby to get started, if you don't like it, you can just quit whenever.

I would ask Randall Munroe!

Look at the webcomic copy of one punch man. ONE can't be considered a Rembrandt, but he tells compelling stories in a world populated by interesting characters. OTOH, if your goal is to get as good as the manga edition of OPM, I've been reading comics for a while, and he's a genuine talent. Most talents believe they're still a work in progress. You'll pick it up quickly, but thereafter will sort of plateau. Maybe 2-5 years from personal experience...? Good luck!

Edit: oh, and rob liefeld was never ever considered 'good', but that didn't stop him from developing some names you've no doubt heard of.

Perhaps PiewdiePie's attempt to learn it will shed a light on it for you: https://youtu.be/GPLImB-I71w

Depends on how much you like drawing. If it's something fun for you, then it's not time wasted and it's definitely worth the effort.

I will say that while constant practice is definitely important, it's also important to have structured practice. Practice without structure will just lock in bad habits.

By far the fastest and easiest way to improve quickly is to practice blocking. This is a technique where you simplify an object or a scene into simple geometric shapes - cubes, spheres, rectangles, etc. You draw out those shapes onto the page. Then, you add in the details. This forces you to map out where the objects are in your composition before you start drawing. Not only does it help with spatial awareness, it also lets you notice if the positioning of objects doesn't look quite right and requires fixing, before you've spent a lot of time on drawing that object

If you plan to draw comics, then you might be drawing scenery or backgrounds as well, in which case you'll probably also want to study and practice perspective drawing

I think the key is not to think of drawing as a like a skill you can cap out. It’s more that it’s an art form which if it’s really for you, you’ll spend time interrogating and exploring it and finding your own “level.”

Like, if it’s just because you want a medium for story telling because of the comic - if it’s a barrier - a lot of really good webcomics shine because they use other techniques. Or sometimes writers and artists work together.

Something that helped me go from stick figures to things recognizable as animals and my environment was a drawing course from the Smithsonian (online during Covid - I think they still have regular courses though). That kind of formal instruction helps you focus on what is is essential and gives you opportunities for specific feedback. Being encouraged to invest in things like charcoal, pencils, the right kind of paper - these things aren’t necessary but then sometimes part of learning to enjoy a hobby is spending $5 on a pencil.