Some Words

drewa

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Hello! There's actually a mixture of things I have here. I was talking with my Japanese buddy and she used "Kotsu" in the sentence.
I looked it up and it means "Skill/Knack".

Here's the sentence she used it in:
絵を描くコツは何ですか?
I showed her a picture I drew and so she asked me that.
I looked at it for a while and I could not translate it clearly. I was confused first of all by the Kotsu being after the verb. I would think that it being after the verb, the verb is describing Kotsu. So that tiny portion would be "The skill that draws/paints".
After thinking about it I replied with ペンと鉛筆です which I guess was a right response.

Furthermore, I looked for examples in Weblio.
コツを覚える
to get the knack―learn the trick―of doing anything

How would you form say "He's getting the knack of singing"? Would it be "彼は歌うコツを覚える"

And there's this thing about 何も.
I know that for one it means "Nothing".
But I read here Entry Details for 何も [nanimo] - Tanoshii Japanese
that it also means "And everything else(with noun + Mo). So how does that work?

Would it be used like "You and everyone else here is an exchange student."?
ここには何も貴方とみんなもが留学生です。

So to recap:
1) How exactly did my friend use コツ and how would I say "He's getting the knack of singing."?
2) How do you use that 'And everything else' meaning that 何も has?

Thank you!
 
1)
絵をうまく描くコツ makes sense, maybe? She was asking what a knack to draw pictures well (like you) is.
(Thus, your answer ペンと鉛筆です doesn't make sense.)

知っている is appropriate for that case.

2)
I highly recommend using a dictionary that contains example sentences. See the following quotation. It clearly shows what "with noun + Mo" is supposed to mean.

暑さも何も忘れて仕事に精を出した
I completely forgot the heat and everything else and threw myself into my work.
なにも【何も】の英語・英訳 - 和英辞書 - goo辞書
(暑さ(= a noun) + も + 何も)
 
Oh okay, I'll apologize to her for not making any sense at all, and I will also thank her for putting up with me hahahaha
Thanks !
 
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