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Easy Composition Tips: Thumbnail Sketches

Mar 7, 2010 Drawing, Painting

Whether you’re drawing or painting, you need to consider the composition of your work. Composition is the arrangement of the visual elements on your picture plane; or, where you put things. You need to take into consideration the relationship of the elements to each other, and the relationship of the elements to the edge of your drawing or painting.

Composition can help communicate feeling and meaning. The arrangement of objects can be balanced and harmonious and convey a sense of calm. Or they can be awkward and convey a sense of tension. You need to use this to your advantage!

Even if you’re working with a single subject, like a portrait, you need to think about composition. Where will the face go on the page? In the centre, off to the side, near the edge? Each arrangement will slightly alter the feel of the finished piece.

But how can you figure out the best composition? That’s where thumbnail sketches come in.

Thumbnails are small-scale drawings that let you play around with composition without investing a huge amount of time and effort into a single artwork.

How to use Thumbnails

First of all, you want to consider all the elements that will be in your piece. Below are some examples of thumbnails I did for an upcoming painting. I knew I was working with a horizon, a tree, two giraffes and the sun. My goal was to find the best arrangement for these elements.

Thumbnail drawings should only be a few inches big, but make sure they are the same scale as your finished piece. I know that my painting will be three feet by two feet, so I made each thumbnail three inches by two inches. This way, I know that the elements of the painting will fit into the thumbnail the same way as the painting.

Once you know what you’re working with, and you draw yourself several to-scale boxes, start playing around. Try as many different arrangements you can think of. This lets you see exactly how things will relate to eachother without just imagining it. This is important because artists are visual and need to see.

Choosing a Thumbnail

Pick a thumbnail that feels like it works. This really depends on the feelings you’re going for in your work. This is the thumbnail I chose for my composition. It is balanced and harmonious, each element is comfortably placed and nothing feels awkward. It also follows the rules of thirds.

We all know how it feels to suddenly get the perfect idea for your next piece. You’re excited and anxious to get going. It can be tempting to jump right in. But you’ll find that your finished piece will be better if you take a few minutes to do a little planning and find the best composition. The effort is well worth the result!

Tags: art tips, better drawings, composition

The Why and How of Spray Fixative

Jan 13, 2010 Drawing

One of the drawbacks of drawing in dry media (pencils, charcoal, pastels) is that it can smudge very easily, leaving your artwork vulnerable to damage from fingers and and other papers. Fortunately, you can use a spray fixative to protect your drawings. A spray fixative comes in an aerosol can and will ‘fix’ your drawings so that they won’t smudge. I use Krylon, but there are many different brands. There are also several different types of fixatives, and it’s important to know which is best for you.

Matte

A matte fixative is what I use for the majority of my drawings. This will fix your drawings and give a nice matte finish. Sometimes you can get areas of your drawing that are shiny from too much graphite. Using a matte fixative can help disguise these areas.

Gloss

I use this fixative more for my paintings than I do my drawings, but I have tried it on some of my mixed media work involving charcoal with great results. Gloss fixative gives your work a glossy, shiny finish.

Workable

A workable fixative is very useful during the drawing process. It allows you to fix the parts that you’ve already drawn, then continue to draw on top without worrying about smudging what is underneath. It’s also useful in providing some additional texture. Sometimes you shade and blend so much that the paper can’t take any more graphite. This will give the paper more tooth and let you shade even more.

If you’re selling or giving away your drawings, I highly recommend that you fix them. If your drawings are just for yourself, it’s up to you, but even when papers are carefully stored away, the graphite or charcoal can rub and transfer onto the next paper. If you’re worried about the images in your sketchbook transfering to adjacent pages, only draw on every other page, or slip a blank sheet of paper in to protect your work. It’s not necessary to fix every page of your sketchbook, but you might want to consider it for drawings with very heavy shading.

Fixing Your Drawings

Whichever fixative you decide to use, carefully follow the rules on the back of the can. Here are some general guidelines for using a spray fixative.
Shake the can. I know it’s time consuming and boring and you want to skimp on this part, but shaking the can will help the fixative flow smoothly through the nozzle without drips and blobs.
Make sure your drawing is free from dust. I once fixed a drawing that had been sitting on my table for a week or so, and when I looked closely I realized I had fixed all kinds of little dust particles to the surface. Gently blow on the piece, or better yet, use a soft brush to get rid of any loose bits.
Hold the can about a foot away from your drawing.
Spray steadily back and forth across the drawing, overlapping your strokes and going off the edges to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Use two or three coats, letting it dry in between.

More Tips

Hold the can upright to ensure it sprays smoothly.
Hold your drawing upright if possible. Spraying on the ground can cause dirt and dust to blow onto your work.
Between coats, rotate your page so that the fixative can settle into the miniscule nooks and crannies of the paper.
Use several thin coats rather than one thick coat.
Make sure the fixative is able to dry for an appropriate amount of time before adding more coats.
Check before every spray that the nozzle is clean and free from either wet or dry fixative. You may need to pick the dry fixative away from the hole to prevent drips.
If you notice drips on your drawing, don’t panic. While it’s still set, dab very gently with a tissue, then spray another coat of fixative.
Use outside or in a well ventillated room. Most of these products are very fumey.
You may need to use even more coats for a heavy charcoal drawing.

Tags: better drawings, drawing tips, fixative

15 Tips for Realistic Shading

Jan 10, 2010 Drawing

Here are 15 tips to improve your shading techniques and help you create more realistic drawings. Don’t forget to check out my posts on how to shade and my tutorial for shading a sphere.

1. Avoid pressing hard, instead create dark areas by layering more and more graphite on the page.

2. As well as fixing your finished drawing, a workable fixative can be used throughout your shading to give the paper more texture (tooth). This will let you add more layers of graphite.

3. Keep pencil marks even and close together.

4. Work from light to dark.

5. Use the edge of your pencil instead of the tip.

6. Think in three dimensions and visualize the way light will hit your subject.

7. Use a blending stick to create a smooth texture.

8. Check your proportions before blending to make sure they are correct. It will be harder to erase after you blend.

9. Use a clean, fresh blending stick, especially for the lightest areas.

10. To lighten too dark areas, or to reclaim highlights, use a kneaded eraser.

11. Work slowly; don’t rush.

12. Use a variety of pencils to create a full range of values.

13. Create smooth transitions between shadows, midtones and highlights.

14. Don’t be afraid to go dark. The only areas that should be pure white are the highlights. Try making the darkest shadows as deep as you can, then adjust the rest of your values accordingly.

15. Use different drawing techniques to create a variety of textures with your shading.

Tags: better drawings, shading

Tips for Drawing Eyebrows

Dec 19, 2009 Drawing

Mashi recently asked a question on my eye tutorial about how to draw eyebrows. Eyebrows are made up of hundreds of individual hairs, so we should draw them the same way we draw any other kind of hair. That being said, there are a few strategies to use when drawing realistic eyebrows.

First of all, it depends on the size of your portrait. If the face you’re drawing is quite small, you simply won’t have the room for detail. For small drawings, delicate shading is all you need. Look closely at your reference for the shape and size of the brows. Sometimes, if a person has very light or very thin brows, you won’t actually see the entire arch. This is especially true for kids.

A few things to remember:

brows are generally widest near the nose and taper towards the outside of the face.
women’s brows are thinner, more arched, more tapered, and slightly higher on the forehead.
men’s brows sit lower, are wider and straighter.
eyebrows are thicker along the top edge, and more sparse at the bottom edge.
the hairs are curved, and change direction.

Once you’ve drawn the contours of the brow, you can use a very sharp pencil to start layering in the hairs. Start at the base of the hair, and flick your wrist to create a tapered line. Towards the nose, the hairs tend to grow straight up. They begin to angle as you move away from the face. Don’t draw all of your lines parallel, make sure some of them cross.

The edges of your brows shouldn’t be too even or too regular; add some stray hairs along the bottom edge to make it more realistic. You can also use a kneaded eraser to highlight a few of the hairs.

Sometimes, a slight suggestion of hairs is all you need, especially on very light brows. Build up layers slowly until you achieve just the right effect!

Tags: better drawings, draw eyes, drawing tips

All About Drawing Realistic Portraits in Pencil

Nov 8, 2009 Drawing

I recently finished my series of pencil portrait lessons and thought I’d put them all in one easy-to-access place for you! Here are 17 helpful articles that cover everything from drawing the individual facial features to shading your drawings. Everything you need to learn how to draw realistic portraits is here!

The lessons take two different forms: a how to lesson that features drawing hints and strategies, and a tutorial that takes you through each process step-by-step.

How Tos

How to Draw Portraits

Tutorials