5 More Tips for Better Drawings
Aug 27, 2009 Drawing
As a continuation of 5 Tips for better Drawings, I bring you 5 more! These simple strategies will help you improve your drawing skills.
1. Mirror Check
You know when you get to that point in a drawing where you can see that something isn’t right, but you can’t tell what it is? When that happens, look at your drawing in the mirror. Something about seeing the reverse of your image makes mistakes pop right out. All of a sudden you can see that the one eye is higher, or at the wrong angle. But don’t wait for something to look wrong, do this throughout the entire drawing to keep things on track!
2. Paper Guard
Graphite has a nasty tendency to smudge, especially the softer, darker variety. No matter how hard you might try to work from top to bottom, left to right (or right to left for those lefties out there), chances are good that you’ll drag your hand through your drawing at least once. One way to reduce this risk is by using a clean sheet of paper to rest your hand on. This protects your work, but lets you draw comfortably.
3. Make an Investment
If you haven’t already, invest in some quality materials. You’ll be surprised what a difference this can make! Paper especially can go a long way. Regular computer paper can warp badly as you work it, so get a nice sketchbook or some quality paper. Experiment with different textures, but make sure you get a nice, heavy paper. Proper pencils are important as well; they blend better and give you nice dark shadows. Don’t forget the fixative if you want your work to be preserved and protected!
4. Measure Twice, Draw Once
Measuring is a good way to get the proportions of a drawing right. I don’t mean measuring with a ruler, although you could do this if your reference is the same size as your drawing… What I’m talking about is measuring one part of your image against another. Find things in your reference that are the same size, then make sure they end up that way in your drawing. Sometimes you can use one element to measure the size of larger things by seeing how many times it fits inside. For example, if you’re drawing apples in a bowl, you can measure how many apples fit across the bowl. This ensures that the bowl and apples will be proportionate to each other.
No, not the kind that grows on the end of your finger! I’m talking about a thumbnail sketch; a smaller version of a drawing. By doing several thumbnail sketches, you can try out different compositions without investing a lot of time and effort. It’s no fun drawing a beautiful picture, then realizing the composition is off. Take the time to do a few small sketches before diving into a full-blown drawing. Your finished product will be much better with a well thought-out composition.
Get Started with Drawing!
Aug 25, 2009 Art General, Drawing
Here is a collection of articles that are aimed at helping beginners who are just getting started with the art of drawing.
Tools
Drawing Tools: How to Choose a Pencil - Need help choosing the right pencil for your drawings? This article gives you an overview of the types of pencils available and when you should use them.
Drawing Tools: What you Need to Improve your Drawings - Besides pencils, there are several other tools available that can help you produce better drawings.
How to Draw
Tips to Improve your Drawings: How to See - One of the keys to successful drawings is teaching yourself how to see your subject matter. This article will show you how to retrain your brain.
5 Tips for Better Drawings - Here are five simple tips that will help you draw better in no time!
How to Grid a Reference Image and Draw from It - Gridding is a helpful tool when it comes to drawing realistic images. This article gives explains the process.
How to Draw from a Gridded Reference – Tutorial - This tutorial builds on the general gridding tips of the previous article. Here you will find a step-by-step guide on how to use the grid.
Shading
How to Shade Your Pencil Drawings - Shading is what gives drawings that three-dimensional feel. Here you will find answers to all your shading questions.
Shading Techniques: Hatching, Scribbling and Pointillism - Bored of the commonly used smooth shading style? Here you will learn about different shading techniques that you can use in your drawings.
How to Shade with Pointillism - This article further explores pointillism and how to use it to effectively shade your drawings.
What to Draw
21 Ways to Kickstart your Creativity and Become a Better Artist - Now that you have the tools and the skills, what do you draw? This article will give you 21 ways to help generate ideas.
Why Doodle? - Doodling is another tool to help get your creative juices flowing. Here you will find out why, and get some tips on how to get doodling.
Enjoy!
How to Draw from a Gridded Reference – Tutorial
Aug 19, 2009 Drawing, Tutorials
As an extention of my post about tips on gridding, I have decided to write a more in depth tutorial on how to draw from a gridded reference image. I’ve included pictures to help show what I am talking about. When using a grid to draw, I try to image the squares being divided up even further. In your mind, split the squares in half, or in thirds, to help you judge where lines intersect.
For this I will be using the same reference image I used for my eye tutorial. I am using a B pencil to make it easier to see, but you shoud use an F or H pencil for gridding so that you can erase your lines later. This is the image I am working from:
One way to draw from a gridded reference is to draw one square at a time. This means isolating each square and drawing the shapes within it. Use the edges of the square to judge the placement of the shapes. I will start with the square three in and three down.
Sorry for the pixellation, it can’t be helped when the image is made this large… So first I’ll start with the inner edge of the eyelid. I can see that it starts in the bottom left corner of my square, and ends about one third of the way down the right hand side of the square.
Next I’ll look at the edge of the iris. It starts at the bottom, not quite in the middle of the square, and ends at the eyelid about one third from the edge of the square.
To draw the eyelid, don’t just look at the line of the lid, look at the negative shape created by the edge of the square and the line of the lid. Draw the triangle it creates, instead of drawing the line.
Continue drawing the shapes inside each square and you will see the eye start to develop.
Now you’ve drawn the basic features of the eye, but there is way more information that you can get from your reference image. The more you draw now, the more accurrate your finished drawing will be. Draw the shapes made by the shadows and highlights, using the edges of the square and the lines you’ve already drawn as reference. Remember to look for the shapes created by negative space.
Another way to draw from a grid is to look at the large basic shapes and draw them as they intersect through your grid lines. Instead of drawing everything inside one square, you would draw the outline of the entire eye in one go. Make sure you study the position of the line inside each square as you go or you might be tempted to draw more from your mind than what you see.
Continue drawing in the rest of the features, using the grid to measure where they go.
Here we have the shape and placement of the eye and brow, but let’s get everything we can from the reference. The area around the eye is important to shade correctly if the eye is to appear natural. Because there are no features to judge by, it can be difficult to know where exactly the shadows should go once the grid is erased. For that reason, you should draw the shadows in while the grid is still there.
These lines will be your guides when it comes to shading. They show you the boundaries of the darkest shadows as well as the edges of your highlights.
Tags: better drawings, drawing tips, getting started, proportions, Tutorials
5 Benefits of an Art Gallery Membership
Aug 17, 2009 Art General, Creativity
In the post 21 Ways to Kickstart your Creativity, I mentioned becoming a member at a gallery as one way to become a better artist. Today I will expand on this, and explain why it is such a good idea.
As an emerging artist, it’s important to involve yourself in your local arts community as much as possible. For some of us, this comes almost as naturally as breathing. For others, it’s more of a struggle, but it’s well worth the effort. A gallery membership can be very beneficial to the emerging artist.
1. Visiting Exhibits:
As a gallery member, you pay a one time fee that allows you to visit exhibitions for free. This means that you can see a particularly good show over and over if you wanted to. Visiting exhibitions is important for a number of reasons. It can be a source of ideas and inspiration. Seeing what others are working on can expand your own ideas and lead you in a new direction. Even if the work isn’t to your taste, or isn’t applicable to your art practice, it’s good to be aware of what is happening in the art world. Visiting galleries in a way of keeping in touch with the art world beyond your studio.
2. Exhibition Opportunities:
Most galleries will have a members show once a year. These shows are open only to those holding a membership and often are not juried, which means that everyone is accepted. This can make for a very interesting, varied show. For a beginning artist, it’s a great way to build your CV, get gallery experience, and get exposure for your work.
3. Networking:
Don’t just go see the exhibits, actually attend the openings. This gives you a chance to meet other artists and build a network of connections. As they way, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” and some of your best opportunities can come from other artists. As you start attending these kinds of events, you will probably notice that you see many of the same faces over and over again. Get to know these people, they are the ones who are active in your community!
4. Artist Talks:
Another great way to get involved is by attending artist talks. This gives you another opportunity to network as well as getting a deeper insight into someone else’s work. It’s one thing to look at art, it’s something else completely to hear someone speak about their own work. Also, when the time comes for you to do your own artist talk, you will have a better idea of what is expected of you!
5. Mailing Lists:
As a gallery member, you may be asked if you want to be included in their mailing list. Say yes! Mailing lists are a great way for galleries to get information to you about shows, talks, events and exhibition opportunities. These include calls for entry to galleries and juried shows worldwide. Being on a gallery’s mailing list can provide you with many opportunities you wouldn’t find elsewhere.
Get Involved!
The bottom line is this: get yourself out there and get involved! Attend shows and openings, volunteer for fundraisers, and most importantly, talk to people! You never know where it might lead!
Tags: art, art tips, Creativity, getting started
The Dot: Inspiring Art Book for Kids (and Adults!)
Aug 10, 2009 Book Reviews
By Peter H. Reynolds
It’s too bad we couldn’t all have art teachers like the one of the heroine of this book. When Vashti complains that she can’t draw, her teacher suggests that she “just make a mark.” This sets Vashti off on a creative adventure, making every kind of dot imaginable.
This book teaches kids and grown-ups the importance of exploration and the unique creativity in something so simple as a dot. It proves the point that everyone is creative and unique in their own way. Maybe you can’t draw like Da Vinci, but what can you do? This story is a lesson about finding what interests you and diving into it head first, regardless of the consequences. Perfect for children, I think this story is even more relevant to many adults.
To me, this book expressed the importance of repetition and in-depth exploration of one subject. Each of Vashti’s dots, while only a dot, is a whole new experience.
Aside from a great story, Reynolds includes some wonderful illustrations.
Also, check out Ish, another book about art and creativity from Reynolds. I haven’t read it, but from looking at Amazon, it looks good too!
Tags: art tips, books, Creativity, getting started
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