Eating and Drinking Part Tutorial How to Draw Manga Manga Sketch Design 434365
How To Draw: Sketch and draw anything, anywhere with this inspiring and practical handbook
Transcript of How To Draw: Sketch and draw anything, anywhere with this inspiring and practical handbook
JakeSpicerisanartistanddrawingtutorbasedinBrighton,England.Heisheadtutorattheindependentdrawingschool,Draw,aco-directoroftheDrawingCircusandheregularlyrunsportraitandfiguredrawingcoursesfortheCamdenArtsCentreandNationalPortraitGallery.
CONTENTS
1JUSTDRAWWhyDraw?HowDoIDrawMoreOften?WhatDoIDrawWith?Paper&SketchbooksHowDoIUseThisBook
2FIRSTMARKSMakeMarksDrawYourselfAFigure
3MAKINGDRAWINGSTechniques&Attitudes
AtHomePortraitsDrawingRoomsDrawingLight&ShadowDrawingAnimals
Out&AboutSketchingonPublicTransportUrbanSketchingRuralLandscapesDrawingTreesLittleFigures
AtMuseums&GalleriesCastDrawingFocussedTranscriptionsStealLikeanArtistSketchbookofCuriosities
AtWorkSequentialNarrativeDrawingforDesignMaps&DirectionsTheUltimateStickman
InaLifeClassWarm-UpsGesturalDrawingsNegativeSpaceTonalDrawingConstructedApproach
AttheDrawingBoardPapertoPaperDrawingHandsFolds&FabricsFromScreentoPaper
4DRAWINGSKILLSAboutDrawingSourcesofImagery
CoreSkillsEdgesRelationshipsShapesToneProblemSolving
CompositionArmaturesDirectingtheEyePerspective
ResourcesAcknowledgments
HowtousethisEbook
Selectoneofthechaptersfromthemaincontentslistandyouwillbetakenstraighttothatchapter.
Lookoutforlinkedtext(whichisinblue)throughouttheebookthatyoucanselecttohelpyounavigatebetweenrelatedsections.
Youcandoubletapimagesandtablestoincreasetheirsize.Toreturntotheoriginalview,justtapthecrossinthetopleft-handcornerofthescreen.
1JUSTDRAW
EVERYBODYCANLEARNTODRAW.Andanyonewhocandrawcanalwaysimprove.Theworldweliveinisahighlyvisualone,andweareincreasinglycommunicatingthroughpictures.But,incontrasttothoseinstantaneousvisualblasts,theprocessofdrawingencouragesustotakethetimetoreallylookatanotherperson,objectsandoursurroundings.Theresponsewecreatewithmarksonatactilesurfacedemonstratestheefforttoseeandunderstandthosethingsbetter.
Manyofusfalloutofdrawingatayoungage,someofuskeepdrawingsporadicallyandafewofusmakeitpartofourday-to-dayroutine.Althoughmostchildrenenjoydrawingandpainting,aswegrowupweoftenbecomeself-consciousaboutitandfrustratedwhenourpicturesdon’tcomeoutasweintended.Althoughsomepeoplehaveanaturalaptitudefordrawing,theabilitytodrawisn’tatalentthatyouarebornwith;it’saskill,likelearningtoplayaninstrument,oranotherlanguage,thatrequirespatienceandpractice.
Whateveryourlevelofexperience,theonlywaytogetbetteratdrawingistodrawmore.Thisbookisintendedtogiveyouconfidenceinyourowndrawingandtomakeiteasytofitdrawingintoyourlife.
WHYDRAW?
PICTUREMAKINGAdrawingcanbeapicture;arepresentationofathingwehaveseenorimagined.Drawingasaprocessisanimmediatewayofstructuringanobservationorbringinganideaintobeing.Painters,printmakersandanybodymakingpicturesandobjectsinanymediumwillbenefitfromdevelopingfundamentaldrawingskills.Drawingasasensibilitycanextendbeyondtheconventionalmediumsweassociatewithit;sketchescanbemadeinpaint,film,builtinthree-dimensionsandsoon.ForthepurposeofthisbookI’llbewritingaboutdrawinginitsmostconventionalform.
VISUALCOMMUNICATIONModernimage-makingtechniquestendtobelargelymechanicalordigital,andsodrawingisnowcommonlyseenasanartisticpractice.Drawingcanbeart,forsure,butitneedn’tberestrictedtoartisticuses.Thinkofdrawingasalanguage.
sure,butitneedn’tberestrictedtoartisticuses.Thinkofdrawingasalanguage.Languagecanbeusedindifferentways:towritepoetry,academicpapers,washingmachineinstructionsandroadsigns.Drawingisasimilarlyversatilevisuallanguagewithitsownvocabularyofmarksthatcanbeusedformanyapplications.Whetheryouaredrawingamaptogivesomebodydirections,sketchingadiagramtoexplainhowtoplacefurnitureinaroomorstoryboardingananimationinvisualsnapshots,someideasarejustmoreefficientlyrepresentedbydrawing.
DRAWINGASATHINKINGTOOLAlmosteveryman-madethingthatweseearoundusstartedasadrawing:frombuildingstofurniture,toposters,tostationary.Asanaidtothinking,sketchingsomethingvisualonpaperallowsustoexploreideasinaholisticwayratherthanpinningthemdowntofixedlinguisticconcepts,anddrawingsmadeinversatilemediumslikepencilcaneasilybeadaptedastheideaevolves.Justlikeanylanguage,drawingcanbeusedplayfully,providinganoutletforcreativethoughtandemotionalexpression,channelledthroughthetactileprocessofmark-making.
LEARNINGTOSEEObservationaldrawingisameansofexercisingourvisualfaculty,anditallowsustopractiselooking.Itcanalsobeapowerfultoolforfocussingourattention:itteachesustoselectasubject’smostimportantqualitiesandmakevisualdiscoveries,encouragingcuriosityandimprovedunderstanding.
Weareconstantlybombardedwithvisualimagery;becomingmorevisuallyliterateallowsustobediscerningabouthowwelookandhowweareaffectedbytheimageswecomeintocontactwith.Aswegetolder,wealsolooklesscloselyatfamiliarthings;drawingcanopenoureyestoafreshandchildlikewonderinthemundane.
HOWDOIDRAWMOREOFTEN?
Todrawbetter,you’llneedtofindthetimetodrawmoreoften.Drawingrequiressomeattentionandfocus,andthisbookisintendedtohelpyou.Treatitlikeakindbutfirmfriend,politelyremindingyouthattogetbetteryou’llneedtoputsomeworkin–andthisishowtodoit.Firstly,youwanttoremovethebarriersthatstopyoufromdrawing,makingiteasytofindtimeandmotivationtodraw.
TIMEDon’thavetimetodraw?Makethetime.Startwithafewmanageablegoalsandusetheexercisesinthisbooktostructurethem.Attempt3–4exercisesaweek,orfindawaytoworkdrawingintoanotherregularactivity;sketchfellowpassengersonthemorningcommute,forexample,ordrawinthekitchenwhilewaitingforthekettletoboil.Usethetimeinbetweenotheractivitiestoprovide
afoundationofregularpractice,thenputasideanhourortwoontopofthattositdownanddrawinearnestathomeoratanartclass.Theexampledrawingregimesyou’llfindattheendofthisbookwillhelpyoutostructureyourtime.
CONFIDENCEWorriedyou’renotverygoodatdrawing?That’swhyyou’relearning!Rememberthateverybodyneedstostartsomewhere.Yourfirstdrawingsmightbeclumsyandmisproportioned,buttheyarepartofanongoingprocessandyou’llonlyimprovebyengagingwiththatprocess.Ifyou’reself-consciousaboutbeingseendrawing,startoffdrawinginprivateandslowlybuilduptomorepubliclocations,orgooutdrawingwithafriend.Whenyou’relearning,youneedtomakemany,manybaddrawingsbeforeyoumakeanygoodones,sobegentlewithyourselfandstickwithit!
SUBJECTNothingtodraw?Therearethingstodraweverywhere;thetrickisfindingsubjectsthatinterestyou.LearntoseebeautyinthemundaneandusethepracticaladviceinChapter3tohelpyou.Workoutwhereyourinterestslie;doyouenjoydrawingnaturalforms?Figures?Buildings?Startlookingforpotentialsubjectseverywhereyougo,seekoutinspirationbyengagingwiththeworldaroundyou,anddon’tjustwaittobestruckbyit.
EQUIPMENTNothingtodrawwith?Makesureyou’realwayspreparedtodraw,andifyou’renotprepared,becreativewithwhatyouhavetohand.Keepyourdrawingmaterialssomewhereaccessibleandmaketwodrawingkits:afullbells-and-whistleskitforusingathomeortakingtoartclasses,andapick-up-and-gokittotakewithyoueverywhere.
MAINDRAWINGKITMakeupamaindrawingkitwithallofyourfavouritedrawingmaterials;haveplentyofyourfavouritepaperinafolderoranarttube,withadrawingboardifnecessary,andasketchbookforquicksketchesandnotes.Includeafewitemsyou’veneverusedbeforeforvariety,alongwithextrasofeverythingthatyouuseregularlyincaseanythinggetslostorbroken.Getadedicatedcarryingcaseforyourmaterials,suchasatoolboxorarobustbag.
foryourmaterials,suchasatoolboxorarobustbag.
SMALLDRAWINGKITGetusedtoalwayscarryingasmall,hardbacksketchbookandasmallpencilcasecontainingafewpensorpencilswithaccompanyingsharpenersanderasers.Keepitaccessiblesothatyoucanwhipitoutforafewminutes’drawingatamoment’snotice,andmakesureyoutakeiteverywhere:whenyougotowork,whenyougooutforameal,whenyoutakethedogforawalk…
IMPROVISEDDRAWINGKITIfyoudon’thaveyourdrawingkitwithyou,improvise.Makeapencilsketchonthebackofareceipt,oradrawingonanapkinwithaborrowedpen;drawwithastickinthesandifyouhaveto!Allyouneedisasurfacetodrawonandsomethingtomakeamarkwith.
WHATDOIDRAWWITH?
Therangeofavailabledrawingmaterialsisvastandconstantlyexpanding.Asastartingpoint,herearesomeconventionaldrawingmaterialsthatI’veusedinthebook.
GRAPHITEGraphitemakesasmoothgreymarkwithaslightlyshinysurface;graphitemediumstendtomakeconsistentlinearmarks.Graphitepencilsareveryadaptable,canberubbedoutcleanly,andgiveacontrolledline.Pencilshavedifferentgrades,measuredonascaleof9H–9B.Bpencilsaresofterandmakemarkswithagreatertonalrange,whereasHpencilsareharderandgivemoresubtletyoftone.
Graphitesticksaresimilartopencils,butaremadeofsolidgraphiteandcanvaryinsize;theyoftensuitboldermark-makingandrequirelesssharpening.Powderedgraphitecanbeappliedwithafinger,abrushorrolledpapertocreateamassoftonequickly.
Graphitepencil
Graphitestick
CHARCOALCharcoalmakesamattblackmark.Ithasatendencytomakeexpressivelinesofvaryingweightandcanbeusedforquicklyblockingintone.Willowcharcoalcomesinsticksthatresembletwigs;itisbrittleandmakesadark,densemarkwhenfirstapplied,butcanbeeasilyrubbedoffasurface,leavingalightertonebehind.
Vinecharcoalisusuallycutintolong,thinregularblocks,isoftenharderthanwillowandcomesindifferentgradesthatcanbebuiltuptomakesubtletonalgradients.
Compressedcharcoalisgroundcharcoalboundintoastickorthecoreofapencilusingawaxorgumbinder.Compressedcharcoalgenerallymakesaharder,densermarkthanregularcharcoalandismoredifficulttoerase.
Willowcharcoal
Vinecharcoal
Compressedcharcoal
SHARPENINGDifferentmediumsandpersonalpreferencesrequiredifferentapproachestosharpening.Pencilscanbesharpenedwithapencilsharpenerorknife,althoughcharcoalpencilhasatendencytoshatterandshouldbetreatedcarefully.Snappingwillowcharcoalwillgiveyouasharpedge;sandpapercanbeusedforsharpeningcharcoalandgraphite.Somecharcoalpencilshaveapapercasingandcanbeunwrappedratherthansharpened.
Papercasing
Graphitepencil
Knife
Pencilsharpener
ERASINGCharcoalisbesterasedwithaputtyeraser.Thesecomeinvariouskneads:soft,mediumandhard.Themalleableeraserliftsthecharcoaloffthepageandit
mediumandhard.Themalleableeraserliftsthecharcoaloffthepageanditoftenendsupblack,butisstilluseable.Plasticerasersareidealforerasinggraphiteandcanbeusedformoreprecisework;trycuttingplasticeraserstosizewithacraftknife.Thinkoftheeraserasadrawingtoolthatcandrawlightbackintodark,notjustasameansofgettingridofmistakes.
Puttyeraser
Plasticeraser
SMUDGINGAtitsworst,smudgingamarkcanbealazyandimprecisewayofcreatingtone;atitsbestitcanbeawayofmakingnewmarksandchangingthenatureofexistingmarks.Tortillions(tightlyrolledpapersticks),cloth,erasersandfingerscanallbeusedtosmudgeamark.
FIXINGSpray-onfixativeisusefulforfixingyourdrawingstoallowyoutoaddmorelayerstoyourdrawingortoavoidsmudgingintransit,particularlyinsketchbookswheredrawingsmadewithasoftmediumcanimprintontheoppositepage.Graphitedoesn’tusuallyneedtobefixedwhilecharcoalalmostinvariablydoes.Anartist-qualityfixativeisideal,althoughhairspraycanbeacheap(andfragrant)alternative.
PENSPensareinherentlylinearandusuallygiveapermanentmarkthatcan’tbeerased.Birosorballpointpenscangiveasurprisingvarietyoflineweight,fibre-tippeddrawingpensgiveaconsistentmarkandgood-qualityfelt-tippedpensmakeboldmarksandcomeindifferenttonesandcolours.Fountainpenscanbedrawnwithbutaren’talwaysaswellsuitedastheircheapercounterparts.Experimentwithpensthatarerunningoutofink;thebrokenlinecanmakeforinterestingeffects.
Biro/ballpoint
Fibre-tip
DIPPENSDippenscomprisedofnibandholdercancreateenergeticandvariedlines,and,despiteneedingtobedippedintoinkperiodically,theyareremarkably
despiteneedingtobedippedintoinkperiodically,theyareremarkablyconsistent.Findanibbestsuitedtoyourpurpose;calligraphicnibsaren’tsuitedtomostdrawingstyles,andmappingnibscanbetoofineforsketching.Alwayscleanthenibproperlyafteruse.Othermaterialscanbecut,dippedintoink,anddrawnwith:bamboo,straws,sticks,feathersandbrushes.Experimentwiththemalltofindnewwaysofmakingmarks.
Dip/fountainpen
Penscanbeagreatmediumforpractisingyourmark-making.Thisstudy,madewithadippenandink,usesbothavarietyofdirectionalmarksandareasofsolidinktoconveythetextureofabird’swing.
PAPER&SKETCHBOOKS
PAPERTYPEDon’toverlooktheimportanceofpaper;itcanmakeasmuchdifferencetotheoutcomeofyourdrawingasthematerialyoudrawwith.Agood-qualitydrawingpaper(cartridgepaper)ofanappropriatemediumtoheavyweight(65–145lb.,or100–200gsm)issuitableformostmaterials.Regularofficepaper,notebookpaperandfoundpaperscanbeusefulforimpromptusketching,butwillgenerallybetoolightandmaynotlast.Sugarpaperandnewsprintarecheap,butbecomebrittleanddiscolourquickly.Experimentwithdifferentpapertofindthesurfaceyoumostliketodrawon:draftsmenwhoprefertodrawonasmoothsurfacemaylikeBristolboard,whilethosepreferringaheavytexturemightprefertexturedwatercolourpaper.Ifyouwantyourdrawingstolast,useacid-freepapertoavoidthepaperdiscolouringovertime.
WEIGHTWeightofpaperismeasuredinpoundsperream(poundageorlb.)oringramspersquaremetre(gsm).Papersbetween65–145lb.(100–200gsm)aregoodfordrawingon.Theweightofthepaperwillaffectthefeelofthemarkonthepage–althoughweightdoesn’talwaysrelatetoquality.Differentpaperswillsuitdifferentpreferencesandmediums;beforeyoubuy,doalittleresearchintotheidealpaperforyourpreferreddrawingmaterial.
COLOUR&TONEBleachedwhitepaperismostcommon,butyoumightwishtotryanoff-white,ivoryorbuffpaper,asthesewillshowoffdrawnmarksmoresympatheticallyandcanbehighlightedwithwhite.Youcanusecolouredpapers,butifyoudo,firsttesthowthemediumlooksonthepaper.
SKETCHBOOKSSketchbooksarepracticalandpersonal;theyprotectyourpaper,keepyourworkinorderandsmallsketchbooksareeasytocarryaround.Ring-boundbookscanbefoldedback,givingaflatplaneofpaper,butthebindingscanbreakiftreatedroughly.Hardbacksketchbooksarenaturallysupported;softbackbookscanbecheap,butbendeasily.Alwaysthinkaboutthetypeofpaperinyoursketchbook,andfindasizeanddimensionthatsuitsyourpurposes.Loosepapercanalwaysbeboundintoasketchbooklater.
Left:Ring-bound;Right:Hardback
DRAWINGBOARDSYou’llneedaflatsurfacetorestyourpaperon,ideallysomethingyoucanholdatanangleandtakearoundwithyouwhilesketching.Arigid,lightweightpieceofboardslightlylargerthanyourpaperisideal;pegs,clipsormaskingtapewillsecureyourpaperinplace.
HOWDOIUSETHISBOOK?
Thisbookisacompanionalongtheroadoflearningtodraw.Justlikeanygoodtravellingcompanion,itisheretolendyousupportwhenyou’reonanuphillstruggleandtospuryouontomakedrawingswhenyouhaveadipinconfidenceorenthusiasm,givingyoustraightforward,practicalexercisestofollowsothattheonlyexcusenottodraweverydayisthatyoucan’tfindyourpencils(andifyoucantfindyourpencils,rereadpages12–13!).
Thereareendlessvariationsondrawingexercisesandasmanysubjectstodrawasthereareobjectsintheworldandideasinyourhead.Thisbookisaspringboardtocatapultyouheadfirstintodrawing,adoorwayintoadifferentwayofseeingandasignpostthatpointsyouonaclearroutesothatyoufeelconfidenttobeginthejourney.
Asyoubecomemoreconfidentandmoreinterestedinthedrawingprocess,youmightwanttotakealookatChapter4,whichexploresthenatureofdrawinginalittlemoredepthandcanprepareyoufortakingyourdrawingpracticefurther.Thenextpageswillhelpyouworkoutwhereyouarewithyourdrawingandguideyouaroundthebook.
IFYOU’REACOMPLETEBEGINNER,ORYOUJUSTWANTTOSTARTATTHEBEGINNING…Whetheryou’recompletelynewtodrawingoryoujustwanttogooverthebasicsbeforedivingin,startatChapter2.Evenifyoudon’tthinkyoucandrawatall,Chapter2isawarm-upchapter,intendedtogiveyouconfidenceandafewfundamentalskillstobuildon.Onceyou’veworkedyourwaythroughFirstMarks,moveontoChapter3,readtheintroductiontothechapter,findanexercisesuitableforyourlocationandinterests,andgiveitago!
Chapter2:FirstMarks
IFYOUARECOMFORTABLEDRAWINGANDWANTTOGETSTARTED…Ifyoufeelconfidentenoughtogetstuckinrightaway,startatChapter3.Readtheintroductionandthenlaunchinandmakesomedrawings.Thischaptercontainslotsofpracticalexercisesandisbrokendownintolocations,soallyouneedtodoisfindthelocationthatbestrepresentswhereyouare,findanexercisethatappealstoyou,readthroughandstartdrawing.Youcanadapttheexercisestoothersituationsasyouneedto.Chapter4willprovidesomeinterestingelementstothinkaboutwhenyou’rereadytogofurther,butisonly
reallyusefulonceyou’vehadplentyofdrawingexperience.
Chapter3:MakingDrawings
IFYOU’RECONFIDENTINYOURDRAWINGANDWANTTOGOINTOMOREDEPTH…Thisisthepointtostartfocussingyourstudy.YoumightwanttoreadthroughsomeofthedrawingtheoryinChapter4,oryoumightwishtolaunchrightintodrawingwithChapter3.WorkoutwhatitisthatyouwanttoimproveonandfindandadaptanexerciseinChapter3thatsuitsyourintentions.Seetheexercisesasastartingpoint,andfindwaystoadapttheexercisesthatarerelevanttoyouinanylocation.The‘ToImprove...’sectionsattheendofeachexercisewillalsopointyoutoarelevantpartofChapter4tohelpyourelatethetheorytoyourdrawingpractice.
Themoreyoudraw,themorecuriousyouwillbecomeaboutwhatreallygoesintotheprocessoflookingandmark-making.Usethefinalchapterofthisbooktogodeeperintodrawingwithalookintothefundamentalskillsandconceptsthatliebehindtheprocess.
conceptsthatliebehindtheprocess.
Chapter4:DrawingSkills
2FIRSTMARKS
Ifyou’veneverdrawnbefore,orifyoujustwanttostartatthebeginning,thenstarthere.Theaimofthischapteristogiveyouconfidenceandgetyouoffontherightfootwithyourdrawing.Theexercisesinthischaptereachtakenomorethan15minutes,soallthreecanbedoneinunderanhour,usingbasicmaterials.Asyouprogress,bearinmindthefollowingadvice:
•Thereisnorightorwrongwaytodraw,justbetterandworsewaysofachievingcertainkindsofdrawings.Findandpractiseapproachesthatworkforyou.
•Mostproblemsinobservationaldrawingcomefromproblemsinlooking:lookfirst,andthendraw.
•Everymarkyoumakeshouldbetheresultofaclearobservationorintention,learntomakeyourmarkswithconfidence.
•Learningtodrawislikelearninganewlanguage:atfirstyourdrawingswillbeclumsy,andyou’llstumbleoverlinesasyoumightstumbleoveraforeignphrase.Intimeyou’lllearntobecomemorefluentandarticulateinyourdrawing.
•Asyoudrawyoumightbehamperedbyself-criticism.Replaceyourinternalcriticwithaninternaltutorbyturningunhelpfulself-criticismintousefulquestions(seehere).
•Youlearntodrawonlybydrawing.Readabittohelpyou,thendraw,drawanddrawsomemore.
•Failureisanintegralpartoflearning;you’llmakelotsofbaddrawingswhileyou’relearningtodraw.Each‘bad’drawingwillbeasteptowardsbetterdrawings.
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Penorpencil•Paperorsketchpad
Setup:Sitdownatatableandmakesureyou’recomfortable.Ifyoulike,putonsomemusictorelaxyourself,andmakesurenothingisgoingtodistractyouforalittlewhile.Youdon’tneedanyspecialequipmentfortheseexercises;simplyapenorpencilandapieceofpaper.
penorpencilandapieceofpaper.
MAKEMARKS
Inordertodrawbetteryou’llwanttodevelopapersonalvocabularyofmarksthatyoucanusetomakeyourdrawings,andlinesarethemostfundamentalelementofyourvocabulary.You’llwanttofeelconfidentindrawingaline,andbecomefluentwithyourmark-making:beginnersoftenstartwithahesitant,featherylinethatisindistinctandslowtodraw.
Beforedrawingafixedsubject,fillafewpiecesofpaperwithabstractmarks,linesandscribbles;getcomfortablewithyourdrawingmaterialsandenjoythetactilesensationofmakingmarks.
METHODStartwithasimpleline.Maketwodotsonyourpaperand,withouthesitation,jointhosedotswithasinglesmoothstraightline.Repeattheline,makingyourmarksswiftlyandconfidently.Varytheweightofyourmark,pressingharderforadarkline,ormakingagentle,palemark.
Experimentwithlinesanddifferentmarks.Trypressingheavilyatthestartofalineandgraduallyeasingoffthepressuretocreatealinewithdirection.Makethelinecurvebetweenpoints.
Drawsomesimpleshapestopractiseyourmark-making–usedotsandlinestoconstructasimplesquare,addingdiagonalstoturnitintoacube.
Experimentwithholdingyourpencilwithdifferentgrips–holditwithawritinggrip,orfartherbacklikeapaintermightholdapaintbrush.Explorethevarietyoflinesthatdifferentgripsfacilitate.
DRAWYOURSELF
Tomakebetterobservationaldrawings,you’llneedtoestablishastrongconnectionbetweenyoureyeandyourhand.Whenyoubeginanobservationaldrawing,itcanhelptolookforedgesandshapesfirst.Lookforanedgetodraw,tracethatlinewithyoureyeandthenmakethatlinesmoothlyandconfidentlyonyourpaperwithyourpencilorpen.Onelineinisolationmightlookstrangeandabstract,butasyougatherseverallinestogetheryou’llstarttoseeyoursubjectemergingonthepage.
Thisexerciseisallabouttheprocessoflooking;theoutcomeisn’timportant.First,tryitwithyourfeetasthesubject,thenrepeattheprocess,nowwithyourhandasthesubject.
METHODPropyourfeetupsothatyoucanseethematthesametimeasthepaper,makingiteasytoflickyoureyesbetweenthetwo.Lookforedgesinyourshoe;tracethatedgewithyoureye,holdtheimageofitinyourheadforamomentandthenturnitintoalineonyourpage.Makesmooth,confidentlinesandspendmoretimelookingatyourfeetthanatyourdrawing.Keepthedrawinglinearanddon’ttrytodraweverything:beselective.
Forgetwhatitisthatyouaredrawingandsimplyseeedgesandshapes–don’tthinkoftheshoeasashoe,butasapuzzleofabstractshapesthatfittogethertomakeavisualjigsaw.
Ifalinegoesinadirectionyoudon’tintend,re-drawitratherthaneraseit,leavingyourmisplacedlineonthepage.Thiswillstopyouspendinghalfthedrawingerasingwhatyouhavealreadydrawn.
AFIGURE
Whenwedrawfamiliarthings,wetendtobringallofourpreconceptionsaboutthatthingtoourdrawing.Wedon’talwaysdrawwhatwesee,butinsteaddrawwhatweexpecttosee.Learntodrawjustfromobservation,lookingandmakingmarksinresponsetowhatyou’veobserved,trustingyoureye.Copytheupside-downdrawingasyouseeithere,workingfromthetopcornerandsimplycopyingonelineatatime.Don’tthinkaboutwhatyoursubjectisanddon’tturnyourpaperorsketchbookarounduntilyouarefinished.
METHODCopy(don’ttrace!)thedrawingwithoutturningthebookaround.Startwiththeoutlinefirst.
Startinginthetopleftcorner,workyourwaydownandtotheright,lookingforshapesandlinesanddrawingtheminwithouttryingtointerpretthem.Whenyouarefinishedyoucanturnthedrawingaroundandassessyourwork.
3MAKINGDRAWINGS
STARTASYOUMEANTOGOONTakenatfacevalue,eachoftheexercisesinthischapterisaquickandaccessiblewaytofitdrawingintoyourday,whereveryouareandwhateveryouwanttodraw.Therewilloftenbeobstaclesthatstandinthewayofyourdrawing;lackofequipment,confidence,timeorsubjectsarethemostcommon.Removetheseobstaclesandyou’llfindregulardrawingbecomesmucheasier.
OVERCOMINGOBSTACLES•Don’thavetherightequipment?Useheretohelpyouselectyourkit,and
makesureyoualwayshavesomethingtodrawwithclosetohand.
•Notsurewhattodraw?Tryoutdifferentexercisesinthischaptertofindoutwhatyouenjoydrawing,thenlookforthatsubjecteverywhere;ifyoulikedrawingpeople,findthepeople-drawingexerciseineachsection;ifyouenjoydrawinglandscapesorinteriors,lookfortheexercisesthatrelatetothosesubjectsinstead.
•Worriedthatyou’llmakebaddrawings?Youdefinitelywill.Andsomegooddrawingstoo.Youneverknowhowadrawingwillcomeoutuntilyou’vemadeit,andyouwon’tmakebetterdrawingswithoutpractise.Engagewiththeprocessratherthanworryingabouttheoutcome.
•Havetroublefindingtimetodraw?Aslongasyoucanidentifywhatyouwanttodrawandyouhavethematerialstohandyoushouldbeabletostartdrawingalmostimmediatelyinanylocation.Makethemostofyourtime:anygapoffiveminutesspentstandingaroundwaitingcouldbefiveminutesspentlookinganddrawing.
Eachexerciseisastartingpoint;alternativesaresuggestedattheendofeachsectionalongwithsuggestionsofwhatyoushouldpractisetoimprove.Useyour
sectionalongwithsuggestionsofwhatyoushouldpractisetoimprove.Useyourinitiativeandadaptthetechniquestosuityourownintentions.Ifyoufindanexerciseyouenjoy,tryusingitinadifferentlocation,ortryusingalternativemediums.
STYLEGiventhesamesubjecttodraw,everybodywillmakedifferentdrawings.Don’tworryaboutestablishingyourown‘style’ofdrawing.Styleisanebulousconceptcomprisingelementsofthematerialsyoudrawwith,howyouperceiveyoursubjectsandyourphysicalapplicationofmarks.Byallmeanslearnfromotherartists,butdon’ttrytobethem;learntoborrowelementsfromtheirdrawingstoassimilateintoyourownpractice.Learningtodrawisajourneyofself-discovery,experimentationandinnovation,andittakesalongtimetolearntodrawlikeyourself.
TECHNIQUES&ATTITUDES
TECHNIQUESTechniquesarestructuredprocesses,developedtohelpyouarriveatparticularoutcomes.Adrawingtechniqueislikearecipeand,justlikecookingupanewdish,youcanmakeaparticularkindofdrawingbyfollowingtheappropriatetechniquetoachievethedesiredoutcome.Aswithcooking,sometimesitwillwork,sometimesitwon’t,andpractisewillhelpyoutoimprove.Anytechniquethatyoulearnshouldbeseasonedtoyourtastetomakeityourown.Overtime,youwilldevelopyourowntechniquesthatincorporatethevarietyofapproachesyou’velearntinthepasttocreateoutcomesthatareuniquetoyou.
ATTITUDESMoreimportantthanthetechniquesyouemployistheattitudeyoutaketoyourdrawing.Sometimesyouarehappywithadrawing,sometimesyouarenot;ratherthandefiningyoursuccessbyyouroutcomes,aimtomaintainintegrityinyourprocess.Makedrawingsthatareauthenticallyyourown,drivenbycuriosityandintention,andyouwillgainsomethingfromtheprocessirrespectiveoftheoutcome.Adrawingyouarehappywithgivesyousatisfactionandadrawingyouarenothappywithgivesyoualearningopportunity;bothresultsareimportantandvaluable.
VARYINGYOURMATERIALSForeachofthefollowingexercisesIhaverecommendedadrawingmediumthatisappropriatetothelocationandtask;iftheexerciserequirestonaldrawing,forexample,thenIhavesuggestedusingcharcoalratherthan,say,aballpointpen,whichmightbettersuitalineardrawingexercise.Allexercisescouldbeattemptedinothermediasodon’tfeelyouarerestrictedjusttothematerialssuggested,simplythinkabouthowchangingyourdrawingmaterialmightcreateadifferentkindofoutcomeornecessitateanalteredprocess.Experiment,exploreandenjoyusingyourmaterials!
ATHOME
Sketchingathomewillgiveyoulotsofcontroloveryoursurroundings:you’llbeabletosetyourselfupcomfortably,withdrawingmaterialstohand,andyou’llbeabletokeepthisbookatyoursidetoguideyouthroughtheexercises.Bewarethough;itiseasytobewaylaidbytheresponsibilitiesofdomesticlife,sosetasidededicatedtimetodrawanddoyourbestnottogetdistracted!
ACCESSIBLEKITFirst,makesureyourdrawingmaterialsareeasytofind.Storeyourmaindrawingkitsomewhereaccessiblesothatyoudon’twastetimesearchingforthedisparatecontentsofyourartbox.Maintainastockofyourfavouritedrawing
materialsalongsideyourprimarykitsothatyoudon’trunout:ifyoulikedrawingwithballpointpensthendon’tjustbuyonebuthaveseveralpacksdottedaround.Ifyoulikeworkinginpencil,buyawholeloadoferasersandsharpeners,andhavethembothwithyourkitandneartoanywhereyoumightbedrawing.Keepasmallsketchbookandsomedrawingmaterialsinakitchendrawersothatyoucandrawwhilethekettleboils,oronacoffeetableformakingswiftstudiesofyourfamilyonthesofa.
PORTRAITS
Weareinexorablydrawntootherpeople’sfaces;manyofusstartdrawinginthehopethatonedaywecanaccuratelyandempatheticallyrenderthefaceofanotherpersononpaper.Wehaveevolvedtorecognisethesubtleplaysofexpressiononanotherperson’sfaceandtorecognisetheminuteproportionaldifferencesthatdifferentiateusfromoneanother.Itisthisveryfacultyofrecognitionthatbothallowsustomakeempathicportraitsofoneanotherwhilealsomakinguscriticalofthedrawingswemightcreate.Thehumanfaceisthemostchallengingsubjectavailabletoyou;ifyoucanlearntodrawafaceyoucanlearntodrawanything.
Sittingdownwithsomebodytodrawthemcanbeawonderfulopportunitytolookattheminawayyoumayneverhavelookedatthembefore.Makesureyoursitterhasrealisticexpectationsoftheoutcome,behonestwiththemaboutyourlevelofexperienceandallowyourselftimetomakemorethanonedrawing.Atimelimitof15–20minutesperdrawingisidealformostpeopletositbeforetheystartfidgeting.Askyourmodeltogetcomfortableandtosettheireyesonafixedpoint.Don’tbeafraidtoguidethemintoasuitableposeandtoaskthemtoreturntoitiftheymove;they’llthankyoulaterforanythingthathelpsyoumakeabetterdrawing!
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Eraser•Sharpener•Drawingboardandpaper
Time:Allowanhourforthesitting,withposesof15–20minutes.
Setup:Thinkabouthowthelightwillfallonyourmodel’sfaceandyourpaper.Letthemgetcomfortableandplaceyourselfsothatyouhavetheheadangleyouprefer.Aprofilewillgiveyouacleanlinetoworkwith,ahead-onviewwillprovidesymmetryanddirectness,athree-quarterviewcanbechallengingbutdynamic.
AIMS&ATTITUDESYoushouldapproachthisportraitasanexerciseinlooking.Drawtheoverallmassoftheheadaswellasthefaceitself.Representtheshapesofanyshadowsyousee,ratherthanworryingabouthowyouthinkafaceshouldlook.Yourideaofhowafaceshouldlookoftenstopsyoumakingclearobservationsofwhatyouseeinfrontofyou;thepurposeofthisexerciseistosimplydrawwhatyousee.
METHODStartwiththemassoftheheadandimaginetheshapeoftheskullunderneath.
Looselysketchtheovalofthecranium,thejawandtheaveragelineofthefrontoftheface,followedbythemassoftheneck.
Sketchintheshapeoftheeyebrow,workdowntothedarkshapeoftheeyelashandiris,theundersideofthenose,thecentrelineofthemouth,andtheoverallshapeoftheear.
Elaborateonthelinesoftheface,usingthemarkerpointsoffeaturestoguideyou.Findtheoverallshapeofthehairontheheadandblockintoneusingmarksthatfollowthedirectionofthehair.
ALSOTRY…Makingstudiesfromdifferentanglestounderstandtheshapeofthewholehead.Trydrawingpeopleinprofilewhilethey’reinfrontoftheTVorcomputer.
TOIMPROVE…•Spendmoretimedrawingheads(see1and2).•Learnabouttheanatomyoftheskull.•Learnmoreabouttheedgesoftheprofile.•Learnmoreaboutrelationshipsbetweenfeatures.
DRAWINGROOMS
Ifyoufindyourselfsittinginthecornerofaroomathome,pencilandsketchbookout,wrackingyourbrainforwhattodraw,thendon’tdespair:thesolutionisallaroundyou!Thisisagreatexercisetotryinyourhome,butitcaneasilybeappliedanywhere.Youcanapplythesameapproachtodrawinginanyenclosedspace:waitingrooms,airports,officesoranywhereyoufindyourselfwithafewminutestospare.Itcanbeagreatwayofrecordingtheplacesyouhavevisitedandroomsyou’vestayedin,orofrecordingasinglespacechangingovertime.
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Ballpointpen•Sketchbook
Time:25minutes
Setup:Sitcomfortably,withagoodviewofthewholeroom.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisexerciseisallabouttakingyoureyeonajourneyaroundtheroomandrecordingthatjourneyonpaper.Don’tbeconcernedaboutthestricturesofproportionorperspective;simplyaimtodrawshapesintheappropriate
relationshipstooneanother.
METHODDecideonanareaofdetailsomewhereintheroomwhereyouwillbeginyourdrawing.Takeyoureyearoundtheoutlinesoftheobjectsyouaredrawinganduseasimplecontinuouslinetorecordtheshapesthatyousee.Keepthedrawinglinear,leavingouttone.Byworkingoutfromalittlepoolofdetailonthepage,youmakeiteasytoreturntothedrawingifyougetcalledaway.
Workoutwards,followingkeylinesaroundtheroom.Don’ttrytobetooaccurate,butdrawfromwhatyousee.Liftyourpenfromthepaperwhenyouneedto;ifalinegoesinaplaceyoudon’twantitto,leaveitwhereitisandredrawitelsewhere.
Workthedrawingrightouttotheedgesofthepage;youareboundtohavefallenoutofproportionatsomepoint,butdon’tworry.Seethisasanexerciseinlookingratherthanasanexerciseinmakinganaccuratepicture.
ALSOTRY…Asavariationonthisexercise,trymakingthedrawingwithoutlookingbackatyourpaper.Seemoreinstructionsonthiskindof‘blind’drawing.
TOIMPROVE…•Learntouseyourpentojudge
proportionsandangles.•Developyourunderstandingof
edges.•Developyourunderstandingof
shape.
DrawingLight&Shadow
Inanimateobjectsmakethemostreliableandconsistentsubjects.Youcanposethemasyoulikeanddrawthemwithouttheirneedingtostretch,orwanderingawaywhentheyneedsomethingtoeat.Theproblemwithdrawingstill-lifeobjectsisfindingasubjectthatholdsyourattention.Itisalwaysimportantthatyoursubjectengagesyou;youshouldonlydrawthingsyoureallywanttodraw,otherwiseyou’llboreyourselfandyourdrawingwillloseitssenseofpurpose.Itisaskillinitselftolearnhowtofindsomethinginterestinginanysubject.
Forthisexercise,pickanobjectthathasmeaningtoyouasyourmainsubject.Findasecondobjectofmeaningwithacontrastingnature–somethingwithdifferenttexturesorofadifferentsize–andimagineasimplenarrativethattiestheobjectstogether.Placethetwoobjectsneartooneanothertomakeavisuallysatisfyingcomposition.Finally,placeathirdobjecttosettheothertwooff.Giveyourselfareasontomakethedrawing;makeitinteresting.
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:
Whatyouneed:•Charcoalstick•Charcoalpencil•Clothorkitchenroll•Eraser•Paperandboard•Threeobjects•Adesklamporwindow
Time:45minutes.
Setup:Setyourselfupcomfortablyinfrontofyoursubject.Arrangetheobjectsasyou’dlikethem,butdon’toverthinktheircomposition.Setthemupnearawindoworlampsothatthedirectionallightcreatesclearshapesofshadow.
AIMS&ATTITUDESYouraimistoselectinterestingobjectsandcreateacompositionoutofthem.Lookfortheshapesofshadowsinthearrangement,andexplorehowyoucancreatetheillusionofthreedimensionsthroughsimpleblocksoftone,usingtheeraserasadrawingtoolandusingthecharcoalpenciltoaddclaritytoshapes.
METHODScrubagroundofcharcoalontothepapertoestablishapalegreymid-tone.Usingthestickofcharcoal,drawtheoutlineofshadowandobjectshapes.Lookforbigshapesfirst.
Usetheerasertodrawlightintotheimage,andasnappedcharcoalsticktodrawinblocksofdark.Builduptonalcontrasts.
Usetheerasertoerasebacktothewhiteofthepaperforthelightestlights,andusethecharcoalpenciltobuildupthedarkestdarks,addingtexturalmarkstothedrawing.
ALSOTRY…Exploringthestilllifefromunusualangles.Makequickstudiesofitfromtheoppositeside,fromthetoporfromthefloor.Notehowtheshapeschangeandthefeelofthepictureshiftswhendrawnfromdifferentviewpoints.
TOIMPROVE…•Learnaboutnegativespace.•Learntoseetonemoreclearly.•Learnmoreaboutcomposition.
DRAWINGANIMALS
Petshaveasmuchcharacterastheirhumancounterpartsandmakeengagingsubjectstodraw.However,theinevitablelanguagebarriermeansthatitisunlikelythey’llunderstandyouaskingthemtoposeforalongdrawing.Youcandrawasurprisingamountinthemomentsthattheyarestill,makingforenergetic,albeitincomplete,drawings.Thinkofthiskindofdynamicdrawingasarecordofyourinteractionwiththeanimal,andformaximumdrawingtime,trytocatchthematmomentswhentheyarestill.Drawyourdogwhileitiseating,oryourcatwhilesleeping;afishinatankmightrepeatamovement,givingyouanopportunitytofinishpartiallycompletedrawings.Drawingfromphotographswillallowyoutocapturethelookofyouranimalbutitwon’tallowyoutocapturethefeeloftheirmovement;enjoytheexperienceofdrawingamovingtarget!
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Dippen•Ink•Paper•Apettodraw
Time:25minutes.
Setup:Useaportablesketchbookorboardsothatyoucanfollowyoursubject,takingeveryopportunitytomakequicksketches.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisisasmuchaphilosophicalexerciseasapracticalone.Duetothehit-and-missnatureofthetask,youwillhavesomesuccessfuldrawingsandmanythatdon’tworkatall.Youalmostcertainlywon’tfinishanyofthem;seethedrawingsasrecordinganexperience,notjustmakingagoodpicture.
METHODWatchyoursubjectforawhileandworkoutwhentheyaremostlikelytobestill.
Sketchtheoverallformoftheanimal,lookingforsimplegeometricshapesbeneaththefur.Lookforrepeatedshapeswhenyouranimalmoves;you’llfindtheyoftenreturntoposes,allowingyoutocontinuethedrawingsyou’vestarted.
Furandmarkingscanbelayeredoverthestructureofapose,andcanbeascertainedfromavarietyofdifferentposes.Practisedifferentkindsofmark-makingtorendertextures.
ALSOTRY…Takingyoursketchbooktoazoo,afarmoranaquarium.Ifyouwantanimalsthatwillreliablystaystill,youcantrysketchingatamuseumofnaturalhistory.
TOIMPROVE…•Improveyourvisualmemoryby
sketchingpeoplemoving(see1and2).
•Practiseintuitivegesturaldrawing.•Learntoseeedgesmoreclearly
andtodrawconfidentlines.
OUT&ABOUT
Evenwhenyoudon’thaveapenciltodrawwith,youcanpractiselookingaroundyouwiththeeyesofadraftsman.Becuriousandlookforline,shapeandtoneintheworldaroundyou.Trytohavematerialswithyouatalltimessothatwhenopportunitiestosketchyourobservationspresentthemselvesyoucanthemakethemostofthem.Carryasketchbookanddrawingmaterialseverywhere,andimproviseifnecessary,drawingonscrapsofpaperthatcanbestuckintoyoursketchbooklater,forexample.Don’tworryaboutpassersbywatchingyouwhileyoudraw;talktopeopleaboutyourdrawings,or,ifyou’reshy,godrawingwithafriendandmakeasocialoccasionofit.Drawingcanbeanexcellentwaytorecordnewexperiencesandtofindnewwonderineverydaythings.
IDEALKITWhenyou’resketchingawayfromhome,you’llneedaneasilyportabledrawingkitwithsomebasicequipment.Asmallhardbacksketchbookwillbeidealtodrawinandwillensureyourpaperisproperlysupported.Ifyoulikedrawingwithpens,alwayscarryseveralincasetheyrunoutofink;andifyouusepencils,alsobringseveralerasersandsharpenersincaseanygetlost.Youknowthatdrawinghasbecomeahabitwhenyouregularlymistakeajanglingpocketofpencilsharpenersforapocketofchange!Referbacktohereforadviceonyourmaterials,andpractisesupportingyoursketchbookonyourkneewhenyousetupforsomeimpromptusketching.
SKETCHINGONPUBLICTRANSPORT
Whenyoucandraw,youneverhaveanexcusetobebored.Ifyou’retravellingonabusortrainyou’llbesurroundedbyawealthofdrawingsubjects,fromfellowtravellerstoviewsoutthewindow,totheinteriorofthevehicleitself.Drawingonpublictransportisasmuchanexerciseinsketchingstrategyasanopportunitytopractisedrawingtechniques.Workingwiththejoltsthatjogyou,findingsurreptitiouswaystodrawotherpassengersanddealingwiththeinevitablemovementofyoursubjectsareallpartoftheexercise.
EXERCISE:PASSENGERPORTRAITS
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Ballpointpen•Sketchbook
Time:Aslongasyourjourney!
Setup:Ideallyyou’llhaveyoursmalldrawingkittohand,butifyouonlyhaveareceiptandabiro,thatwilldo!
AIMS&ATTITUDESYou’renotaimingtomakefinisheddrawingsbutrathertocreateacollageofbriefglimpsesthatrecordyourjourney.Keepyourmarksquickandconfident,andtrytosimplifyyoursubjectintoasfewlinesaspossible.
confident,andtrytosimplifyyoursubjectintoasfewlinesaspossible.
METHODPickapersonwhoisstayingrelativelystilland(ideally)notlookingtowardsyou.Usingquick,simplemarks,sketchoutthedarklinesthatmakeupyourimpressionoftheirface.
Workoutwardsonthepageusingsimplelinestosuggestthebasicformsofyoursubject’sclothingandsurroundings.Inthisexerciseyourpenwillberecordingthejourneythatyoureyeistakingoveryoursubject.
thejourneythatyoureyeistakingoveryoursubject.
Whenyoursubjectmoves,trysketchingthisnewangle,ormoveontosomebodyelse.Fillthepagewithlittlevisualnotesonthejourney,snatchesofconversationandanythingthatinterestsyou.
ALSOTRY…Fillingapagewiththingsyouseeoutsidethewindow,makingitintoa
TOIMPROVE…•Practisedrawingfaces.
outsidethewindow,makingitintoadynamiccompositionofsigns,textures,buildingsandbrieflyglimpsedviews.
•Practiselineardrawingandinteriors.
•Tryblindcontourdrawing(seehere).
URBANSKETCHING
Theurbanenvironmentistheresultofthousandsofdrawings;townplanners,architectsanddesignersconspiretocreatethejigsawpuzzleofbuildingsandpublicspacesthatmakeupacity.Eachcityhasitsowncharacter,itsowncombinationsofbuildingshapes,coloursandtextures.Itsinhabitantsshapeitevenmore,fillingthestreetswithstories.Whenyoumakedrawingsofurbanspaces,you’renotjustsketchingbricksandmortar;you’remakingaportraitofacity.Thisexerciseisallaboutcapturingcornersofthetownorcityaroundyou.Bringlittlefiguresintothesceneusingtheexerciseinhere,andmakewrittennoteswhereveryouneedto.
EXERCISE:ANURBANPORTRAIT
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:
•Ballpointpen•Greyfelt-tip•Sketchbook
Time:20–45minutes.
Setup:Findsomewhereyoucancomfortablysketchforaslongasyouneed.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisapproachisanalternativetotheDrawingRoomsexercise.Ratherthanworkingfromsmallshapesandexpanding,youwillestablishlargeshapesfirstandthendrawthesmallerareasofdetailwithinthem,allowingyoutomaintaincontroloverthecomposition.Aswellascapturinghowthecitylooks,youshouldaimtocapturesomethingofitsatmosphere,lookingforcharacterfuldetailstoaccentuate.
METHODEstablishtheoverallcompositionofthescene,thinkingaboutwhereyouwillplacebuildings.Startwithalightlinetoestablishshapesanddrawoverwithamoreconfidentlinewhenyouhavedecidedwheretheemphasiswilllie.
Drawintothecompositionanyinterestingdetailsandelementsthatcatchyoureye.Again,worklightlyandconfidently,drawingbolderlinesoveryourinitialmarksonceyouareconfidentoftheirposition.
Usethegreyfelt-tiptoaddsimpleblocksoftone,addingdepthandfocustothescene.Beselectivewithwhereyouplacethetone,thinkingaboutthedesignofyourdrawing.
ALSOTRY…Addingcolourtoyourdrawingusingcolouredfelt-tip,orwatercolourwashesinplaceofthegreypen.
TOIMPROVE…•Improveyourunderstandingof
howtocomposeascene(seehere).
•Learnmoreaboutseeingedges.•Learnmoreaboutusingtone.
RURALLANDSCAPES
Landscapedrawingshouldn’tjustbeaboutsketchingpicturesquescenery;itshouldbearecordoftheexperienceofdrawinginthelandscape.Theurgencyofyourmarkswillinherentlyreflectyourrelationshiptotheenvironmentaroundyou.Drawingonawindydaycreatesfranticdrawingsasyouscrabbletokeepthepaperundercontrol;alazysummerafternoononthegrasstendstoproducemoreleisurelystrokes.You’llbeusingdrawnmarkstorepresentthevisualphenomenaofthelandscape,whilebeinginevitablyaffectedbytheelementalforcesaroundyou.Asyoudrawdifferentpartsofthelandscape,explorehowyoucanuseavarietyofmarkstoimplytextureordirection,andthinkabouthowyoucandrawattentiontoelementsofthelandscapethatinterestyou.Getoutandabout;makedrawinganadventure,anddon’tjustrelyonyourphotographs.
EXERCISE:SKETCHINGINTHELANDSCAPE
SETTINGUP
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencils•Eraser•Sharpener•Sketchbook
Time:Drawuntilyou’retoohot,coldortoouncomfortabletodrawanymore!
Setup:Findsomewherecomfortabletoperchwithyoursketchbookordrawingboard.Youmighthavetheluxuryofdrawingfromawindow,althoughthere’snothingbetterthanbeingrightinthemiddleofthescenery.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisexerciseisintendedtohelpyoulookatthelandscapearoundyouandtoexperienceitthroughdrawing.It’salsoagreatopportunitytopractiseyourcompositionandtoexplorevariedmark-making.
METHODPickyourviewcarefullyandestablishthemajorlinesandshapesofthecompositionthatyouseeinfrontofyou.Thinkintermsoftonalmassesasyoudecideyourcomposition.
Blockinthemassesoftoneinthescene,breakingitdownintoforeground,midgroundandbackground.Unfocussingyoureyesalittlewillhelpyoutojudgerelativetones;notehowthebackgroundoftenappearstonallylighterthantheforeground.
Workmoredetailintoyoursceneusingtexturalmark-makingtocreatevisualvarietyinthesceneandfocustheattentionoftheviewer.Focusmoreonforegrounddetails,lettingthebackgroundremainvaguetocreatetheillusionofdepth.
ALSOTRY…Splittingapageintoboxesandtryingoutsometinysimplifiedthumbnailstudiestoprovideyouwithalternativeviews,oravisualnarrativeofawalk.
TOIMPROVE…•Learnmoreaboutcomposingyour
image.•Developyourunderstandingof
tone.•Learnmoreaboutusingshapesof
toneinyourdrawing.
DRAWINGTREES
Fromsprightlysaplingstobowedgrandfathersoftheforest,thereisananthropomorphicqualitytotreesthatmakesthemanengagingsubjectfordrawing.Aswithafigure,youcanattempttocapturethecompleteposeofatree,makingdrawingsthatgeneralisedetailstocaptureshapeandform,oryoucouldchoosetostudydiscreteparts,makingsmalldrawingsofbranches,leavesandfruits.Thisexerciseisaboutcapturingthefeelofatreeenergeticallyandefficiently;someofthefigure-drawingexercisesinherecouldalsobeappliedtodrawingtrees.
EXERCISE:FORESTDRAWING
SETTINGUP
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•HBPencil•Dippen•Ink•Sketchbook
Time:Anhourormore.
Setup:Youneedasturdysketchbookforworkingoutdoors.Atinorplasticboxwillbeusefulforkeepingyourinkandpenin.Sitorstandtosketch,asyoufindmostcomfortable.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisaimofthisexerciseistocapturetreesincontextwiththeirenvironment,designingthedrawingtomakeasatisfyingcomposition.Usethepenciltoestablishbigshapes,andthenusethedippentoinjectmovementintothescene,buildingupmarkstocreatetheimpressionoftoneandtexture.
METHODEstablishtheformofthetreesinpencil.Don’tgetcaughtupindetail,butrecordtheiroverallshape.
Drawinmoredetails,workingfrombigshapestosmallershapes,anddrawingthenegativespacesbetweenthebranches.
Drawoverthepencilwithenergetictexturalmarksinink;don’tdrawwhatyouimagineatreeshouldlooklike,butdrawtheshapesofthebranches,barkandleavesthatyouseeinfrontofyou.
ALSOTRY…Makingsimilarstudiesofplantsandflowers.Takealookatexamplesofbotanicaldrawingandgooutinsearchofbeautifulbloomstodraw!
TOIMPROVE…•Learnmoreaboutnegativespace.•Learntojudgerelativetones.•Learntomakebalanced
compositions.
LITTLEFIGURES
Thehumanformcanseemlikeacomplexsubjecttotackle,butitneedn’tbeintimidating.Thefiguresthatpopulatethecitiesandrurallandscapesthatwemightdrawcanbeseenastinycollectionsofsimpleshapesthatgivethesuggestionofhumanity.Bydrawingthefigureassimpleblocksoftone,leavingoutanydetail,youcantapintotheshapesofclothingandgestures.Thisexerciseisintendedforquicklysketchingstaticormovingpeopleatadistance,andcanbecombinedwithpreviousexercisestoaddfigurestoyoururbanandrurallandscapedrawings.
EXERCISE:DRAWINGPEOPLE
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencils•Sketchbook
Time:1–3minutesperfigure.
Setup:Youcandothisexercisejustaboutanywhere–tryitwhenyou’restandinginlinesometimetopractiseyourguerrilladrawingtechnique,orgetcomfyandsettleintoseehowmanypeopleyoucancaptureinanhour.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisexerciseismostlyaboutsimplifyingsomethingyouknowtobecomplicatedintothesimpleshapesthatyouactuallyseeinfrontofyou.Drawsmallandtrytoperceivethefigureasawholeshapemadeupofsmallershapesofclothing.Asyouobservethem,holdtheshapesofmovementsinyourheadlikeframesofafilm.Thiswillhelpdevelopyourvisualmemory.
METHODDrawthefiguresnobiggerthanyourlittlefinger.Workfromtheinsideout,usingshortmarkstosketchinthemassoftonethatmakesupthetorsoandhead,treatingthemassimpleblocks.
Usesimpledirectionaltonalmark-makingtoblockintheshapesofarms,legsandclothing,arrivingatabasicsilhouetteofthefigure.
Usedarkertonalmark-makingtocreatefocus,drawingthedarkershadowsthat
youseeandavoidingdrawinganythingyoucan’tclearlysee.Youcanuseanerasertocleanuptheedgesofthetonalshapes.
ALSOTRY…Puttingtogetherfiguresyou’vesketchedoutandaboutand
TOIMPROVE…•Workonyourvisualmemory.
sketchedoutandaboutandenvironmentsyou’vedrawntocomposeimaginaryscenes.Thiswillhelpyoutodevelopyourimaginativedrawingskillsatthesametimeasborrowingusefullyfromyourobservations.
•Developyourtonalmark-making.•Learntojudgeshapesbetter.•Practisegesturalfiguredrawing.
ATmuseums&GALLERIES
Museumsareincredibleresources,repositoriesofhistorythatgiveusinsightintotheworldaroundus.Asasketchinglocation,eventhelowliestmuseumwillhousesufficientcuriositiestokeepyouscribblingforhours;nationalmuseumscanbeasourceofwonderforalifetime.Bydrawingwithfriendsandfamilyyoucanengagewithexhibitsinanewway,lookingharderthanyoumighthaveeverlookedinthepast.
Walkingaroundartgallerieswithadraftsman’seyewillgiveyouanewwayofrelatingtotheworkyousee.Theabilitytoseecriticallyisahard-wonskill,andsomeartworkrequirestimetobeproperlyunderstoodandappreciated;youdon’thavetoliketheworkyouseetolearnfromit.Drawingfromartworkwillhelpyougaininsightintotheprocessesoftheartistwhocreatedit.
Mostmuseumsandgallerieswelcomesketchers;someevenprovidefold-upchairstocarryaroundwithyou.Ifyou’revisitingamuseumorgallerywithnon-drawers,thenpreparetobeleftbehindeachtimeyougetcaughtupinasketch.
IDEALKITYou’llneedeasilyportabledrawingmaterialsthatwon’tmakeamess,soavoidcharcoalsticksandpotsofink.Keeptopensandpencils,andusesharpenerswithanattachedcontainerforcatchingshavings.Acompactsketchbookwillbeidealtodrawin,oryoucouldbringadrawingboardandpaperinafolder.
CASTDRAWING
Manygalleriescontainbusts,head-and-shoulderportraitsculpturesusuallycarvedinstoneorcastinmetal.Light-colouredstoneorplasterbustswillprovideyouwithagreatopportunitytostudysurfacetoneswithoutthecomplicationofvariedskincolour.Castdrawingisoftenassociatedwiththesight-sizedstudies(wherethedrawingismadethesamesizeasthesubjectappearsfromwherevertheartistisstanding)popularincontemporarydrawingateliers;incontrast,thisversionoftheactivityisapracticalguerilla-drawingexercisethatwillyieldlooselydefinedsketchesofyoursubject.Drawingbustsallowsyoutosketchaconsideredportraitfromaperfectlystillandconsistentlylitmodel.Ifyou’relookingforportrait-drawingpractice,thiswillbesuperiortocopyingfromphotographsasitwillincorporateallthechallengesoftranslatingathree-dimensionalheadintoatwo-dimensionaldrawingwithouttheperformanceanxietyofworkingwithalivemodel.
EXERCISE:DRAWINGFROMABUST
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Eraser•Sharpener•Sketchbook
Time:20minutes.
Setup:Sittingdowncanhelpyoukeepyourposition,butconsidertheangleyouwillbedrawing.Beforeyoustartsketching,movearoundtofindthecompositionyoulikethebest.
AIMS&ATTITUDESAsyousetuptodraw,thinkcarefullyabouttheangleandlightingofthehead–althoughyoucan’tmovethebust,youcancontrolyourownposition.Theoutcomeofyourdrawingwillbeledbyyourinitialdecisionsasmuchasbyyourdrawnmarks.Takingadifferentattitudetothebustwillcreatedifferentdrawings:drawingthebustwhileimaginingittobearealpersonwillallowyoutoimbuethedrawingwiththevitalityofalivingsitter.Incontrast,drawingthebustasastill-lifeobjectwillencouragemoreaccurateandobjectivedrawing.
METHODChooseyourposition:thinkabouttheheadangle,thelightingandhowthedrawingwillbecomposedonyourpage.Startwithalooselysketchedoutline,jottinginthetop,bottom,leftandrightlimitsoftheheadwithshort,sharpmarks.
Don’tbecomefixatedonfeatures,butinsteaddrawtheedgesofshapesofshadow.Theresultingjigsawoftonalshapesshouldresolveitselfintotheillusionofaface.
Addtonetotheshapesofshadow.Keepyourmark-makingsimpleandconsistentandreducecomplicatedgradientsofshadowintosimpleblocksofmid-tone.Don’tgotoodarktooquicklybutreserveyourdarkestmarksforthedeepestedgesofshadow.
ALSOTRY…Drawingfromgardenstatues.Ifyoudon’thavereadyaccesstoagallerywithbusts,trysketchingingardencentresandpublicparks,orbuyyourselfaplastercastorstonegardenornamenttodrawfrom.
TOIMPROVE…•Practisealternativeapproachesto
drawingheads(see1and2).•Learnmoreaboutshapeandtone
(see1and2).•Developpracticalmeasuring
techniques(seehere).
FOCUSSEDTRANSCRIPTIONS
Wecanallintuitivelyappreciatepaintings,printsanddrawingsonavisualandemotionallevel,andaccompanyingtext,gallerystaffandaudiotoursmightprovidedetailsofthehistoricalandculturalcontextofanartwork,orthemotivationsbehinditscreation.Asamakerofdrawings,youmightalsowanttogaingreaterinsightintoanartworkbymakingfocussedstudiesthatinterrogatetscompositionandexecution,learninglessonsfromtheworkthatyoucanapplytoyourown.InthistranscriptionI’vedrawnfromacompositionalsketchofanudebyEdgarDegas.
Inordertogainthemostfromyourtranscriptionsyou’llneedtodrawwithclearintentionandavoidsimplyredrawingimageryinyourownstyle.Copydrawingsinordertolearnsomethingabouttheartist’smark-making;asyoudraw,don’tsimplyreplicatethedrawnmarks,butaskyourselfquestionsabouthowtheartistmadethem.Whatmediumhavetheyused?Howdidtheyholdthatmedium?Howfarweretheyfromthepaperastheydrew?Weretheirmarksmadeslowlyorquickly?Aretheylooselydrawnortightlycontrolled?
Paintingsanddrawingscanbereducedtotheirfundamentalcompositionsbyanunderstandingoftheirarmaturesanduseoftone.Ifyouaretryingtocopypaintingsandnon-drawnartworkbydrawingthem,youwon’tlearnnearlyasmuchasyoumightbymakingfocussedtranscriptions.
EXERCISE:TRANSCRIPTION
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Eraser•Sharpener•Sketchbook
Time:Spendplentyoftimelookingatthework,andthenspend15minutesmakingeachtranscription.
Setup:Thislargelydependsontheworkyou’vechosen.It’sbestnottopickthemostpopularpieceinthegalleryatabusytime!Ifyoucansitdown,makesureyoucanseeyourchosenartworkclearly,andbepreparedforinterruptionswhenotherpeoplecometohavealookatyoursubject.
AIMS&ATTITUDESMaketranscriptionsfromartworksinordertounderstandthembetter.Youcanmakedifferenttranscriptionstolearndifferentlessonsfromawork:trydevelopingyourownapproachestotranscription.
METHODFirst,takealookatforguidanceoncomposition.Forthisexerciseyou’llwanttolookforthebasiccompositionaldevicesthatunderpintheimage,andtoappreciatehowthedimensionsofthepictureplaneaffectitsappearance.
Todevelopyourunderstandingofacomposition,youcantranscribefortonebysimplifyingthepictureintoblocksoflightanddark.Takealookatheretogainsomefurtherinsightintotonaldrawing.
Makeacopyofasectionofanotherartist’sdrawing,thinkaboutwhatelementsoftheirsubjecttheyhavechosentorepresentandtrytoemulatetheirmarkstolearnhowtheymadethem.
TOIMPROVE…•Learnmoreaboutcomposition.•Learnmoreaboutshapeandtone(see1and2).•Exploremark-making.•Regularlyvisitartexhibitions;don’tjustlookatimagesofartworkonline.
STEALLIKEANARTIST
Thisexercisewillinvolveusingtranscriptionsfromtheexerciseinhereasameansofgatheringinformationthatcanthenbeappliedtoyourownoriginaldrawings.Thecompositionsandmarksthatyouchoosetoborrowneedn’tjustbeappliedtothesubjectrepresentedintheoriginaldrawing.Forexampleyoucouldtakeacompositionfromalandscapepaintingandapplyittoastill-lifedrawing,orapplythemarksfromanartist’sdrawingofatreetoyourownstudyofafigure.
EXERCISE:BORROWEDMARKS
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Eraser•Sharpener•Sketchbook
Time:Variable.
Setup:Workdirectlyinfrontofthepiecethatinspiredyou,orwhereveryoufeelmostcomfortable.
AIMS&ATTITUDESBearinmindthatyouaredrawinginordertolearn.Byemulatingagreatartistwhoseworkyouadmire,youshouldbelearningfromtheirapproachandapplyingthoselessonstoyourownwork;youmightcometodiscardsomeapproachesovertime,whileassimilatingothersintoyourregularpractice.
METHODInthisexampleIhavetakenthecompositionofalandscapepaintingandappliedittoastill-lifedrawing,usingavariationoftheexerciseinhere.
Here,I’vetakenthetonaldistributionandcompositionfromastilllifeandusedittodevelopagroupscene,takingfiguresfrommysketchbook,borrowedfrom
theexerciseinhere.
Inthedrawingbeneath,IhaveborrowedthemarksIobservedinafigurestudyandappliedthemtoadrawingofatreefromtheexerciseinhere.
TOIMPROVE…•Makemoretranscriptionstodevelopyourartisticvocabulary.•Trymakingdrawingsinthestyleofartistsyouadmireinordertolearn
moreabouttheirtechniques.•Applythelessonslearnedfromtranscriptionstodifferentexercisesinthis
book.
SKETCHBOOKOFCURIOSITIES
Asyouwanderaroundamuseumtherewillalwaysbelittleartefacts,trinketsandephemerathatcatchyoureye.Takingthepieceshomeyourselfisbroadlyfrownedupon,sotrycollectingtheminyoursketchbookbymakinglittledrawingsofthemall.Makeyoursketchbookintoyourownpersonalcollectionofcuriosities,composingthemtogetheronthepageandaddingyourownannotationsandreflections.
EXERCISE:SKETCHBOOKCOLLECTION
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencils•Sharpener•Eraser•Sketchbook
Time:Asingledrawingmighttake5–20minutes.
Setup:Grabyourportablesketchbookandcurator’smindset,andtakeaslongasyouneedtocapturewhatyoucanofyoursubject.
AIMS&ATTITUDESBecomeacollectoroflittlepicturesofthings.Theitemsyouchoosetodrawwillsaysomethingaboutwhereyouare,whoyouareandwhatinterestsyou.Fillingapagemightbeafullday’swork,andfillingasketchbookmighttakeamonth,ayearoralifetime.Eachsmalldrawingisacontributiontoagreaterwhole.
METHODSetascaleforyoursketches;youmightwanttodrawtheitemsincorrectproportiontooneanother,ortoplayaroundwithscale.Eachtimeyouaddanitem,thinkaboutwhereyouwillplaceitonthepage.
Makesimplesketches,drawingtheshapesofobjects,dwellingontheelementsofthesubjectthatinterestyouandmakinganynotesyoufeeladdtothedrawing.
Fillthepagewithobjects,composingthemasacollectormightlineupitemsinadisplaycase.Dateyourdrawingsforposterity.
ALSOTRY…Makingsketchesofothercollectionsofitemsthatinterestyou,fromdiscardeditemsinthestreettoobjectsfromyourhouse.Setitemsnexttooneanotherininterestingways,makingthemundaneintriguing.
TOIMPROVE…•Thinkabouthowyoucomposethe
itemsonthepage.•Developyourcoredrawingskills.•Practiseobservationaldrawing
exercisestohelpyouimproveyourlooking.
ATWORK
Drawingisavisuallanguage,atoolforcommunication.Whenwedrawforartisticpurposes,weusethislanguagepoetically,employingmarksthatdescribeoursubjectwitheloquenceandgrace.Likeanylanguage,drawingcanalsobeusedtorecordideas,todescribeconceptsandsolveproblems.Ifyouwanttodrawmore,thendon’tconfinedrawingtoyourleisuretime;startusingvisuallanguageinyourwork.Thischaptercontainspracticalapplicationsfordrawingintheworkplace,withexercisesthatyoucantryoutsideofworkinordertodevelopyourskills.
IDEALKITPractical,communicativedrawingsrequirematerialsthatmakeclear,efficientmarks.Pens,pencilsandgood-qualityfelt-tippensaregoodmaterialstostartwith.Ifyouneedtodrawonawhiteboardorflipchart,thinkabouthowyou’llstandinordertominimisethedistortioninyourdrawing.Allthedrawingsinthischapterutilisethesamesetofmaterials:
•Felt-tippens•Ballpointpens•Fineliners•Pencil•Eraser•Sharpener•Paper
APPLICATIONSOFDRAWING•Drawtocommunicate.Drawingbreaksdownlanguagebarriersandisthebest
waytodescribecomplexvisualorspatialsubjects.Youmightdrawamapratherthangivespokendirections,forexample.
•Drawyourideas.Drawingcanbeawayofexploringnewideasandarticulatingthingsthatyoudon’tquitehavewordsfor.Mostman-madeobjectsstarttheirlifeasadrawndesign.
•Drawtoremember.Adrawingcanactasahelpfulmnemonic;anillustratedstoryismorememorablethanapurelyverbalone.Imagescanconjureinstantassociations,thisiswhycompaniesoftenhaveapictureasalogo.
•Drawtogetanewperspectiveonaproblem.Theprocessofdrawingallowsyoutolookattheworldinafreshway,bydrawingsomethingyouoftenlearntounderstanditbetter.
PRACTICALADVICE•Don’tletperformanceanxietyholdyouback.Practiseyourdrawingathome
andbringtheskillsyoulearntowork.
•Starttothinkofdrawingaspartofyourarsenalofeverydaycommunicativetools.Whenyouneedtodescribesomething,think,‘CouldIdrawthatinstead?’
•Useyourbreaksforpractising.Trysomeoftheotherdrawingexercisesinthisbookduringlunch(trytheexercisesfrom1,2and3).
•Recognisehowyoumightalreadybedrawing,anddevelopyourskillstoenableyoutodoitbetter.Diagrams,doodlesandmapsallemploydrawnmarks.
•Findcolleaguesthatwanttolearntodraw.Sketchatworktogether,startasketchcrawlorgotoalife-drawingclassafterwork.
•Bringinexpertise.Ifyouthinkyourcolleagueswouldbenefitfrombetter
visualcommunicationskills,considerinvitingadrawingtutorintorunaworkshop.
SEQUENTIALNARRATIVE
Imagesarrangedinanordercreatealinearvisualstory.Thesesequentialimagesareoftenusedforinstructionsastheycanbeeasilyimitated.Signageisthesimplestkindofinstructionalimagery;thelittlepersonrunningtowardsthedooronafireexitsignimmediatelyconveyswhattodointheeventofafire.Instructionmanualsoftencontainsimpleannotatedlinedrawingstodemonstratehowtoassembleamodelplane,orhowtouseyouroven.Amulti-panelinstructionaldrawingneedstobeunambiguouslydrawn,usingsimple,efficientmarks,illustratingthekeystagesoftheactivityitdescribes.Fortheexerciseonthenextpageyouwillmakeasimpleinstructionaldrawingforfun,illustratingaday-to-daytask.Theaimistobeefficientanduseasfewpanelsaspossible,whileillustratingeachseparateactionrequiredforthetaskandstrippingoutallunnecessarydetail.Enacttheactivityyourself,takingphotographstodrawfrom,ordrawingfromyourimagination.Useotherpagesinthisbooktohelpyouimproveyourdrawingsofspecificactivitiesorlocations.
EXERCISE:INSTRUCTIONALDRAWING
APPLICATIONS•Leavinginstructionsforfamilyorfriendsathome.•Leavinginstructionsatwork.•Signage,assimplifiedinstructions.
METHODPickatasktoillustrate,breakitdownintofourorfivesimpleactionsand,usingapencil,looselyplanoutpanelsthatillustrateeachstageinthesimplestway.As
apencil,looselyplanoutpanelsthatillustrateeachstageinthesimplestway.Asyouplanthetask,youmightwanttodescribeitverballytohelpyoubreakdownthestages.
Takeaphotographofeachstageofthetaskandmakeasimplepencillinedrawingbasedoneachone.Ifitinvolveshands,youmightwanttorefertohere;figures,orfaces.
Gooverthepencillinesinpen,clarifyingtheshapes.Youmightwantaddsimpletoneorcolourtothedrawingusingfelt-tippens.
ALSOTRY…Usingthesequentialstyletocreateasimplestoryboard.Thestoryboardisastandarddeviceusedtotellalinearnarrativeinkeyframesofaction.
TOIMPROVE…•Practisesimplelinedrawings(see
1and2).•Practisesimplefigures.
narrativeinkeyframesofaction.Animatorsandfilmmakersmightusestoryboardstoplanoutscenes.
Makingsimplesignsthatconveysomethingyoudoordonotwantpeopletodo,usingtheskillsyou’velearntfromthisexercisetogetthemessageacrossinthemostdirectway.
•Practisesketchingthesubjectsofyourinstructionaldrawingfromobservation.
DRAWINGFORDESIGN
Verballanguagetendstofixideastoexistingconcepts,butwhenyou’redesigningsomethingnewyoumightwantyourideastoremainpliableasyoudevelopthem.Drawingallowsyoutoexploreavisualideawithoutpinningitdownsothatyoucantrialalternativesanddevelopyourthoughts.Presentingyourideasasdrawingsmakesiteasyforotherpeopletoengagewithanewideaandtoseetheprocessyoufollowedtoarriveatyourfinaloutcome.Ifyou’redesigningsomethingnew,youmightfirstwanttouseobservationaldrawingtoexploreotherapproachestothesamesubject,aswellasdrawingshapesandobjectsthatinspireyourowndesigns.Thisexercisewillhelpyoutryouttheapproachbydesigninganimaginarynewchair,breakingtheprocessdownintoidea-gathering,triallingnewideasandrefiningyourfavoureddesign.Thisisabasicapproachtodesign;professionalproductdesigners,conceptartists,architectsandsoonwillallhavetheirowndesignprocesses,andintimeyouwilldoubtlessdevelopyourown.
APPLICATIONS•Designingnewobjectsyou’dliketomake:cupboards,candlesticks,etc.•Workingoutthebestwaytodoapracticaltasksuchasputtingupashelf–
planningitspositiononthewall,thebracketsyouwilluse,whattoputonit,etc.
•Planningthelookofsomething,forexample,anoutfit,partydecorations,etc.
METHODGatherideas.Makeobservationaldrawingsofchairsandanyobjectthatmightprovidefurtherinspiration.Explorethepracticalpurposeofthechairandextractshapesandtexturesfrominspirationalmaterial.
Sketchavarietyofalternativechairdesignsfromyourimagination,givingyourselfseveraloptionstoworkfrom.Whatwouldyouliketoseeinachair?
Pickyourfavouriteideaanddevelopit,drawingthedesignfromdifferentanglesandimaginingitinuse.
ALSOTRY…Costumedesign.Usethestickmanexercisetocreateastandardfigurefromthefrontandsideandtryoutdifferentcostumedesigns.Fashiondesignusesastylised,attenuated
TOIMPROVE…•Makemoresketchesfrom
observation.•Learntoextrapolatelinesand
texturesfromyoursubjectsthatyoucouldapplytootherdesigns
figure;characterdesignmightrequireagreatervarietyoffigureshapes.
(seeEdges).•Developyourstickpeople.
MAPS&DIRECTIONS
Mostpeoplewillhappilydrawamaptogivedirections;verballycomplexdirectionscanbeeasilysimplifiedintoabasicvisualform.Somemapsaremorecomplexthanothers;workingoutwhatinformationneedstobeincludedisasmuchapartoftheskillofdrawingthemapasthephysicaldraftsmanship.Ahastilysketchedroadmapwilllookverydifferenttothecreativecartographythatmightgointoamapofpicturesquewalksaroundavillage,butbothfulfiltheirpurpose.Forthisexercise,drawyourroutefromhometowork.Imaginetheroutefromabove,sketchingouttheroadsyoutaketoscaleandnotinglandmarksontheway.Toembellishamapyoucouldincludeenlargedlandmarks,sketchedusingapproachesfromhereanddrawnasifyouwerelookingatthemhead-on.
EXERCISE:MAPPINGAROUTE
APPLICATIONS•Aroadmaptodirectafriendorcolleague.•Amapofthefloorplanofabuilding.
•Adecorativemap.
METHODIllustrateyourroutetowork.Roughlysketchoutamapoftheroutefromaboveinpencilandnotedownanymajorlandmarksalongtheway.
Clarifytheroutebydrawingoverthepencilinpenandlightlyerasingtheearliermarkswhentheinkisdry.
Drawinthemajorlandmarksfromobservation,photographsormemory.Addcolourandtoneifneeded.
ALSOTRY…Layingoutaroom.Ifyou’rethinkingaboutdifferentarrangementsoffurnitureinaroom,trymappingthemonpaperandtriallingalternatives.
TOIMPROVE…•Practisesketchingkeyfeaturesin
thelandscape(seehere).•Practisedrawinginteriorstogaina
bettersenseofspaceindrawings.•Practisemakingclear,boldlines
(seehere).
THEULTIMATESTICKMAN
Thestickmanisasimplifiedhumanfigure.Atitsworstthestickmancancometosymbolisetheinsecuritiesmanypeoplehavewiththeirdrawings;peopleoftendefensivelystate,‘AllIcandrawisstickpeople.’Justlikeallotheraspectsofyourdrawing,yourstickmencanalwaysbeimproved.Ifyouhaveashorthandforthefigureyoucanuseitforanythingfromstoryboardingandinstructionaldrawingtoplanningcompositionsforpaintingsandsketchingfigurativescenes.Yourbasicfiguremightleantowardsthecartoonlike,oritmightbemorerepresentational;itisuptoyou.Thestickpeopleinthisexercisedemonstrateanevolvinganatomythatbecomesmorecomplexastheyneedtocommunicatemorecomplexideas.Thefirstrepresentsthepresenceofapersonandnothingmore.Thefinalstickmanisfullyarticulatedandcouldadoptaplethoraofposes.Whenusingthemincontext,pickthelevelofdetailthatissuitableforwhatyouwanttocommunicate.
EXERCISE:EVOLVINGSTICKMEN
APPLICATIONS•Fordrawingafigureinrelationtoanydesignedobjects,fromchairsto
buildings.•Stickmencanbeusedinstoryboardsorinstructionaldrawing.•Thebasicfigurecanunderpincharactersincomicstrips,simplecharacter
designandinpicturesdrawnforfun.
Allofthesestickpeopleareusefulforsomething;eventhemostbasiconecansignifycomplexattitudesandideas.
METHODHerearesomedifferentstickfiguresforyoutopractiseandadapt–playaroundwiththemonthepage,doodlethemperformingdifferentactions,interactingortellingavisualstory.Thesimpleststickfigurecanbeausefulwaytoquicklyandplainlysymboliseaperson–sometimesitwillbethebestfigureforthejob!
Fillingoutthebodyofastickfigureandgivingthemtaperinglimbswillbroadenthegesturestheycanperformandmakethemfeelallthemorehuman,whilstretainingtheirsimplicity.
Morecomplexfigurescanbedevelopedfromasimplearmaturebasedonskeletalstructure–anyknowledgeofanatomyyoumighthavedevelopedfromlifedrawingexerciseswillcontributehugelytomorelifelikepeople.
ALSOTRY… TOIMPROVE…
ALSOTRY…Usingphotosoffiguresinaction,orpausedfilmfootage,asabasisfordrawingactionposes.Varybodyshapesandvaryscaletosuggestdistance.
TOIMPROVE…•Drawmorefiguresfromlife(see
1,2and3).•Practisedrawingyourstickfigures
inavarietyofposes.•Learnmoreabouttheanatomyof
thehumanbody(see1and2).
INALIFECLASS
Lifedrawingisthepracticeofmakinganobservationaldrawingdirectlyfromamodel,typicallyunclothed.Althoughmanyartistsemploylifemodelsforone-to-onesittings,mostlifedrawingtakesplaceingroupsessionswithseveralpeopledrawingfromamodel.Lifedrawingisn’tjustaboutmakingpicturesofunclothedfigures,itisagreatwaytoexercisecoredrawingskills.Fundamentallyitisanexerciseinobservation,trainingyoutolookproperlyatyoursubject,usingselectivedrawnmarkstomakeefficientsketcheswithinthetimeconstraintsofposes.Atitsbestalife-drawingclasscanbetheheartofanartisticcommunity,encouragingskillsharingandprovidinganenvironmentinwhichtomeetotherswhoarekeenondrawing.
MODEL&POSETIMINGSRememberthatthemodelsittingfortheclassisaperson,notjustasubjectforthedrawing.Respectthelifemodelandbeconsiderateinyourlanguagetowardsthem;theyareprovidingthesourceofinspirationforyourwork!Ifyou’reusedtodrawingfromphotographs,stilllifeorlandscapes,thengettingusedtothespeedofshorterposeswillbeyourfirstchallenge.Thetimeconstraintsofalifeclasswillrequireacompromise;makeaconsciousdecisionabouthowyouwilldirectyourtimeinadrawinganddon’ttrytodraweverythingallatonce.Theexercisesinthischapterwillhelpyoutogetstarted.
ABILITY&EXPERIENCELife-drawingclassesareoftenpitchedatdifferentlevelsofexperiencewithtutoredclassesforbeginnersorimproversanduntutoreddrop-insopentoallabilities.Picktheclassthatyoufeelbestreflectsyourconfidencelevel,butbebrave–youshouldn’tbeputoffattendingbyinexperience.Dosomeresearchtofindoutwhetheryouneedtobringyourownmaterials,andifyoudo,usetheadviceonthenextpagetoguideyou.
EquipmentIfyouhaven’tbeenaskedtotakespecificmaterialstoaclass,hereissomesuggestedequipment.Don’toverwhelmyourselfwithtoomanyoptionsatyourfirstclass,butgoprepared.Theboardandpapercouldbeanysizeyouprefer;ifthelifeclasshaseaselsyoucanworkreallybig!
AVARIEDKIT•Inkanddippen•Watercolourbrushes•Charcoalsticks•Charcoal
pencils•Graphitepencils•Eraser
•Knife•Pencils•Sharpener•Drawingboard•Paper•Folder
ASIMPLEKIT•Sketchbook•Pencils•Eraser
•Sharpener•Ballpointpens
SETUPForthedrawingsinthischapter,you’llusuallybesetupataneaselorwithadrawingboardonyourlap.Thinkaboutyourpositionintheroom,asitwillaffecttheposesyousee,andmakesureyourpaperiswelllit.
WARM-UPS
Itisworthspendingalittletimewarmingupbeforecommittingyourselftoalongerdrawing.Ialwaysthinkofthesefirstsketchesassacrificialdrawingsintendedtoestablishaconnectionbetweenyoureyeandhandandgetyoumakingmarks.Youcanusethisexercisetohelpyoudrawquickposes,oruseitatthebeginningofalongerposebeforestartingamoreearnestdrawing.Ifyou’veneverdrawnbefore,thiscanbeagoodexercisetostartwith.Becausetheexerciseinvolvesnotlookingatthepaperyouhaveanexcusetomakestrangeandmisproportioneddrawings!
EXERCISE:BLINDCONTOURDRAWING
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Ballpointpenorpencil•Sketchbook
Idealposelength:1–3minutesperpose.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisisacommonlyusedexercisetohelpyoumakeclearobservations,unrestrictedbytheworryofhowthedrawinglooks.Itwillalsohelpyoutoidentifyedges,makedecisionsaboutwheretodrawalineanditwillencourageconfidentlinearmark-making.
METHODSecureyourpaperandsitlookingatthemodel;don’tlookatthepaperatallthroughoutthisdrawing.Touchyourpenorpenciltothepaper,nearthetop,andfocusyoureyesonthetopofyourmodel’shead.Slowlyletyoureyetracealinearoundyoursubject.Asyoureye‘draws’itswayaroundthesubject,letyourpencilfollowthesamemovementsonthepaper.
Drawacontinuouslinearoundyoursubject’soutline,movinginwardswhennecessarytofollowlinesinthebody.Ifyouloseyourplace,youcanlookdownatyourdrawingbriefly,repositionyourpencilandcontinuetheprocess,keepingyoureyeonthesubjectasyoudraw.
Whenthetimeisup,liftyourpenciloffthepaperandtakealookatwhatyou’vedrawn.Expectthedrawingtobebizarreandinaccurate;afterall,youweren’tlookingatit!Repeatthisexerciseregularlytohelpyougetusedtolookinganddrawing.
ALSOTRY… TOIMPROVE…
ALSOTRY…Makingblindcontourdrawingsofpeopleoutsideofthelifedrawingclass,drawingwithoutlookingbackatthepapertoimproveyourobservationalskills.
TOIMPROVE…•Learnmoreaboutdrawingedges.•Exploredifferentwaysofmaking
lines.•Readmoreaboutobservation.
GESTURALDRAWINGS
Agesturaldrawingcapturestheenergyandfeelofapose.Inposeslastingjustafewminutesamodelwillbeabletoholdamoredynamicpostureandthisenergycanbecapturedinaswiftgesturalstudy.Althoughthedrawingisstillrootedinobservation,you’llbedrawinghowtheposefeelsasmuchashowitlooks.Thetimeconstraintsofaquickposemeanyouhavetosacrificesomeaccuracytomaintaintherightfeelinginthedrawing,andagoodwaytodothisistosetyourselfsomeboundariestostopyourselfgettingcaughtupindetailasyoudraw.Forthisexercise,you’llonlyhavethreelineswithwhichtocaptureyoursubject.
EXERCISE:THREE-LINEDRAWING
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Charcoalpencil•Lotsofpaper
Idealposelength:10seconds–5minutesperpose.
AIMS&ATTITUDESGesturaldrawingsshouldbemadewithenergy,buttheyshouldn’tbemadeinapanic.Lookfirst,thendraw.Somedrawingswillworkbetterthanothersandyoumayfindyoucanmakeseveralsketchesduringonepose.Thisisanexerciseinselection;youmustlearntomakequick,instinctivedecisionsaboutwheretodrawaline,andtoputthoselinesdownconfidently.
METHODTakeamomenttolook.Drawthefirstlinefromthetopoftheposetothefloor,capturingenergyintheposeusingaflowingandintuitivemark.You’llhavenotimefordetail.Don’tletthelinehesitate.Ifyoudon’tlikewhereithasgone,startagainnexttothefirstline.
Thenextlineshouldbalancethefirstline.Keepitconfident,keeplookingatthemodel.Therewillbelotsofthingsyouaren’tabletocapture;thatisfine.Thisexerciseisallaboutbeingselective.
Thefinallinecancreateafocusandinterestinthedrawing.Ifyouhavetime,trythesameposeagain,andtrytoimproveonthedrawing.Somedrawingswillcomeoutwell,somewillnot.
ALSOTRY…Drawingtheposeinfivelines,givingyoutheopportunityforalittlemoreexpression.
TOIMPROVE…•Learntobemoreselectiveinyour
drawing.•Drawsubjectsthatdon’tstaystill
(see1and2).
NEGATIVESPACE
Ourobservationsofthefigureareinevitablyaffectedbyhowweexpectabodytolook.Webringfewerpreconceptionstotheabstractshapesofspacesthatsurroundthefigure,andwecanusethosespacestohelpusseethefiguremoreobjectively;bydrawingthesenegativespacesaroundafigure,youcanarriveatthesilhouetteofthebody.
EXERCISE:DRAWINGINNEGATIVE
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Sharpener•Eraser•Paper
Idealposelength:3–10minutesperpose.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisexercisetrainsyoutoseenegativespaces;doyourbestnottobecomedistractedbythedetailsofthebody.Bearinmindthatwhenyoudrawalinearoundtheboundaryofthefigureyouaresimultaneouslydrawingtheboundaryofthenegativespace.
METHODStartwithaclear,simpleshape,ideallyasmallshapeenclosedbythebody.Drawthespaceasaccuratelyasyourtimeallows.
Drawthenextnearestshape,judgingtherelationshipbetweenthespaces.Don’t
Drawthenextnearestshape,judgingtherelationshipbetweenthespaces.Don’tdrawthebodyinbetween,butmaintainanawarenessthatthespacesarecreatingthesilhouetteofafigure.
Drawthenegativespacearoundthefigure.Youmightalsowanttodrawintheshapesofthefurniturethatthemodelisposedoninasimilarway.Ifyouwantto,youcandarkenthenegativespacestomakethefigurestandout.
Usingaviewfindercanhelpyoutoidentifythenegativespacesaroundthebody.
ALSOTRY…Usingaviewfindertocreateanartificialboundaryaroundthebody.Aviewfindercaneasilybecutoutofcardorthebackingofyoursketchpad.
TOIMPROVE…•Practisedrawingchairsandstools
innegative.•Learntorecogniseabstractshapes
moreeasily.•Learntojudgetherelationships
betweenshapes.•Learntoidentifytheboundary
aroundafiguremoreeasily(seehere).
TONALDRAWING
Weseetheworldaroundusbyperceivingtoneandcolour.Tone,alsocalledvalue,referstohowdarkorlightweperceivesomethingtobe.Whenyouaredrawingthefigureyouarepresentedwithacomplexmapoftonesthatyouneedtoselectivelytranslateintodrawnmarks.Judginghowlightordarkarelativetoneiswilltakepractice.Itcanbehelpfultoseparatetonesintobroadcategories,lookingforthelightestlights,mid-tonesanddarkestdarks.Thisexerciseinvolvesaddingamid-tonetothepaperfirst,erasingawaytorepresentlightandaddingdarkermarkstoachieveshadows.
EXERCISE:SUBTRACTIVETONE
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Charcoalsticks•Softcloth
•Plasticeraser•Whitepaper
Idealposelength:5–20minutesperpose.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisexercisewillhelpyousimplifythefigureintoblocksoftone.Youneedn’tdrawalltheshadowsyousee;beselectiveandmakedecisionsaboutwhattoputintoyourdrawingandwhattoleaveout.Learntoseeshadowsasajigsawofblocksoflightordarkanddevelopavocabularyoftonalmarksfordescribingtheseshapes.
METHODPrepareyourpaperbylightlyscrubbingastickofcharcoaloverthepaperandthenrubbingoverthesurfacewithacloth.Aimtocoverthesurfacewithanevenmid-toneofgrey.
Takeagoodplasticeraser,cuttoapoint,andstartdrawinginshapesoflight.Startfromabigclearshapeofhighlightanderaseareasoflightasyouseethem,maintaininganawarenessoftherelationshipsbetweenshapes.Keepthedrawingsimpleanddrawtheshapesofhighlights,leavingthemid-toneshadowsbehind.
Onceyouhavedrawninsimpleblocksoflight,useyourcharcoalsticktodrawindarkershadowshapes,drawinginthesharpedgesofshadowstoaddclarityto
yourdrawing.
Finally,balancethebackgroundagainstthefigure,creatingcontraststhathelpdrawattentiontotheshapeoflightonthebody.Useyourerasertolightenlargeareasoryourcharcoaltodarkenthem
ALSOTRY…Drawingonamid-tonepaper.
TOIMPROVE…
Drawingonamid-tonepaper.Chooseapaperthatisn’ttoodarkanddrawtheshapesofshadowsonincharcoal,allowingthepapertostandinforthemid-tones.Usewhitechalkorgouachetocreatetheshapesofhighlights.
•Learntorecognisetonesmoreeasily.
•Exploredifferentwaysofdrawingtonalshapes.
CONSTRUCTEDAPPROACH
Whenamodeladoptsapose,weseetheunderlyingstructureofbones,musclesandfatexpressedonthesurfaceoftheskin.Figuredrawingscanhaveasimilarunderlyingstructureofsimplelinesandshapes,adrawnanatomythatrelatestothephysicalanatomyofthehumanbody.Byunderstandingthestructureofthebodybetter,youcanlearntomakemorefocussedandselectivelifedrawings.Thistutorialdemonstrateshowyoumightuseobservationsofanatomytodevelopasimpledrawnanatomy,takingtheneckandshouldersasanexample.
EXERCISE:ACONSTRUCTEDDRAWING
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencils•Eraser•Sharpener
Idealposelength:10–30minutesperpose.
AIMS&ATTITUDESBydevelopingabasicknowledgeofwhatisunderneaththesurfaceoftheskinyoucanlearntomakeclearerobservationsofthefigure.Bydevelopingsimplestructurestosketchdownunderneathyourfigures,you’llcreateascaffoldofmarksonwhichtohangyourobservationsofthebody.Ifyouliketheapproach,developyourknowledgeofthefigurebystudyinganatomyalongsidemakingfocussedobservationalstudies.Everybodydrawsdifferently,sothisapproachwon’tsuiteverybody.
METHODResearchtheanatomicalstructureofthepartofthebodyyouwishtostudy,makingsketchesfromanatomicaltextbooks,anddevelopaworkingunderstandingofthatpartofthefigure,payingattentiontomusclesandbonestructuresyouseedemonstratedonthesurfaceoftheskin.
Fromyourobservationsofthefigureandfromyourresearch,developsomesimpleshapesthatunderpinwhatyouseeinthatpartofthebody.Instructionaldrawingbooksthatfocusonthefiguremightalsosuggestaframeworkofconstructiveshapes.
Whenyouobserveyourareaofstudyinalife-drawingclass,makequicksketches,layingdowntheunderlyingshapesyouhavedeveloped,andelaboratingonthosestructuresbasedonwhatyouareobserving.
ALSOTRY…Moveontostudyingotherpartsofthebodyanddevelopacompletefigureconstruction.Usethistopractisedrawingsimplefigureposesfromyourimagination.
TOIMPROVE…•Improveyourjudgmentof
relationshipsbetweenmajorlandmarksonthefigure.
•Studyhumananatomy.•Learnmoreaboutothersuggested
structuresfromfigure-drawing
books.
ATTHEDRAWINGBOARD
Thischapterisanextensionofthesectionondrawingathome,intendedfordayswhenyoucancarveoutalittlemoretimetodraw.Ifyouareluckyenoughtohaveadedicatedstudiospacethenperhapsthisisdrawingtobedonethere.Ifnot,doitatthekitchentable,inyourbedroomoranywhereyoucanfocusfullyonyourwork.Hereissomeadvicetohelpyougetthemostfromyourtime.
PRACTICALADVICE•Firstyou’llwanttocutoutalldistractions.Removeanythingfromyour
immediatevicinitythatwillpullyouawayfromdrawing.
•Puttechnologyaside.Evenifyou’redrawingfromascreen,steerclearoftheinternetforafewhours,andsetyourphonetosilent.
•Don’tletotherpeopledistractyou.Perhapsyourfirstdrawingcouldbeanattractive‘DoNotDisturb’signforyourdoor.
•Setaminimumtime.Allowyourselfenoughtimetorelaxintodrawinganddon’tforgettomakeafewwarm-upsketchesbeforeyoustartinearnest.
•Don’tplaythestarvingartist.Havesomethingtoeat!Haveasnackandaglassofwatertohandsothatnothingwillpullyouawayfromthetaskahead.
•Don’tfeelunderpressure.Thisistimetolearn,playandexperiment.Itisasmuchabouttheprocessastheoutcome.
•Ifyoulikemusic,putonsomemusic.
WARM-UPSBeforestartinganyseriousdrawing,setasideafewminutesformakingsomesacrificialwarm-upsketches.Thiswillhelpyoucoordinateyoureyeandhandandloosenupyourwristalittle.Thepaper-to-paperexerciseinthissectionisagoodwarmup,butyoumightalsowanttostartwithanyoftheexercisesfromChapter2,adrawingoftheroom,thealternativeexerciseinhere,ortheblindcontourdrawingsfromhereappliedtoobjectsratherthanamodel.
IDEALKITGetyourdrawingkitout,butdon’toverwhelmyourselfwithtoomuchvariety.Pickingyourmaterialsisasmuchapartofthedrawingprocessasisputtingpenciltopaper.Thisisyourtimetotrynewtools,ortobecomemorecompetentwiththematerialsyouenjoy;exploretherangeofpotentialthatdrawinghastooffer.Nobodyislookingoveryourshoulderorjudgingyourwork;youhave
offer.Nobodyislookingoveryourshoulderorjudgingyourwork;youhavepermissiontomakemistakes,totakerisksandtofail.Organiseyourdrawingspace,makesureyouhaveagoodsurfacetorestyourpaperonandensurethekityouintendtouseisaccessible.
PAPERTOPAPER
Itisoftenusefultodevelopafewbasicdrawingexercisesthathelpyourelaxintotheprocessoflookingandmakingmarks.Ideallytheseexercisesshouldrequireminimalequipmentandareadilyaccessiblesubject–andwhatcouldbemoreaccessibleatyourdrawingboardthanaballofpaper!
Thisisagreatexerciseintonaldrawingandshaperecognition,anditcanbeawonderfullymeditativewaytogetlostindrawingsomethingrelativelysimple.Itischeapandeasytosetup,andwasfirstsuggestedtomebytheartistDaphneSandham.Daphneadvocateseatingasquareofchocolateatthesametimetohelpyoumaintainconcentration,anddrawingforthelengthofasong;soputona3–5minutesonganddrawuntilitfinishes.
EXERCISE:TONALPLANES
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Eraser•Sharpener•Paper•Adesklamp
Time:Thelengthofasong.
Setup:Crumpleupaballofpaperandsititonthetableinfrontofyouwithadesklampprovidingdirectionallight.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisisacommonlyusedexercisetohelpyoumakeclearobservations,unrestrictedbytheworryofhowthedrawinglooks.Itwillalsohelpyoutoidentifyedges,makedecisionsaboutwheretodrawalineandencourageconfidentlinearmark-making.
METHODStartyourdrawingwithashapeinthemiddleoftheballofpaper;don’tbeginwiththeoutlineoftheball.Drawtheabstractplanesthatyousee,drawingoneshapenexttoanother.
shapenexttoanother.
Startrenderingtoneusingquick,simplediagonalmarks.Judgehowlightordarkeachshapeshouldberelativetotheshapesaroundtoit.Saveyourdarkestmark-makingfortheshadowsinthecreasesofthepaper.
Workouttowardstheedgeofthepaper,butdon’tfeelthatyouneedtodrawthewholeball;stopwhenthesongends.
ALSOTRY…Takingthesameapproachwithotherobjectsthataremadeupofmanysmallshapesnexttooneanother,abunchofflowersforexample.
TOIMPROVE…•Learntogrouptonesintodarks,
mid-tonesandlights(seehere).•Learntoseeabstractshapesmore
clearly.•Becomebetteratjudging
relationshipsbetweenpoints.
DRAWINGHANDS
Weuseourhandsforreachingoutandinteractingwiththeworld;theyarealsoexpressivetoolsforcommunication.Leavingyourmodel’shandsoutofadrawingistoneglectanimportantpartoftheiridentity,butifyou’redrawingafullfigureyoumightonlyhaveafewmomentstocapturethegestureofthehand.Spendingsometimemakingfocussedstudiesofyourownhandswillallowyoutoconcentrateonthevariedshapestheycancreate.
Simplifyinghandsintomanageablestructureswillhelpyoubreakdownwhatyousee,creatingaframeworkonwhichyoucanhangyourobservations.Thisexerciseusesapencilfortheunderdrawing,andablackpenforlaterlines.Alternatively,youcoulddotheunderdrawinginwillowcharcoal,rubitbackwithyourhandandover-drawincompressedcharcoalpencil,ormakethedrawinginpencil,erasingbetweenstages.
EXERCISE:HANDSTUDIES
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Blackballpointpen•Paper
Time:10minutesperstudy.
Setup:Secureyourpaperandposeonehandonthetablesothatyoucandrawitwithyourotherhand.Youmightwanttopropamirrorupinfrontofyousothatyoucandrawyourhandatarangeofdifferentangles.
AIMS&ATTITUDES
AIMS&ATTITUDESThepencilinthisexercisehelpsyouseparatetheprocessesofestablishingandconstructingthehandfromelaboratingontheform,allowingyoutolaydownconfidentblacklinestoclarifyyourdrawingonceyouhaveworkedthroughtheproportionalproblems.Usetheexercisetohelpyouthinkaboutdrawinginlayers,dealingwithoneproblematatime,givingconsiderationtothekindsofmarksyouuseateachstage.
METHODPlaceyourhandinaposeandspend10secondsreallylookingatitbeforeyoubegindrawing.Usingyourpencil,startbyestablishingthepositionofthewrist,themassofthehandandthe‘mitten’ofthefingers.Thedistancebetweenthewristandtheknuckleisaboutthesameasbetweentheknuckleandthefingertip.
Drawtheshapeofthethumb,anddividetheestablishingmittenshapeintofingers,asifyouwereasculptorcarvingmoredetailintothedrawing.Lookforlinesofshadowortrianglesofnegativespacebetweendigits.
Usetheblackballpointpentoelaborateontheoutlineofthehandandfingers.Usethestructureoftheunderdrawingtoguideyou,anddrawthelinesandshapesoftheshadowsyousee,keepingyourmarkssimple,selective,andflowing,andexperimentwiththeweightofmarkasyoudraw.
ALSOTRY…Makingstudiesofotherpeople’shandsinaction,holdingcupsincafés,typingonkeyboards,ordrawinginartclasses.Trytocapturetheshapesquicklyastheymove,
TOIMPROVE…•Learntoseeedgesandshapes
moreclearly(see1and2).•Developyourobservationof
negativespaces.
theshapesquicklyastheymove,fillingapagewithswift,incompletesketches.
FOLDS&FABRICS
Drawingfabriccanbeagreatopportunityforexploringmark-making,usingdifferentmarksfortonalshapes,surfacepatternandcontourlines.Makingdraperystudieswillhelpyoudrawclothedfiguresasyoubecomebetteratsimplifyingthecomplexshapesoffabricintoefficientmarks.You’llhavetroublere-posingthefabricinexactlythesameposition,soyou’llneedtocompleteastudyinonesitting,orbeabletoleaveitinthesameplaceuntilyouarereadytocontinuethedrawing.Startoffusingaplainclothforyourfirststudy,thenmoveontosomethingpatterned;Ihaveusedateatowelasthesubjectforthisdrawing.
AIMS&ATTITUDESThisisanexerciseinsimplificationandlookingforkeylinesoftensioninaflowingsubject.Youcanalsoseeitasanopportunitytolearnhowfabricbehavessothatyoucanapplythattootherdrawingsofclothedfigures,curtainsorevenasawayofunderstandingotherflowingsubjectslikehair.
EXERCISE:DRAWINGDRAPERY
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Pencil•Dippen•Ink•Fabric•Paper
Time:30minutes.
Setup:Pinyourfabricupsothatithangsfromapointandbroadensintoatriangle,drapingoveratableorachair.Makesureyouhaveaclear,directionallightsourcethatwillremainconstantasyouaremakingyourdrawing.
METHODEstablishtheshapeofthefabricwithapencil,lookingforitsoveralloutlineand
payingattentiontothenegativespacearoundit.
Inpencil,drawtheedgesofmajorfoldsrunningthroughthefabric,usingavariedspeedandweightoflinetoconveytension.Ignoresmallerfoldsandpatterns.
Usingthedippen,elaborateonthesurfaceofthefabric.Usemarksthatflowwiththefabrictocreatetheimpressionoftone,experimentingwithdirectionofyourmark-makingtoconveythecontouringofthesurfaceofthefabric.Addtexturalmarksforsurfacepatterns,drawingtheshapesyouactuallyseeratherthanthepatternyouknowtobeonthefabric.
ALSOTRY…Makingstudiesofclotheshangingup,observinghowdifferenttheylookwhenfilledwithfigures.
TOIMPROVE…•Learntoseeshapesmoreclearly.•Makesketchesoffiguresin
clothing,lookingfortheshapestheclothesmake(see1and2).
•Learntorendertonebetter.
FROMSCREENTOPAPER
Drawingfromamagazine,aprintedphotographorascreeninvolvestranslatingatwo-dimensionalimageintoatwo-dimensionaldrawing.Thisexercisesdifferentskillsthandrawingasubjectfromlife,whichinvolvestakingathree-dimensionalsubjectandconvertingitintoatwo-dimensionaldrawing.Aphotographwillstaystillindefinitely,butitwillalsorevealnomoreaboutitssubjectthanispresentinthesnapshot.Thisexerciseteachesyoutousephotographsintelligentlyasastartingpointforyourdrawings.Aimtodomorewithyourdrawingthantojustreplicatethephotograph.Makeanoriginaldrawingbasedonthephotographthroughintelligentselection,leavingoutsuperfluouselementsandintroducingdraftsmanlymark-making.
EXERCISE:APHOTOGRAPHICPORTRAIT
SETTINGUP
Whatyouneed:•Agoodportraitphotograph•Pencils•Paper•Sharpener•Eraser
Time:45minutes.
Setup:Setyourselfupsothatyoucanclearlyseeyourpaperandtheimageyouareworkingfrom.Workonanangledsurface,ratherthanflatonatable.
AIMS&ATTITUDESTheaimofthisexerciseistobringtheattitudesofdrawingfromlifetoaphotograph,makingselectivedecisionsasyoudraw.Italsoprovidesanalternativetechniquetotheearlierportraitstudiessuggestedinhere.
METHODThisapproachinvolvesdrawingfromthefeaturesoutwards.Startbyestablishingsomesimpleproportions.Jotinthepositionoftheeyebrow,eye,bottomofthenose,centreofthemouthandbottomofthechin.
Asyoudraw,imaginethepersoninthephotographisinfrontofyou.Drawasif
whatyouareseeingisthree-dimensional,anddrawtheshapesoftheshadowsthatyouseedefiningthefeatures;don’ttrytodrawthefeaturesasyouimaginetheyshouldlook.Leaveoutlesssignificantshapes.
Asyoureachthechin,drawupfromthejawlineandaroundtheeartotheshapeofthehairandforehead.
Simplifyandstylisethelineasyoudraw,emphasisingcharacterfulshapesintheface.Decidehowyouwillusethebackgroundtoservethedrawingbest;youdon’thavetocopyeverythingyouseeinthephotograph.
ALSOTRY…Collagingphotostogetherandinventingyourowncompositionstodrawfrom.
TOIMPROVE…•Practisedrawingfacesfromlife
(see1and2).•Practisedrawingedgesandlines
selectively.•Thinkabouthowyourmemory
andimaginationaffectyourdrawings.
4DRAWINGSKILLS
AVISUALLANGUAGEDrawingisavisuallanguage,ameansofdescribingtheobservedorimaginedworldinavocabularyofmeaningfulmarks.Justassomeoccupationscarrywiththemtheirownverballanguage–themedicallanguageusedbydoctors,lawyersusinglegalterminology,etc.–sodifferentkindsofdrawingrequiredifferentvisualvocabularies.Whenyouaredecidingwhatkindofmarkstouseinadrawing,thinkabouttheelementsofthesubjectyou’dliketodescribetotheviewer.Doyouwanttodrawattentiontothewaylightfallsacrossalandscape?Perhapsatonalvocabularyofmarkswouldbebest.Doyouwanttorecordthecomplexpatternonapieceoffabric?Amorelinearvocabularymightsuitthisdrawing.
Weusedrawingtocommunicateideasandobservations.Thecommunicativeintentionofsomedrawingsisclear:anarchitect’sdrawingsofahousemighthelpaclientenvisagetheirfuturehome,orinformthebuilderinhowtoconstructit.Theintentionofaportraitmightbetorecordthelikenessofthesitterforposterityandforartisticsatisfaction.Somedrawingswillbemadeforyoualone,asarecordofamomentoranaidtomemoryandsomemightbemadeinordertopractisetheprocessoflookingandmark-making.Whateverthepurposeofthedrawing,thinkaboutwhatyouaretryingtosayinit,thinkaboutthelaterviewer,andselectavocabularyofmarksthatwillbestcommunicateyourintentions.
Thissketchwasmadeonlocationwithagraphitestickoncartridgepaper.Itwascreatedtorecordtheimpressionofatree,withmarksmadequicklytocapturetheshapeandflowofthebranches.Precisionhas
beensacrificedforgesturalenergy.
Thisdrawingoffabricwasmadetocapturetheflowofthematerialsandalsotopractiseanewapproachtomark-makingwithadippenonsmooth,heavycartridgepaper.Itssuccessasanexperimentcontributes
toitsoverallsuccessasadrawing.
ABOUTDRAWING
WHATMAKESAGOODDRAWING?Judgingthesuccessofadrawingcanbeverysubjective.Youcouldjudgeadrawingbyhoweffectivelyitfulfilsitspurpose,evenifyouarenotawareofthepurposeofthedrawingasyoumakeit.Don’tmakedrawingsfornoreason.Byallmeansdrawtopractise,orsketchspontaneousresponsestowhatyouseearoundyou,andalwaysbepreparedtotakerisks–but,whateveryoudo,makeeachdrawingpurposeful.
Whenyouarejudgingwhetheradrawinghasbeensuccessfulornot,thinkaboutitspurposeandtheboundariesthatlimiteditscreation.Youcanfindsomethingvaluableineverydrawing;whereadrawinghaselementsthathaven’tworkedyoucanlearnfromthoseweakerparts,andwhenpartsofthedrawinghaveworkedwell,thesecanbebuiltuponinfuturework.Boundariesandconstraintsareimportantforcreatingdrawingswithfocus;timelimits,limitedmaterials,anddifficultsubjectsallintroducechallengesthatwilltrainyoubothtobeabetterdraftsmanandtocreatepurposefulsketches.Adrawingalwayscontainscompromises:proportionalaccuracymightbepartiallysacrificedinfavourofgesturalenergy;tonalrenderingmightbesimplifiedintoafewlinearmarksinordertosavetime.
This45-minutecharcoallifedrawingwasmadetostudytheformofthebody,withmarksmadeinthedirectionofthesurfaceofskinandfabric.
ATTITUDES&TECHNIQUESAttitudesarewaysofthinkingaboutandapproachingdrawing;theattitudeyoutaketodrawingpracticeisasimportantasthetechniquesyouusetomakeindividualpictures.Techniques,suchastheonesinthisbook,giveyouastartingpointandaprocesstoworkthroughwhentranslatingyourobservationsoftheworldontopaper.Takealltechniqueswithapinchofsalt;thereisnorightorwrongwaytodraw,justbetterandworsewaysofachievingacertainoutcome,ordevelopingaparticularwayofseeing.
Sometechniqueshelpyoustructureyourtime,thewayyouthinkaboutyoursubjectandthewayyoumakeyourdrawing;othersprovideclevertrickstomakeyourdrawingmorestriking.Useandadaptalldrawingtechniquesyoulearnabout;combinethemwithotherthingsyou’vereadorbeenshownbyfellowartists,discardanyapproachesthatdon’tsuityouandbringinyourownunderstandingsofthevisualworld.Giventimeyoucanbesureofdevelopinganapproachtodrawingthatisrobust,authenticandunique.
Thisdrawingofahedgerow,drawnfromlifeingreypen,wasastudyoftextures.Someplantswereleftouttoimprovethecompositionandotherswerebroughtclosertogether.
SOURCESOFIMAGERY
Thisbookfocussesondrawingfromobservation.Whenwemakeobservationaldrawingswearegatheringvisualinformation;weselectimportantelementsofwhatweseeandsimplifythoseelementsintomarks.Whenwelookfromoursubjectbacktothedrawingwebrieflyholdamemoryofthesubjectinourheadsbeforewejotitdown,soobservationaldrawingpartiallyreliesonmemory.Everythingweobserveandbrieflymemorisecontributestowardstheschemasthatmakeupourunderstandingoftheworld,creatingstockimagesofobjectsinourheadsthatinturninformourimaginativedrawings.
Forexample,everychairwehaveeverseencontributestowardsourideaofwhatachairlookslike,andthisiswhatweareimaginingwhenwedrawachairfromourheads.Ourknowledgeofthevisualworldandourimaginativecapacityfeedbackintoourobservationaldrawing,helpingselectinterestingandrelevantelementsofoursubjecttodraw.Makinganydrawingwillalwaysinvolveutilisingobservation,memoryandimaginationatonce.
OBSERVATIONImprovingyourobservationmeansspendingmoretimelookingatyoursubjectandlesstimelookingatyourpaper,strengtheningtheconnectionbetweenyoureyeandhand,andlearningtobeselectiveaboutwhatyoudraw.Reducethedistanceyoureyehastotravelbetweenyoursubjectanddrawingtomakeiteasytomakedirectcomparisons.
MEMORYYoucanonlyrememberwhatyouhavefirstobserved.Ifyoumakeadrawingfrommemoryyou’llseethegapswhereyoudidn’tobserveyoursubjectproperly.Trylookingatanobjectforafewminutes,thendrawitfrommemory.Youoftenholdaparticularline,pointorshapeinyourheadasyoutransferit
Youoftenholdaparticularline,pointorshapeinyourheadasyoutransferitontopaper.Improvethatprocess:lookatyoursubject,selectaline,pointorshape,holditinyourmind,thenlookatyourpaperanddrawit,thengobackandfindthenextline.
IMAGINATIONWhenyoufirsttakeupdrawing,yourimaginationcanhamperyou;youthinkyouknowwhattheworldlookslike,soyoudon’tobserveitproperlyanddrawwhatyouthinkisthere.First,learntodrawobjectively,then,asyoudevelopabetterknowledgeofyoursubjectbylooking,useyourknowledgeandimaginationtohelpyoumakebetterselectionsinyourdrawings.
CORESKILLS
Drawingisacompositeskillmadeupofskillsofperception,temperedbyelementsofimaginativedesignandbroughtintobeingthroughtactilemark-making.Theperceptualskillsidentifiedinthischapterareinextricablylinkedandareallrequiredwhenmakinganydrawing.Sometypesofdrawingareweightedtowardsparticularskillsandtheycanbepractisedinordertoimprovethoseskills.
ASKBETTERQUESTIONSSometimesdrawingcanbeaflowing,intuitiveprocess,butoftenitwillinvolvealotofmistakemakingandproblemsolving.Makingbetterdrawingsisaboutidentifyingproblemsinordertosolvetheminyourdrawings.Especiallywhenyou’rejuststartingout,yourprogresscansometimesbehamperedbyanigglinginternalmonologuesayingthingslike:•‘Ican’tdrawfaces.’•‘Thatarmcan’tpossiblylooklikethat.’•‘Thisdrawingisn’tgoingverywell.’
Thisisyourinternalcriticspeaking,anditcanbemorerestrictingtoyourprogressthananylackofability.Inordertodevelop,youneedtimetodrawwithoutnegativeinternalcriticism,soinsteadnurtureaninternaltutor.Turnyourself-criticismsintoconstructivequestionsthatyoucanthentrytoanswerinyourdrawings:•‘WhereshouldIstartthisdrawingofaface?’•‘Isthatarmforeshortened?HowcanImakesenseofitsshape?’•‘Whataretheproblemsinthisdrawingthatmakeitlookunlikethe
subject?HowcanIimproveonit?’
Allowyourselftimetostepbackfromyourdrawingtoaskthesequestions,andwhenyouaredrawing,allowyourselftobecomeabsorbedintheprocessoflookingandmark-makingwithoutcriticism.Ittakestimetolearnhowto
critiqueyourowndrawingsconstructively,butit’llcomewithpractice.
ATOOLBOXOFSKILLSAsyoumakeadrawingyou’llencounterperceptualproblemsanddrawingproblemsthatyou’llneedtosolve.Differentproblemsmightrequiredifferentwaysofseeingandmark-making.Overtimeyoudevelopatoolboxofperceptualskills,andtypesofmark-makingthatwillhelpyousolvecertainproblems.Getusedtodippingintothattoolboxtofindtherightwayofseeingtosolvetheproblem.Drawingtechniquesarejusttoolsthathelpyousolvespecificproblemsinaparticularway.Tobecomeaversatiledraftsman,you’llneedtodevelopascomprehensiveatoolboxofskillsaspossible.
EDGES
Mostdrawingsstartwithaline.Linesrepresentthejourneyyoureyetakesaroundasubject,oftenmovingaroundtheboundarybetweenanobjectanditssurroundingenvironment,oraroundashapeorshadow.Lookingforedgesthatyoumightrepresentwithlinesisafundamentalskillofperception.
EDGESOFOBJECTSTheedgearoundanobjectislikeahorizonline,yoursubject’sformcontinues,butoutofyoursight.Theoutlineyoudrawrepresentsthishorizon;weareabletoseetheboundaryastheresultofcontrastsbetweenanareaoflightandanareaofdark.
EDGESINSIDEOBJECTSWhenyoureyemovesinsidetheshapeofyoursubject’soutlineyou’llstartseeingfurthershapes,continuingtheedgesofthesubjectwithintheboundaryofitsoutline.
TONALEDGESWhensimplifyingtone,youmightwanttodrawtheoutlinestotheshapesofshadowsyouseeonyoursubject.Thiswillmeanmakingdecisionsaboutwherealinecouldgoalongagradientoflightanddark.
PRACTICALBIT:OUTLINE,INTERIORMakesomelineardrawingsfollowingtheprocessoflookingfortheedgesofanoutline,thenshapesinsidetheoutline,thentheedgesofshadows.
RELATIONSHIPS
Judgingrelationshipsbetweenelementsofyoursubjectandgettingtogripswithspatialrelationshipsbetweenobjectsonapageiskeytoachievingharmoniouscompositionsandaccurateproportions.Itisoftenhelpfultostartbyjudgingbigrelationships,honingyourobservationdowntopoint-to-pointrelationshipslater.Learntojudgerelationshipsbyeyeandonlybringinmeasuringtoolswhenyouneedthem.
RELATIONSHIPSBETWEENLANDMARKSTherelationshipsbetweenobjectsonapagemakeupthebroadcomposition.Thoseobjectswillbemadeupofbasicshapesthatsitinrelationshipstooneanother.
RELATIONSHIPSBETWEENPOINTSAlinedescribestherelationshipbetweentwopointsthatsitlikeco-ordinatesonamap;todrawanaccuratelineyouwantanideaofwherethekeymarkerssitalongit.Lookforpointsinyourdrawingthatyoucanrelatetootherpoints:junctionsbetweenlinesorstartingandstoppingpointsoflines.
PRACTICALBIT:MEASURINGWhenyoucan’tjudgearelationshipbyeye,usedrawingtoolstohelpyou.Youcanuseyourpencillikearulertocheckanglesbetweenpointsormeasurecomparativedistances.Closeoneeyetoflattenwhatyouseeandholdyourpenciloutatarm’slengthforaconsistentmeasurement.You’lllooksuperartydoingthis.Ifyouarelookingforaccuracyinyourdrawing,herearesomeusefulquestionstoaskyourselfasyoucheckyourdrawing:
Whatishorizontallyinlinewiththispartofmysubject?Isthatthesameinmydrawing?(Ifitisn’t,changeyourdrawingsothatitis.Dothesameforverticalrelationships.)
IstheangleofthatlineinmydrawingthesameasIseeinmysubject?(Lineupthediagonalwithyourpenciland,keepingyourarmstraight,transferitacrosstoyourdrawing.Iftheangleisn’tthesame,changeitinyourdrawing.)
Howmuchofonepartofthedrawingwouldfitintoanotherpart?(Youdon’tneedtomakeyourdrawingthesamescaleasyouseethesubject,butyoucanstillmakecomparisonsbetweenonelengthandanotherinyoursubjectandyourdrawingtocheckrelativeproportions.)
SHAPES
Whenyouaredrawing,ithelpstolookforlargeshapestobeginplottingoutyourdrawinginaverygeneralway,andthentoworkintothedrawingfindingincreasinglysmallershapesthatfittogetherlikeajigsawpuzzlemakingupyourimpressionofyoursubject.
SIMPLIFIEDSHAPESAtfirstlookforbigshapes,lookingforgeneralrelationshipsinthecomposition.Practisesimplifyingcomplexobjectsintobasicforms.
NEGATIVESPACESDon’tjustlookattheshapesyoursubjectmakes,butalsolookattheshapessurroundingit.Sometimesitiseasiertodrawyoursubjectinnegative,lookingforshapesarounditfirst.Thiscanalsobeausefulproblem-solvingexercise.
forshapesarounditfirst.Thiscanalsobeausefulproblem-solvingexercise.
TONALSHAPES
Lookatyoursubjectlikeajigsawpuzzleofshadowshapes,fittingtogethertocreatethewholepicture.
PRACTICALBIT:SCULPTURALAPPROACHThinklikeasculptor;youarestartingwithablockofgranite(theblankpage)andchippingawaybigshapesthensmallershapestofinallyarriveattheareasofdetails.
TONE
Weseetheworldasgraduationsoflightanddark.Atfirst,thecomplexityoftonecanbeoverwhelming.Themoretonaldrawingsyoumake,themoreclearlyyouwilllearntojudgedifferencesintonalvalues.Beginnersoftenmakecontraststooextreme;mostoftheworldisamid-tone,withthelightestlightsanddarkestdarksatthefarendsofatonalscale.Tryblurringyoureyesinordertoseetonemoregenerally.
TONALRANGEThetonalrangeofyourdrawingmaterialswilldictatethetonesyoucanrepresent.Testyourmaterialsouttogetascaleoflighttodark.Thewhiteofpaperwillgiveyouyourlightestlight,andusingdifferentgradesofpencilwillhelpyoutoextendyourtonalrange.
TONALMARK-MARKINGDifferentmarkscanbeusedtocreatemassesoftone;createaconsistenttonalvocabularyfordescribingshadowsinyourdrawing.Charcoalcanbesmudgedtocreatesmoothtonaltransitions,andpenlinescanbehatchedorpackedmoredenselytocreatedarkertones.
PRACTICALBIT:DARKS,MID-TONES&HIGHLIGHTS
Tohelpyouseetonesclearly,tryseparatingwhatyouseeintogroupsoftone.Developclearmark-makingtorepresentdifferenttones.Trynottogotooheavywithyourtoneuntilyouneedto,savingyourdarkestdarksforimpactfulshadows.Practisedrawingasimpleballlitfromasinglelightsource,breakingdownthegradientoftonethatyouseeintogroupsoftonalvalue.
PROBLEMSOLVING
Themosteffectivewaytoimproveyourdraftsmanshipistodeveloptheabilitytolookatyourdrawingsobjectively.Itisimportanttomaintainanawarenessofthewholeofyourdrawingasyoumakeit,andtocomparethattoyouroverallimpressionofyoursubject.Itiseasytogetcaughtupindetailasyoudraw,butratherthangoingintodetailearlyonandcontinuingtoworkindetail,you’llwanttozoominonanareatoseeitmoreclearly,thenzoombackouttoseehowitfitswiththewhole,makeanychangesneededandthenzoombackinonanotherareaofdetail,andsoon.
Adrawingtobe‘assessed.’
PRACTICALBIT:ASSESSINGTHEWHOLE
Inordertozoomouteffectivelyandcheckyourdrawing,you’llneedwaysofbeingobjectiveaboutwhatyousee.Itcanbehardtobeobjectiveaboutyourdrawingwhenyouhavebeenlookingatitintently,sobelowaresomewaysofseeingitwithfresheyes.Usethemwhenyouneedtocheckyourdrawingforproblems.
Ifyoufindyourselfconsistentlymakingthesamemistakes,youmightwanttoputinsomededicatedpracticetimejustfortacklingthatparticularissue.You’llusuallyfindthatproblemsarisefromnotseeingyoursubjectproperly–youseewhatyouexpectratherthanwhat’sthere–ornothavingtherighttoolstodealwithtrickydrawingmanoeuvres.Herearesomeofthemostcommonproblemsyou’relikelytocomeacrossasyoumakedrawings.Youcanusethisasahandychecklistforassessingyourwork.
Whenyou’relearninganewskillitcanbeeasytobecomefrustratedwithyourselfortheprocessbecauseyou’renotachievingtheresultsyouexpected.Fightthisfrustrationandrememberthateverytimeyouidentifyaproblem,youhaveatargettoimproveon.Youwillseeimprovement–keepdrawing!
COMMONPROBLEMS:•Selectivescales:Adetail/areaistoolargeorsmallforitssurroundingsorthe
objectsit’sconnectedto.•Dodgydistances:Eyestooclosetogether,bodytooshortforitslegs–youcan
getawaywithimprecisedistanceswithsomesubjects,liketrees,butwhendrawingpeople,architectureandscaledesigns,youneedtogetthisright.
•Perspectiveandforeshortening:Itcantakealotofpracticetomastertheseareas,becausewhatyoureyereallyseescanseemintuitivelywrongwhenyoucometodrawit.Ifyoulettheillusionfoolyou,though,yourfinisheddrawingwilllookallsortsofweird.
•Toomanylines:Acommonproblemforbeginnersbeforethey’vegainedtheconfidencetomakeonedistinctline.
•Toomuchdetail:Itcanbeeasytooverworkyourfavouriteareas.Usealevelofdetailthat’srightforthescaleandintentionofyourdrawing.
•Flatdrawings:Whenyou’reworkingwithtone,doyouhaveenoughvariety
fromthedarkestareastothelightest?
COMPOSITION
Asyoudraw,youmakeconsciousandunconsciousdecisionsabouthowelementsofyourdrawingarearrangedonthepaper.Inordertomakemoreeffectivedrawingsthatbettersuityourintentions,you’llneedtobecomemoreawareofthedesigndecisionsthatgointocomposingadrawing.Asyourdrawingsbecomemoreconsideredintheircompositionyouwillstrayintotherealmsofimage-makingandyoucanbegintoborrowcompositionalideasfromothervisualdisciplines.Aswellaslookingatartists’drawings,youcanstudyhowcompositionisusedinpainting,photographyandfilm,applyingexamplesofgoodcompositiontoyourownpractice(seehere).Differentkindsofdrawingrequiredifferentcompositionalapproaches.Whenyoustartdrawing,thinkaboutwhyyouaremakingthedrawingandhowyoucancomposeittobestsuititspurpose.
ASERIESOFSTUDIESIfyouaremakingadrawinginordertostudyasubjectortoexperiment,designorrecordobservations,youmightmakeseveralsmalldrawingsonasinglepage.Thinkabouthowthesesketchessitinrelationtooneanotherandhowyoucandrawattentiontothesubjectofyourstudy.Dotheybenefitfromtheconfinesofboxes,oraretheybetterdrawnopen?
ALINEARNARRATIVEIllustrations,signageandinstructionaldrawingsseektonarrateandexplain,sothey’llneedtobecomposedtoappearclearandpurposeful.Ifyouaredrawingalinearnarrativeofsequentialframes,considerhowyou’dreadtheimageslefttoright.
ASINGLEIMAGEPaintings,printsanddrawingsmadeforartisticpurposesaretypicallyself-containedimagesratherthanpartofalinearnarrative.Whetheryouaredrawingtoplanapaintingorprintordrawingjustasanendinitself,ifyouintendtotellastoryintheimage,thenaconsideredcompositionwillhelptoguidetheeye
astoryintheimage,thenaconsideredcompositionwillhelptoguidetheeyearoundit.
THEPICTUREPLANE
Thefirstlinestoconsiderwhencomposingadrawingarethefourlinesthatmakeuptheplaneonwhichthepictureisdrawn.Itiswithinthisspacethatthedynamicmassesofthedrawinginteract.Don’tletyourpapersizearbitrarilysetthedimensionsofyourdrawingforyou,buttakeownershipofthepictureplane.Decidethedimensionsofyourdrawingandworkwithinthatspace,orcropadrawingafteryouhavemadeit.Differentdimensionsofpictureplanewillcreateverydifferentimages;experimentwiththumbnailsketchestoworkouthowyou’dliketocropyourdrawing.
PRACTICALBIT:VIEWFINDERS
Takethreepiecesofcardofapproximately15×20cm(6˝×8˝)andcutadifferentsizeofapertureinthecenterofeachone:10x10cm(4˝×4˝),8×16cm(3.5˝×7˝)and10×15cm(4˝×6˝).Thiswillgiveyouthreeviewfindersthatyoucanusetovisuallyisolateyoursubjectandtestdifferentcompositionswithfivedifferentkindsofcrop.Drawthumbnailsonyourpaperofthesameratios(1:1,1:2,2:3)andtryoutdifferentcompositions;thesecanbescaledupformoredevelopeddrawings.
ARMATURES
Inthesamewayasaclayfiguremightbebuiltontoawirearmatureforstability,adrawingcanbeunderpinnedwithasimplecompositionalframework.Thinkofthearmatureasthesimplestlinearinterpretationoftheimage,providinglittleornohintastothesubjectmatter.Itisascaffoldonwhichtohangtheinteractingmassesofthedrawing’scomposition.Thearmaturemightrelatetolinesofperspective,directionalflowsandhalosoffocus;itisalsoimportanttothinkabouthowhorizontal,verticalanddiagonallinescuttingthroughadrawingrelatetotheouterlinesofthepictureplane.
Whenstudyinganotherartist’swork,lookfortheunderlyingarmatureofthecomposition.Thereisno‘right’waytointerpretthestructure;wewillallseeslightlydifferentkeylines.Printoutanimageofapieceofartwork,laytracingpaperoverthetopandintuitivelydrawinthesimplestkeylinesofthecomposition.IhavetakenaToulouse-Lautrecpaintingasanexampleforthecompositionalstudyhere.
Wheneveryouarepreparingtodrawsomething,considertheviewthatyouintendtosketchandjotdownthesimpleststructurallinesthatyoucansee.Thiswillhelpyoucomposethemassesofthedrawingonyourpictureplane,orencourageyoutoalteryourviewtoimprovethecomposition.
ARRANGINGMASSESWhenwefirstlookatanimageitistheoverallarrangementofcontrastingmassesinthepicturethatgovernwhereourattentionisdirected.Whenyouaredesigningacomposition,thinkabouthowyoucanarrangemassesoftoneorpatterntocreatebalanceanddirecttheeyearoundthepictureplane.Theeyeisnaturallydrawntowardsareasoflightertoneandstrongcontrasts.Darkmassescanbeusedtocreatevisualbarriersandtochanneltheeyetowardsareasoffocus.Anarrowtonalrangewillcreateamutedatmospherewhereasdynamicareasofhighcontrastwillcreatedramainapicture.
Tostudyhowartistsusemassesoftoneintheircompositions,laytracingpaperoveraprintedartworkandblockinthemajormassesoftone,averagingthemassesintodarkestdarks,darkmid-tones,mid-tonesandlightmid-tones(seehere).
Drawingisaselectiveprocess.Whenyouaredrawingfromobservationyouwillmakemanydecisionsabouthowyourepresentyoursubject.Onceyourpictureplaneissetandabasicarmatureestablished,squintorunfocusyoureyestobetterseeaveragemassesoftone.Blockinthosemassesassimpleshapes,workingingreaterdetailwhereyouwanttocreatefocus.
DIRECTINGTHEEYE
Therouteoureyestakethroughanimageispartiallydictatedbyitscomposition.Wearenaturallyattractedawayfromdarkmassesoftoneandlargeblankspacestowardsareasoflight,concentrationsofdetailandsubjectiveelementssuchasfigures,facesandhands.Thinkaboutwhatyourdrawingistryingtocommunicateandhowyoucanguideaviewer’seyearoundittobettertellitsstory.Aportraitmightsimplydirecttheviewer’seyetothefaceofthesitter,andastilllifemightsimplydrawattentiontotheplayoflightoveracollectionofobjects.Morecompleximagesmightleadtheviewerthroughascene,stilllifeorlandscape,drawingattentiontoseveralelementsinaplannedorder.
Usingtracingpaperandaprint-outofanartwork,tryplottingthemovementyoureyetakesaroundanimage.Itcanbetrickytoworkoutatfirst;don’toverthinkitbutjotitdownintuitively.
Considerhowyourowncompositiondirectstheeyeandmakechangestoaltertheeye’spaththroughadrawing.InthisimageIhaveaddedanadditionalelementtostoptheeyefallingoffthepageontheright.
WORKINGPROCESSThereismuchmoretogoodcompositionthanthatwhichhasbeenoutlinedonthepreviouspages,andhowyoucomposeadrawingwillbeledmostlybyyourownintuition.Althoughthereareconventionsparticulartodifferent
genresofdrawing,therearenofixedrules;experiment,learnfromtheworkofothersanddevelopyourownpreferences.Hereareafewthingstoconsider:
•Consciouslydecidethedimensionsofyourpictureplane.•Thinkabouthowyoucropyourdrawings–useaviewfinderifithelps.•Makethumbnaildrawingsofalternativecompositions.•Considerhowhorizontals,verticalsanddiagonalsinyourimagerelateto
theedgesofthepictureplane.•Arrangeyourcompositionintodistincttonalmasses.•Considerhowyoucandirecttheviewer’seyearoundanimage.
Youcan’tcontroleveryelementofyourpictureallofthetime,andneithershouldyou;drawingshouldn’tbeacontrived,intellectualexercise.However,inordertocomposeyourdrawingsbetter,you’llneedtocontrolsomeelements,someofthetime.Ifyou’renothappywiththecompositionofyoursubject,couldyoudoanyofthefollowingtoimproveyoursituation?
•Moveyoursubject–askyourmodeltomove,orrearrangeastilllife.•Changeyourposition–viewyoursubjectfromaslightlydifferentangle,or
getupandmovecompletely.•Changethelightingonyoursubject–blockormovealightsource,createa
newlightsourceordrawatadifferenttimeofday.•Makealterationstoyourdrawing,editingyourobservationstoimprovethe
composition.•Ifyou’renotsurehowtocomposeyourdrawing,tryborrowingthe
compositionsofotherartists(seehere)andthinkofwaystoapplythemtoyourownwork(seehere).
PERSPECTIVE
Theconventionsofperspectiveallowustoreplicateelementsofhowweperceivethevisualworld,andlearningtheseconventionswillhelpyoutocreatetheillusionofathree-dimensionalspaceonatwo-dimensionalsurface.Bydrawingonlyandexactlywhatyouseeinfrontofyou,youcancreatearepresentationalimagewithoutneedingtoknowanythingaboutperspective.However,knowledgeofperspectivewillhelpyoutostructureyourobservations,toanticipatevisualdistortionsandtoconvincinglyalterandinventdrawnenvironments.Equally,youcanchoosetodistortconventionalperspectiveforyourownartisticpurposes.
ATMOSPHERICPERSPECTIVEDuetotheinterferenceofatmosphericparticlesintheairscatteringlight,weseesignificantlydistantobjectsaspalerandlesstonallydistinct,andthecoloursindistantsubjectstendingtowardsblue.
ILLUSIONSOFPERSPECTIVEAdistantobjectwillappearsmallertoyouthananearbyobjectofthesamesizeandtheterm‘foreshortening’referstothisphenomenon.Inthedrawingbelow,
thenearerendofthecylinderappearslargerbecauseitiscloser;thecylinderappears‘foreshortened’.Whenyouaredrawingandyourealisethatsignificantdistortionsofscaleareoccurringinyoursubjectyoucanusemeasuringtechniquestoobjectivelycomparethelimitsofyoursubjectandnegativespacesaroundthesubjecttocheckitsoverallshape.
LINEARPERSPECTIVELinearperspectiveusestheconventionthatparallellinesinthephysicalworldappeartoconvergeonadistantpointonthehorizoninordertocreateillusionsofdepthinatwo-dimensionalimage.Thisisparticularlyusefultobearinmindwhendrawingbuildingsandstill-lifesubjects.Thereismuchmoretolinearperspectivethanwehaveroomtocoverhere.Herearesomeexamplesofhowtousesimplelinearperspective.
SINGLEPOINTWhenasubjecthasoneentiresideflattothepictureplane,asinglevanishingpointcanbeusedtodescribetheillusionofrecedingparallellinesdisappearingonthehorizon.Usefaintlydrawnlinesconvergingonyourvanishingpointtoestablishtheanglestheobject’slinesneedtofollow.Movingthehorizonlinewillcreatedifferentviewsofthesameobject.
TWOPOINTSWhenonlyoneedgeofthesubjectisflattothepictureplane,twovanishingpointsonthehorizoncanbeusedtostructuretheillusionofthetwosetsofrecedingparalleledgesofthesubject.Thevanishingpointsdon’tnecessarilyhavetobewithinthepictureplane.
RESOURCES
Thisbookisintendedasaspringboardtohelpyoumakedrawingapartofyourdailylife.Ifyou’dliketobuildontheskillsyouhavedeveloped,youcanusebookstohelpstructureyourlearning.Ifyou’reseriousaboutimproving,tryusingthedrawingregimessetout.
FIGUREDRAWINGAnatomyfortheArtistbySarahSimbletPortraitDrawingbyJohnT.FreemanTheNaturalWaytoDrawbyKimonNicolades
INSTRUCTIONALDRAWINGKeystoDrawingbyBertDodsonDrawingIdeasbyMarkBaskingerandWilliamBardelFashionDrawingbyMicheleWesenBryant
DRAWINGTHEORY&PRACTICEElementsofDrawingbyJohnRuskinBergeronDrawingbyJohnBergerDrawingProjectsbyJackSouthernandMickMaslen
INSPIRATIONTheArtofUrbanSketchingbyGabrielCampanarioTheDrawingBookbySarahSimblet
COLOUR&COMPOSITIONColourandLightbyJamesGurneyMasteringCompositionbyIanRoberts
OTHERBOOKSBYJAKESPICERDrawPeopleinFifteenMinutesDrawFacesinFifteenMinutesDrawDogsinFifteenMinutesDrawCatsinFifteenMinutesLifeDrawinginFifteenMinutes
DRAW:AFast,Fun&EffectiveWaytoLearn
YouWillBeAbletoDrawbytheEndofthisBookYouWillBeAbletoDrawFacesbytheEndofThisBook
DRAWINGCLASSESWITHJAKESPICERwww.draw-brighton.co.ukwww.thedrawingcircus.co.uk/www.jakespicerart.co.uk
SOCIALMEDIA@BrightonDrawing#jakespicer
DRAWINGCOURSESHowevermuchyouwanttodrawregularlyitcanbedifficulttoestablishthehabitofdailydrawinginyourroutines.Tokick-startyourlearninganddevelopment,setyourselfmanageablegoalsandkeepnotesonhowmuchdrawingyouaremanagingtodoeach.Hereissomegeneraladvicetohelpkeepyouontrack.
•Identifyyourgoals.Workoutwhatitisyou’retryingtoachievewithyourdrawingandaspiretowardit;evenifyouchangeyourmindasyoulearn,itwillhelpyoutofindmotivationanddirectyourpractise.
•Ensureyouarewellequipped.Ifyouplantodrawintheday,makesureyouhaveallthekityou’llneed.
•Establishanarrativeofprogression.Startasketchbookandcarryitaroundwithyoueverywhere;notesomeoftheexercisesinthisbookdowninthebackforreference.Lookbackthroughthebookeverymonthtogaugeyourimprovement.
•Dateyourdrawings.Keepyourdrawingsinordersothatyoucanlookbackthroughthemasyoumakemore,keepeverythingyoudrawatfirst,especiallythebaddrawings.
•Setyourselfadrawingregime.Ifyoulikestructure,writeyourselfaweeklyplanliketheexamplesoverthepageandsticktoit.
•Setamonthlycheckin.Setamonthlydatetocheckinwithafriendtoshowthemhowyou’vebeengettingon,orbookaregulartutorialwithadrawingtutor.Youcouldevenstartablogofimagesorsharethemonsocialmedia.
DRAWINGREGIMESHerearesomeexamplesofregimesyoumightsetforyourself,tailoredtowardsasubjectyouwishtofocuson.Tomakeconsistentprogressaimtomaketimefor15–45minutesofdrawing,fourdaysaweek,andasingle2–3hoursessionwithacoupleofdayswhereyoudon’thavetodrawunlessthemoodtakesyou.Thelongdrawingsessioncouldbeaclassthatyouattend,orworkonamoresubstantialdrawingproject.
Goodluck,andhappydrawing!
EXAMPLEFIGUREDRAWINGREGIME
Monday:15minutes—Sketchcommutersonthetrainhomeafterwork(seehere)Tuesday:15mins—Practisedrawingstickmeninyourlunchbreak(seehere)Wednesday:2hours—Attendaneveninglifedrawingclass(seehere)Thursday:Restday
Friday:45minutes—Transcribeaportraitdrawingathome(seehere)Saturday:45minutes—Drawaportraitofafriendovercoffee(seehere)Sunday:Restday—Lookoverwhatyou’vedonethisweek
EXAMPLELANDSCAPEDRAWINGREGIME
Monday:15minutes—Drawoutthewindowonpublictransport(seehere)Tuesday:15minutes—Sketchatreeinyourlunchbreak(seehere)Wednesday:15minutes—Visitagalleryandtranscribealandscapecomposition(seehere)Thursday:Restday
Friday:45minutes—Meetafriendforcoffeeandsketchthestreetoutsidetogether(seehere)Saturday:2hours—Goforawalkandmakealongdrawingofalandscape(seehere)Sunday:Restday—Lookoverwhatyou’vedonethisweek
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ThisbookisdedicatedtomyGranddad,BobBarnyard,whohasalwaysbeensupportiveofmycreativeendeavorsandkindlysatfortheportraits.
ThisbookwasmadepossiblebythesupportandinputoftheBrightondrawingcommunityandbytheongoingsupportofmyfamilywhohavealwaysencouragedmetokeepdrawing.ThankyoutoJohnFreeman,anartistandteacherofgreatintegrity,andtoSarahSimbletandEleanorCrookfortheirexemplarytuitionandgenerousadviceinthesummerof2014.
ThankyoualsotoShelleyMorrow,HesterBerry,MaryMartinandLauraBurgessatDrawfortheirongoingsupport;toTheresa,Marina,Emma,Milo,Poppy,Jenny,NicolaandalltheotherstudentsoftheDrawAtelierforbeingmyunwittingguineapigs;toTimPatrickforinspiringconversationandtoDuncanCromartyforhisever-valuableinput.Thankyouespeciallytoeverybodywhomodelledforthedrawingsinthisbook:Boris,Kiki,FrancescaCluney,RobPretorius,LauraNenonen,LauraKateO’Rouke,LanaMcDonaghandBethHodd.ThankyoutoScarlettforbeingawillingdrawingbuddy.
Finally,muchcreditmustgotoRachelSilverlightatIlexforhersaintlypatience,andtotherestoftheIlexteamfortheircontinuedhardworkandsupport,andtothedesignersandprinters,withoutwhomthebookwouldnotbepossible.
AnHachetteUKCompanywww.hachette.co.uk
FirstpublishedintheUnitedKingdomin2018byILEX,adivisionofOctopusPublishingGroupLtdOctopusPublishingGroupCarmeliteHouse
50VictoriaEmbankmentLondon,EC4Y0DZwww.octopusbooks.co.uk
Design,layoutandtextcopyright©OctopusPublishingGroup2018
JakeSpicerassertsthemoralrighttobeidentifiedastheauthorofthiswork.
MaterialinthisbookwaspreviouslypublishedinDRAW©2015.Thisedition,includingadditionalmaterial,©2018.
Publisher:RolyAllenEditorialDirector:HelenRochesterManagingEditor:FrankGallaugherSeniorEditor:RachelSilverlightArtDirector:JulieWeirDesign:JCLanawayPublishingAssistant:StephanieHetheringtonAssistantProductionManager:LucyCarterAllrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedorutilisedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.
eISBN9781781576175