T08 to bee or not to bee

TO BEE OR NOT TO Brenda Hoddinott T-08 ADVANCED: DIVERSE ANIMALS The detailed drawing of a bee in this project provides artists with an opportunity to enhance various skills, such as drawing several different textures. Several tidbits of information about bees are offered in sections titled “Bee Informed”.

Suggested drawing supplies include good quality white drawing paper, graphite pencils, kneaded and vinyl erasers, and a pencil sharpener. This project is recommended for fine art educators and artists from age 12 to adult with good drawing skills.

This project is divided into the following three sections:

BEE BODY PARTS AND BASIC PROPORTIONS: Following a brief introduction to the terminology used for the parts of a bee’s body, you lightly sketch the major sections in a proportionately correct manner. This project relies completely on freehand drawing without the help of drawing tools such as a grid.

OUTLINING THE INTRICATE SHAPES OF A BEE: Text instructions are limited in this section. Rather, you rely on fine tuning your visual skills to outline the fine intricacies of the bee, by closely examining large step-by-step illustrations.

SHADING BEE FORMS AND TEXTURES: In this section you gather your pencils and prepare to add several different types of shading to the various parts of the bee. A full range of values and carefully placed shading graduations, fool the observer's eye into seeing the three-dimensional under forms of the head, eyes, thorax, abdomen, and legs.

16 PAGES – 24 ILLUSTRATIONS Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada – Revised 2006

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.

E-mail [email protected] Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

- 2 -

BEE BODY PARTS AND BASIC PROPORTIONS Following a brief introduction to the terminology used for the parts of a bee’s body, you lightly sketch the major sections in a proportionately correct manner. This project relies completely on freehand drawing without the help of drawing tools such as a grid.

ILLUSTRATION 08-01 The parts of a bee’s body include:

1. Antennas 2. Head 3. Compound Eyes 4. Thorax 5. Wings 6. Abdomen 7. Front Legs 8. Middle Legs 9. Hind Legs 10. Stinger

As you draw, pay close attention to the lengths, angles, and curves of the various lines which outline the bee’s different parts.

Constantly double check the proportions of your sketch as you work your way through this project, and modify if needed.

ILLUSTRATION 08-02 1) Sketch a thin egg shape as

the head.

Use an HB pencil, and keep your lines light so they can be easily erased.

2) Draw a long thin wing.

3) Draw the thorax as a large circular shape that appears to be behind the head and wing.



- 3 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-03

4) Draw a vertical oval on the head as the eye.

A bee’s compound eyes allow it to see in many directions at once.

5) Lightly sketch the outline of the bee’s second wing. Take note of where the outline begins on the upper thorax and ends on the upper side of the larger wing. In fact, both of the bee’s wings are the same size; however, a section of the second wing is hidden behind the thorax. As well, in that the second wing is farther away than the first, it appears smaller because it is drawn in perspective to the other.

ILLUSTRATION 08-04

6) Sketch the bee’s abdomen. Take note of the U-shape that represents the outline of the abdomen. Observe where the outline begins on the lower section of the thorax and ends on the lower edge of the closer wing.



- 4 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-05

7) Lightly sketch the three legs on the frontal side of the bee.

8) Add the bee’s two antennas to the front of the head.

9) Add the tiny section of the back leg that is visible under the abdomen.

10) Erase the lines of the head, thorax, and abdomen that are inside the outlines of the legs.

11) Pat the entire drawing with your kneaded eraser until you can barely see the lines.

ILLUSTRATION 08-06



- 5 -

OUTLINING THE INTRICATE SHAPES OF A BEE Text instructions are very limited in this section; rather, you rely on fine tuning your visual skills to outline the fine intricacies of the bee, by closely examining large step-by-step illustrations.

ILLUSTRATION 08-07 12) Outline the

upper sections of the three legs closer to the viewer.

ILLUSTRATION 08-08

13) Add the outlines of the head, eye, and antennas.

A bee navigates by using the ultraviolet light of the sun, even on cloudy days.



- 6 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-09 14) Outline the wing

that is closer to the viewer.

ILLUSTRATION 08-10

15) Add the circular outline of the thorax.



- 7 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-11 16) Outline the

second wing.

ILLUSTRATION 08-12

17) Outline the upper two sections of the abdomen.



- 8 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-13 18) Outline the shapes of the

small visible sections of the distant three legs.

ILLUSTRATION 08-14

19) Add the two center sections of the abdomen.

20) Add the lower sections of the six legs.



- 9 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-13

21) Outline the two lower sections of the abdomen and add the stinger.

22) Erase the

initial sketch lines.

23) Pat the entire drawing with a kneaded eraser until all the lines are very light.

ILLUSTRATION 08-14



- 10 -

SHADING BEE FORMS AND TEXTURES Gather your pencils and prepare to add several different types of shading to the various parts of the bee. A full range of values and carefully placed shading graduations, fool the observer's eye into seeing the three-dimensional under forms of the head, eyes, thorax, abdomen, and legs.

ILLUSTRATION 08-15

24) Outline the head and thorax with fuzzy lines of various lengths that curve in different directions.

25) Outline the highlight of the eye as a tiny oval-shape.

26) Add a crescent shape of light shading to mark the location of the shadow section of the eye.

ILLUSTRATION 08-16

27) Use curved hatching lines to add values to the various sections of the abdomen. As you continue shading, keep in mind that the upper half of each section will remain light and the lower sections will become darker.

You create different values by:

Varying the density (placing lines either far apart or close together) of the individual hatching lines.

Varying the pressure used in holding various pencils.

Using different grades of pencils, from hard to soft, to help with the different values.



- 11 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-17

Three types of bees live together in a honeybee colony. The queen bee is a fertile female. Drones are male bees. Worker bees are infertile females.

ILLUSTRATION 08-18

28) With curved hatching lines and a full range of values, add a furry texture to the head and thorax.

29) Draw dark curved diagonal lines in the eye.

30) Add shading to the eye and antennas.

31) Outline the legs with neat thin lines.



- 12 -

ILLUSTRATION 08-19

32) Use a full range of values from very light to almost black to assist in shading the various sections of the abdomen. In reality, the abdomen of a bee is striped, with yellow along the upper half of each section, and black in the lower halves. Your goal with shading is to use lighter values for the yellow stripes than for the black.

ILLUSTRATION 08-20

Today, honey is considered by many individuals as simply a delightful food, especially yummy on a peanut butter sandwich. However, throughout the centuries, honey has also been used as a topical dressing for wounds, an embalming fluid, and a fermented beverage.



- 13 -

33) Identify and outline the highlights on each of the six legs.

34) Add shading with a full range of values to each section of each leg.

35) With numerous dots and marks, add the motley texture to the legs.

36) Add a darker outline around each of the three legs that are closer to the viewer, and very dark shading to their shadow sections. The three legs in the distance are shaded lighter than the others. The farther away objects are, the lighter in value they should be drawn.

ILLUSTRATION 08-21

ILLUSTRATION 08-22

37) Add a section of shading on the wing that follows the perceived shape of the upper thorax and abdomen. The wing of a bee is see-through, which means that the body is faintly visible behind it.



- 14 -

38) Add shading to the wings with a combination of dots and squirkles so as to create a lightly shaded delicate pattern.

ILLUSTRATION 08-23

ILLUSTRATION 08-24

The origin of the term “honeymoon” has been traced to the honey of a bee. In ancient times, a fermented beverage made from honey, was consumed in large quantities for a month following Norse wedding celebrations.



- 15 -

BRENDA HODDINOTT - BIOGRAPHY As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda Hoddinott utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, conté crayon, and oil paints.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter,

the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable. >Brenda Hoddinott<

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted “Learn to Draw” books. During Brenda’s twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brenda’s skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from “Forensic Artists International”.

Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes. As supervisor of her community’s recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several children’s art programs. In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites.

Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world.

LEARN-TO-DRAW BOOKS BY BRENDA HODDINOTT Drawing for Dummies (2003): Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book

is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing People (2004): Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education – Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.

T08 to bee or not to bee

Education

Transcript of T08 to bee or not to bee