*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) In today's blog post/YouTube video, I'll be sharing Inktober sketches 19-25, as well as a review of the supplies I've been using throughout this challenge. I wanted to really put these products to the test and have a good amount of experience with them before I actually expressed any opinions. I have released several blog posts sharing tips and tutorials about pen and ink drawing that I highly recommend you check out if you haven't already (two very popular ones are this one and this one). In past YouTube videos, I've shared how much I enjoy using this drawing medium and why I think it's so effective at helping us progress our artistic skills. All this said, I had never used pen and ink as consistently as I have with this drawing challenge. I committed to participating in Inktober this year because I knew that creating a new piece every-single-day for an entire month would lead to amazing growth in a short period of time. The challenge would help me not only exercise my creativity continuously and gain confidence in my pen and ink technique, but would also test my time-management skills and even more mental/personal aspects. Over at my YouTube channel, I've shared all of my Inktober sketch time lapses so far: 1. Timelapses 1-5 + A Bit About My Thoughts and Process 2. Timelapses 6-11 + How I Come Up With the Ideas Behind My Sketches 3. Timelapses 12-18 + My Struggles So Far *The video included in this post is my fourth compilation of sketch time lapses and I'm closing this Inktober series with a last video including my final drawings, as well as a bit about what I've learned.
If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I share a brand new video every week with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials and mindset/productivity tips for artists. *Subscribe HERE*
My Inktober SuppliesI knew I wanted to make a careful selection of supplies and stick with them throughout the entire month. This way, I would be able to come up with solid opinions about them. I bought all my supplies through Amazon and Blick Art Supplies this year. If you'd like to see a full list of my current favorite art supplies, go here. 1. Leuchtturm1917 Sketchbook
This was my first time using a Leuchtturm sketchbook and I really enjoyed it, especially in combination with drawing pens and ink. These sketchbooks are definitely on the more expensive side, but I'm really glad I invested in one and decided to use it for this drawing challenge!
The sketchbook is 15 x 21 cms. in size and is made up of 96 pure white 180 g/m drawing paper that is quite smooth. I love that the sketchbook includes two bookmarks and an elastic to keep it safely closed. These characteristics make the sketchbook perfect to take out for drawing in plein air or coffeeshops. I had a couple of different sketchbooks to pick from laying around that I could go for, but I went for this one for two main reasons: a) I knew that I wanted some areas of my Inktober sketches to have thick applications of ink and the thickness of its pages would allow for this. b) The pure/brilliant white of its pages would really allow my black ink lines/shapes to contrast and pop out! Though I find this sketchbook amazing for drawing purposes, I wouldn't recommend it for sketching with watercolors, as its paper is too smooth and I don't think it would hold/absorb water very well. I think it would, however, work pretty well for gouache and even acrylics. It's always a smart idea to give thought to what kinds of mediums you're planning on using in your sketchbooks before making a decision about which one to buy.
*This sketchbook is no longer available on Amazon, but you can find it on the brand's website here.
|
|
That's it in terms of my Inktober supplies for 2018!
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create a sketch for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey. :)
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create a sketch for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey. :)
0 Comments
Have you ever stopped yourself from adding color to a drawing because you were afraid of ruining it and/or just couldn't decide which combination to go with? How have famous artists used color to give their work impact and the ability to efficiently transmit a particular mood or emotion to their viewers? Have you ever wondered how colors around you affect you in your day-to-day life?
It's no secret that artists need to have vast knowledge about the different Elements of Art and how to use them in order to create compositions that are both visually pleasing and effective at transmitting ideas or emotions to their public. Color is one of these elements!
When I'm explaining the different Elements of Art (Color, Shape, Line, Texture, etc.), I like segmenting each into its more objective aspects (pertaining to cold technical drawing/painting skills) and its more subjective aspects (relating to how they can affect a viewer's emotions/mood).
For me, a great art piece demonstrates both technical knowledge on part of the artist and is able to transmit a message or feeling. This is why I like to get aspiring artists thinking about both of these aspects simultaneously as their journey progresses.
Today I'll be sharing an amazing Color infographic created, and very kindly shared, by Invaluable! Invaluable.com is a renowned online marketplace that sells fine art, as well as antiques and collectibles (links to their website and social media channels can be found at the end of this post).
Their infographic helps us understand the different emotions that each color can transmit, and shares specific examples of famous paintings that effectively used each.
Let's get into the guest post!
Their infographic helps us understand the different emotions that each color can transmit, and shares specific examples of famous paintings that effectively used each.
Let's get into the guest post!
Color Psychology and It's Use in Art
by Invaluable
You may not realize it, but colors have a large impact on your emotions and actions. Color psychology is the study of how different pigments can cause different behaviors. Dating back to the 15th century, color theory is still implemented in a variety of ways.
Individuals, institutions, and businesses carefully pick which colors to incorporate into their brand. Because colors symbolize different feelings, you may be able to understand a lot about a brand simply from analyzing its hues.
Marketers also take advantage of human reactions to color by packaging products to draw attention and even evoke emotion.
If you’re interested in the psychological science behind color, Invaluable put together the infographic below using art to explain it.
You may not realize it, but colors have a large impact on your emotions and actions. Color psychology is the study of how different pigments can cause different behaviors. Dating back to the 15th century, color theory is still implemented in a variety of ways.
Individuals, institutions, and businesses carefully pick which colors to incorporate into their brand. Because colors symbolize different feelings, you may be able to understand a lot about a brand simply from analyzing its hues.
Marketers also take advantage of human reactions to color by packaging products to draw attention and even evoke emotion.
If you’re interested in the psychological science behind color, Invaluable put together the infographic below using art to explain it.
Visit the blog section Invaluable's website for more great art-related posts!
Follow them on social media at:
facebook.com/InvaluableOfficial
twitter.com/invaluablelive
instagram.com/invaluableofficial
pinterest.com.mx/invaluable
Sending out a huge thanks to Invaluable for sharing this great infographic with us and thank you for reading!
I hope you found this blog post inspiring and helpful.
Sending out a huge thanks to Invaluable for sharing this great infographic with us and thank you for reading!
I hope you found this blog post inspiring and helpful.
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Are you an artist looking for a foolproof way to improve your drawing/creative skills in a short period of time? Have you always wanted to participate in Inktober or other daily drawing challenges but find them a bit intimidating? Are you a beginner looking to make drawing and creativity a part of your daily life?
Month-long drawing challenges like Inktober are no joke.
Most of us have a lot going on in our lives and committing to producing one drawing a day (and actually sticking with it for the entire month) requires a huge amount of discipline.
Even if one starts with the project excited and has proper fun creating those first few sketches, that initial burst of inspiration is probably going to dwindle at some point mid-way.
And when that happens, it's going to take sheer determination to keep going!
This said, if we are able to stick with it, growth will come inevitably and fast. By the end of the month, our drawing skills will have progressed and our creative abilities will be heightened.
This type of experience is also incredibly valuable as it helps us make way towards finding our artistic style and voice. Committing to any sort of series like this one is a great way of pinpointing our strengths and weaknesses, which is essential.
In this blog post, I'll be sharing my top five tips to ensure that you are progressing your drawing/creative skills as much as possible with this drawing challenge, but also staying sane along the way.
These are all things I'm making sure to do myself throughout this month. I'm also including links to a few very helpful pen and ink drawing blog posts/YouTube videos that will help you step up your inking game.
The video included in this post is a compilation of time lapses for my first five Inktober sketches.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date with my progress throughout the month.
I'm sure I'll be missing a few days here and there, but I am planning to make up for them as soon as I'm able to.
Here are some other helpful blog posts and videos that will help you level up your pen and ink drawing:
1. Pen & Ink Sketching: 6 Shading Techniques
2. Guide to Shading Techniques: Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Others
3. Shading Simple Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching and Other Drawing Pen Techniques
4. Shading a Hand Using Pen and Ink (Complex Subjects)
If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I share a brand new video every week with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials and mindset/productivity tips for artists. *Subscribe HERE*
Inktober Tips
1. Be practical about it
As creatives, we have tons of different ideas popping up in our heads non-stop. This is great, but it can definitely hinder us from moving forward and actually finishing things. Think of an idea that you feel could work and that feels practical in terms of time, and just go for it.
If you look back constantly, there's a huge possibility that you won't finish drawings on time and they're going to start piling up, which can lead to overwhelm.
Remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint. I like keeping this sort of project practical by giving a bit of my energy each day instead of giving it all right at the beginning and burning out fast. I'm not striving for masterpieces, but for growth.
If you look back constantly, there's a huge possibility that you won't finish drawings on time and they're going to start piling up, which can lead to overwhelm.
Remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint. I like keeping this sort of project practical by giving a bit of my energy each day instead of giving it all right at the beginning and burning out fast. I'm not striving for masterpieces, but for growth.
2. Avoid looking at others' work until after you have finished yours
It's important for me to keep my work as original as possible and I hope this is the case for you as well. I'm sure there will be other artists in the world creating work that is similar to mine in some (or many) aspects. But when this happens, I know that it's due to the fact that those other artists and I are somehow influenced by similar things and not because I'm copying their work.
For challenges like this one, I find it super helpful to stay away from social media until after I have finished my work (or at least my initial sketch). This way, I'm not allowing other artists' ideas to infiltrate my mind.
For challenges like this one, I find it super helpful to stay away from social media until after I have finished my work (or at least my initial sketch). This way, I'm not allowing other artists' ideas to infiltrate my mind.
3. Brainstorm ideas and create sketches
Before going to bed, I'm reading the prompt for the following day and allowing myself to start brainstorming. I start sifting through ideas in my head, setting aside those that might not be practical (no matter how amazing they might sound). I don't actually put pencil/pen to paper until the next day.
I recommend creating at least a couple of quick sketches prior to actually starting with your piece. Doing quick thumbnails is an excellent way of arriving at great compositional arrangements.
For several of the drawings above, I was unsure whether I wanted my main subject to be facing forwards or whether I'd be sketching him/her/it in profile or at an angle. It wasn't until I created those sketches and actually saw my ideas come to life that I could make a decision about what would be most appealing.
I recommend creating at least a couple of quick sketches prior to actually starting with your piece. Doing quick thumbnails is an excellent way of arriving at great compositional arrangements.
For several of the drawings above, I was unsure whether I wanted my main subject to be facing forwards or whether I'd be sketching him/her/it in profile or at an angle. It wasn't until I created those sketches and actually saw my ideas come to life that I could make a decision about what would be most appealing.
4. Incorporate some sort of element of coherency (or a theme)
When creating any sort of series like this one, it's useful to think about how you can bring an aspect of consistency to your work. A lot of artists like sticking to a specific theme for Inktober and I think this is very useful, as it limits the broad range of ideas that might lead to indecision and not doing anything at all.
I decided to incorporate coherency in the format/layout of my overall design. However, there are many ways that we can add a sense of consistency to our artwork.
Perhaps you want to make sure to incorporate human figures in all your drawings, stick with a specific color scheme (if you're using color), create some sort of frame around your drawing, integrate handwritten lettering, or think of a specific layout like I did.
I decided to incorporate coherency in the format/layout of my overall design. However, there are many ways that we can add a sense of consistency to our artwork.
Perhaps you want to make sure to incorporate human figures in all your drawings, stick with a specific color scheme (if you're using color), create some sort of frame around your drawing, integrate handwritten lettering, or think of a specific layout like I did.
5. Have fun and don't strive for perfection
Being a perfectionist and expecting too much from yourself with every single thing you do is a surefire way of burning out and not enjoying the creative process. It also keeps you from producing the amount of work you have to create in order to really improve artistically.
Not to mention, this challenge (in my opinion) is a way of improving our personal skills, not about showing off masterpieces and/or comparing them with other peoples'!
Stay in your lane and remember that the purpose of this project is to improve your drawing and creative skills, as well as to make art a daily habit.
Not to mention, this challenge (in my opinion) is a way of improving our personal skills, not about showing off masterpieces and/or comparing them with other peoples'!
Stay in your lane and remember that the purpose of this project is to improve your drawing and creative skills, as well as to make art a daily habit.
My Inktober art supplies
*The Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook is no longer available on Amazon, but you can find it on the brand's website here.
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create a sketch for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey. :)
Thanks so much for popping by today!
Shading Objects Using Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling, and Other Drawing Pen Techniques
7/11/2018
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Do you love the look of pen and ink drawings that demonstrate hatching, crosshatching, and other mark-making techniques, and need a bit of guidance to start putting them to use in your own work? How does one go about using the visual information taken in from a reference photograph and translate it into a pen and ink sketch that demonstrates three-dimensionality?
In order to start adding a sense of believable form to a sketch, it's essential to understand how to create a variety in values using the art medium at hand. It's also very important that we practice taking in the visual information presented to us through either photographs or real-life subjects, so that we're able to describe form effectively through drawing.
Using pen and ink can be intimidating at first due to the fact that it's permanent and we need to use mark-making techniques to create different values. There is a large variety of mark-making methods and they all lead to very different results.
In today's post, I will be sharing the process that I go through when creating pen and ink sketches of objects using photographic references. I will be walking you through each step, from the selection of a great photograph, to preparing an initial pencil sketch, to actually filling that sketch in with ink marks.
I will be exploring six different mark-making techniques so that you're able to see how the outcomes compare to each other.
In my previous blog post titled Pen and Ink Sketching: 6 Shading Techniques, I gave a thorough explanation of each of the six techniques I'll be using here today.
I focused on how to go about creating marks successfully using each, and provided essential exercises for beginners to start off with, including how to actually use them to start adding shading and form to an outline drawing of a cube.
If you're a beginner just starting out with pen and ink, I highly recommend checking my previous post out. Both that post and this one include free downloadable pdfs that you can print out at home and practice with.
*Find these free downloadables at the end!
If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I share a brand new video every week with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials and mindset/productivity tips for artists. *Subscribe HERE*
My Process When Creating Pen and Ink Studies Using Photographic References
1. Preparing our supplies
To create the kind of pen and ink studies we're going to be exploring today, I usually like having the following supplies on hand:
-Pencil (preferably H or HB)
-Soft eraser
-Drawing/sketching paper or Bristol board
-Drawing pens (.3 and .5 points) *Two of my favorite brands are LePen and Micron!
2. Warming up
I enjoy warming up my hand by practicing the marks I will be using in my studies on a scrap piece of paper. If you're a beginner just starting with pen and ink and you're setting out to sketch an object in a way that actually transmits form, I suggest practicing value strips as well (there is a pdf at the end of the post that you can use to practice with).
It's absolutely essential that you understand how to create a variety in values using marks when it comes to sketching with a drawing pen, especially if you're looking to add believable structure and form to a drawing.
3. Choosing a great reference photo
When searching for a photograph to use as reference for any kind of art study, there are a few things you have to keep in mind. First, make sure that its contents are suited for your current skill level, especially when you are exploring a new medium.
This way, you'll be able to focus more on the new medium or technique. Aside from this, you must select a photograph that is high quality.
When I am choosing a photograph to work from, I make sure that it has a great resolution that will allow me to zoom in to view details as needed.
Photographs should also have great lighting, which means that they are not over or underexposed, and that there is a good range of values/balance between lights and darks.
If you have trouble discerning between light, mid-tone and dark areas, I highly recommend looking for photographs with a single light source and possibly opening up your image in an image-editing software like Photoshop to desaturate it.
Keep practicing this, because it's imperative that you gain practice doing this so that you're able to render values and place them accordingly when you're trying to make your drawings more believable.
To find more free, quality photographs to practice with, visit my post titled My Favorite Free Image Sites and Two Examples of References with Finished Illustrations!
4. Creating an initial outline sketch (and lightest values map)
Once I have taken a moment to observe my reference picture and have pinpointed lightest and darkest areas, as well as mid-tones, it's time to create my initial pencil sketch!
This will entail creating a simple outline drawing of my object, paying attention to proportion and location of separate elements in regards to each other.
Also, at this point I also create a "map" for myself that will remind me where my lightest areas are located, so that I can protect them and leave them untouched by any marks. You can make this "map" as detailed as you'd like if you feel that creating more shapes with your pencil will help you throughout the mark-making process.
If you'd like to skip the outline drawing phase of this study and jump straight onto the ink mark-making, you can download either the large single cherry outline pdf or the six cherry outline pdf so you can practice all of the mentioned techniques!
Both of these free downloadable worksheets can be found at the end of this blog post.
5. Laying down initial layer of marks
First, I outline my initial pencil sketch (minus the smaller "map" shapes) using my drawing pen. Then, similarly to my watercolor painting process, I leave the lightest lights completely untouched by any ink and start adding in my first layer of ink.
What I like to do with these faster studies, is fill in all my mid-tone to darkest areas simultaneously using light pressure on my pen, making sure to work around my lightest areas.
In other words, by the end of this step, my entire mid-tone and darkest areas already are covered with that first "light" layer of marks.
6. Adding darker values
This is the part of the process that is the most time-consuming, as I work back and forth between mid-tone to darkest areas doing my best to create gradual shifts in value until the desired form is achieved.
Throughout this process, I constantly look at my reference picture.
It's essential to not go overboard by adding too many marks in mid-tone areas, but also to not be scared of going dark where needed (which is usually only in small areas).
Remember that there has there has to be a good range of values within your sketch or you risk "flattening" it out!
At the end, you can outline your sketch using your drawing pen once more if you wish! :)
Comparing Different Mark-Making/Shading Techniques
Hatching
Crosshatching
Contour Lines
Weaving
Stippling
Scribbling
I would recommend practicing at least a few different pen and ink mark-making/shading techniques because it's the only way you'll be able to know which ones come more naturally to you, as well as which can best create the effects you're going for.
My personal favorites are hatching/crosshatching and contour lines. I'd love to know which you like best below!
*Free downloadables!
drawing_marks_lines.pdf | |
File Size: | 5191 kb |
File Type: |
value_transitions_shading.pdf | |
File Size: | 3572 kb |
File Type: |
cherry_outline_drawing.pdf | |
File Size: | 1545 kb |
File Type: |
6_cherry_outline_drawings.pdf | |
File Size: | 2104 kb |
File Type: |
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Looking to start sketching consistently? Do you have a sketchbook or two (or three) laying around, but find that you rarely use them either because you can't find the time or are scared of "ruining" them? Would you like to get past the initial stage of "awkwardness" as quickly as possible, so that you can actually start enjoying your sketching process?
In past blog posts and YouTube videos, I've talked about how I consider drawing to be the basis for all kinds of art. It doesn't really matter what kind of visual artist someone is setting out to become, or what level of skill has already been attained, artists must make sketching a habit and continue with this practice throughout their journeys.
In today's post, I will be sharing the top five tips I wish I knew when I first started sketching. By understanding and practicing these points, you'll be able to progress a lot faster, start enjoying your studies and explorations a lot more, and start filling out entire sketchbooks in no time.
Before moving forward, I want to get a very important message across. I believe that smaller sketches and studies are just as important as larger, more polished pieces that may take days (or even weeks) to complete.
Learning how to get ideas down on paper in a quicker, rougher way, is extremely valuable as an artist.
It was precisely these kinds of smaller, quicker studies that allowed me to progress artistically while holding on to demanding full-time jobs and going through major life changes.
Few of us are fortunate to know, since a very young age, that we want to dedicate our lives to art and become professional artists some day. And an even less percentage of those people who do know, are lucky enough to have the funds necessary to live, while solely working on developing their artistic skills.
If you're one of those lucky people and you have the money/time to explore both smaller and larger pieces simultaneously, by all means go for it!
However, if you have kids, full-time jobs, a house to keep clean, and many other responsibilities, rest assured that these smaller studies are moving you forward, as long as you're making it a point to stay consistent.
Five to six smaller sketches and/or studies a week are going to get you way farther than setting out to create one large masterpiece every five to six months, with no activity in between.
I highly recommend checking out my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course which you can get access to immediately after joining my art email insider group.
This mini-course is made up of three classes that are jam-packed with all of the information I wish I knew when I was getting started on my own drawing journey. It's contains must-know information about basic drawing supplies, specific exercises and lots more that will provide you direction as to how to move forward. Check it out here.
Looking to start sketching consistently? Do you have a sketchbook or two (or three) laying around, but find that you rarely use them either because you can't find the time or are scared of "ruining" them? Would you like to get past the initial stage of "awkwardness" as quickly as possible, so that you can actually start enjoying your sketching process?
In past blog posts and YouTube videos, I've talked about how I consider drawing to be the basis for all kinds of art. It doesn't really matter what kind of visual artist someone is setting out to become, or what level of skill has already been attained, artists must make sketching a habit and continue with this practice throughout their journeys.
In today's post, I will be sharing the top five tips I wish I knew when I first started sketching. By understanding and practicing these points, you'll be able to progress a lot faster, start enjoying your studies and explorations a lot more, and start filling out entire sketchbooks in no time.
Before moving forward, I want to get a very important message across. I believe that smaller sketches and studies are just as important as larger, more polished pieces that may take days (or even weeks) to complete.
Learning how to get ideas down on paper in a quicker, rougher way, is extremely valuable as an artist.
It was precisely these kinds of smaller, quicker studies that allowed me to progress artistically while holding on to demanding full-time jobs and going through major life changes.
Few of us are fortunate to know, since a very young age, that we want to dedicate our lives to art and become professional artists some day. And an even less percentage of those people who do know, are lucky enough to have the funds necessary to live, while solely working on developing their artistic skills.
If you're one of those lucky people and you have the money/time to explore both smaller and larger pieces simultaneously, by all means go for it!
However, if you have kids, full-time jobs, a house to keep clean, and many other responsibilities, rest assured that these smaller studies are moving you forward, as long as you're making it a point to stay consistent.
Five to six smaller sketches and/or studies a week are going to get you way farther than setting out to create one large masterpiece every five to six months, with no activity in between.
I highly recommend checking out my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course which you can get access to immediately after joining my art email insider group.
This mini-course is made up of three classes that are jam-packed with all of the information I wish I knew when I was getting started on my own drawing journey. It's contains must-know information about basic drawing supplies, specific exercises and lots more that will provide you direction as to how to move forward. Check it out here.
If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I share a brand new video every week with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials and mindset/productivity tips for artists. *Subscribe HERE*
5 Must-Know Sketching Tips
1. Know your tools
As with any other art-related practices, it's ultimately going to be up to you to explore different supplies/techniques so you can arrive at your personal favorites.
However, what you should know is that you can go far with limited and inexpensive supplies. So don't get overwhelmed with the large variety of papers, pencils, erasers, etc. out there, and go for the basics.
For my quicker sketches, I usually like to prepare the following:
a) Three different pencil grades (usually HB, 2B, and 6-8B) *I rarely use the H variety at all!
b) Drawing/sketching paper or sketchbook
c) Soft rubber graphite eraser
d) Basic metallic sharpener
e) Tombow Mono Zero eraser *This has been my favorite eraser to be able to get into smaller areas
These are optional, but useful if you want to start drawing more realistically:
f) Blending stumps or tortillions
g) Kneaded eraser
In terms of paper, it's useful to start noticing how different thicknesses and textures affect your process, as well as the outcome of your drawings.
As with any other art-related practices, it's ultimately going to be up to you to explore different supplies/techniques so you can arrive at your personal favorites.
However, what you should know is that you can go far with limited and inexpensive supplies. So don't get overwhelmed with the large variety of papers, pencils, erasers, etc. out there, and go for the basics.
For my quicker sketches, I usually like to prepare the following:
a) Three different pencil grades (usually HB, 2B, and 6-8B) *I rarely use the H variety at all!
b) Drawing/sketching paper or sketchbook
c) Soft rubber graphite eraser
d) Basic metallic sharpener
e) Tombow Mono Zero eraser *This has been my favorite eraser to be able to get into smaller areas
These are optional, but useful if you want to start drawing more realistically:
f) Blending stumps or tortillions
g) Kneaded eraser
In terms of paper, it's useful to start noticing how different thicknesses and textures affect your process, as well as the outcome of your drawings.
2. Start with simplified large shapes and forget about details until later
This is huge! When we're just starting out drawing, we want to get into the details right away and spend hours working on a drawing just to find out that it looks off at the end.
It's absolutely imperative to learn to visualize your subjects (whether your drawing still life, the human figure, a landscape or anything else), as combinations of simple shapes like cubes, cylinders, rectangular prisms, cones, etc.
Learn to tune out all the smaller shapes and intricacies until after effective proportion and placement of individual elements in regards to each other, has been achieved.
I'm serious! Don't even start adding details, textures, shading, or anything of the sort, until your base outline sketch is solid.
I go a lot more in depth about this topic and provide you with several different exercises in my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course. To get immediate access to it, click on the image below to join my art insider group.
It's absolutely imperative to learn to visualize your subjects (whether your drawing still life, the human figure, a landscape or anything else), as combinations of simple shapes like cubes, cylinders, rectangular prisms, cones, etc.
Learn to tune out all the smaller shapes and intricacies until after effective proportion and placement of individual elements in regards to each other, has been achieved.
I'm serious! Don't even start adding details, textures, shading, or anything of the sort, until your base outline sketch is solid.
I go a lot more in depth about this topic and provide you with several different exercises in my Drawing for the Total Beginner Mini-Course. To get immediate access to it, click on the image below to join my art insider group.
Once you've gained enough practice creating basic outline drawings, I highly recommend looking into shading techniques that will allow you to start creating a believable sense of three-dimensional form.
I have a very thorough blog post (complete with downloadable exercises) in which I explain hatching, crosshatching, scribbling, and other quick shading techniques that you can read here: Guide to Shading Techniques: Hatching, Crosshatching, Scribbling and Others.
This said, being able to create that preliminary outline sketch that shows effective proportion is first and foremost, in my opinion.
3. Learn how to hold your pencil for drawing purposes
It can take a bit of time for the beginner artist to get comfortable holding a pencil for drawing purposes. This is only natural, as we've been trained to hold pencils and pens a certain way since we started writing.
When we're writing, we need to be able to create neat, legible letters right-off-the bat. On the other hand, when we're drawing, we start by laying down imperfect lines and we refine them along the way (that's what our erasers are for!).
These are two very different activities and we have to make that mental switch necessary to change our approach depending on what it is we're doing.
There are many different ways of holding a pencil for sketching purposes and there isn't one that is necessarily "better" than the next. It's going to depend on what you find most comfortable at each point of the sketching process once you have a bit more drawing practice.
Have in mind you'll usually switch between different hand positions and grips throughout your drawing process. However, generally speaking, you want to position your hand further away from the tip of your pencil.
You also want to move your entire arm as you draw and not only your wrist (as you do when you're writing).
Try to relax and draw loosely! If you're too tense, warm up by drawing different types of lines and shapes. There's absolutely nothing to be nervous about, especially if you start out with light lines that you can easily erase (as you always should).
Always start lightly, and move on to darker values as you refine your sketch.
Have fun with it and throw perfection out the window! Fearing you'll make mistakes and striving for perfection will keep you from creating art, which will keep you from making progress.
Don't ever fear the blank page and, remember, with every sketch you make you'll get better and better.
Here are two different ways that I usually hold my pencil when I'm sketching:
When we're writing, we need to be able to create neat, legible letters right-off-the bat. On the other hand, when we're drawing, we start by laying down imperfect lines and we refine them along the way (that's what our erasers are for!).
These are two very different activities and we have to make that mental switch necessary to change our approach depending on what it is we're doing.
There are many different ways of holding a pencil for sketching purposes and there isn't one that is necessarily "better" than the next. It's going to depend on what you find most comfortable at each point of the sketching process once you have a bit more drawing practice.
Have in mind you'll usually switch between different hand positions and grips throughout your drawing process. However, generally speaking, you want to position your hand further away from the tip of your pencil.
You also want to move your entire arm as you draw and not only your wrist (as you do when you're writing).
Try to relax and draw loosely! If you're too tense, warm up by drawing different types of lines and shapes. There's absolutely nothing to be nervous about, especially if you start out with light lines that you can easily erase (as you always should).
Always start lightly, and move on to darker values as you refine your sketch.
Have fun with it and throw perfection out the window! Fearing you'll make mistakes and striving for perfection will keep you from creating art, which will keep you from making progress.
Don't ever fear the blank page and, remember, with every sketch you make you'll get better and better.
Here are two different ways that I usually hold my pencil when I'm sketching:
4. Develop your observational skills and hand-eye coordination through using references
Drawing from both photographic references, as well as from life, is absolutely essential for progress to occur. Especially when we're looking to develop high levels of realism.
I've written about the use of references when creating art in blog posts before and I think it's absolutely hilarious when people think artists aren't supposed to use references and are supposed to draw or paint everything from imagination.
These types of comments show ignorance on the part of the commenter in terms of how art and creative processes work.
*Note: With "references" I mean either using photographs or drawing from life, not copying a previously made illustration or painting by another artist. Though there is a lot to gain from creating studies of other artists' work, I firmly believe that after having gained basic skills, we'll be making much more progress by creating original artwork from the ground up.
By this, I mean creating our own still life arrangements (or preparing compositions featuring whatever subjects we're interested in) to draw from direct observation, or taking our own photos to work from. We can also use other people's photos, if we have permission to use them of course!
Using references allows us to develop our observational skills and our hand-eye coordination. It's also impossible for the human brain to hold on to all the visual information that a photograph (or seeing something directly) can present to us.
Even if you're intending on developing a cartoonish style in the future, studying how things actually look like in real life, will help enhance your work and make it more effective.
I highly recommend all beginners out there to start working from photographs as soon as possible. We must learn to see.
There are many awesome free image sources online, so there's really no excuse. You can find a list of my favorite free image sites HERE.
Begin forming your own art reference library! Learn what makes a good photograph in terms of lighting and composition, and remind yourself to take photos whenever an opportunity presents itself. Soon enough, you'll have plenty of your own original photos to work from.
Once you've gained some confidence using photographs as references, start incorporating sketching from life into your weekly routines.
I explain why drawing/painting from life is an incredibly important part of an artist's journey and provide ten useful tips to make these exercises less intimidating in this blog post: Why Drawing From Direct Observation is Essential and 10 Tips to Improve
I've written about the use of references when creating art in blog posts before and I think it's absolutely hilarious when people think artists aren't supposed to use references and are supposed to draw or paint everything from imagination.
These types of comments show ignorance on the part of the commenter in terms of how art and creative processes work.
*Note: With "references" I mean either using photographs or drawing from life, not copying a previously made illustration or painting by another artist. Though there is a lot to gain from creating studies of other artists' work, I firmly believe that after having gained basic skills, we'll be making much more progress by creating original artwork from the ground up.
By this, I mean creating our own still life arrangements (or preparing compositions featuring whatever subjects we're interested in) to draw from direct observation, or taking our own photos to work from. We can also use other people's photos, if we have permission to use them of course!
Using references allows us to develop our observational skills and our hand-eye coordination. It's also impossible for the human brain to hold on to all the visual information that a photograph (or seeing something directly) can present to us.
Even if you're intending on developing a cartoonish style in the future, studying how things actually look like in real life, will help enhance your work and make it more effective.
I highly recommend all beginners out there to start working from photographs as soon as possible. We must learn to see.
There are many awesome free image sources online, so there's really no excuse. You can find a list of my favorite free image sites HERE.
Begin forming your own art reference library! Learn what makes a good photograph in terms of lighting and composition, and remind yourself to take photos whenever an opportunity presents itself. Soon enough, you'll have plenty of your own original photos to work from.
Once you've gained some confidence using photographs as references, start incorporating sketching from life into your weekly routines.
I explain why drawing/painting from life is an incredibly important part of an artist's journey and provide ten useful tips to make these exercises less intimidating in this blog post: Why Drawing From Direct Observation is Essential and 10 Tips to Improve
5. Make sketching a habit
Out of the five tips I'm mentioning in this post, getting into the habit of sketching regularly, is probably the most important of all. Oftentimes we make excuses, telling ourselves we don't have enough time to draw.
However, it's a matter of reminding ourselves what's important to us, getting our priorities straight, and setting aside the time.
If you want to get better at anything in life, you have to do it consistently.
As I was mentioning in the introduction of this post, taking even 15-20 minutes a day to sketch will get you far, as long as you make sure to continue.
I highly recommend buying a sketchbook that feels right for you and getting into the habit of taking it along with you throughout your day so that you can use any free pockets of time you may have available.
I hope these tips were useful for you and wish you much progress in your artistic journey!
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites
to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.
is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites
to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.