Drawing skills simplified
Take a look at the following shapes.
Each is drawn as if made of glass, the lighter lines showing the edges and contours seen through the object.
Have a go at drawing these shapes yourself, do them several times making some of the dimensions different, shorter or wider, taller or narrower. Try to get the curved contour lines symmetrical, I don't know if it will help but being right handed I find it best to draw the left side first and then get the right side to match up, see if it works for you.
Take a look at your drawings and see what they remind you of, for example the box makes me think of a dice." Repeat the exercise but this time make the objects opaque.
Now look around the room you are in, stand up and look out of the window. Choose an object and look at it carefully, simplify its construction into basic shapes in your head, like those above.
Using your pencil and sketching very lightly draw the object building the basic shapes on one another.
A little work with an eraser and maybe a few refining lines and you have drawn your first object. Well done!
Adding tone and form
First you will need to get acquainted with your pencils and the marks you can make with them. Have a go at the exercises below.
Cover an entire page of A4 using your different pencils and making up some marks of your own.
Now for some real drawing. Take a simple white object such as a mug or a plate. Look at it. You do not just see white. Where the light hits the subject and reflects off it is called a 'highlight' The 'tone' is the rest of the colour's you see ranging from bright white into grey's in the shadow.
Previously our drawings were quite flat with only the odd contour line to give them shape. The contour lines were included to give you an impression of the objects shape, because now I want to take things one step further.
We are going to add tone to each shape, by various depths of shading, describing the highlights and shadows. The objects will then become more three dimensional to the eye, in other words it will give the objects form.
In each case the red arrow gives the direction of the light on the object and is pointing at the place where the brightest highlights will be. Draw them as shown, i.e.. just outlines, without the contour lines. Imagine that the light source is quite strong so that the highlights will be very light and the deepest shadows quite dark. Sketch very lightly so that the lines are barely visible. It is intended that after shading that you will not be able to see the original lines at all. Add the highlights and tone to each shape to describe its form, according to the direction of the light. And at the end of each one add a shadow cast by the object. This has the effect of anchoring the object in position, without it the objects just float in space.
We will now move on to a full picture. Much of art is about your skills as an observer. Capturing sights onto paper involves simplifying what you see, removing details but leaving enough for the viewer to be able to recognise the scene.
Many people find still life subjects as boring, but they have the advantage of keeping still for hours and that you can control the lighting, a big plus for the beginner.
Look around your home and collect some objects, arrange them on a flat surface and if possible light them with a spot lamp. It is best to begin with objects you are familiar with.
Begin to sketch the scene, mentally breaking the objects down into simple shapes as we did earlier.
Sketch very lightly in case you need to use an eraser.
Draw in all the shapes outlines first. To get proportions right, refer constantly to your subject checking each object to the ones next to it.
Look also at the negative shapes, that is the space between objects. This will also help you get your sketch right.
Remember that art is about your interpretation of the subject, I am here only to guide you.
Once your basic sketch is in place it is time to look more carefully at your subject an add the tones that will give everything form, and don't forget those shadows cast by objects.
You have just drawn your first real picture. Well done you.
A drawing/painting completed in one colour is called a 'tonal sketch/painting', it is also sometimes described as monotone.
Below is my work on this exercise.
I took this image with a digital camera, which to be honest is not a fancy expensive one, I edited it in 'Unlead Photo Express 3' adding a red spotlight to give it a nice warm glow. It might look complicated but I have based it on shapes you have already drawn.
the basic shapes
Copyright Jane Grainger 2004
