Free Drawing Tips & Articles
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Welcome to the drawing and sketching section of CreativeSpotlite.com. We have searched far and wide to bring you the best drawing lessons, demonstrations and techniques. The art instruction lessons on the following pages have been generously donated by professional artists from all over the world. We are most grateful for their generosity and we hope you enjoy! |
Drawing Tips & Articles
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Drawing and Sketching With Charcoal
Charcoal comes in several forms, but the easiest to work with are charcoal pencils. At first sight they are little different to graphite pencils. They feel familiar, they don't make your hands messy, and their point can be sharpened. Charcoal pencils even come in different grades, just like graphite pencils, although the range is smaller, and normally goes from H to 2B (or sometimes soft, medium and hard, depending on the manufacturer).If you want to try drawing and sketching with charcoal, get some charcoal pencils, and some of the unfamiliarity of the medium will be lessened.
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Sketching Drawing - How to Obtain Correct Proportions
Proportions are about size relationships. When we compare the size of one object to the size of another object we are checking the difference in the sizes of the two objects. This difference in size can be expressed as a proportion, e.g. one of the objects may be twice the size of the other. Proportions can be expressed in different ways; we can use percentages 'Object A is 50% bigger than object B', or numbers 'Object C is twice as big as object A', or ratios 'Object D has a 3:1 ratio to object B'. In drawing it is usually easiest to use the numbers system (which may include fractions i.e. Object B is one half the size of object A).
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Drawing and Painting Tips - The Layout Sketch
A layout sketch is the process of faintly outlining the key elements of an image on to paper (or canvas). The aim should be to get each component the correct size and in the right position before moving forward. However, this first stage is where most amateur artworks go wrong! In a portrait for example, the layout sketch would merely ensure that the outline of the eyes are the precise shape, correct size, accurately aligned and the right distance apart. The layout sketch requires no further detail, but get this wrong, and your artwork will be doomed to failure, no matter how good your painting or drawing technique is.
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Drawing, The First Steps - Pencil to Paper
Now set up a "Still Life". It's called a still life because it doesn't move. What you draw really doesn't matter at all, what matters is what happens between your ears not what happens on the paper. Seeing a teacup for all its complexity for the first time can be real fun! What I would suggest is that the first things you draw are very simple. I would suggest objects that have straight edges to them, with our students we draw a cube, a rectangle, a cylinder and a cone. These are all painted white and placed on a white paper surface. I eliminate all colour from the still life and I eliminate as many curves as I can. The objective is to make its as simple as possible. Drawing is hard enough.
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Pencil Drawing Fundamentals - The Line
Then, you also have to develop a technique to actually draw that line. A pencil artist seldom uses a ruler to draw a straight line. Lines are drawn free-hand. And this takes quite a bit of practice. In the end you should be able to draw straight lines and parallel lines fairly quickly and in one stroke.
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Line and Mass in Drawing
Line and mass are important concepts in drawing. Line does not exist in the real world, but is used in drawing to show the transition from one value to another, or to delineate the shape of a subject. Mass, in a drawing is the shading used to indicate the volume of the subject. Mass and line are often used together in a drawing. Each has it relative strengths and weaknesses.
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Drawing a Rose - The Method
A rose is one of the most beautiful flowers and often the choicest subjects of drawing for artists. One may however, find it quite complicated to draw a Rose on paper. This article aims to simplify the Rose drawing to help all those finding this job difficult. The ensuing discussion offers you two different methods for drawing a Rose. One method guides you on drawing the side view of Rose, while the other one helps you with its top view.
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How to Choose the Correct Drawing Supplies
What do I need to start drawing? Well for starters you should buy artist quality drawing supplies. Follow the suggestions in the list below and build your drawing supply toolbox.
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How to Draw People - Three Easy Steps Towards a Significant Figure Drawing Improvement
Drawing a circle, a car, a tree, ball all these are basics that we all might be able to draw with our eyes closed but drawing a human head to toe correctly is priceless.
For an artist, if he can master the art of figure drawing then that's the pinnacle of a difficult art. There are many reasons for this but in simple words it should be understand that can be no carbon copy of one person. The features of a human being are so varying in each individual that replicating a person is a tough task. The head, eyes, features, body structure, etc are different for all humans.
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Drawing Pencils - What is the Difference, and Which One is Best?
Graphite pencils are those Yellow #2 pencils that are generally purchased in packs and used in school. These types of pencils are usually not recommended for drawing as the small particles within the graphite, or lead, contain reflective particles. These particles can cause your drawing to take on a glare from certain angles or create too much of a silvery, un-realistic look.
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Tips on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Composition
Composition refers to the manner in which your subjects are positioned relative to each other on the page. More formally, it is the arrangement of forms and spaces within the format of the page.
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Drawing Tools and Tips for Beginners
Drawing is a relaxing and fun hobby for anyone willing to take the time to learn it, step by step. Just let yourself go and sketch, concentrating on what you’re drawing. It is important to think positively, and not be too hard on yourself. So many of my students have told me at first, “I can’t draw anything,” or “my drawings are horrible!” but in time, they learned that with practice, their drawings improve. Don’t discourage yourself with negative self-talk. Just do what comes from your heart. One of the great things about art is that there is no right and wrong to it. You have the creative license to do things your way, with no explanation.
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Drawing Light and Shadows - How to See What You Draw
The human brain is an absolutely fascinating organ. Science has yet to even touch the surface of understanding is capabilities. One of the most incredible things it does is cause us to see things that aren't really there. The brain does not like a void. If something is missing and our brains think it should be there, then it will make it up for us so that we can see it. It tries to fill in the empty space with what it thinks should be there. There are many optical illusion books and websites that demonstrate this.
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Introduction to Pencil Drawing Supplies and Techniques
Drawing is a wonderful art form in itself, but it is also an excellent exercise for other forms of art, like painting for instance. Learning how to draw will truly open your mind to your surroundings enabling you to really see what is before you.
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How to Contour Draw and the Benefits
Making a contour drawing may seem a little overwhelming or pointless to you. Let me say there are a great many advantages and lessons learned through doing these drawings.