About Drawing

[Rasputin]

If you'd like to experience the joy of drawing but don't know where to start, here are a few steps and tips to get that pencil moving.

Steps

Get used to drawing basic shapes on paper. Take a piece of paper and a pencil and start drawing basic shapes--circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, etc. Challenge yourself progressively by making these shapes as perfect as possible. Then challenge yourself some more by drawing variations of a shape: different sizes of circles and squares, different kinds of rectangles and triangles. With enough repetitions (and crumpled sheets in the wastebasket), you should reach a point where you could comfortably draw most shapes. To heighten this basic skill, draw curves and curls as well. Try doing springs and spirals and various loops, curlicues and garlands, paying attention to the consistency of your curves.

Take a simple object and imagine the basic shapes the object is made of. In other words, break the object apart with your mind. Look at a mug from a 45-degree angle from the top, with the handle at its side. What are the basic shapes that form the mug? The body of the mug is basically rectangular (or square, depending on the size of the mug). Above the rectangle is an oval. Below the rectangle is half of an oval. The handle is made up of two curved lines attached to the rectangle.

Replicate and connect the shapes on paper. Since you already know how to draw the basic shapes, and you know the basic shapes that form a mug, you can attempt at drawing the mug on paper. Draw lightly first, making sure you position the shapes where they should be. Cross check what you have on paper with the original object. Make sure that the sizes of the shapes relative to each other are as accurate as possible. When you're sure about the positions of the shapes, use heavier/darker line to bring out the parts of your drawing you need, and use an eraser to take out the lines you don't need.

Draw the same object a few more times to "program" your brain into getting used to it. Again, repetition is key. You will reach a point where drawing a mug will become second nature to you.

Try other simple objects like lamps, fruits in bowls, a toaster or a television.

Move on toward more complex objects, like a sofa or a stove, or even a pick-up truck. At this point, you would have already "programmed" your brain into allowing you to see the shapes that form various objects. You would also have gotten used to drawing the basic shapes more rapidly. The key is challenging yourself progressively.



Tips

Practice drawing what your eye is actually seeing, not what your brain interprets that you are seeing. If you see a coffee mug, for example, your brain may tell you that it is a rectangular shape, ( and it is from a direct side view,) but most of the time, you will see into the top from an angle. This is what you must draw, then...exactly what you are seeing!

Shade, shade, shade! Shading is what separates the good artists from the bad. Always make sure you shade very dark where objects touch the ground. It makes it look like they're not floating in air and can add a lot to the piece.

As children, we were all encouraged to draw, and we enjoyed "making things" with pencil and paper. When you're just beginning to draw, it helps if you approach the activity with the disposition of a child: "It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. What matters is that I did it. I made something."

The joy of drawing is being able to draw freely, so go easy on yourself when you feel you're not progressing as fast as you want to. Like any skill, practice makes perfect.

Keep your work when you can. It'll help you review your progress. The more you get used to drawing, the more you'll be able to see what your flaws are and determine how to correct them.

Show your work to other people at your own risk. You should only present your work to those you know who'll encourage you.

Step 1 may sound elementary--and it is--but it lays the foundation to practically all drawing endeavors you'd want to pursue. In fact, everything that we do now out of habit and every skill that we own is rooted in repetition. (You can do actually do this step when you're bored. It's otherwise known as doodling.)

Once you've got some basic shapes, you can experiment with various drawing tools such as different shades of pencils (HB,2B,3B,4B etc), using a sharp point, blunt point, the side of the pencil, pens, felt-tip pens, chalk even if it's available.

Get feedback on every piece of work you do. Ask them to be honest, then improve using the feedback.



Warnings

Most likely your pencil will be sharpened. Do not poke yourself with pencil, or it will kinda sting for a few seconds.

[Rasputin]

Be Good at Drawing

Do you want to build up your drawing skills? Do you dream of becoming a great artist? Or even to give your own imagination a creative outlet? Drawing is a beautiful way of expressing yourself creatively and giving others a happy reminder of your special contribution to the world.

Steps

Start by scribbling on pieces of paper. This is an exercise that is like a "warm-up" before you start. It helps to get your hands used to the drawing technique. Doodle whatever comes to mind and let your hands do the thinking - watch the shapes as they form.
Draw first the shapes of the things you see all around you, wherever you are.

Be patient and just copy or trace the shape. Or, you can find a picture of something that you prefer and trace or copy that. Even though this is "copying" to being with, it will get you used to the feeling of the form and shape of the object and as you continue to practice, you'll get much better at it.

Picture the image in your mind. Once you feel more confident drawing from looking at other objects, try to picture it clearly in your mind instead. Take a piece of paper and draw the shape first, then you "trace" it exactly as it seems in your head; do not look at the object while doing this. Finally, complete the rest of the drawing, such as including a background, other objects or colors.

Be patient and keep trying. It's okay if it doesn't come out right for the first attempts. The more you keep at it, the sooner it will take shape and you will begin to develop your own drawing style.

Copying from the mind is a skill you can master and it will soon enable you to become freer in your techniques and help you to establish your own style. One day, this faith in your own ability could lead to you becoming a great artist.


Tips

When you finish doing the drawing, try shading the picture realistically.
If you want to color it in, use plaster colors, or pastels as they make the drawing look more creative. Even ordinary colored pencils can become a true work of art once you get the technique of shading and outlining worked out.

Start a drawing by drawing a sketch of it, then draw the real thing.
Always take a drawing book with you wherever you go so you can draw more of what you see. You will never be lost for inspiration!

Try not to make your drawing look too messy.
If you want to know more about drawing, borrow books from your library or community center; look on the internet; ask friends, teachers or family to help or attend art classes with a tutor. You may even know an artist who would be happy to share some time teaching you once a week or so.

A great artist includes someone who enjoys their art. You don't even ever have to sell or display a piece; as long as you are happy with your art, feel glad to be able to share it with family and friends and keep enthusiastic about it, you will have become a great artist.



Warnings

Don't get frustrated, be patient. Otherwise it will take longer for you to get it right. Developing talent takes a lot of effort, patience and time. And determination!



Things You'll Need

Paper
Pencil
Plaster colors
Note book for excursions
An image
Your mind

[Rasputin]

Draw Faster
It all depends on how much detail you want to include in the final drawing. If you easily get bored of drawing then I suggest you draw more simply.

Steps

One might assume that drawing or painting has to be done in a certain way. Beginners may try to draw very small and exacting and find it very difficult. For a professional artist it might be whatever gets the job done, whether it is copying, tracing, free hand, whatever.

The patron does not buy the technique but the finished product. For quick, more free-form drawing one might try to use very large paper, chalk or high number soft lead pencil and draw using the whole arm and even body in broad sweeping motions. The idea here is to feel the subject of the drawing, attempt to capture that feeling, as a more sweeping essence of lines.

One does not have to replicate the subject exactly. One is free to do what they want with it and change it however they see fit. One can attempt to duplicate photographic likeness, or can make one's own interpretation by subtracting or adding. One can shade with large block of charcoal used at different angles or broad pencil scribbling.

It is always good to experiment and try different techniques to see what one can learn. One can also try to draw not from an external subject, but by attempting to bring a subject up out of the subconscious, as complete made-up fantasy as sometimes self-psychological-insights, or some combination thereof.

Try to nail down all the basics of the subject as quickly as possible. Block in the basic shapes and geometries. Then if your still not bored you can start to indicate shadows and form. But the important thing is to get the basics down first. This really shouldn't take more than a few seconds. Then correct your misjudgments until you are satisfied.



Tips

Plan to throw away a certain number of your drawings. Get some cheap paper and a big chunk of charcoal and do some 30-second sketches using a timer. Move after each one to get a different angle. This is more easily done standing.

Put in the hours practicing - if you do an hour's worth of 30-second drawings twice a week you will soon see a noticeable improvement.

Try to think of drawing as a process, rather than just a means to an end.

Enjoy the sensations of producing the work, and experiment with different media outside of your comfort zone.

Practice! Just keep practicing. Also, if you know you will want to draw something ahead of time, practice drawing that before you actually need to.



Warnings

Good work takes time. If you want to do a really good drawing, take your time.

[Rasputin]

Computer software

Drawing may also be done on a computer. Digital art is quickly becoming a popular method of illustration. See, for example, the computer illustrations of Peter Welleman.

Here are some common software programs used for computer illustration:

Corel Painter
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Microsoft Expression
Inkscape
Paint Shop Pro
Pixia
Kolourpaint
Microsoft Paint
The GIMP
openCanvas
Macromedia Flash

Other programs have a more "programmatic approach" to illustration:

GraphicsMagick
ImageMagick

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

Layout
Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the actual subject. A straight drawing implement held horizontally or vertically can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image.

A proportional divider can be used to scale a photograph up or down. A photograph automatically shows a scene with correct perspective for the location of the camera. It follows that an artist wishing to paint a picture of the scene with true perspective needs only to draw an accurate copy of the photograph. If his painting is to be of a different size from that of the photograph he must accurately scale it up or down. This may easily be done by using a proportional divider, sometimes called a Variscaler, set to give the scaling ratio which is required to fit the scene on to his painting support. A grid can be used to produce a more accurate portrayal of a photograph. The image is subdivided into equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. A scaled version of these lines is drawn lightly on the paper, and the outlines of the significant features are copied onto the drawing. A similar approach when using an easel is to mount a small, heavy paper frame through which the artist can view the scene. The image on the paper is then scaled in reference to this frame.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive shapes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive shapes are removed and replaced by the final likeness.

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

[Rasputin]

I am Shokufeh Kavani, an Iranian girl, living in Australia; I work as an operating theatre nurse but paint at the same time.

Painting is my passion and my work is feminine, abstract, political, elegant and full of energy but I prefer to leave the final judgment to people. Painting has led me to great challenges, like getting involved with a group which does ' Art for Humanity' - a multicultural group which has formed in Australia after the racist riots in Corronella - and also the presentation of the ' Prince Clause Awards ' to Dr. Michael Mel in Papua New Guinea.

My Persian Grafitti exhibition, which I share with you here, has been nominated for the ' Australian of the Year Award 2005 & 2007 ' and also ' The Pride of the Australian Medal 2005 ' by the Daily Telegraph magazine. In addition, two of my pieces have been chosen among the finalists in the ' Art Moment Gallery exhibition ' for my best movie moment in the Sydney International Film Festival.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

Figure drawing is an exercise in drawing the human body in its various shapes and positions. Life drawing refers to the process of drawing the human figure from observation of a live model. Figure drawing is arguably the most difficult subject an artist commonly encounters, and entire classes are dedicated to the subject.

The human figure is one of the most enduring themes in the visual arts, and figure drawing can be applied to portraiture, cartooning and comic book illustration, sculpture, medical illustration, and other fields that use depictions of the human form. Figure drawing can be done very simply, as in gesture drawing, or in more detail, using charcoal, pencil or other drawing tools. If paint is used, the process may be called figure painting.

Figure drawing instruction is an element of most Fine Art and Illustration programs. In a typical figure drawing studio classroom, the students sit around a model either in a semi-circle (usually preferred), or a full circle. No two students have exactly the same view, thus their drawing will reflect the perspective of the artist's unique location relative to the model. The model often poses on a stand, so students can more easily find an unobstructed view. Depending on the type of pose, furniture and/or props may be used. These are typically included in the drawing, to the extent that they are visible to the artist; backgrounds, however, are commonly ignored unless the objective is to learn about placement of figures in an environment. Individual models are most common, but multiple models may be used in more advanced classes. Many studios are equipped to allow a variety of lighting arrangements.

When taught at the college level, figure drawing models are often (but not always) totally nude (aside from small jewelry or other inconspicuous items), and drawn anatomically complete. Some students may be uncomfortable with nudity in this context, but it is unusual for them to be excused from figure drawing course requirements, as it is considered a necessary part of most illustrative curricula. In circumstances when total nudity is not considered appropriate (such as when the model or the students are minors, the model is uncomfortable posing nude, or the class is less formal than a typical college course), models might wear a form-fitting bathing suit or underwear.

While posing, the model is usually requested to remain perfectly still. Because of the difficulty of doing this for an extended period of time, periodic breaks for the model to rest and/or stretch are usually included in longer sessions and for more difficult poses. As a warm up for both artists and model, the model may be requested to make a series of brief poses in rapid succession, as an exercise for the students to learn to capture the essence of poses quickly (see Gesture drawing).

Since the purpose of figure drawing classes is to learn how to draw humans of all kinds, male and female models of all ages, shapes, and ethnicities are usually sought, rather than selecting only beautiful models or those with "ideal" figures. Some instructors specifically seek to avoid the sort of models preferred by fashion photographers, seeking more "realistic" examples and to avoid any implication of sexual objectification. Instructors may also favor models of particular body types based on the unique contours or surface textures they provide. The variety of models hired may be limited by the need for them to hold a pose for extended periods (eliminating restless children and frail older persons), and concerns of modesty and legality when models pose nude (restricting the use of minors).

Most schools have standards of conduct for figure drawing sessions, intended to mitigate the potential for sexual harassment. For example:

Some prohibit students from socializing with models before, during, and after class.
Models rarely undress in front of the class, except to remove their robes when beginning a pose.
The instructor might be the only person permitted to speak directly with the model.
Most institutions have rules against anyone touching the model.
Some prohibit students from modelling at the same institution they attend to avoid awkward/inappropriate interactions when students and models encounter each other outside the classroom.
Only students enrolled in the class are allowed to enter during a modelling session.



Policies vary on how to respond in the event that a male model has an erection. Some take a matter-of-fact attitude toward such a situation and expect the students and the model to continue regardless (drawing the figure as he appears), whereas others feel this pushes the limit of propriety into erotic art and/or a sexual situation, and may interrupt the session.

Though both artists and nude models (many of whom are artists themselves) participating in life drawing sessions generally approach the practice with professionalism, focusing strictly on education, others have expressed concern about these sessions' potential to be sexually inappropriate, especially for younger art students.


Due to such sexual concerns, some colleges and universities have had difficulties recruiting nude models for their art classes.

[Rasputin]

OLD MEETS NEW ..By Sara Rahbar .