Draw, partner!

[Cynomys]

For some time, I have had these fantasies (no, not those kind) about learning to draw. Pencil, pen and ink, or brush (sumi-e), it doesn't matter. The ability to draw well seems a bit of a deep mystery to me and I really admire those who have mastered this art.

Anyway, I have a set of drawing pencils, and some books and will make another stab at it myself in an attempt to learn.

Anyone else here draw? Or paint? In any medium? Can you give me any pointers about what it takes to learn?.

 

[AllenG]

I have an MFA. But I no longer paint, I swapped to a camera and never looked back.
Practice, practice, practice. That is the only way one can learn to draw.

Look up, Andrew Loomis, on Amazon if you want to learn the human figure. I got more from his books than any other.

 

[Cynomys]

I have an MFA. But I no longer paint, I swapped to a camera and never looked back.
Practice, practice, practice. That is the only way one can learn to draw.

Look up, Andrew Loomis, on Amazon if you want to learn the human figure. I got more from his books than any other.

At present I have a book by David Lewis ("Pencil Drawing Techniques") and several of the books in the "How to Draw Manga" series. I got the latter thinking that it might be easier to draw in the manga style since it is somewhat characturized, but maybe that isn't so. I will definitely take a close look at some of the Andrew Loomis books.

 

[AllenG]

Loomis' work is up there with Norman Rockwell. He was a true master of the human form.

I was taught classically. If you want to draw people learn the proper proportions first, then move to manga. Your manga will be better if you learn correct proportions first and then exaggerate them. Like learning an instrument, one will never be good at improvisational jazz without learning their scales first.

 

[Arthurs Mom]

I started with Perspective exercise pencil and charcoal. <-- just a link to a page that touches on a simple perspective exercise. (the page is not mine, it was the first thing that came up in a search.)

On a table place some simple objects. (open box, balls, glass.... ) Just remember, keep it simple. One or two objects at a time.

When you see that your drawings are looking like the objects you have chosen then add a light source, this will begin shading exercises, Try to match the shadows you see. The depth and length of the shadow the edges of the shadow (are they hard are they fuzzy?) . Paying attention the direction of the light.

As you become better and better move on to a wet medium, One color only repeating the above exercise. (I would suggest black ink or water color) Using a plastic dinner plate (any thing cheep and handy) as your pallet begin with a few drops of your color then around the plate adding water to thin the color create the levels of shading you want to work with. Start with the most washed out on your page adding depth as you darken the shadows.

This is a foundation exercise. Styles within painting or drawing with out a starting foundation can be very frustrating to anyone who may try to jump in cold. The above will help you on your way to creating the styles of art you are interested in.

Side note: Your brush has more than one side, role it over the page, flatten it against the page, try sketching with just a few bristles of it. Just out and out PLAY... You will notice that textures and shadows can be created with out even lifting the brush off the page just changing the pressure angle and simply rolling it over.


Most important, enjoy yourself.
The artist is already within you, you only need to set it free.

As the great Bob Ross was fond of saying &#8220;We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.&#8221;

 

[Cynomys]

The book I'm using (Lewis, "Pencil Drawing Techniques") starts out with simple shaded squares of various degrees of opacity, then moves on to simple drawing exercises such as you mentioned. For some reason, it never occured to me to do them from "life" rather than copying the reproduction in the book. Oh, well, I'm just a beginner at this.

 

[Arthurs Mom]

Copying from a book or photograph is fine for training you hand to put down on paper what your eye sees.
In order for you, as the artist you need to see the light play on a subject in the real world; So that you may fully comprehend what you are trying to convey in your own representation what you see.