Drawing

Basic Drawing — Materials, Methods and Results

Drawing is a skill developed over time, one that can offer many rewards.  It is one art discipline that requires very little in the way of investment in supplies, and there are tons of classes, instructional books and DVDs to help sculpt your skill level from beginning to accomplished in no time.  Drawing is the basis for most realistic paintings, almost without regard to the chosen media.

What do you need to start drawing?  All you really need is a drawing pad and pencil.  But there are many options that make the experience so much more interesting.  Bound journal-type drawing books make it easy to keep a record of your progress.  Surely, practice pages and newsprint for quick studies are important, but when you start to develop a personal style and “see” with an artist’s eye, you might want to consider bound books in which to record your sketches.

The degree of complexity, or detail, in drawings is entirely up to the artist.  Many artists prefer to do sketchy, swirling drawings full of movement and action.  These might be considered studies or warm-up exercises for some artistic styles. Other artists prefer to do intense studies, with items set up for long periods of time yielding completed drawings.  Still others “walk” somewhere between.  Sketches to format a painting might be done in pencil or charcoal and render only bold shapes or sections.  Preliminary drawings for works on canvas might be done in diluted earth-toned paint –right on the canvas.  But it is clear that most painting styles do start with some sort of drawing.

As a basis for drawing, most start with learning the basic shapes and the way light plays on the surface.  What happens when light direction changes?  Where do shadows and highlights reposition?  Visual study along with drawing basics will help anyone learn the simple combinations of shapes and shadows that combine to create well done, completed drawings/paintings.

Pencil is the most prevalently used drawing tool.  Varied hardness and softness of drawing pencil leads can yield great tonal variations.  Consider using broad, flat-edged tools like graphite sticks for shading, shadows and drama.  (See www.generalpencil.com.)  Conte crayon and pencils, markers, charcoal and ink can be dramatic and enlivening in the hands of a talented artist.  Pastels and oil pastels also offer a wide range of possibilities to those with a slightly advanced level of adventure.

Drawing paper or other substrate materials can make all the difference in your results.  Low quality paper, such as newsprint, used by every artist for practice, studies and for quick diagramming of ideas, is short lived.  Medium quality pad papers are much better and give the artist a better “tooth” upon which to work.  High-grade papers are always the best for completed artists’ drawings, especially those offered for sale.  The quality of paper is a direct reflection upon the way artists feel about their own works.  It is sometimes hard to justify for artists, but using the very best materials at all times is always a good work ethic and lets the buying public know you are serious about what you do.  (See www.strathmoreartist.com.)

Working on your own is a great beginning, and almost any book or DVD of basics will get you off to a great start.  If you can enroll in a class, workshop or seminar on drawing you should dive right in.  Advanced training will add immeasurably to your enjoyment and skill level.  With the New Year, it may be the perfect time to do something for you.