The first tip Crawshaw reveals to us is: "Don't try to sketch moving figures at first--begin with someone in the family sitting down or standing at the kitchen sink" (64). I definitely agree with this tip, as it is very difficult to sketch someone who is moving around. Stick to the basics first, then advance onto more challenging things.
It also very important to start sketching from the head, and then work down the body (64). If you don't follow this method, your sketch may turn out disproportionately. Additionally, Crawshaw notes, "The more lines that are drawn, the more the figure will appear alive" (64).
In the book, there are some simple example sketches of people walking. Alwyn Crawshaw suggests that we first try sketching these walking figures. After practicing this type of sketch for a while, it should only take a few seconds to do (64). I decided to sketch a walking figure.
The sketch was very rough, and I tried to limit myself to one minute. Crawshaw emphasizes, "...don't try to put in detail, even if you decide to make people the entire subject of a sketch" (64). I believe this has to do with the concept of simplifying your subject.
Lastly, I sketched my family member sitting at the table. It wasn't easy, but it still wasn't as difficult as my previous attempts (before reading Sketching by Alwyn Crawshaw).
I will continue to practice sketching people. Crawshaw writes, "The way to become skilled...is to spend a lot of practice time drawing" (65).
My question is: have you ever had difficulty sketching/drawing people? Do you think doing simple sketches is better than doing very detailed ones?
Citation:
Crawshaw, Alwyn.
Sketching. New York: Collins, 2008. Print.
Hi Hannah! Nice post. To answer your question, I've always had a difficult time drawing people. I always tend to want to make the drawing realistic and as detailed as possible which takes time and skill I don't have. I think that doing simple sketches is better than doing very detailed ones when practicing. Once you get the hang of doing simple sketches, i feel the artist can then move on to more detailed ones.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlyn!
DeleteI also tend to take too much time focusing on the details when trying to sketch realistically. I totally agree with you! When practicing, simple sketches are a lot more enjoyable, quick, and simple. After enough practice an artist will probably have enough skill to do complete drawings with many details.
Thanks for commenting!
~Hannah :)
Hannah these drawings look great! I've always had an interest in drawing but never could figure out how to make it look good. Yours look great and I really enjoyed reading about how they worked. I also feel like simple sketches would be easier than detailed drawings because they don't have to be so exact.
ReplyDeleteHi Abby,
DeleteThanks for commenting!
Throughout this blogging "experience," I found out that detailed and complex is not always better than simple. I really enjoyed just sketching for fun instead of being hung up on the details. Hopefully my post helped you learn some new techniques for sketching! :)
~Hannah