Sketch of a Coffee cup

For my second post, I will be doing a structural sketch. The Willenbrinks explain that, "A structural sketch is the basic linework in which values and details are built upon" (Willenbrink 16).  I will be following the Willenbrinks and draw a coffee cup for this exercise.

To begin, the Willenbrinks explain that "A structural sketch will help you observe and understand the underlying structure of the subject,"(Willenbrink 16) and also that, "A structural sketch helps you see how a subject is constructed"(Willenbrink 17). With this, the Willenbrinks are essentially saying that structural sketches is a good technique for beginners to see what makes up the object that they intend to draw, similar to how shapes give an idea of how something is structured, and that it is a good way to warm up before doing a sketch or drawing in another style (Willenbrink 16). 

The reference picture that I will be using is this one:

So, the first step that is instructed is to,"Sketch the outer forms of the mug and the most relevant structural guidelines, such as those that indicate the placement of the rim. the bottom of the cup and handle"(Willenbrink 17).

Here is a picture of the structural guidelines of the cup 

And here is what it turned out to be

This exercise was also a bit difficult for me to use. There were a lot of lines so sometimes I would get stuck trying to figure out how to fit the object within the lines, but the lines did give me an idea of where what should go.

What do you think about this technique? Do you think it'd be useful to you or would it actually make it more difficult for you to draw? 

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner: A

     Clear & Easy Guid to Successful Drawing. Cincinnati, Ohio, North Light

     Books, 2006.

Using Line Variation in Your Art

Drawing with patterns and certain shapes can help add element to your artwork. Not only does it add variation to the style of artwork you produce, adding patterns can actually make the process of drawing simpler. "Strengthening your manual dexterity will improve your confidence and ultimately appear in the quality of your marks" (Sherman 24). What Sherman means by this statement is, by using simple patterns and textures of lines in your artwork, you can overall improve in that skill.

On the right and left are examples of  textures and variations of lines shown in Playing with Sketches. To complete this exercise, I used some of the patterns shown in the book to make unique characters.

Sherman states, "You will have the endurance to maintain a consistent line quality and the flexibility to easily change your line work, bringing variety to your image," (24). Overall, this exercise was simple and fun. Those who want to add variety to there artwork should try incorporating line variation.

Do you think using different line textures/variation makes art more interesting? 

Bicknell, Sarah. Sherman, Whitney. Playing with Sketches. Beverly, Rockport Publishers, 2014.

Using Other Senses to Draw

Blindly drawing is a very difficult task, it involves using all senses except for site to draw. Whitney Sherman states"Use the same technique to to take your mind away from what you think an object should look like and allow your hand to freely interpret shapes," (116). While drawing without looking, you have to use your memory to make something presentable.

Above, is the example shown in Playing with Sketches. The book used lettering rather than just normal drawing, however, since I am looking to improve my drawing skills, I chose to blindly draw.

Drawing from memory, while being very difficult, helps you gain a better understanding of the object you are drawing. "When looking at shapes we readily know, such as letter forms or faces in a slightly rearranged formations, we can observe new relationships in the imagery" (Sherman 116). Overall, I would recommend this exercise to anyone who like to gain a better understanding of a certain object like a face. Personally, while doing this exercise I close my eyes and do not lift my pen/pencil.

Do you think drawing an object blindly can help you draw that object overall better?

Bicknell, Sarah. Sherman, Whitney. Playing with Sketches. Beverly, Rockport Publishers, 2014.

Drawing Using Shapes

For my independent reading project I chose to do drawing and I will be using the book "Drawing for the absolute beginner" by Mark and Mary Willenbrink to help me improve my abilities. I chose to do drawing for my project because it's a hobby of mine that I really enjoy doing, but can also be very frustrating and difficult to me. I take up a lot of time when drawing something and I'm never usually satisfied with the results, mainly because I don't use techniques all that much. I've taken an art class in the past and have learned to use certain elements to help me draw, however I still just draw using only lines in the majority of my drawings so I've picked up this book to help me practice and improve my use of these techniques.

First off, the book explains that drawing "...is a matter of learning basic principles, applying them consistently and training the eye to observe the subject. Observing involves noticing the basic shapes, proportions, and values of objects rather than thinking of them as 'buildings,' 'trees' or 'people'"(Willenbrink 26). Using shapes is probably one of the most basic techniques in drawing and according to the Willenbrinks, thinking of things more as basic shapes can be very helpful. The book also instructs to "Start with the basic shapes and use them to work out proportions..." (Willenbrink 27), which further explains how shapes can help in the proportions of your drawing.

For this exercise, I've chosen to draw a deer:

Reference Picture

Basic shapes of the deer

Here I drew the basic shapes that I saw in the deer while I was looking at the reference picture.

Deer with shapes

Here is my drawing of the deer with the shapes still in the picture.

Deer without shapes

Here is the final product without the lines from the shapes. 

And so this concludes my post. Overall, my experience with drawing shapes was a bit of a roller coaster, sometimes it helped and other times it was in the way, but that was mostly because I'm not used to drawing with shapes. A few nitpicks I have with the final product is that I could've made the legs a little bigger, make the hooves look a little more like hooves, and make the head a little bigger. Hopefully as I continue to practice with this book I'll get more used to these techniques. 

What are your thoughts on drawing using shapes? Do you think it helps/would help you draw better?

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner: A

     Clear & Easy Guid to Successful Drawing. Cincinnati, Ohio, North Light

     Books, 2006.

Drawing techniques: Get Into the Flow of Drawing

An important step in the drawing process is to loosen your hand and mind before you draw, in order to allow your drawing to be as creative as possible. Elaine Clayton gives a couple of techniques to loosen your mind, stating that "It is a way of activating the total mind as it works in unity..."

 All you need for this exercise is a blank piece of paper. Pretend that your pencil is a figure skater, and the paper, a frozen pond, drag the pencil across the paper continuously "skating" across the page. Play around with speed and pressure of your line. When you are done, try to identify any shapes you made. Here is my example of the exercise:

A second technique Elaine suggests is playing with line gradation, or the change from one type of line, to the complete opposite line; for example, light to dark. Here is my exercise:

These drawing warm-ups will help you to draw concisely, accurately, and intentionally. Do you have any warm-ups you do before you draw? Let me know if you have any, and thanks for reading!

Clayton, Elaine. Making Marks: Discover the Art of Intuitive Drawing. Atria Paperback, 2014.