Linear Perspective in Drawing

In drawing a picture, perspective is used to create a realistic sense of depth. One type of perspective used in art is linear perspective, defined as "the use of converging lines and the manipulation of the size and placement of elements within a composition to crate the illusion of depth and distance" (Willenbrink 32). Linear perspective employs the use of horizon lines, vanishing points, and vantage points. A horizon line is the farthest point of land an eye can reach and is also where the land or water ends and the sky begins. Typically located on the horizon, vanishing points are locations where parallel lines appear to meet. Lastly, a vantage point is the location from where the observer seems to be when looking at a picture.

This sketch is an example of one-point perspective, meaning that there is only one vanishing point (Willenbrink 34). The floorboards and all lines on the same axis converge at the one vanishing point. The other two axes are directly horizontal and vertical.

To make this sketch, I started by drawing the horizon and vanishing point. I then drew out the doorway in the center. To create the walls and floor, I started at the vanishing point and drew lines outward. Since the picture frame, box, and drawers in this scene are all rectangular prisms, I created them by first drawing the lines that merge at the vantage point and then by connecting those lines with horizontal and vertical ones.

Have you used perspective in your drawings? How do you create perspective in your drawings?

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 2006. Print.

Structure in Drawing

Prior to reading Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, by Mary and Mark Willenbrink, I would always jump into a drawing before sketching out an outline. This caused the structure of the final drawing to be off. In the book, the Willenbrinks suggest to draw the basic shapes of a drawing first because it allows you to keep the structure accurate (Willenbrink 65).

Although faint, you can see some of the rectangles that outline each individual shape

As the authors had suggested, in drawing this steam engine, I outlined the basic shapes before I started adding details. The outline consisted of multiple rectangles, each representing an individual element. I chiseled out the shapes of each element from their rectangle and finished the drawing by adding details and shading. Outlining the drawing before everything else especially helped with drawing ellipses (circles in perspective). To draw an accurate ellipse, you "first [sketch] a square in perspective. The lines of the square will be used as the boundaries for the ellipse, because both a circle and a square are eqaually as wide as they are tall" (Willenbrink 42). Using this method allowed me to make the wheels of the train more equally rounded.

When you draw, do you jump right into it, or do you first plan your drawing with an outline? Do you know of any other ways to keep the structure of your drawing accurate?

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 2006. Print.

Body Proportions in Drawing

Drawing subjects accurately is important since it adds a greater sense of realism. Because of their complex shape, drawing people accurately is a common struggle among many drawers. But with the proper knowledge of bodily proportions, it becomes much easier to accurately draw people. In Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, by Mark and Mary Willenbrink, the authors describe the proportions of human adults: "For both sexes, almost half the height is made up of the legs, with the tips of the hand falling to the mid-thigh region...For most adults, their height is equal to the width of their outstretched arm" (Willenbrink 78).

As part of their lesson on human proportions, the authors gave  step-by-step instructions on using the correct proportions in drawing a man standing. To start, you make lines to indicate placement of body parts and their proportions. This consists of horizontal lines marking the placement of the head, neck, chest, waist, and feet as well as a vertical line down the center. By using these guidelines, you are able to draw in body parts while keeping them in proportion.

Here you can see me using the guiding lines to draw out the basic body shape.

I finished the sketch by adding details and a little shading

Does anyone know any methods to accurately draw people in different poses?

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 2006. Print.

Combining Sketching Approaches

In its first chapter, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink details 4 different types of sketches: structural, value, contour, and black and white. The drawing of a face that I made combines structural and value sketching. Structural sketches focus on an object's shape, giving details on how it is constructed. (Willenbrink 17) On the other hand, "a value sketch is used to observe a subject without much regard to structure or proportional accuracy. Here you focus on the lights and darks of your subject" (Willenbrink 18).

Combining these approaches in my drawing was pretty straightforward. I first outlined the face's basic shape and drew the eyes, nose, lips, and ears. To complete the drawing, I shaded in the values to give the face form.

Does anyone have any tips to share that could help me improve at drawing?

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 2006. Print.

Value Sketches

A pencil is my favorite drawing tool because they're cheap, easy to find, and are very versatile. Almost any drawing can be made with pencils. Today, I created a sketch of a man using the instructions provided in the book Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. It is important to note the difference between a drawing and a sketch. The authors make this clear early on in the book: "Sketching and drawing are two different things. A sketch is a work in progress... On the other hand,  a drawing is an activity that is begun with the intention of producing a finished piece of art" (Willenbrink 14). The sketch I made is known as a value sketch. "Values are the degrees of lights and darks in a drawing or painting" (Willenbrink 18). Value sketches focus on the values of a subject rather than things such as structure or proportion (Willenbrink 18).

To create the sketch, I first shaded in the lighter values. The lightest value should be the white of the paper.

 Next, I added the middle then darker values.

To complete the sketch, I added a few finishing touches and adjusted the shading of the neck. I shaded in a dark background to separate the light values of the subject from the white of the paper.

I wanted to just keep on adding things to this sketch but I eventually had to find a point to stop. After all, a sketch isn't meant to be something complete. Do you know of any other types of sketches? How about techniques that can improve a sketch?

Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 2006. Print.