Anyone Can Learn to Figure Draw
So, what is it that makes an artist an artist? Are artists just born with talent? Do they see things differently than the rest of the world? Do their eyes translate things differently from others? And the most important question, can anyone learn to draw and figure draw?
All people, whether young or old, have the ability to improve their drawing skills, no matter what you may think. Most people do not believe this. You will see through this article that you can and you can develop the skills necessary to accomplish this.
Drawing to most people seems to be a mystery. They can’t seem to figure out how artists do what they do. What is it that allows some to draw a figure with seemingly little effort, while others can sit for hours and barely have a stick figure done?
Does it all boil down to talent and can anyone acquire it? Well, let’s break down the word talent a little more to understand what it is we are talking about. Talent for art can be several of these components: patience, discipline, recall, ability to see things differently and sensitivity.
Some people are born with all of these in place and multitudes of them. But even these people need proper direction to be able to master the craft. These traits are just artistic potential.
So what does it take to be able to draw people and faces correctly? It takes passion and discipline. The skills necessary to learn are being able to see correctly, recalling what your observation is and to have the patience and discipline to carry out your translation of this.
Yes, drawing can be mastered at any age. You can learn to draw people and have them come alive through your drawings. You can learn to draw portraits, or celebrities, or caricatures, the best thing you can do to help with any of these is learn to master the human form.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Thursday, November 09, 2006
How to Hold A Pencil When Drawing
I found this info from about.com's drawing and sketching site. It goes through different ways to hold a pencil. I am going to quote it pretty much verbatim.
"The basic tripod grip is the same as the one you probably use for writing. The thumb and forefinger form a triangle with the middle finger as shown, which is supported by the ring finger and pinkie. This grip allows the pencil to be finely controlled by the fingers, so is ideal for drawing fine detail. The upright position of the pencil allows for accurate shading with the tip, rather than side, of the pencil.
The tripod grip uses the fingers to control the pencil, and for fine work, the hand can rest on the page. Use a spare sheet of paper to keep your drawing free from smudges and skin oils. If more movement is required, the wrist or elbow can be rested against the edge of the drawing surface, used as a pivot.
The extended tripod grip uses the same hold as the basic tripod grip, with a triangle formed by the thumb, forefinger and middle finger, but further up the pencil. In this way a small movement of the fingers can produce a much larger movement of the pencil-tip, so it is an economical and efficient grip for sketching. For best results, make sure you keep a relaxed grip on the pencil - a tight, vicelike grip is tiring and restricting.
The tripod grip uses the fingers to control the pencil, and for fine work, the hand can rest on the page. Use a spare sheet of paper to keep your drawing free from smudges and skin oils. If more movement is required, the wrist or elbow can be rested against the edge of the drawing surface, used as a pivot."
I actually prefer the overhand grip when drawing and sketching and we will go through that next post.
"The basic tripod grip is the same as the one you probably use for writing. The thumb and forefinger form a triangle with the middle finger as shown, which is supported by the ring finger and pinkie. This grip allows the pencil to be finely controlled by the fingers, so is ideal for drawing fine detail. The upright position of the pencil allows for accurate shading with the tip, rather than side, of the pencil.
The tripod grip uses the fingers to control the pencil, and for fine work, the hand can rest on the page. Use a spare sheet of paper to keep your drawing free from smudges and skin oils. If more movement is required, the wrist or elbow can be rested against the edge of the drawing surface, used as a pivot.
The extended tripod grip uses the same hold as the basic tripod grip, with a triangle formed by the thumb, forefinger and middle finger, but further up the pencil. In this way a small movement of the fingers can produce a much larger movement of the pencil-tip, so it is an economical and efficient grip for sketching. For best results, make sure you keep a relaxed grip on the pencil - a tight, vicelike grip is tiring and restricting.
The tripod grip uses the fingers to control the pencil, and for fine work, the hand can rest on the page. Use a spare sheet of paper to keep your drawing free from smudges and skin oils. If more movement is required, the wrist or elbow can be rested against the edge of the drawing surface, used as a pivot."
I actually prefer the overhand grip when drawing and sketching and we will go through that next post.
Monday, October 23, 2006
What to draw? Oh my...
Draw Yourself! what myself? Okay, draw yourself, your friends, and your family. Forget trying to draw portraits from bad photos. You want to draw real people. Sometimes, artists draw copies of Masters paintings from photos but that is the only time I would suggest drawing from photos. So back to the drawing of real people.
Draw people you love. Go draw people at a wedding or a model at a local college. Draw Aunt Ester. Friends and family drawings can become a treasure as you learn more about the person you are drawing.
The main point is too draw as many real people as you can. See www.learning2draw.com for more info on how to draw realistic people. Or visit our how to www.learning2draw.com/how.html.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Top Tips to Draw What You See and Not What You Know!
We often draw people wrong! What? Yes, it’s true. Many artists are what I like to call iconic artists. They draw an eyeball like the shape of an almond or football because that’s what they were taught. This is wrong! As artists mature and gain experience they begin to learn how to draw what they see and not what they know.
As artists, we often draw in symbols. We think we know what an eye or mouth or even a nose looks like. I bet, however, that the person you are trying to draw probably doesn’t have an eye that looks like a football. Sometimes it’s because we are often worried about getting something wrong that we don’t draw what we see. This is a scary road to walk down. I am going to go through some tips that will help enable the artist in you to draw what you see and master figure drawing.
One quick tip to drawing what you see and not what you know is to use the thumb and pencil method of measuring. This helps immensely when trying to draw people and learning how to draw faces. It helps you to make many small comparisons and help you develop some drawing grids to help you place features of the person you are drawing. It also helps with your angles.
Next, draw the negative spaces. Look at the empty shapes next to the shape you are drawing. Do some exercises to help you learn this skill because at first it can be difficult.
The next tip may seem a little odd if you are a beginning artist or it will seem very second nature if you are more experienced. Flip your drawing upside down. You need to do this occasionally as you work to get a new perspective and to check your values. This is a great tip for all drawings, not just drawing people and faces. This tip forces you to look at your drawing in a different way because it becomes very unfamiliar.
Drawing with a grid can help too if you are just starting out. Sometimes I like to do a practice with copying a master’s work using a grid. It will help guide you along with reference points.
These tips are all things that you can do to help you in your quest to learn to draw people. If you have always wanted to learn to draw, you are not alone. There is something about being able to pick up a pencil and sketch a person. Unfortunately, drawing people takes a lot of practice to learn to draw people and faces the right way. These tips will help you to avoid the common mistakes that some artists make and get you started in the right direction.
For more info see www.learning2draw.com on drawing tips, tricks, and techniques.
We often draw people wrong! What? Yes, it’s true. Many artists are what I like to call iconic artists. They draw an eyeball like the shape of an almond or football because that’s what they were taught. This is wrong! As artists mature and gain experience they begin to learn how to draw what they see and not what they know.
As artists, we often draw in symbols. We think we know what an eye or mouth or even a nose looks like. I bet, however, that the person you are trying to draw probably doesn’t have an eye that looks like a football. Sometimes it’s because we are often worried about getting something wrong that we don’t draw what we see. This is a scary road to walk down. I am going to go through some tips that will help enable the artist in you to draw what you see and master figure drawing.
One quick tip to drawing what you see and not what you know is to use the thumb and pencil method of measuring. This helps immensely when trying to draw people and learning how to draw faces. It helps you to make many small comparisons and help you develop some drawing grids to help you place features of the person you are drawing. It also helps with your angles.
Next, draw the negative spaces. Look at the empty shapes next to the shape you are drawing. Do some exercises to help you learn this skill because at first it can be difficult.
The next tip may seem a little odd if you are a beginning artist or it will seem very second nature if you are more experienced. Flip your drawing upside down. You need to do this occasionally as you work to get a new perspective and to check your values. This is a great tip for all drawings, not just drawing people and faces. This tip forces you to look at your drawing in a different way because it becomes very unfamiliar.
Drawing with a grid can help too if you are just starting out. Sometimes I like to do a practice with copying a master’s work using a grid. It will help guide you along with reference points.
These tips are all things that you can do to help you in your quest to learn to draw people. If you have always wanted to learn to draw, you are not alone. There is something about being able to pick up a pencil and sketch a person. Unfortunately, drawing people takes a lot of practice to learn to draw people and faces the right way. These tips will help you to avoid the common mistakes that some artists make and get you started in the right direction.
For more info see www.learning2draw.com on drawing tips, tricks, and techniques.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Art Careers, Oh My!
You have a love for the arts. You know you want to be an artist. You know you want an art career, so that you can do what you love and get paid for it. You have talent and creativity. You are motivated. You want to grow artistically. Now what? Mastering the ability to draw the human figure is the one thing that you can do to get you closer to your goal of a winning art career.
You can make money doing what you love. Yes, you can actually get paid for something like drawing all day. With practice, determination, and learning to draw the human form, you can do it.
Drawing the human form is key in many art careers. Let’s take game design for example…Normally, you wouldn’t think you need to know the human form when designing games, right? Wrong! Game designers need to have a good understanding of the human figure for characters, gesture, and scene development. Character design is a major part of game design. Okay, you want to be a freelance artist. Well, the human figure is imperative here as well. Without this knowledge, your paintings or sketchings will look weak, amateuristic with beginner’s mistakes, and just plain wrong. All artists can benefit in their skills and their careers by mastering the human form.
Here are 4 great reasons to master the human form and learn the figure now.
Get an art career- Artists that master the human form and figure are much stronger candidates for an art job than someone without a strong skill-set in drawing the figure.
Greater Artistic Knowledge- You will have a greater knowledge of the human form and figure and be able to express these through your art more fully.
Figure Drawing all important in different genres- It is the single most skill that you can take from one genre to another. From doing caricatures, to portraits, to game design, to sketching faces, to illustration, and more, figure drawing will enhance your many career opportunities and open the door more than any other drawing skill.
Make More Money- Artists who can master the human form open the door to much more revenue as they are diverse in the marketplace.
Studying and mastering the human form is a difficult task, but the rewards are plentiful. Combining masters techniques with your determination will enable you to reach the rewards previously mentioned. The key to mastering figure drawing lies in your passion for art and never give up attitude, mixed with skillful techniques straight from the masters themselves.
Explode your career opportunities by taking advantage of the advice and master the human form now. You’ll be glad you did.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Figure Drawing gone Mad!
So...this is a cartoony little doodle of mine that I did when I was going through some drawing blahs. My point is, once you have a good understanding of figure drawing, you can do some fun things with it as well. You'll notice when drawing faces that you can do some fun characterizations.
Monday, September 18, 2006
3 Easy Tips For Drawing Noses
When drawing faces, one of the most prominent features is the nose. This is because, quite frankly, it is one of the largest on the face and sticks out. So artists, need to know, when drawing faces, how to do this correctly. Some artists tend to overlook this feature and then find their drawings off. This should not be overlooked and is quite simple to get the basics down with these tips.
First, you should know the basic set up and structure of the nose. Knowing what’s underneath the skin and the musculature and bone structure of the face will help. It is important to note that everyone’s noses are different and unique and to draw them as such.
Some artists like to keep the drawing of a nose simplified and use the technique of two lines and a ball for the tip of the nose. Some artists start off with a prism to guide them along. This article focuses more on some tips and mistakes to avoid when drawing the nose and not so much the technique.
First when placing the nose on the face, start with your blockin of the head. Carefully draw a line through the forehead and the mouth to give you the starting midpoint on the face. This will help you to keep your alignment right. Then use the thumb and pencil technique for measuring to find the exact placement of the nose.
One of the common mistakes beginning artists make when drawing the nose is in outlining and shading. New artists sometimes make the mistake of drawing the outline of both sides of the nose. This will flatten the nose and make the drawing of the face look off.
Take extra care when you are shading the nose. You should avoid outlining and use lighting and shadow and directional shading to help create the effect. Usually the shadowed side of the nose will provide the depth and dimension to give the 3D effect.
When drawing the nose, be careful not to make the nose too long. Some artists do this. Also, just a quick refresher in what we discussed…First, sketch out or block in the outline of the nose. Check the placement of the nose on the page using the thumb n pencil method of measuring. Start defining the shape using shadowing, defining the nostrils, etc. Finish shading the nose. That’s it in a nutshell.
Take care when drawing the nose because if you don’t and hurry though it, it can ruin your drawing. The nose is a prominent feature, treat it that way and you’ll be more likely to achieve a likeness to your subject.
First, you should know the basic set up and structure of the nose. Knowing what’s underneath the skin and the musculature and bone structure of the face will help. It is important to note that everyone’s noses are different and unique and to draw them as such.
Some artists like to keep the drawing of a nose simplified and use the technique of two lines and a ball for the tip of the nose. Some artists start off with a prism to guide them along. This article focuses more on some tips and mistakes to avoid when drawing the nose and not so much the technique.
First when placing the nose on the face, start with your blockin of the head. Carefully draw a line through the forehead and the mouth to give you the starting midpoint on the face. This will help you to keep your alignment right. Then use the thumb and pencil technique for measuring to find the exact placement of the nose.
One of the common mistakes beginning artists make when drawing the nose is in outlining and shading. New artists sometimes make the mistake of drawing the outline of both sides of the nose. This will flatten the nose and make the drawing of the face look off.
Take extra care when you are shading the nose. You should avoid outlining and use lighting and shadow and directional shading to help create the effect. Usually the shadowed side of the nose will provide the depth and dimension to give the 3D effect.
When drawing the nose, be careful not to make the nose too long. Some artists do this. Also, just a quick refresher in what we discussed…First, sketch out or block in the outline of the nose. Check the placement of the nose on the page using the thumb n pencil method of measuring. Start defining the shape using shadowing, defining the nostrils, etc. Finish shading the nose. That’s it in a nutshell.
Take care when drawing the nose because if you don’t and hurry though it, it can ruin your drawing. The nose is a prominent feature, treat it that way and you’ll be more likely to achieve a likeness to your subject.
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