Tips on Drawing

1). Get yourself some graphite pencils. You can get them at an art store or possibly Wal Mart and usually find a packaged starter kit under $8.00, sometimes as low as $5.00. The package will have all the pencils you will need to draw a beautiful realistic drawing.

2). Get yourself some quality paper for drawing, you don’t want to draw something you want to keep for years on regular paper, like printer paper for example. Be sure to get something that is acid free so as not to break down the graphite, or charcoal over the years

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3). Fixative Spray, this is needed to spray over your drawings after you have completed it, or if you would like to work in layer to get an even more dark effect. Found in all art supply stores and sometimes department stores, usually Wal-Mart.

4). When you begin to draw you want to get in all that you are actually looking at that you want to capture. Be sure to include you shadows.

5). Look at negative space, the areas between the subject, be sure to include these to get a realistic drawing.

6). Never draw lines, use your tortillion that is included in your starter kit, or purchased in packs at your local art supply store. What you want to do is create an edge where you think a line to separate is needed.

7). When blending, keep your strokes close, even and in the direction of the object, then blend out with your tortillion going from light to dark

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8). Use a knead eraser to lift out highlights. Highlights are very important for a realistic drawing.

9). Do not use any shading at all where light is on the subject.

Examine your subject and look at it in values of shades rather than the color, then determine the value. There is a value chart at the bottom of this list.

10). Squint at your subject from time to time, this will actually help you see it better

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11). Look at your finished work upside down; this will also help you see mistakes.

12). Practice everyday, no matter what the subject may be. Everything is a subject

13). Carry a sketchpad with you, and in the car.

14). Keep photographs of people; these are great for practicing portraits.

15). Keep all of you artwork; you can look back on it to see that you have improved, and with daily practice you will, I promise.

16). Remember to be kind to yourself and not too critical of your artwork, what you think looks bad is awesome to someone else.

17). Everyone has his or her own style and technique. There is not a right or wrong way, just different.

18). Never give up on yourself.

Below is a Value Chart, practice these values going from light to dark, and dark to light daily till you get comfortable doing them. It may seem repetitious, but it will pay-off in the end.

Black to White Values

Observe technique below

This is the correct way to blend

This is the correct way to blend

Observe technique below

This is the incorrect way to blend

this is the incorrect way to blend

Note: If you need more information on drawing, then please post a comment below, or go to “Submit Comment and Questions” in the Navigation Pane if you would like your question to be private.

And remember, the only dumb question is the one not asked. If you don’t ask you can’t learn.

More about materials….

at my website