One of the things I want to do in 2011 is learn to draw, so I thought I'd get a head start on this little resolution on Christmas day. I borrowed a book called "Pencil Sketching" By Thomas Wang and have chewed up the first chapter. It looks like there's way more to this drawing thing than I thought!
Among the little things I learnt in the intro and first chapter was that there are (sorry if I sound like a total noob - I am one) different types of pencils with different properties. I knew this already, but didn't really put it together that a hard pencil is less versatile and that a soft pencil gives you different grades of shading. I guess I had to see it to really get it.
I also skipped a few chapters and found that the author uses shading to seperate hills and increase the feeling of depth in a landscape, another tihng I'd never really grasped by just looking.
I decided to dive right in and found a picture in a magazine that seemed totally out of place of a bull in the mountains. I've never really tackled landscape before, but thought this seemed a fairly simple one to start with.
This is done on a standard postcard, using B lead on a Faber Castell mechanical pencil.
Overall I'm really pleased with the effect, but there is one bit I can't work out. The little mountain on the right is actually recessed in the photo, but in my drawing it just looks weird. Any ideas?
January 3, 2011 at 3:05 PM
Nice work! Re the little mountain: don't be afraid to make your dark areas really dark. Shading everything middle-grey will keep it all in the middle ground.
Oh, and Happy New Year!
January 3, 2011 at 4:47 PM
Fabulous drawing Andy!....a great exercise to get the "right" side of your brain jump started is take an image (any image) maybe simple in its design to start with and turn it up-side down so that your still looking at it but not the right way up, say a tree or an animal or have someone choose something for you so you don't recognize it ...etc (projecting it on a wall is great). Draw or sketch the image telling yourself where the lines, shapes, curves (etc) go INSTEAD of where the eye, ear, leaves (etc) go NO ERASING . Humans are "visual" people we need to "see" where things are, but if you can "feel" where things are your right hemisphere will get stronger EVERYONE can draw! Picasso and other greats would do these types of exercises often (Google the "Igor Stravinsky" sketch by Picaso. I'm also to understand that he never took his pencil off the paper until he felt he was finished, another challenge exercise for ya!
January 3, 2011 at 6:58 PM
If you can get a copy of "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" you'll be able to improve greatly in a short time. I used to encourage my students to use this book. Keep practicing.
January 3, 2011 at 7:47 PM
Mim....To me this was one of the greatest teaching tools ever. I had the greatest art teacher in 5th grade (umpteen zillion years ago now) I still remember the images he had us use for our "right" brain exorcises and I still have my drawings!
January 3, 2011 at 7:53 PM
*exercise NOT exorcise!
January 3, 2011 at 10:10 PM
Great discussion. I know nothing about drawing, and I just might learn something new here. Ok. I already did! I gotta get me some pencils!
January 4, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Thanks for the tip Rejin! I've not yet sent this piece and will give it an extra coat on the mountain when I get home. You're very right when you point out that I left it middle grey - it's a frightened beginner hoping not to cause too much damage to his piece, and perhaps in the process not taking the necessary risks
January 4, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Some great tips there Rani - I will try that with one of my next pieces
January 4, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Now there's a recommendation I will take up straight away. Straight to Amazon. I'm really really enjoying the drawing, and find pencils pretty simple to pick up. It's strange to think that I've lived 30 years and didn't realise the subtleties of the pencil as a tool
January 4, 2011 at 4:40 PM
One of my favorite teachers used to say "If you don't make a mess you're not making art!" Maybe you can plan on ruining some paper, so you can be pleasantly surprised when they start to come out well?
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