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Drawing 365: Tips and Techniques to Build Your Confidence and Skills PDF

178 Pages·2015·15.72 MB·English
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3 36OIANCNPNH CEUDANLSUR AIMDCNNO5OEGDSRA P ELIAEN.!D.NK. VC,IICLE, draw ing Tips & Techniques to Build Your Confidence & Skills KATHERINE TYRRELL 365 draw ing Drawing 365. Copyright © 2014 by RotoVision SA. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. First published in the United States by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W, a Content + eCommerce Company, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, Ohio, 45242. (800) 289-0963. First Edition. ISBN-13: 978-1-4403-3658-4 Cover Image Credits Front cover (clockwise from top left): Rush Hour Crowds and Trains Moving Inside Canary Wharf, London, England by Jeanette Barnes; Afro XX by Adebanji Alade; Lippiano, Umbria, Italy by Mat Barber Kennedy; Pick of the Litter by Katherine Tyrrell; Small Spaniel by Gayle Mason; Tanah Lot, Bali, Indonesia by Katherine Tyrrell; A Child by Julie Douglas; Other fine North Light Books are available from your Sunflowers by Katherine Tyrrell. favorite bookstore, art supply store or online supplier. Visit our website at www.fwcommunity.com. Spine: Pick of the Litter by Katherine Tyrrell 18 17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1 Commissioning Editor: Jacqueline Ford Back cover (left to right): Assistant Editor: Tamsin Richardson Coffee Cans in the Conservatory by Felicity House; Layout: Emily Portnoi and Michelle Rowlandson Audrey 2 by John Smolko; Early Morning in January Cover Design: Hannah Bailey (Canary Wharf series) by Katherine Tyrrell. 365 draw ing Tips & Techniques to Build Your Confidence & Skills KATHERINE TYRRELL CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE ............. 06 CHAPTER 1 DRAWING BASICS............................12 Learn ten new habits ..............................14 Ways of drawing pictures .......................52 Learn how to see .....................................18 Format and crop ....................................54 How to draw what we see ........................22 Emphasis, focus and contrast ..................56 Mark-making .........................................24 Balance and harmony ............................ 58 Measuring .............................................26 Unity and variety ....................................60 Shape, form and volume .........................28 Rhythm, repetition and pattern ...............62 Space and proportion .............................30 Movement .............................................63 Perspective ............................................32 Accuracy vs. creativity............................ 64 Lines and edges ...................................34 How to progress .....................................66 Light, shade and tonal values ..................38 Self-assessment and improvement ......66 Identifying tonal values ......................40 Peer assessment ................................67 Working in monochrome .......................43 Develop your drawing ..........................68 Working in color .................................... 46 Advanced drawing practice ..................69 Texture ..................................................49 Preparing to frame .................................70 Working with reference photographs .......50 Sketching Media by Liz Steel (Pen, ink and watercolor) CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 DECIDING WHAT TO DRAW ...............72 MIX UP YOUR MEDIA .................... 122 Drawing from life ...................................74 Dry media ............................................124 Still life ..............................................74 Graphite pencils, sticks and powder ...124 People ...............................................78 Other types of pencils .......................126 Drawing the head ...............................80 Colored pencils ................................128 Life drawing .......................................82 Pastels .............................................132 The clothed figure ..............................85 Charcoal ..........................................136 Groups of people ................................86 Wet media ...........................................138 The natural world ...................................88 Pen and ink .....................................138 Domestic animals ...............................88 Brushes ...........................................141 Wildlife ...............................................91 Watercolor .......................................142 Plants and flowers ..............................94 Digital media ......................................144 Drawing places: Interiors ........................98 Mixed media ........................................146 Homes and rooms with a view .............98 Unusual supports for drawing ...............147 Cafés and restaurants ....................... 100 Art paper and sketchbooks ..................148 Art galleries and museums ................102 Paper storage ...................................152 Queues and waiting rooms ................104 Sketchbooks ....................................153 Travel ...............................................105 Tools for drawing ..................................156 Drawing places: Exteriors .......................106 Sharpeners ......................................156 Buildings and streetscapes ................107 Scale drawing ...................................157 Landscapes ......................................110 Erasers and masking fluid .................158 Trees and vegetation ..........................112 Blending tools ..................................160 Water and boats ................................116 Burnishing and indenting tools ...........161 Skies and clouds ...............................118 Studio and plein air equipment .........162 Topographical drawing .......................120 Be confident! .......................................164 DRAWING RESOURCES ..................166 Contributor index ..................................170 Glossary ...............................................172 Index ....................................................174 Acknowledgments .................................176 INTRODUCTION BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE USING THIS BOOK WHAT IS DRAWING? When I started to write this book, I was minded to Freehand drawing is an activity that is enjoyed by create the type of book I wish I’d had when I first people of all ages. It’s a natural, almost instinctive started to draw. Over time you learn so much—so activity, but while it’s not unusual to see children and many tips, so many techniques—and it’s always good young people drawing, adults tend to give it up. Yet to share! many look back on it with fondness, as something they enjoyed doing and want to be able to revisit. I’ve been reminded while writing of all the things that seem difficult to start with, many of which get easier “Do not fail, as you go on, to with practice. You don’t need to read this book from draw something every day, for no matter how front to back; however, I do recommend you complete little it is, it will be well worthwhile, and it will this section before deciding what to read next. do you a world of good.” —Cennino Cennini (c.1370–c.1440) Courtyard Outside Burlington House, London, England by Katherine Tyrrell (Pen, ink and colored pencil) 6 WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF A DRAWING Drawings can be about a number of things. They can be observational, acting as a record of the things we see, and perhaps done in a cool and analytical style. They can also be imaginative, reinterpreting things and even presenting them as we think they should look. Lastly, they can draw on our emotions, reflecting the way we feel about a particular subject. There are various approaches we can take when drawing. For example, a realistic style would typically involve presenting an accurate and faithful record of our observations, whereas an impressionistic approach might offer a more fluid, instant impression of a moment in time. Expressionistic drawings, which present a subjective, sometimes emotional, response to objects or events. Drawing is, in fact, a basic foundation for all visual art, and this book touches on every aspect, from specific skills and techniques to practical tips. Barn Owl Feather by Sarah Morrish (Acrylic ink) Chapter 1 introduces some of the more important concepts and skills associated with drawing, and Chapter 2 applies to these different subjects, providing further practical tips to help you develop. All the techniques and all the subject matter in this book can be drawn and sketched using ANY drawing media. You may be surprised what can be used for drawing. You can find out more about different types of drawing media and related tools and equipment in Chapter 3. You’ll also see them demonstrated in the images throughout the book. Life Drawing by Katherine Tyrrell (Pen and ink) 7 WHY DO WE DRAW? THE BENEFITS OF DRAWING Drawing and sketching happens for different reasons Life sometimes gets in the way of drawing. However, and in different ways. Drawings might function as: once we fall in love with drawing again and embrace it as we did when we were children, it can become a • A record of something you’ve seen or somewhere lifelong and richly rewarding activity. you’ve been. • Revision and refinement of your skills in drawing The rewards are numerous, and the kinds of benefits and mark-making. drawing can bring are as diverse as the kinds of • Part of a study of art history, perhaps involving people who do it. It is a great creative outlet for copying an artwork by a famous artist from people, regardless of their age (it is a really great the past. activity for when you retire), and is a wonderful way • An aid to understanding, for example, how to stimulate and engage the brain. For many people, something is constructed or works. myself included, drawing is an effective and • Part of a creative process, a way of exploring meaningful method of recording holidays and longer an idea. travels. The view you draw stays with you forever! • A means of emotional release, through the expression of feelings. Drawing can also be a great way to relax and escape • A quick drawing in a limited time period. the stresses and strains of everyday life, whether at • A preliminary study for another type of art. work or at home, and it is so versatile: You can sketch • An outline or template for another painting. wherever you are, at home or out and about, meaning • A piece of fine art to be displayed in an exhibition, you will never be short of something to do, and it is bought by collectors and/or kept by a museum. satisfying! What better way is there of realizing more • Graphic art for use in a commercial context, such of your potential, and of being proud of an as an advertisement. achievement in a context other than work? As we • A technical drawing, such as an architect’s progress and become better at drawing, so we enjoy drawing. greater confidence—in what we can do and who we are. And, who knows, maybe one day it could become For me personally, drawing and sketching are my a whole new career? two big passions. I drew a lot as a child and while at school. I came back to drawing as an adult after a long time dedicated to higher education, professional studies and getting a career off the ground. I found drawing and sketching to be invaluable Opposite: Spring Flowers in Vollissos, Greece in helping me achieve a work/life balance—giving by Katherine Tyrrell (Pastel); Drawn from me “time-out” and respite from a busy, analytical, observation on a warm morning in May number-oriented worklife. I’ve not stopped while sat next to a roadside verge in Greece. drawing since. Below: St. James Park, London, England by Katherine Tyrrell (Colored pencil); This is a crop of an even wider panoramic sketch. 8

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