Perspective Drawing Adds Depth To create the illusion of the 3rd dimension we need to understand how we see depth so that we can recreate it convincingly. For more than 500 years artists have used a simple process for creating the illusion of depth. That is perspective drawing. 3d games and programs employ this method, but until the 1990s most of this was done by hand by artists, illustrators, architects and mechanical draftsman. It is the most important Key to understanding how to…
Basic Shapes Clafiy difficult problems When I was young I had strange misconceptions and ideas of how to draw. I would pick up books and see artist describing things into basic shapes and I would think to myself that’s not how you draw. You just draw. Little did I know how much I was wrong! After years of training and a twenty year professional career in illustration and fine art I know it is “the key” to drawing and painting regardless of style.…
Proportion and Dividing Lines Dividing a Line Equally without a Ruler Anyone who has picked up a pencil and wanted to make an accurate drawing knows the most important thing is proportions. That means you need to divide things up. Sometimes into several pieces. Now you can eyeball it but if you want to get to a better level of accuracy then you want to use a few simple techniques that will take your drawing to the next level. Dividing a Line Segment…
The Fundamentals of a Head Starting with the Classic method of Developing a Portrait from the Egg shape. Step 1 – We start with an oval or egg shape. Generally the oval is about a 1/3 taller than it is wide. If you are having trouble with drawing ovals grab an egg from the refrigerator and quickly making some ovals. 20 to 40 will go a long way in helping you get more comfortable drawing the shape Step 2 – Once we have…
How to Draw a Simple Eye Eyes are one of the most important things when drawing people. Many people struggle when drawing eyes. These easy steps will help you draw eyes more accurately. Lets start with the basic angle in the top lid. Step 1 – The Top lid is comprised of 3 main angles. The innermost angle from the tear duct is usually the most extreme angle. Each person’s eye and therefore the angles are different. Practice looking for the 3 angles…
How to Draw the Nose The Nose One of the most important features of the face. The nose seems like a simple lump on the face it is often overlooked. The nose is made of many subtle plane changes and structures. Let’s explore the drawing of this wonderful feature of the face. Step 1 -Breaking Down the Nose into Simple Shapes We will use simple shapes to represent the anatomy of the nose. The nose in the simplest terms is made up of…
Drawing the Features of the Face: The Mouth The Mouth One of the most important features to be able to capture on the face. They seem so simple and yet they can be challenging to draw. Here are some steps that will help you draw mouths successfully. Keeping the Mouth Symmetrical We want the mouth we draw to be symmetrical so we will start with a cross hair. This way is will be easier to keep both sides even. The Basic Shapes of the…
Drawing the Ear Continuing with the theme of drawing the portrait I will cover drawing the features. Now in January I covered drawing eyes. So I thought it would be fun to continue with one of the most neglected features, ears. Step 1 Starting with the “?” Shape and the “C” Shape The basic ear shape is comprised of two main shapes. A “?” shape for the outside of the ear and a “C” shape or rhythm for the inside. C +…
Drawing a Portrait From The Classic “Egg” Shape This is a continuation of last month’s art tip developing a portrait from an egg shape. Where we learned how to divide the oval based on eye spaces for a generic placement of the features. In this tip I will execute an actual portrait using the method. Step 1 Starting with the Oval Draw in an oval. Be careful to measure the proportion of how tall the head is to how wide using a pencil…