ArtistsNetwork DrawingSketches 2015 PDF
ArtistsNetwork DrawingSketches 2015 PDF
Sketches
Free Sketching Techniques and Expert Tips
Table of Contents
Drawing Sketches: Free Sketching Techniques and Expert Tips
How to See (from Start Sketching and
Drawing Now by Grant Fuller) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Steps to Gesture Drawing (from Sketching People:
Life Drawing Basics by Jeff Mellem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
A Look Inside the Sketchbook of Roberto (Bob) Cardinale
(from Sketchbook Confidential). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
A Look Inside the Sketchbook of Kate Sterling (from Sketchbook
Confidential) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
M o r e Res o u r c es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
Except from: Start Sketching and Drawing Now by Grant Fuller
Learn to See
Have you ever noticed that although you are able to recog- After you draw an object, your memory has a vastly
nize countless objects at first glance, when you try to draw improved record of that object. After drawing it a few more
them from memory, you cannot recall enough information times, you may find that you can draw it from memory. The
to make a good drawing? down side, however, is that the quality deteriorates because
This is because your memory records key pieces of visual youve taken your eyes out of the equation. No matter how
information about things as you look around, and your good your memory is, it does not compare to what you see by
brain feeds back a shorthand version of your surround- looking at the real thing. Lighting, texture, subtle shapes and
ings. This abbreviated method allows you to quickly iden- contours are all things that fade from memory very quickly.
tify all the objects around you, spot dangers, avoid collisions As an artist, you must learn how to look at things as if
and find things. you were seeing them for the first time.
Keep Practicing!
Some objects look easy to draw, but upon
closer examination, will present unexpected
challenges. Making an object look convincingly
real takes practice, so do not be discouraged if
you dont get it right the first time.
EXER CISE
STEPS TO GESTURE DRAWING
Developing a consistent step-by-step approach will help
you avoid any hesitation when beginning a drawing.
Once you have internalized this artistic process it will
free your mind to concentrate on what youre trying to
communicate rather than how to draw. That is not to say
you cant change the procedure to suit your needs, but
as a rule, you will be better off approaching each draw-
ing with a process you are comfortable with.
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Drawing Sketches: Free Sketching Techniques and Expert Tips | 7
4 | Continue Down the Figure Through the Legs
Each line needs to feed into another, leading the eye from one
mark to the next so that the brain connects them into a singular
object. Return to the top of the torso and add the arms.
PR ACTICE
GESTURE DRAWINGS
Go to a park or the mall and
begin creating gesture sketches
of the people you see.
P R AC T I C E
OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS
When you see someone doing something
interesting, close your eyes and remember
the body position. Where was the left
arm? Was he or she leaning forward or
away? Which direction was the head
tilted? What was he or she wearing? What
was the overall demeanor? Now open your
eyes. If the person is in the same position,
check the accuracy of your memory.
Roberto (Bob)
Cardinale
Churches hold a special significance for
Cardinale: The church form speaks to my love
of ecclesiastical architecture and springs from
my monastic background as a Benedictine
monk and my travels. His sculptures of real
and imagined churches, towers and syna-
gogues, many of them commissions, are made
of pine and richly painted, average about 16
inches (41cm) tall and require 60 to 90 hours
each to make. The Santa Fe artist (originally
from Colorado) has made over 400 of them,
focusing on the churches in New Mexico, Texas,
California and Mexico, and many from the
Tuscany region in Italy.
Most often, this is in the evening as that is when I spend When I sketch, I feel very open and relaxed, as I am not
the most time in my studio, and the distractions of the trying to do a finished or important drawing. Its as if
day are pretty much behind me. I usually use a no. 2 or Im just thinking about a form and not trying to create
other soft pencil and often work on grid paper. Many one.The sketch is free to do what it wants, and I feel no
times, I sketch directly onto the wood that I am going to need to exert control over it.
work with.
I always make a composition sketch before I start to As a landscape painter, I take liberties with the place-
paint, and while this started as a discipline to eliminate ment of objects in space, and the sketchbook is the place
false starts in painting, I have found that it is a way of where I can experiment and play.
focusing my mind to the painting process. By sketching,
I calm down and ready myself to concentrate; in a short
while I can feel myself click into a different mental state.
to paint,
I always make a composition sketch before I start
te false starts
and while this started as a discipline to elimina
ng my
in painting, I have found that it is a way of focusi
mind to the painting process.
C o nn ec t w it h U s