art - aesthetics - style

seventeenth point: tutorial on shading ~ pt4

2010-05-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

The clean sketch was finally added to a piece of layout paper. I use Canson Marker paper (bleedproof) 70g/m² at A3+. It has a good translucency, which aids in the tracing of the original image onto the final paper. I then tend to stick to Faber Castell 3B pencils (like above). Be cautious as Faber Castell also make more inferior leaded pencils for everyday use. You need to get the professional art pencils, which are a dark green gray.

As you can see from this little chart, the aim is to use the 3B as a soft filler and darkener, but at the same time have the ability to give a sharp point for the detail.

Most of the work was achieved by holding the pencil at the angle shown in the image above. This is known as under-hand shading. Basically this is used as it creates the correct angle for the distribution of the shade. Holding it any higher will simply force the point to become more active and then the covering tone will have strikes of the point in the design. This needs to be avoided and the lower the angle the better. Plus this also gives a larger covering area.

The above image is a detail from part of the process. The way I tend to handle this type of drawing is to layer up elements. The issue with the dreaded rubber (eraser) is that it can damage the toned area as well as the paper. So I start off really light and then slowly work it up. Sometimes it can take ten or so levels of going over with a pencil. The end result is below. The final image.

sixteenth point: tutorial on shading ~ pt3

2010-04-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is the clean version of the drawing. Was done on layout paper. Mainly to aid in the tracing from the original sketch. Layout paper also has a smoother surface which can aid in some forms of shading.
You will notice on the drawing that I have softened some areas where the hair will be, as this doesn't need to have an obvious hard line for the form. It will be built up via shading of the hair.
The next stage is to do the base layer of pencil work, to get the skin tone and the hair tone.

fifteenth point: tutorial on shading ~ pt2

2010-04-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

OK. After some serious looking at the first stage rough, drew my attention to the fact that the legs were a little wrong. So I have now corrected them to make them a little longer in the length, and draw the right leg further underneath in order to get the balance right. Not much more needed to be done in order to make it ready for the next stage.
If I have time over the weekend I will transfer it to clean paper. Something that needs stronger lines and more clarity.
image is copyright © Rob Snow 2010. All rights reserved.

fourteenth point: tutorial on shading

2010-04-24T01:24:00.000-07:00

This is the first post in several to explain the processes of shading in a design. Some months back I did this image (above) for a poster design. The intention was to place it inside Photoshop and to add the colour via the layer effect method of multiple. This allows the white in a design to become transparent so colour can be placed on the layer below and show through. Anyway, I have had some nice comments about the image, and thought I would do another image as practice. I wanted to go one step further and give a little more realism to the work. Then it occurred to me i can do a series of tutorials to show the process I go through to achieve this affect.

I have shared the first stage of the process below. Basically, I sketched out a drawing of Pan. I will point out that all this was drawn from my mental knowledge of the human form and animal parts. no reference was looked at all in the development. So if any parts seem odd, then its because it has all been made up.

At this stage also, it should be pointed out that there are obvious corrections that need to be made. The legs are in the wrong place and a little short looking next to his body. His left hand needs a little work on it too. Overall though the design is working. What I will do next is to play with the necessary correction parts and then clean up. This will take a week to do, so there will be a post this time next week. For the technicalities of the process. I used a Faber-Castell TK 4600 self propelling pencil with a HB pencil. I use a HB pencil for this type of roughing as there are some need for detail around many areas, and HB retains the point very well.

thirteenth point: more tutorials

2010-02-26T23:33:00.000-08:00

twelfth point: ten simple exercises

2009-11-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

As part of my teaching class on drawing and sketching I introduce a set of ten fun exercises that are intended to help the artist loosen up their inhibitions towards sketching. After all, sketching is about the quick drawing. Many people tend to spend time analysing the object too much and then take too ling in the process of drawing. These exercises are intended to help loosen up this and to get you to understand that drawing is about making marks and not about thinking about making marks. All these were achieved with a 3B pencil on photocopy paper. The best approach is to do as I did with my class. That is to make a sketch as per normal. Spending some time to just try and make it look like a good drawing, in sketch form. This can be seen below in the example. Where I am still trying to give the quick, freshness of the drawing, but at the same time stay true to the details on the plant. The exercise can be dome with any set of objects, but it helps if it has a good strong light to help with light and shadow.
1 minute drawing
OK, the first exercise comes directly after the initial attempt to spend some time drawing the object. When you are given time, you tend to concentrate too much and this can be a failing in drawing, as you become to self-critical about how you draw what you see. So the first exercise is simply drawing the same object, bt limiting yourself to 1 min only!!

Scribble drawing
The second exercise is more fun, and involves the process of gesture drawing. Basically the aim is to see the object as a set of scribbled lines, trying very hard not to actually try and define the edges as you would a normal drawing. Its all about making random, scratchy lines that form the whole.

Don't take the pencil off the paper drawing
OK, another thing that can aid in the development of drawing skills is limiting certain aspects of your freedom in drawing. This controls ou, but at the same time frees you from trying to define the shapes that you see. So for this exercise simply look at the object and draw the shapes, but in one continuous movement with the pencil. Making sure you don't take the pencil off the paper.

Eyes closed drawing
OK, this tends to either get a shocked or homorous responce when mentioned, but is a good way to prove a point. You brain is very good at storing information. It can even do better at this from a peripheral vision. However, the fact is that even with your eyes closed you can see an object with some degree of clarity. Mainly, as your brain can store patterns and recalls these patterns to define the object. So, for this exercise, look at the object for about a solid minute and then with some bravery, close your eyes and draw what you see (or what you saw). Don't take it too seriously, and you will find that you will get a pretty good result. The fact that you have your eyes closed doesn't stop you getting a slight resemblance to the original pattern.

Wrong hand drawing
Depending on what hand you write with, this exercise is intended to enable the opposite. In my case this drawing was done with my left hand. I f you think about it, the amount of accuracy you can get with the hand that you very rarely use, if at all, for writing or drawing is remarkably good.

Upside down drawing
What you have to try and attach here, is to see the object the right way up, but then to reflect what you see in the object, but the other way up on the paper. The result on the sheet below has been rotated to see the result, but basically, everything at the top of the object should appear on the bottom of your page.

Straight lines drawing
This is an attempt to find a way to define shapes out of the simple straight line. Hopefully you have chosen an object that has many curves on it. However instead of drawing the curves, try to construct them all using crossing straight lines. Like the example below. This doesn't mean literally drawing a straight line instead of a curved one, it means drawing as many straight lines as it takes to represent the curve.

Cubed drawing
This is a simple explanation. Draw the object with the notion that everything is made out of cubes.

8 lines drawing
This is one of the more challenging, but fun exercises. Basically you have to think of how to construct the object with a limited amount of lines. In this case only 8. The lines can cover as many places as you wish, but think of restricting the drawing of lines to the parts of the object that you really need to represent it. The example below is a good example, and does in fact have only eight lines in its construction. What is meant by a line is the process of drawing until you take the pencil off the paper.

Shadow drawing
This is probably the hardest one to achieve, but is easier with the use of some strong lighting on the object. The whole aim is to see where the dark areas of shade cause lines to define both the shadow and highlight areas of the object. Then what you need to achieve is the process of doing the sketch with only the shaded or shadow areas. It may take some practice, but basically you need to understand how light affects dark and therefore the dark makes the edges of the object.

This is a set of exercises that you can try and test on different objects, and should be a fun motivation to speeding up your sketching skills.

eleventh point: shading basic - sketching

2009-07-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

The following few posts will now concentrate on the process of building up some good techniques in order to improve your skills. I have subcategorized these into the different modes of drawing. Using a pencil is not just about putting it to paper. There are a great deal of things we have to understand about the process of pressure, angle and movement of our hands. This combined with the correct pencil will produce the correct result.

One thing I see a great deal of with my students is the practice of believing that their entire body is a pivot point for working the pencil. However, as we can all see, there is a certain direction by which the hand and arm can move. What needs to happen to create good sketching shading however is not to do what the students tend to do. In the example below you will see that the top one has a basic shading process that involves turning the hand in order to complete the shading. This however gives a messy series of lines coming from all angles as it goes around the circle. It doesn't make the shading look complete or as a whole. The best approach is to practice the method at the bottom. This is by keeping your hand firm and moving via the elbow, in order to make long strokes across the shape you require filling. I am sure you will agree that the lower shading looks a great deal better than the upper. It doesn't really matter too much as well, if the shading edges go outside the original shape, as this is sketching we are talking about.

The next tutorial will look at the more complex approaches to doing sketch shading. It is good however to practice this method and avoid spinning the paper around in order to get the correct angle to complete the shading.

tenth point: 4 ways to hold your pencil

2009-07-15T06:44:00.001-07:00

This may seem a little silly. Trying to tell you that there is a proper way to hold your pencil. After all you have been doing it for years, right? Well, what you are not aware of is the affect your brain has on your technical skills when using that pencil. What do I mean by that? Well, You use a pen. Much the same way as in the image below. What you do with a pen is write. But what you write is detailed and precise letters. These are patterns that have to be correct to determine legibility. So, your brain is making sure it concentrates on the forming of these letters. What subconsciously happens, when you hold a pencil in the same fashion, is that your brain begins to concentrate. This is wrong for sketching and drawing. Why? Because as we know, you are not suppose to think when you draw. It creates conflict with expression. So, here are 4 different ways to hold your pencil:
Normal
This method is how you hold your pencil as you would with a pen and writing. You can use this method for drawing when you require a little precision in your work. When you aim to do close detail sketching. The only thing that should be noted is that you should avoid concentrating when you draw.

Under hand
This is the correct method of sketching. You are holding your pencil in an unfamiliar way, and therefore have the ease of expression in the method of drawing. It is a very good technique for doing gesture drawing and rough work. However, doing construction for sketches can also be achieved in this fashion.

Normal long arm
This method is similar to the normal position for holding the pencil, however, you have you hand further down the body of the pencil. So the tip is further from your finger tips. This has a similar affect to the 'under hand', as you have less control over the nib. This is a very good method for cross-hatching and filling work.

Under hand long arm
This is the same method as the 'under-arm' but with the pencil in the same position as the 'long arm' method. This is the hardest to control and therefore is only really usable for filling in, in a rough sense. Or even doing very rough sketching and building of drawings.

It is good to practice these methods on different types of drawings and also, not to fall back on the standard way to holding a pencil. The more practice the more you will get familiar with these different methods.

ninth point: point effect 6

2009-07-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

Charcoal
Charcoal isn't actually considered a pencil, but I thought I'd throw it in here has it has a similar feel to some of the effects you can get from pencil. Charcoal is in fact burnt wood. Obviously, specially burnt in kilns, but is the same as a pencil in many respects. The great disadvantage of charcoal is that it is messy. There is a great deal of skill involved in using charcoal effectively. The expensive charcoal can come in a variety of densities for different graininess and blackness. You can also control the point of the charcoal quite well. Below is a test piece showing some of the strokes you can get using charcoal. This will be talked about later in these blogs. It is relatively cheap to buy and available from all art dealers..

eighth point: point effect 5

2009-07-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Faber-Castell Chuck Pencils(grade HB - 4B, lead width 2mm-4mm)
These Faber-Castell pencils have become my new best friends. They have a great feel to them, and are ideal for sketching. They are somewhat different from the self propelling pencils of Pentel. Mainly because they don't have a constant width, and have to be sharpened to maintain a point. They are basically a normal pencil without the wood. So the leads can be replaced and the pencil retained. They come in several widths and with several lead densities. They are very practical and very universal. Here are some of the marks made by the 2mm and the 4mm leads.

seventh point: point effect 4

2009-07-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

Pentel self-propelling pencils (grade HB - 4B, lead width 0.3-0.9)
These pencils are mainly for the specific use of creating constant lines of a desired thickness. Due to the way they are built the lead stays as a constant point at the desired line size. They can be used for sketching, but are difficult to get good results from. They are mainly for construction and draftsmanship work. They are useful to have in your collection, and they come in all the necessary densities and also in variant colours too. If you need to think about having one in your set, choose a 0.5 and have a HB lead. Below is an indication of the sort of line these pencils give.

sixth point: point effect 3

2009-07-01T02:40:00.000-07:00

Faber-Castell pencils (grade HB - 4B)
These pencils are the mainstay of the artists drawing experience. Cheap and effective in style and usage, they can be purchased from any art store and a reasonable price. They come in a wide range of lead densities; from 9H through to the soft 9B. For much of the purposes of sketching however, you will find that you only require a smaller range set. Maybe from HB - 4B.
Below is an example of the type of line and grain you get with the pencil range. The marks below are created using a 4B and show the variety in the shading quality if used at different angles. They can be used for sketching, cleaning work and simple as a tool to create pencil drawing. Some of the softer leads need some practice, and as said before, it is not a good thing to smudge the pencil work.

fifth point: point effect 2

2009-06-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

Solid graphite
These pencils are quite heavy in feel and also quite expensive in price, as they are made from solid quality graphite. They do have a good purpose to them. The best advantage this pencil have is that unlike a wooden body pencil it has the depth in its sloped edge when held at an angle. This can create some lovely effects as far as pencil work goes. If you look at the example of the pencil strokes you will see the lower strokes have a good depth to them. Good for block shading. This is also an important aspect that will be covered later. The fact that you should not really smudge pencil work.

fourth point: point effect 1

2009-06-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Flat edge pencil
The reason to use this type of pencil is to achieve the same effect as a calligraphic pen does. Both a thin point and a wide stroke at the same time. This can be useful if you are in the need to create block areas and then add detailed strokes which could be thinner. The only disadvantage with this is the way you have to hold the pencil. Below is an example of the type of line you can get with this pencil.

third point: it's not just a pencil

2009-06-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

The following post will cover the simple aspects of what is the most common of drawing media; the pencil, and how it can be, should be used and how it can be prepared. To say that a pencil is a pencil is not entirely true. Pencils are designed for their purpose. There is also a great disparity between art (professional) pencils and cheap pencils sold in stationary shops. What this guide is hoping to achieve is ti make you aware of the types of pencil. The uses of these pencils, and how to prepare them for use. Following posts will discuss peripheral tools and application of the pencil. Above is a picture of the full set of the types of pencil I use. I have included the 'god ole' charcoal stick as it is fundamentally the same as a pencil in form. I will discuss the pencils from left to right.

Flat edge pencil
This pencil is actually flat, as the name implies. Basically this means that the lead of the pencil is not a cylinder, it is instead flat. This can give a good advantage in certain types of drawing. You can buy them in different strengths. Unlike the main grade pencils however, they only come in Heavy - Medium - Light. The can be hard to get used to as the pencil body is rectangular as well, and doesn't sit in the hand well. The benefits however are the calligraphic styles you can achieve with it.

Pure Graphite Lead
This is fundamentally the same as a normal pencil, but without the wood encasement. The advantages to this will be shown in the next blogs as well, but these pencils have weight and are very specialist in use. They are also quite expensive, but do come in the full range of 'B' grades. The best make of this type of pencil is Faber-Castell.

Graphite Pencils
These are the standard art tool pencils. Again, the best are made by Faber-Castell and come in a very wide range of grades. Now it is important to understand that you use pencils based on what your style of drawing is. Pencils in this form come in a range from 9H through to 9B. If you do a great deal of technical drawing work and draftsmanship you would be advised to use 9H through to HB. Alternately if you are a person who does a great deal of sketching then a softer grade would be to your advantage. The reason you should avoid buying cheaper pencils, and go directly for the artist professional range is because the quality of the lead is better and therefore the quality of your drawings will improve.

Wide lead mechanical pencils
It would be wrong to call these 'self-propelling' as they don't have a clutch system and therefore the lead doesn't come out in increments. However, they have a plastic body that holds a solid lead that can be drawn out or taken in according to your need. They too come in a variety of grades and also a variety of widths. The two shown above are of 2mm width and 4mm width. Again, like the previous pencil they are presented like this for different uses. Made by Faber-Castell again, they are not cheap, but can serve many purposes and are a one time purchase for the body section. Leads are obviously sold separately and are interchangeable.

Self-propelling pencils
These are the common Pentel variety, that was the standard tool whilst I was at college. Again, their have a great multipurpose value, and have the ability to interchange grades of lead. The lead grade comes in the standard range, and it is also possible to buy variations in the colours. They are a little cheaper than the previous type, but the lead comes in only one thickness. The previous style has the ability create points, which will be shown to be an advantage.

Charcoal stick
This is an extension to the pencil range. Not actually a pencil, but can be used as such. It has a very soft and chalky feel. This allows for a great style variation, but at the same time needs a great deal more control.

This is the full range of types of pencils you should consider having in your range. The next post will look at the way the points should be prepared and the line quality that can be achieved from these tools.

second point: stretch boards

2009-06-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

The first tip is the very useful technique of creating, what is called, a stretch board. This is a way to flatten paper (cartridge paper), and keep it straight and flat during the usage of water based media, such as watercolours, inks, acrylics, etc. This technique will not work on thin based paper, such as layout paper and photocopy paper. The paper needs to have some weight associated to it. What can also be done is if you have a design and you wish to have the design ready on the paper before starting this process, it is possible to take the design to the photocopy shop with a piece of cartridge paper and ask them to photocopy it onto the paper direct.

The other way to achieve this is by stretching the board and then redrawing the design onto the paper.

What is required to make this process work, is the following: A piece of MDF board (preferably a little larger than the largest paper size you want to use), some newsprint paper (paper used by newspapers to print onto [but not used]), some paper of your choice, and some parcel tap (this is tape with a lick-able glue surface on one side). Oh! and a bath with some cool water in it.
This is an image of all the materials you will require for the process of making a stretch board.
...and in close up. By the way, MDF can be obtained from most hardware suppliers who supply wood.
First step is to place your paper on the board and measure the parcel tap to the four lengths of the paper. Making sure that there is a little left over the edge to allow for the crossover.
The process will involve two long lengths and two short lengths.

This is the end result of this first stage.
Now, taking everything else off the board, place the piece of newsprint on the board (if you can't find newsprint, what you can actually use is the paper you get from a bread shop, which they wrap the bread in. But use two sheets.) These sheets should be a little smaller than the size of the paper that will be placed on top.
Now, take your top paper (the paper you will do your art on), and go to the bathroom. Where you should have your bath ready with water in it.
There is a very important process involved in this next step. It is very important that you roll the paper through the water. Not to do it slowly, and not to leave it too long in the water. Basically all the surface needs to be wetted. The reason you roll the paper is to maintain a crease free surface. If creases appear then there is a good chance in the drying stage that these will turn into rips and tears. So, try to be as careful as possible.
Then move the paper carefully to the board, and again, roll the paper across the other piece of paper. Trying to make sure there is no creases and folds appearing.
As quick as you can, you need to wet the strips of parcel tape, one at a time, and return to the board.
Best approach is to do the two long edges first, and then the two short.
What you will end up with is this. There will still be some paper buckling (as seen in the photo), but this will go as the paper contracts on drying.
This is the way you should achieve the corner affect of the crossover on the parcel tape.

During the drying process, please make sure the board remains flat. If water collects at one end then the process will be ruined. At the end of around about 2 or 3 hours (please do not place the board in the sun or strong light to speed the process up) you will end up with a flat piece of paper that can hold water based media, without buckling.

first point: introduction!

2009-06-23T01:03:00.001-07:00

This is the introduction to this new blog. What is hopefully aimed at doing this is to spread a little bit of help, advice and guidance in the processes of drawing, design and art in general. Personally, I have been doing art for the past 20+ years. However, a great deal of my blogs cover digital concerns. So in an attempt to help in the practical aspects of real media art this blog has been set up. I hope that some of the advise and techniques shown here will aid in the development of better skills in drawing and process of creating artwork. Happy drawing!