Following on from my last post which was on keeping an art journal, todays post is on keeping a sketchbook.
Sketchbooks differ a little from journals in that the emphasis should be more on sketches, plans for drawings and paintings, and ideas for colours etc. They're a great place to practice shading and technique as well. I find that I tend to draw a bit more spontaneously in a sketchbook; perhaps it's something to do with having less expectations on myself. A sketchbook is a place where you are allowed to make mistakes, whereas a single piece of good quality drawing paper comes with a connotation that you will produce something worthy of the paper it's on.
I always start out a little nervous that I won't be able to draw something great, and therefore my drawing is not as free or spontaneous.
One thing I particularly love to draw is faces. Working on perfecting that portrait is a real challenge to me and I'm always pleased when the result actually resembles the person I was sketching. It's definitely a bit of a science, and correct proportion has a great deal to do with how much success you'll have. But it's also in the shading (or lack of). I've seen some great portraits that actually don't have the whole face drawn. It's just the eyes and suggestion of the shape of the face, and it's the colour and shading that finish it off.
A good trick I've found that works for me, is when something doesn't look quite right and you just can't pinpoint it, look at it in the mirror. You'll almost always see what needs to be fixed, and then it will seem so obvious to you.
Sometimes though, the result when working from a photo won't be exactly as you expect. Self portraits especially, tend to come out looking less like your actual self, and more like yourself seen through a mirror.
Overall, keeping a sketchbook is definitely something you should do as an artist. Even if you think you don't need to, you'll be amazed at how much you can teach yourself through practice.
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Sketchbooks differ a little from journals in that the emphasis should be more on sketches, plans for drawings and paintings, and ideas for colours etc. They're a great place to practice shading and technique as well. I find that I tend to draw a bit more spontaneously in a sketchbook; perhaps it's something to do with having less expectations on myself. A sketchbook is a place where you are allowed to make mistakes, whereas a single piece of good quality drawing paper comes with a connotation that you will produce something worthy of the paper it's on.
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| Drawing individual elements over and over again is a great way to perfect them. |
I always start out a little nervous that I won't be able to draw something great, and therefore my drawing is not as free or spontaneous.
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| I always enjoy trying to draw famous people because it's immediately apparent whether you've captured a likeness or not. |
One thing I particularly love to draw is faces. Working on perfecting that portrait is a real challenge to me and I'm always pleased when the result actually resembles the person I was sketching. It's definitely a bit of a science, and correct proportion has a great deal to do with how much success you'll have. But it's also in the shading (or lack of). I've seen some great portraits that actually don't have the whole face drawn. It's just the eyes and suggestion of the shape of the face, and it's the colour and shading that finish it off.
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| Drawing from life (especially with a time limit) is a challenge but definitely one worth pursuing. It helps your skills enormously. |
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| Sometimes things just don't like quite right, (like the lips on this one - they don't quite fit with her face). |
A good trick I've found that works for me, is when something doesn't look quite right and you just can't pinpoint it, look at it in the mirror. You'll almost always see what needs to be fixed, and then it will seem so obvious to you.
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| Working from photos is another great way to practice technique. |
Sometimes though, the result when working from a photo won't be exactly as you expect. Self portraits especially, tend to come out looking less like your actual self, and more like yourself seen through a mirror.
Overall, keeping a sketchbook is definitely something you should do as an artist. Even if you think you don't need to, you'll be amazed at how much you can teach yourself through practice.
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You're great at drawing portraits! I always had a bit of trouble with noses. That often discouraged me from wanting to draw faces.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jessica! Noses are HARD!! I have spent a long time practicing them - I found that it usually works best when you don't actually draw too much of the shape, and leave it to the shading to suggest what you want.
ReplyDeleteI still find myself looking at other artist portraits and wishing I could be better at it though, so thanks for the compliment! :)