Sketchbooks

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.

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.

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.

Drawing from life (especially with a time limit) is a challenge but definitely one worth pursuing. It helps your skills enormously.

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.

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.

You might like to read:

America In Print

How to paint faces in oil

Well, it's Monday, and that means it's painting day! My painting class is on Monday morning, and so that meant today  I got to work some more on my transcription of Grammatica's Theorbo Player. I have never done people/portraits in paint before, I've only ever drawn them. So this was a little daunting to say the least. I'm very happy with how he's coming along though! We are allowed complete freedom with how we paint these, so long as the basic composition stays the same. So I am going for a 'sketchy' look I guess with the paint. I don't want anything overworked, I want it to have movement.

My Theorbo Player, except he's playing an electric guitar!

I was worried about getting the right tone on the skin, but I needn't have been. Not trying to make this a picture perfect photo image means I can play around with colour and create something aesthetically pleasing without having to stress over making the skin tone look 'real'. As it is, I think he's definitely starting to look like someone with Mediterranean skin tones! I love how his mohawk looks. I'm planning on adding some blue and pink to the tips of it. He will also have a big earring and an eyebrow piercing as well! His clothing is remaining similar to the original, with some colour changes, and a slight style difference.

The guitar I'm going to try and put some detail on, and I'm also considering giving him a tattoo. I think I'll be pretty close to done next week, so stay tuned for the final product!!