I recommend to anyone interested in learning to paint to start by learning to draw. I believe ANYONE can learn to draw just like anyone can learn to play an musical instrument. You may not be a Mozart but you will certainly know the scales. You can only improve and the way to do that is “practice, practice, practice”. First you have to want to learn and then you have to do it. Most people drew as children. Some of you quit somewhere along the way when someone else told you that you weren’t any good at it. Probably a friend or sibling but maybe a parent or even yourself. The people who never quit drawing are the ones who we think have “talent”. Talent is a word for people who don’t give up until they get it “right”. It can be frustrating at first but the more you do it the better you will get. If you need help take a class. That will motivate you to take the time and do it. Drawing and painting help keep you young by exercising your right brain.
My favorite drawing tools are a spiral bound sketch book, a soft 4B graphite drawing pencil and a kneaded eraser. The 4B pencil is much softer than the #2 pencil you had in school. It’s much easier to get nice strong darks and rich soft light values. The kneaded eraser is a little grey square when you first get it but you should open it right away and knead it until it’s a soft ball. If you had Silly Putty as a kid you will recognize the consistency. This is a magic tool. It will help you make subtle changes in value when you have gone too dark. You can get into tight little corners or flatten it out and get larger areas all at once, and you won’t hurt your paper by tearing a hole through it by erasing too hard. The trick is to spread the eraser out to the size of the area to be lightened then press gently not rub the area. Lift it and abracadabra, observe the magic! This will help you control your darks and lights.
It might help to practice your values. This means to make a series of squares that start as the darkest dark and gradually change value until the final square is just a shade darker as the white paper. Try your best to make each square as even as possible without any strokes showing. This is like learning the scales in music. These are all the notes you will use in your drawings.
Start by paying attention to the world around you. Look at everyday objects. See how the light hits them. Notice their shadows, their reflections. Pay attention to all the subtle changes in value. Look at black and white photographs to see the world without distracting colors.
Next set a table lamp on a table in a low lit room. Make sure there is only one source of light. Place a very simple object on the table and shine the light on it. It can be a ball or an apple, just something basic not fancy (yet). Move the light around and notice the shadow and how it changes. Be aware of the reflective light that hits the object in the shadowed area. Drawing is 90% observation and 10% pencil to paper.
Now it’s time to draw! When you put your first marks on the paper make them very soft and light. Just sketch a general shape to show where you want it on your paper. Try to fill the entire paper leaving only a few inches around the edge of the paper untouched. Include the shadow of the object in your composition. Drawing the shadows is what helps give the illusion of a 3 dimensional object sitting on a table. Once you have decided where your subject will be on your paper and your happy with it then you can make darker pencil strokes. Try to keep the shading gradual and subtle. Take your time and really observe the object. The more you look at it the more you will see. If you find that you are smearing the drawing with the hand that’s holding the pencil you should put a plain piece of paper under the palm of that hand to keep you and the drawing clean.
Now, when you are done try not to be too hard on yourself if you aren’t happy with the result. I didn’t show anyone my first 40 or 50 drawings! If you keep practicing pretty soon you will be proud to show them off. If you don’t get the reaction you wanted from your critics just ignore them. Try new and exciting objects. Put several of your favorite things together and make a personal still life. Challenge yourself to keep trying harder things like glass and chrome. Draw a flower or an old gnarled tree. Eventually you might try animals or people. Try drawing people from photos first (they hold still longer) and then graduate to live models.
When you are feeling confident with your new skills you should experiment with different drawing media. Try drawing with white or colored pastel chalk on black or dark paper. It’s a totally backwards way of drawing from the way you have been doing it. If you like the reverse drawing you should try scratchboard. Scratchboard has a black coating with white paper underneath. You scratch with a knife or sharp tool to get white lines showing through. Another fun media is colored pencils or watercolor pencils. You can make some beautiful colored drawings with these. The watercolor pencils can be brushed with a wet brush to add a painterly quality to your work. I love to use chalk pastels on colored mat board. You can get scraps for cheep at your local frame shop. Pen and Ink can make a beautiful and bold statement. Try some of the heavier illustration boards or other fancy papers.
When you finally finish a piece that you are really proud of you should frame it to keep it nice and show off your new skills. At least mat it so it will store well. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be selling your work beside me at the local art shows!
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Tags: Art Lesson Teach Learn Draw Drawing Pencil Class
