Interesting Pencil Sketching Exercises

By Darren WK Chow

First, let's talk a little bit about what makes a good pencil sketching exercise. 

Well, I don't know about you but I personally find shading squares and basic shapes to be the most boring pencil sketch exercises in the world. But you still find them around.

Some pencil sketch tutorials will ask you to shade squares just to get some blending practice. But I find that ineffective and exceedingly boring. And I tell myself there must be a better way to learn pencil sketching.

The problem with shading squares is that squares have no meaning. They don't represent still life, and they don't represent a living thing. Therefore, such exercises don't really stretch the muscles of the artist.

And anything that's not a real challenge isn't going to help anyone become a world class artist. If you're a beginner, you may want to consider some alternative exercises.

What you can do is that you may want to pick just one simple subject that you would like to draw. Don't be too overly ambitious if you're just starting out. Just one good one will do. I suggest choosing something like a soft toy or a plant. These subjects have simple basic forms and shapes and are perfect for sketching exercises.

Next, when you proceed with your drawing, keep in mind that this is just an exercise. So your primary goal is not to create the perfect sketch. Instead, you should constantly remind yourself that since this is just an exercise, you should try as much as you can to experiment. Be adventurous! This is just an exercise, so there's no need to be timid.

Draw all kinds of lines if you can. Experiment with all the different shades of pencils. Use different types of drawing paper and observe what happens. 

This will keep you busy for hours, and in my opinion, even though the approach is a little hap-hazard, it's still much better than just shading squares. No boring squares for you and me. Geez

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com].

Article Source: Interesting Pencil Sketching Exercises

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Pencil Drawing Tutorials

By Darren WK Chow

There are many reasons why you are searching for pencil drawing tutorials. You could be looking to improve your drawing foundation, or you could be looking for more drawing tips that'll help you improve your overall drawing skills.

Whatever your reason may be, you should at all times, be able to recognize good drawing tutorials when you really see them. This article will help you distinguish the good pencil drawing tutorials from the poor ones.

The first thing that you should notice about the tutorial is whether it has a clear objective. What exactly is the tutorial trying to teach you? If the objective is hard to grasp, I can assure you it's not going to be a tutorial that you like. Without a specific goal, it's hard to imagine how the tutorial actually manifests itself.

Also, a good tutorial should only have one specific goal at any one time so as not to confuse or overwhelm the reader.

If it does have a specific goal, the next thing you should be looking out for is whether the problems or challenges are properly defined. How much does the author understand you? The more the author understands you, the better he or she will be able to define the problem.

Only when the problem is clearly defined can we arrive at the right solutions. The defined problems should be in support of the goal. These are roadblocks that need to be overcome. I constantly remind the readers of my Home Study Course of the roadblocks that they'll come across before presenting any solutions.

Sometimes, you may not even be aware of these problems. Here's an example. Do you know that there's a method to capture the proportions of any drawing exactly the way you want it? If you're not aware of it, you won't be seeking to overcome this roadblock.

So a good tutorial with clearly defined problems can really help you out. By the way, the key to nailing proportions is to follow a fixed system. But it's beyond the scope of this article to expand on this.

Coming back to the essence of this article, the final thing that you need to note is that good pencil drawing tutorials should have solutions that are presented in a conversational style.

The conversational style is the most effective communication style. It makes the tutorial easy to read and understand.

So there you have it. Looking for these three elements the next time you're searching for good pencil drawing tutorials.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com].

Article Source: Pencil Drawing Tutorials

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Pencil Drawing Lesson

By Darren WK Chow

The first question you should be asking yourself is, "What is it that you are going to draw". Choosing and deciding on the subject can make or break your pencil drawing.

I suggest choosing something that you're comfortable drawing (that means taking your skill level into consideration) and the subject should be something that you're interested in drawing. Also take into consideration the amount of time that you're going to spend on your drawing.

If you don't have the time, try not to choose a subject that's too ambitious. Two things may happen here. You'll either get bored with the drawing due to lack of interest, or you run out of time and so the drawing is left unfinished.

Try to avoid these mistakes.

Once you have decided on your subject, it's time to start your drawing. Prepare the following tools: (1) a range of pencils from 2B - 8B, (2) ordinary drawing paper, and (3) kneaded eraser.

You need a range of pencils because that will help you in achieving the many different tones of shades that's so crucial to your drawing. In a monochrome drawing, that's the only thing that'll help you describe shapes, contours, dimension and depth.

And if you're wondering if the paper matters in a pencil drawing, the answer is yes. If you're more particular about the surface that you're going to draw on, note that there's two types of drawing paper that you'll commonly come across.

The first type is cold pressed drawing paper (also commonly known as NOT paper). This type of paper has a textured surface and is commonly used with watercolors. However, you can use it for any drawing or painting if you feel it's appropriate.

The second type of paper is hot pressed drawing paper. This is the opposite of NOT paper. Its surface is smooth, making it the ideal drawing surface for pencil drawings. That's because it's easier to blend on a smooth surface. Experiment with both types of paper to see which type you prefer. I would recommend smooth surface drawing paper.

The kneaded eraser is a soft eraser that you can pinch and mold into any shape. It's dust free and commonly used to aid in creating highlights in a drawing by using it to pick up lead on the paper. 

And there's one more tool that will help you but it's optional. It's called a paper stump or a tortillion. A tortillion is used for blending and spreading lead around on the paper. It creates a more consistently blend than fingers.

Yes, you can use your fingers if you want but I like to keep mine clean. Besides, tortillions are very affordable. 

Once you have these tools ready, you're set to go.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com]

Article Source: Pencil Drawing Lesson

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Drawing Tutorials For Beginners

By Darren WK Chow

So what makes a good drawing tutorial for beginners? The keyword here is "beginner", so it's a little bit different from ordinary drawing tutorials that usually assume that you already know something about drawing.

There are many reasons why someone might want to pick up drawing. Some say it runs in the family, while others say they haven't been able to find time but would like to try it out now. Whatever the reason may be, if you're the kind of person who's very fickle minded and always change direction to pursue various interest, you may find that you'll not be very successful. Your attention will be diluted, and you'll find that your hobby will be short-lived.

But if you're really serious and passionate about learning how to draw, good for you! If you can stick it through and be patient when it comes to foundation building, you'll come to reap the rewards of drawing in the not too distant future.

Speaking of foundation building, that should be your primary goal if you're a beginner. Drawing is not difficult to learn, but it does require some practice. Remember that there's no magic pill, so no matter how good a drawing tutorial is, it's not going to help you if you don't practice.

Nevertheless, good drawing tutorials can still help you to accelerate your learning process. What you need is step-by-step instructions on how to draw, which is what I always stress in my home study course.

The best foundation building tutorials are those that isolate various elements of a drawing and walk you through how to accomplish each step. Afterwards, you'll be able to see for yourself how the whole drawing actually comes together.

Also, good drawing tutorials for beginners should also focus on repetition. That means if there's a key point to take note of, the good tutorials remind you of them. Otherwise, there's a very high chance that you may forget about the whole process once you finish reading the tutorial.

Again, don't forget to take the time build a strong foundation if you're just starting out. If not, you'll find that you may run into a host of unwanted problems later on when you learn the more advanced techniques.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com].

Article Source: Drawing Tutorials For Beginners

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How to Draw Great Pencil Sketches

By Darren WK Chow

It's easy to be impressed by any drawing that's drawn by a skilled pencil artist. A skilled pencil artist can sketch a drawing with such fine details that it looks almost like a black and white photograph. How do they achieve this realistic effect?

First, let's start by understanding that there's nothing complicated about making a pencil sketch. At least when it comes to the tools involved, there's just pencil and paper. There's no color mixing, no drying times, and other complications compared to working with paints. But if it's so simple, why do some art students still find it difficult to master pencil sketching? 

The answer lies in two areas: the observational skills of the artist, and the mastery of the pencil. Let's talk a little bit about using the pencil.

This is a technique thing. For instance, there are many different levels of pencil blends that can be achieved with different pencils, and not artists are able to achieve a wide range of blending effects. As a result, they're limited by their own skills in terms of expressing themselves on paper. 

One popular technique is called the hatching, or the cross hatching technique, which is basically shading by using lines. Another popular technique is called the caressing technique, where you use a paper stump or a finger to create smooth blends. A combination of these techniques allow the pencil artist to eloquently capture the desired effects on paper. 

The other thing that sets the students apart from the masters is the observational skills. Different artists observe and perceive things differently. They also have different concepts and thoughts about the things they see and usually come up with different interpretations based on their past experiences.

Some artists choose to draw close to reality, while others choose to express their ideas. Depending on what's more important to the artist, the end result can be very different.

But remember that the fundamentals of drawing remains the same. Strengthen the fundamentals and use your skills as a way to express your own artists. If you can do so, you're on your way to drawing great pencil sketches.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com]

Article Source: How to Draw Great Pencil Sketches

How to Draw Lips

By Darren WK Chow

In order not to spoil a portrait, it's important for art students to practice drawing individual parts of the face so that when the whole drawing comes together, it'll come out right. Most students who fail to draw a portrait successfully find that they do not have a strong drawing foundation yet. In other words, when it comes to drawing lines, drawing shapes, blending, working with contours and shadows, they're still struggling. No wonder the portrait doesn't come out right. You can tell that an art student's foundation is weak when he or she tells you that the faces always come out looking the same.

That's because these students keep drawing the same shapes over and over again without realizing it. They are not drawing what they see, but rather what they think they see. And they keep drawing noses that look alike, lips that look alike and so on. That's why the faces always come out looking alike.

To avoid this problem. art students can try taking the different features of a face apart and focus on drawing just one part: e.g. the lips. Start by building a large collection of lips images. Use them as reference images and work on just drawing lips alone.

The whole point of doing an exercise like this is to allow the student to pay attention to the subtle differences on the lips. To achieve this goal, drawing close-ups of lips will be particularly helpful. 

Further separate the lips into the upper lip, and the lower lip. What happens when you have a thicker upper lip? What happens when you have a thicker lower lip? What happens when both lips are thin and so on. How do the lips appear when a person smiles? How about a laugh? 

You'll find that lips can indeed take on many shapes and forms. Don't be put off just because there are so many different shapes and forms that the lips can take on. Instead, try matching each shape and form with the behavior of the subject. For example, when a lady is pouting, what is she thinking? This will make your lip drawing exercises more interesting.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com].

Article Source: How to Draw Lips