How does a light source affect the translucence of an object? Which eraser is right for your drawing? We’ve got the answers to these questions and other key drawings topics from top artists.
Here are 5 drawing tips sure to take your skills up a notch. Enjoy!
1. Pay Attention to Light When Drawing Transulent Objects
Illustration by Margaret Davidson.
Translucent objects are tricky to draw because their appearance changes depending on whether the light is shining on a form from the front or side or shining through it from behind. A translucent object will often appear opaque when lit from the front or side. This is demonstrated in the drawing of grapes above.
The light falls between the two groups of grapes, so the front cluster is lit from behind, while the back cluster is lit from the front. The back grapes show highlights and shadows in the same intensity and positions as they would if they were opaque.
The front cluster, however, shows the translucence of each grape, with the interior seed faintly visible and a small amount of light leaking into the cast shadows.
2. Be Mindful When Using Erasers
I find it makes a difference what order you employ various erasers when using more than one type in a single drawing. If I try to erase a deeply inscribed line with a kneaded eraser first, the line becomes even more resistant to subsequent attempts by a plastic eraser.
I avoid using the smaller pointed plastic erasers on large areas, since they can embed the pigment into the paper. I’ve found the larger plastic erasers better suited to such tasks.
– Dan Gheno (Read more drawing material tips from Gheno here.)
3. Use Frisket to Keep White Backgrounds Pristine
In order to keep the background clean while I work, I use Badger Foto/Frisket Film, a low-tack product that airbrush artists use to stencil out spaces. I cover the paper with the frisket and trace the outline of the image on the film with a Stabilo pencil.
Using an X-Acto knife I cut out the area where I will draw the image, plus an extra quarter of an inch all around the shape. This keeps the paper in the non-image area protected throughout the drawing process.
I can smudge and blend as much as I want and not worry about my hand rubbing on the white background. After the drawing is done, I removed the low-tack frisket and have that pristine background.
Bird Nest Series, No. 9, by David Morrison, 2014, colored pencil, 20 x 14. Private collection. Image courtesy the artist and Garvey|Simon, New York, New York.
4. Interested in Printmaking? ‘Just Do It’
Printmaking is so rewarding. There’s that element of “chance” you don’t have with pencil on paper.
And, anyone who loves to draw will especially love drypoint. it’s basically drawing — drawing with chance as your collaborator.
Girl With Heart Wings, by Ellen Heck, 2014, woodcut and drypoint, 14 x 9.
5. Stay in Control with Engraving as Your Medium
Engraving was developed in the Middle Ages, making it one of the oldest printmaking processes. The artist creates lines by cutting into a copper plate using a tool called a burin. It requires patience, strength and practice.
Curved lines are created not by pushing the burin in a new direction, but by turning the plate while pushing the burin straight ahead. It is a highly linear process. And, shading is accomplished largely through hatching and crosshatching.
– Richard Pantell (Read Pantell’s explanation of intaglio printmaking drawing here.)
To learn more from these accomplished artists, be sure to peruse through past issues of Drawing magazine. Happy drawing, artists!
Bonus Tip: Drawing Materials
In the video tutorial below, artist Brent Eviston shows how you can use just one good pencil to create a vast range of values and lines in your drawings.
The post Drawing Materials and Methods: 5 Tips from Top Artists appeared first on Artist's Network.
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