Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Let Sketching Everyday 2 0 1 1 Begin!

Woo, I am psyched! I've got some new and exciting ideas for this year's summer sketching series. I hope a few of you artists will step up and share your input with me and our readers. Remember that in every aspect of our lives, we get back in direct proportion to what we give out. I guess that's one of the many reasons for my continuance of this daily drawing challenge over the years.

One of the changes I want to make to this blog is to really "K.I.S.S. IT!"   or, "Keep It Simple Stupid" or as I like to put it, "Keep It Sensationally Simple".  I went online to see what kind of drawing instruction is available. And wow, there's a lot of it and most of it is pretty darn good! So does the world really need another drawing mentor? Well, I don't know, I guess that's for you, my fellow artists and friends to answer. Please let me know how I'm doing from time to time.


To launch the season, I'm starting off with a simple drawing demo of a horse portrait in profile. I'm showing how the foundation starts off with three simple shapes; a long triangle, a circle and a square.





I add directional lines and divide the shapes in half. This gives me a point of reference for angles and location of the features.


I divide the top half of the circle and find the location for the eye. The mouth follows the directional line of the head as does the top and bottom outline. The crest of the neck is drawn and the slight S curve is added to it's underside. The outline of the nose is rounded some and the nostril is indicated with a semi-circle curve. The ears sit below the poll.


In finishing the sketch, I add some subtle curves, slightly indicate muscle and bone structure and add a mane and forelock.


With the pencil drawing complete, I quickly brush clear water to the edges and then "whack on" a light grey value *with a dry brush. Try not to go over the paper more than once and don't scrub. I am only using drawing paper in my sketchbook, not watercolor paper. This teaches you to work swiftly and then get out of there. " In watercolor, just like in golf, the least amount of strokes wins the game." ~ Tony Couch



Then lickety-split, while the area is still damp, I add darker values* and a few details. 
 and. . .  there you have it!

So, why not copy these steps and give it a try!?
If you are new to my blog, or just a little rusty, referring to my Sketching Everyday Lens on Squidoo will probably answer your *questions. You can also study my watercolor sketching techniques in greater detail on my drawing demo pages on DrawingEveryday.com.

2 comments:

  1. It is GREAT to see you back. Might help give me that extra boost I could use right now to get back into my own sketching.

    As for do we need another mentor? Each person has a unique way of sharing with others and we can't have too many as far as I'm concerned. And we each have our favorites in how they present and share things. You happen to be one of mine.

    This is a great start!!!

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  2. Woo Hoo! Thanks for the shout Susan!! You made my day. I hope that I can help make yours and get you inspired to get back in the saddle!! And BTW, you are one of my favorites as well Susan!

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