Drawing

Introduction

We see art all around us; the paintings that hang in galleries, the pictures on the walls of the house we live in, the ornaments on our shelves, and so on. It's a wonderful ability to be able to create representations of objects from the world or from our imaginations, in 2D or 3D (virtual or real) form. Whether pencil to paper or stylus to screen, the methods we use to draw may have changed but the passion to create art has not died down.

Basic tips

It may seem obvious but to be able to draw good you need to practise as often as possible even if it's just drawing basic stuff. Keep a sketchbook handy and whenever you feel like it draw something nearby that you can examine up close. If you can, pick it up and have a look at it carefully. Ask yourself questions such as What shape is it? Is it made of multiple parts? How does the surface reflect light?

Always try to think of basic shapes (square, circle, etc.) that the object can be broken down to. For example, a chair can be thought of as being made up of squares and rectangles. Even something as complex as the human body can be reduced to familiar shapes. Once we have the basic shapes and have positioned them correctly we can add detail to them.

Adding light and shadow to a drawing really can bring art to life so that is why it's important to learn how light interacts with objects. Some objects give off light, others absorb light, some reflect light and objects also cast shadows onto themselves and other objects. As we can't touch the objects we draw to feel their texture we have to suggest the texture the objects are made from. This is partly done by light and shadow but you also need to consider things such as transparency: can I see through the object?

To create life-like scenes we need to be aware of perspective-that is, objects in the distance seem smaller than objects up close. We would expect a building in the distance, for example, to appear smaller than a building we are standing next to. Perspective also includes foreshortening, which is the apparent shortening of an object along the line of view such as what happens with the limbs of a person at certain angles.

There is nothing to say you have to draw realistically; I think it's better to develop your own style. It is still important to be skilled in the above mentioned tips but it doesn't mean you have to strive to create photo-like drawings unless you really want to. It is better to draw basic and convey the action or emotion well than to put a hundred lines to paper for something less meaningful.

Especially when starting out it's good to sketch, to keep things 'loose' so that even with the roughness of the drawing you don't get bogged down with trying to get perfection and instead keep what you are trying to get across (for example, the action). Also, characters will look more natural rather than being rigid and stuck in an awkward pose.

Digital art

Drawing using the help of a computer is not for everyone but it has its advantages and disadvantages, which will shortly be discussed. One technique is to draw on paper and then scan into a computer which is then used to tidy up the drawing and to add digital ink. This process is quite slow and requires that the drawing scans in well which often involves going over the drawing with ink before scanning it. It is however one of the best methods to produce digital art and is more natural especially for beginners.

The alternative is to draw straight on to the computer either using a drawing tablet (a.k.a. graphics tablet) or by using a touch sensitive computer or tablet. Graphics tablet are devices that attach to a computer (usually by USB) which have a touch sensitive area that works with a digital pen. This is a much better way to draw using a computer than by using a mouse but you have to get used to looking at your computer screen while moving the pen. Some graphics tablets get around this problem by having a screen built in so that it's more like drawing on paper. Things to consider when buying a graphics tablet is the size of the drawing area, how heavy the pen is, whether the pen uses batteries and how many levels of pressure the pen has (pressing lightly on the pen produces a faint line, pressing hard creates a dark line). Note that not all software will be able to detect the pen's different pressure levels.

As computer tablets have advanced in capabilities and touch screen has become standard on these mobile devices they are increasingly becoming a good option for artists. You can draw straight on them using a pen, it's easy to save and edit your art and the more powerful tablets can run sophisticated graphics software (such as the Surface pro). Just make sure the tablet supports pressure sensitivity using the pen if that is something you are going to need for your drawing.

Graphics tablets

Wacom Cintiq 12WX

Wacom are well known for drawing tablets and are a popular choice for artists of many different skill levels. What's unique about the Cintiq 12WX is that it has a built in screen which doubles up as a second screen for your computer, that can be drawn on but it can also be used as a 'normal' graphics tablet without using the built-in screen. While this is generally a good thing as it makes it easier to draw digitally as you are looking at what you are drawing on it does have some set backs. Firstly, there is the inconvenience of having an extra box (converter unit) that plugs into the tablet to supply it power and the video signal. Then there is the need for your computer to have either two display adapters or one that has two outputs; the Cintiq does support both DVI and VGA.

The Cintiq can be viewed below (which has been set upright using is built-in stand) showing a rough sketch I did using Paint.NET. Note the converter unit to the right which is connected to four cables (power, USB, video from computer and video to the Cintiq).

When first using the Cintiq it has to be calibrated so that the computer's pointer matches the position of the nib of the pen when hovering over the screen. As the Cintiq functions as a second screen you can run whatever graphic programs you want and you can extend your display on to the tablet or just mirror what's on your computer. There are a number of customizable buttons on the Cintiq, which can be set to different actions such as to switch between your main display and the Cintiq's display, and other useful actions, such as undo.

I found the pen to be very responsive when drawing slowly but it stalled with quick strokes but that could have been the fault of the graphics program I used (Paint.NET). The Cintiq does get warm during use but it's not too hot that it becomes uncomfortable when leaning your hand on the tablet.

All content of this and related pages is copyright (c) James S. 2014-2015