Drawing on paper can be a fantastic experience. I'll show you how to exercise to become better at this craft in this class. Here we’ll take a look at shading techniques and how to apply them to your outline drawings. I’ll provide you with helpful tips for a better understanding of shapes and how to put new marks to make those shapes come to life.

This class is suited for all levels of knowledge and creativity. Graphic design, illustration, painting, all of those have their foundation in line making so knowing your lines can be very helpful.

ASSIGNMENTS

Now it’s your time. For your project

Finish watching the course, which you obviously did since it is the last video,
Make your exercises by shading the simple shapes, both with sharp and round edges. For example, look at a cup or a glass, shade it by hatching and crosshatching, blend your lines with fingers or other material, or leave them as they are.
Have a friend or a model pose for you, it doesn’t have to be a nude portrait after all, or use the template and a reference photo that I provided.
Finally, post your sketch in the project gallery.

I would love to see what you came up with and help if you run into any kind of problem.

DELIVERABLE

Here are the deliverables to share in the project gallery for feedback:

drawing exercise for your fine art projects
shots of work in progress that can improve your visual arts
finished figure drawing

You don´t have to scan the finished sketch, you can also take a picture with your phone and upload it. If you are scanning it, remember to do it at 300 dpi so you can use it for bigger things later on.

RESOURCES

The following page provides packs of reference images all under 10$. Each of them contains thousands of examples of life model poses with or without props. Most importantly, all photos are shot by professional photographers and the lighting is just perfect for anyone needing a great reference, may it be for drawing or painting. I'm in no shape or form connected to this site, I just like using their products and highly recommend them solely for the quality of their work.

Obscura29 reference packs

Mastering any physical skill takes practice. Practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence. But what does practice actually do to make us better at things? Annie Bosler and Don Greene explain how practice affects the inner workings of our brains. And of course, this can be applied to drawing and illustration as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2O6mQkFiiw

Here is a link to my previous class about drawing figures with simple shapes. I think it might be quite helpful

Drawing Exercises - figure drawing with simpe shapes

John Santiago

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