The Art of Sketching and Drawing: 5 Techniques to improve your skills

1. Sketching & Drawing Intro video: My name is Amanda Malarkey, and I'm a fine artist in this class. I'll be teaching you five techniques for improving drawing skills. We'll go through each of the techniques with examples and practical ways. You can use these techniques for drawing anything you want. This class would be great for traditional artists, digital artist and also for people who would like to be able to draw better just as a hobby . At the end, I also give you two important drying tips that will make a big improvement in your life as part of the class project. I'll give you an interesting idea so that you can practice these techniques on share your art with the community, so please join in. All you need is a paper and a pencil. I can't wait to see you in the class. 2. Sketching & Drawing : Envelope Technique Part 1: welcome to the lecture off envelope technique in this course off sketching and drawing like an artist. Before I tell you how their technique goes, let me share some benefits off this technique with you. First, it fits the drawing on the paper, by which I mean that if I want to draw the growing on decider size off the paper, the envelope technique will help me fix fit the drawing on the size of the paper. If I plan to draw on a bigger size of the paper, then it also can fit the drawing on this on that side of people. So what this awards is that if we don't draw the envelope and start drawing something from here and then as we go along after some time, we might realize that some part of their drawing might go out of the paper. So this problem off drawing going out of the paper can be avoided easily by drawing the envelope first. Now, the second benefit is we can get the it'll proportions right When we used this technique by which I mean that in any drawing, there are bigger objects, smaller objects and then even smaller objects So if one of the criteria self a good drawing is that it should be able to map the proportion or the related proportion off those various elements of drawing accurately on the drawing which were wanted me on this technique off envelope helps us get the overall proportions right For the first time, we can tweak them as we go along, doing to refine the drawing. But on the whole way, we can get a good match for the first time. 3. Sketching & Drawing : Envelope Technique Part 2: The third benefit off the envelope technique is that we learned to see the big shapes first and the smaller ones and then smaller ones. It's very drawing any drawing. It's important to see the bigger shapes first, and then you should go into the details off each one so that Gillislee, drawing uniformly on, give you an analogy for this. If we want to construct a building, we don't go on on. Suppose that building has three rooms on the house, has three rooms. We don't go on laying the foundation off just one room and then build columns and then build walls and then paint the walls, make the roof and then go on making the foundation for the second room columns paying them and so on. What we do is we laid the foundation for all the complete house. Then we build columns in all the corners wherever they required. Then we make the balls all over, and then we paint them. This leads to are uniformly build building. Similarly, when you when you break the drawing in tow, bigger shapes, andan, smaller shapes and then smaller shapes, and as the time progresses, you go into the details off each shape, developing each part of the drawing in uniform manner, you get a you end up with a better drawing. So now that's all about the teary. Now, let me show you an example of what I how I use the envelope technique and how you can put it to good use for making your groins. So let me a go. This image first, okay? What I want, you know, but envelope technique. What we mean is we draw the lions, which includes the whole drawing which we want to make. So for this brewing, the lines will be one from here to here. From here to here. Here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. So that will be the bounding box or the boundary off the doing. Once we have that set up, we go into the details and karwell unnecessary and meet the details where they're necessary . So for this picture, what I'll have is this will be my first line. This will be my first line in the second lane. Fourth six, seven, eight. So, while you draw the envelope, you should minimize the number off lines in the first go. So these at about six or seven lines. Now I'll go on start. So what this has done is this The drying will not go completely out off this area? No. So more or less, I might have to go out somewhere out here are here. Wherever it's required, I might have to cut into the anvil of somewhere. But overall, this are drawing will remain in this area. So that's the first advantage of this. So then we go, then the bigger shapes are this pumpkin ship teapot and then the rest of the ships. And then we go into the details of So now the next step would be to go out and actually go one step further. Who developed the drawing? You can see that I am not giving too much attention to the needles right now. I'm just making a few months. See, I'm going out off The end will appear, and that's fine. And this will be the squiggle somewhere like this on here, you can see that the sheep off the ale will go out off the envelope. So it should. The envelope should be used only as a guideline and northern defense out of which you should not step. So this is the envelope. Then you go on to the details off each shape, refining the drawing and so on. Okay, Now I'll give you a demo off another photograph drawing from this photo there. So for this, and use this any of the paper, the first line will be somewhere like this off the L. A. Print somewhere like this, then here. Then I have a 90 plane. Hes this part. Andi language goes like this. Thanks. So this is the first step. Then I go into the details. This is the color, Dube. This will be the butter. Something like this on. Then we have the I'm not too much in going to detain Zoff each shape right now. This will just give me off any off where the big shapes are. And that's it. So that gives me an idea off. Where my being, how my bending will develop. Now I'll go into the in the next time, I'll go into the details off each one and then develop each area off the pain for more details. I hope you understand. Uh, what I mean by envelope technique on. But you could put it to good use. Thank you. And see you in the next lecture. 4. Sketching & Drawing : Angle measurement technique: Welcome to the lecture in which we will be talking about angle measurement. In the last lecture, we talk about the envelope matter in which we were required to draw lines, too basically block in the whole drawing, and that required our school drawl lines at various angles as per the set up off the objects which are there from this year. Try this. Could be from a photograph are from ideal life object or scene major drawing. So the reason why we need angle measurement alone angle measurement Onda, uh is that if we don't draw these lines at the right angle or the correct angle, then the drying tends to be skilled. So we have been taught in schools that the measurements off angles are done in degrees, which means this is still a degree. This is 90 degrees on. This is one aged ladies on then. This is 45 And so what is this study? And so So if I were to tell you that what is this Lynn, What is this angle? And it's compared to this line. So it would be something like minus something some angle here, So instead of getting it's difficult to look at an object. For example, if we use this image, it is difficult to look at this object and could draw a line from this extreme point till this extreme point on dry to gauge what is the angle? So in terms of degrees So what I would suggest is that we all know how Where are the digits off our block? So there that this is straight oclock three block six o'clock at nine o'clock and then we have 15 78. We live 10 and 11. So if I were toe ask you what is the light? What is the angle off this line? Then? If we take this at the center of the clock, then this line would be something like this. So which is like 15 minutes past early, for example? Then what will be lying toe if we draw the line from here to here? And if we take this at the center off the clock, what would the lane like? This is the sinker on the lane would be something like this drink. So what is this angle? What is this angle? So if we try to imagine in terms off 10 15 30 Whatever. It is difficult, but I can immediately see that it's it's very close to three, but not yet three. So this is like 15 minutes or 20 minutes before three o'clock. So I can you look at the image or the set up and then trying to see what is the angle, and then I can draw it more precisely than imagining in terms off degrees. So if I want to draw the envelope for this and if I wont decide from here the line from here to here is something like this leg. So the envelope would be this And this line is will be something like this savages. See, in 15 minutes Boston, then this line is a big one on this will be somewhere like 11 oclock. Not even the Lord will be something like 10 o'clock. So this is that like and then this will be that lying the joints this point to this point, this is something like 15 or 20 minutes before Vela Block. So this is sadly so. That gives me a fair, fairly accurate the off blooding the angles instead off trying to imagine it in terms so degrees as we major in geometry. So going for each line, I will try to major this angle or this line is slightly different than this line. It's outside are different angle. This was the line, the joints this point at this point and I want to draw this line now. So this will be something like something like this and they dislike on this and as we serve it, it's OK, Some off some portions off are going go out off the envelope. Envelope is just a guideline. So for every line that I'm drawing, I'm using the angle in Don's off How it will look if the line is placed in the clock. Only thing you have to remember is your Go see which point or which end of the line you are considering as the center of the block support. This is the center. Then this will be 10 minutes. This line would be 10 minutes before three o'clock. If this was considered as the center of the Glock, then this line would be something like this 10 15 minutes before 90 clock, so that you have to remember when you are drawing these lines and their particular angles. So this will be there are some of the pens, your in the on. This is the right. The instrument was Ben on just so that the camera picks it up. Clearly, I'm Franko dark on these lines so that you see very clearly what I have drawn here on the paper. So that completes the lecture on drying angle measurement saris that completes electoral angle measurement on. I hope with this technique, drawing the envelopes become becomes much more easier than it was before knowing this. Thank you. 5. Sketching & Drawing : Triangulation Technique: Welcome to the lecture off triangulation technique. This is a photograph off my hand, Andi. I'll be marking few points on this image. This this the idea is still mark on the traditions or where the line changes its angle. And then if we are able to map these points exactly on the on the sheet of paper, then we would have a fairly accurate drawing. That's the simple idea off triangulation technique. So how it goes is supposed I have to draw this hand on this paper using this stranglers and technique. What I would do is I marked the first point. This is this point and then depending on the size of the people are size off the drawing, which I want to do. I mark this point or at this point, suppose I'm on this point. Will be here depending on proportion of this length was just this land. This the resulting drawing will be smaller or bigger. If you want to do honest one dry, you can simply take a measurement like this and then make a point here. But for this for this side of the paper, I want to have these two points here then what I do is when I know that these two points are here. I marked the next point, which is this one and white marking that What I'm doing is I'm seeing horizontally where this point is on vertically where the point lies. So if you see the distance between these two and these two, it is fairly equal and this it very drawing. Imagine that the line here this point is likely about this line. So what I do is I just eyeballed the distance or the center point and then I'm at that point here. Then I go on tomorrow at this point. So what I see is this point is slightly added different angle here like this. And I also see that what is the angle which that these two points make? So if I drawing imaginary lying like this and then imaginary line like this, this point will come somewhere here, then this point. Then I'll draw this point, which is fairly at the same level. If I horizontally at the same line and we just on if I don't who were legal lines like this , it's on this side of this point. So here and then almost at the level of this point. So because most here, then I see what is there. I wonder brought this point at this point. So what I see is this is the angle you can if you have gone through the strangulation or angle measurement lecture. You know that this is the well, a block sign, Orvella clock position. This is almost 1/4 to 1. So if I draw a line imaginary, which they say quartered one, this will be the distance, and this point will be here. Another way to cross check if this point is correct is to draw a line like this from this point and see if the angle is matching. So if I see this line, this is 12 o'clock. This is almost 20 clock plane. So this is well a plot line one. Hello. Look, look. So it seems this point is not at the right position, so it needs to be somewhere here so that this line will make off. So this is not right. So this way I go on plotting each and every point on this going and then simply joined these points to get the result. Dessert and drawing. Now, this point is should be outside here, On with this lightly about this point. So in this line, lady of all this. So this way I can complete the whole drying in this radio and not be showing you the whole marking, all the points. But then I hope you get an idea off. What the Stickney? It's a boat. So it will be something like this. This finger will come here. This will be moving on. This is this point the now point here, which will be the index finger. So the concept on which the strangulation method depends is that if you are able to block two points on the paper, then related to those two points, you can plant the Thurman and then the the next one and the next one in the next one till the time you get all the points. And then you can join those points and get the whole drying. So if I see now this distance, if I want deplored this day, our point This is at this distance late as this is almost Christ this distance. So if I inject this, this line will be somewhere here and like a ball. So this will be the girl here. The yet you dig and then at this point, this point again. This I can see that this point is not an exact location which have I don't like. But then it's again these points give u n idea off where the whole thing is. So no how to get good ad blocking the points there are There is a simple exercise which you can do is you need those papers and go on randomly marking a few points on this paper. Given this, it's and then start hoping what you see on this paper on this paper. I hope you are able to see those points in the camera. Just making them dark enough so that you can see that. Okay, you have these points now on. I want to float these points on this paper. So I take this point at the starting point and then, Lord, this point, just the 2nd 1 and then blood, this one which is a vote off, way on down somewhere here and then this point, then this point checking the angles and go on blooding all these points like this. Did you get tell you complete marking on the points. Then what you do is all these two peoples together and mass the first point and hold it against source of light so that you can see where your points are magic. I can see that these these two points are matching, but this is closing out. This is slightly wrong. So this way I can get better and better at marking the points visually. So I don't need to take any geometrical measurements with the ruler. And the moment I see an object again, I need not even mark thes points physically on the photograph. I can imagine them on ah rial set up or a riel object which is in front of me and then go on marking those points and then drawing the lines to complete the crime. So this is one more Melton off achieving correct proportions in any drawing which wandered . Thank you 6. Sketching & Drawing : Grid Technique: Welcome to the lecture in which we'll be learning about vertical and horizontal lines are the great technique. This technique has been used has been used since the early 16th century on. And the technique is very simple. You should have ah, have Ah photograph. Here are few objects lying around and then I have a good superimposed on that. So if I was to draw a good which is off same sites on my paper, then what I can go on do doing is blotting each point. Suppose I am? I'm tryingto draw this needed Raisa. Then if I I noticed that this point this point is very It's almost near the center off a square, so I don't know if you can see this. Let me just make them slightly more darker. You This has to be done with precision in the sense I'm drying this squares with just my hand. But if you are actually using this technique, you should draw these with proper measurements and with the ruler. But just for the demonstration purpose I'm using this hand drawn. Great. This point is starting somewhere here. 500 rather object here. Then I can see that this line cuts this square and about 1/3 off this length. So I go and blood that point. Then it got here, which is about here center just before the center, and then it goes out. And then I have a point here, and then it goes up and down and then cards here. This is this point and then it cuts here, it guns here, which is about here and then goes in council this Andi, Then I simply that some by looking at the core here I go on and dressed up, good of to get the growing as it is off the object. Okay, I go on and complete this team, but, uh, this technique is also in famous because this makes the drawing very simple on very mundane . Andi, anybody can do it if we have a great off placed on the emits from which were growing and the great on the paper on which were so instead of that. But in practice, we can't have a grid placed against each and every object. If it's certainly a life object, we can't have a plot, are have a screen which has the great people also usedto have ah, blasting or a wire wires fixed on a free, which makes the grade. But that's not ah possible for every now and then so into love that we have to practice how to imagine those vertical and horizontal lights and then we can draw. So what, I wonder demonstrated is how you imagine how you imagine those are is underlined with the lines. Suppose I want to draw this object, these three objects. So let me zoom in. So if I want to mark this point, I suppose I'm are that here, and the second point will be somewhere here. Now I want to mark this point. So what I want to see is horizontally bear is the point. Horizontal. It's on the side, it's and it's vertically. It's below by so much distance. So what I do is I go this way and come here and monitor that point. Then I want to mark responses. This is almost a rectangular shape. I'm going toe Use that to my advantage. Now this point is on this axis it's on this side and then on no. So and see if I see that if I draw a line here. It's some bad just before the half hour mark. Your So it's somebody here and somewhere on this vertical line and so on. This and the same. So this is the point. And then I have since that's a rectangle I can very well drop like this. And then language's now we wouldn't want to plot on these four points off this object. What I do is on C with respect to this point, Where is this point located? So it's about on slightly on the right. So Samo and slightly on the right here somewhere you can see that it's up overlapping that ship. So and then this point is compared through this point, it's this tree on up. So I go this way and then I go up and it's all almost on the edge. So this is that like and in, since there are great lines here again, the process off marking that is very simple. But if in physical when you're drawing look from real life, these lines won't be there. So you have to make a habit off imagining vertical lines and horrid underlines, passing through different corners with you want a plot this could be an organic shape, like a food like ah, human sitting on a table on a chair or a group of people. And with reference to our a point with your drawing, you can you have to draw a horizontal and vertical lines and then see where the other point lies. So if if I want to draw this point here now So if from Nordic off in horizontal manner, where is this line passing through here. So it's about this distance. So from here it is off this distance and ardently somewhere here. So this way I go on plotting and then I achieved the accuracy which I want. Oh, and then I go and find you in the door. So this is again of a off seeing the objects and trying to imagine they're policemen with respect to what we quality have on the paper and then exported from there. If you're just starting out growing, then these methods might confuse you on. You might feel them. They're Cumbers. You might feel that their cumbersome, but it's like learning to ride a bicycle. You have to learn different techniques off, peddling off, turning off, breaking all and all these have to be done at the right moment to get the to reach at the same yet your desire location or stop when you some You see, some has around on the road, so But when when you get in a habit off driving a bicycle, riding a bicycle, all these actions are done unconsciously are without you making very concerted effort about now I want to break, or now I want to peddle its a steep slope. So I want to apply more breaks and so on, so that becomes very automatically. So the more you practice doing using various techniques, the more it will be easier for you to. And then you may not remember the names of the techniques, but then you will anyway be doing, and you will be using those techniques to draw the objects. I hope this technique gives an additional way off looking at things, and then that helps you in drawing improving your drawing. - So that's on I have for you. In this technique, off drawing with grid lines are imagining the reliance pc. Thank you 7. Sketching & Drawing : Negative Shapes Technique: welcome to the lecture about negative shapes. The negative shapes are the shapes between the positive forms. So what I mean is this Jed, He's the positive see? And the space surrounding that positive shape. All this what you see, He's the negative ship. They don't have names. For example, we can name this part of the chair at the seat of the chair, or this is the leg of the chair. This is the back off the chair. But we cannot name this sheep. We cannot need this shape because they're not. We haven't seen these shapes earlier on. We have been not trained toe given the name to the sea. So if I draw the shape right now Oh, let me think, uh, darker color. So if I draw the shape now, I'm doing that ready approximately because they want to just show what I mean by that Negative. So when I draw these shapes, these shapes are the negative shapes. This one, this one. And that way we can go on drawing them here also. So these shapes do not have any names because I have not seen any shape like this earlier. Exactly like this. If I turned the if I change the angle with which I'd look at the chair Ah, change it then. The shape which I see around the chair also changes. So we cannot give names to those shapes for every, uh, change of dignity. So, for example, if we bring these shapes out like this, then when we draw negative shapes, what remains around those are inside, Those is the positive ship. So, for example, what we have actually drawn is the chair. So if you can see this is the chair of the chapter on so they they don't have names and so drawing them is easy. That's because if I tell you to draw on elephant, you will most probably draw in something like this because 99% of the people draw an indifferent something like this Very similar to this because we are trained to ah, in our schools are in a dynamic Correa. We are trained to draw elephants like this. Nobody draws in elephants which is walking towards us. So which looks something like this. That's not by default, which would withdraw. So we don't since we don't have names for these shapes, we look at those ships very carefully. What I mean by that is even if there is an elephant in front of us and we start drawing and people who have not been trained toe draw things properly, they will draw an elephant which is more closer toe this elephant rather than drawing, which is closer to what they are actually seen, often a different so ah, it's it becomes we are. We become more conscious about the shape when we cannot name it or we have not seen it here . For example, if we see off film about a very common sparrow, a crew on, say, Discovery Channel, then we become were not so much at Indio towards that. But if you see a board which we have never seen in our life life, then we pay more attention to that bird on. It remains in our memory for longer time, and we ignore the sparrows are we ignore the very commonplace things which we see every day . The third point about negative shapes is that they give us a completely new way off looking at things. So instead of just looking at the positive shape, we are becoming more conscious about the shape which is surrounding them, and by simplifying the problem off drawing or rectangle, for example, the seat off the chair is a rectangle, but when we see it here, it looks like a rhombus, or it is a rhombus here. But if we draw from our memory and try to draw the rectangle, it won't seem like a cedo future. So we have to draw it like this. So instead of drawing this, are making our head go around that if we are able to draw the negative shapes, it becomes much more easier for us to draw things without knowing the names off those shapes. So drawing using negative shapes is like approaching the same problem or reaching the same destination from a different route. So it becomes easier for us to choose which way we want to go. Which way seems easier for us and choosing the more appropriate route so that we can reach the same destination with much more ease and in a shorter amount of time. So now look at a now look at photographs and let's try to draw the negative shapes off from these images, so just take the shape for the graph here at one end, and I could have shown you Ah, could draw the negative shaped like this. But I don't want to do that. I just It's not always that you will get a photograph and then you will be able to overlap onto that. So what I'll do is I'll sketch the negative shape off this using using a pencil here on the same. So the first language I see here is, uh is goes from here. I am this line And then this is the sheep. This is the negative shit. So what I'll do is first mark out rectangle. I'm doing this very approximately just to show you so four shape will be something like this. Mango. This line goes like this on, goes in here and just the border. Then it goes down here or something, something like this, and then goes in. And the next shape is like this. And then it comes down and and I have to squint somewhere. You're and this is the tail on this, the negative. So what I have is this is one negative shape. This is the 2nd 1 and this is the 3rd 1 And this is the 4th 1 on. This is the 5th 1 I'm not doing it very carefully. This is just to give you when I need off. What I mean by negative shapes off this image. Now let's go and look at try to draw the shapes off. You knew she himself. This photograph Now the first let me again draw a rectangle similar to the photograph. So this is the first shame. Then this becomes the second. I don't. I wouldn't go inside this the sheep off the legs here because at the first attempt it's too complex to draw on. Go it go so that in the second mutilation on the new shape off the surrounding this being duped is something like this. It's more about becoming cautious, conscious about the shapes surrounding the objects. So once I have this, I can then go in and refine my shapes. But this at least gives me ah, starting point something. So what I have is on these are negative shapes. This is an evolution on hope. You get an idea off how to look at the shape surrounding the positive shapes or positive objects and make good of use off them to make the drying simpler. Or it's just look at it as a different V off solving the same problem. Thank you. See you in the next lecture. 8. Sketching & Drawing : Tips for better drawing: welcome to this lecture. I'm going to give you two tips for better drawing. Apart from the techniques which we have not, there are two things which make huge impacto the output which you get from a groin. First thing is hold the paper in correct position. What I mean by that is if you are placed the paper horizontal under a table and you're looking at it, your vision is like this when you see the top off the paper, you see it like this on when you see the bottom of the paper and you see from in this life . So what happens is that the image looks distorted to you. So that's not the right position off holding the paper, the right position off holding the paper Is that an anger so that both the distances off the distance off the top off the paper and the distance of the bottom of the paper from your eye is the same. So which means the drawing, which you will be drawing, will not be seen distorted to you on. Then, when you draw it in this position, it will look the same on it look or in as an end result. Whereas if you do it in this position, though you might dry properly while drawing it in this position. When you make it horizontal on venue hanging on the wall, then it looks distorted because at that time your vision is perpendicular to the paper. There is here it is not. So Hold the paper at an angle so that their top of the paper on the bottom of the people are at the same distance from your eyes. The second, which I want to give you, is don't name the objects that your drive Just look at those as shapes and lines. What I mean by that If I'm I want to draw this image on. If I want to use this as a reference image for my drawing, I shouldn't be looking at this as up as an elephant. I know this is hard because we have been trained to look at objects on. We have been trained to name them. So this is an object. This isn't helping. This is a water. This is a pain do and so on. That's our left brain talking. And once we name those objects, what happens is that we stop looking very consciously at the object on. We draw what we know rather than what we see. That's why I consciously tried toe Award naming the object in the sense I won't say that this is an elephant. I would see that this is a shape which I wanted broke because after all, on your people, it's not going to be on a real elephant. It's going to be an outline or a shooted outline off the image that you see in front of you or the object that you see in front of you. So if I do not name, this is an elephant, Then I'm forced on my right brain forces me to look at this object very carefully on I can . I'm more conscious about the line and shapes which form this whole object. And then I can draw them, probably because 90% of the drawing is observation. Not everybody who can use a pencil can draw properly. So though the trucks off the drawing is in the observation The moment you think about it as an elephant, you stop looking at it in a properly on. When you stop looking at any object and say that this is a bottle. Then I My left brain gives me the images off whatever Borden's I've seen most in my past from my experience. And then I tried to draw from those images. Rather. Then what is in front of me and that leads to one are drawing, which is not true for the nature, I mean through the source which were using. So that's why. Don't try to name the objects. Just look at them as the shapes and lines and the angles, at least the line. So that will you a good line. On day you will see the difference. I mean, if you tell a person that was doing elephant, most probably he will draw something which is similar to this because people have seen an elephant ladies and you might have heard about on. You will hear about this in the in one of the lecture sort. So the moment we are, we start naming the objects. We tend to stop looking at them conscious, and that's what we want to avoid. We want to look at the objects very carefully and then draw accordingly. I hope this tips will help you in drawing better on and make progress and the high speed Thank you 9. Sketching & Drawing : Draw my lunch plate: