Improvement? eh.

Before and After!

This is my last blog post and I think this has got to be my worst one in my opinion. I tried to draw on the spot because of the deadline and I was stressed but calm at the same time. Its definitely a strange feeling. Art does that to you in a way. It's a way to let out emotion and consciousness. You loose a sense of time and the world slowly recedes away from your mind. Sounds like drugs but it's not. Edwards says "Artists say that they feel alert and aware yet are relaxed and free from anxiety, experiencing a pleasurable almost mystical activation of the mind [Edwards 4]" Art has helped my anxiety. In fact, I draw something the night before a test. That way, I am relaxed and ready to focus. This time, I was stressed about my art and it caused a weird reverse effect. 

Today, I decided to redraw my first blog post picture. Looking back, it's a pretty boring picture. I followed the same exact steps I made two months ago along with some additional stuff that I learned along the way. 

I always forget to say this but the pencil should have a slanted tip. When you eat a candy cane, some people make it a shank. Do this with your pencil by pressing hard on the paper and create a little ombre. This somehow kinda mixes the colors a little more. This can also help you see "tones". Edwards says "Shading is based on perception of values. A complete value scale goes from pure white to pure black, with literally thousands of minute gradations. [Edwards 180]." Seeing where you pressed the hardest and where you pressed the least can help myself and yourself find which tone is best for the area of shading. 

Anyways, here are some of the pictures I took along the way and Josephine R taking the picture of me drawing. Thanks Jo. 

It's sideways for some reason. My bad. 

Thanks for putting up with all these blog posts! Thanks for reading! 

Question: Would you recreate another drawing you made to see if you improve? 

Tell me in the comments below :)

Edwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, 1979. Print.

Drawing Friends

Drawing Friends!

Some of you might be surprised about today's title. You might be thinking "Wow! This can't be true because Veronica doesn't have friends!" Well think again bucko! I have at least 1(one) friend! 

What's difficult about drawing friends is that you know how that person looks from a three dimensional point of view. You know all of their features and little things. Then you draw them and realize that the picture doesn't do ANY justice for what they actually look like. That is what exactly what happened when I drew Alivia Phok (said like poke) from KM. But don't fret! We all have these moments when drawing! Most people draw, erase, draw some more, erase, then get angry. Sometimes people get restless and frustrated. Then they say something like "I hate drawing anyways. I had no talent to begin with." This is normal. People usually abandon art because of this. Edwards says      
"[People] often blame the drawing for the causing the hurt, rather than blaming the careless critic.[Edwards 64]". I felt like this midway during this drawing. It's important to remember that drawing needs practice and patience. It may not turn out great but there is always room for improvement.

So what you need is 

• a picture of said friend
• pencil 
• paper 
• Kleenexes in case you loose all hope 
• maybe not so much this one, I have faith in you :)

So if you've been keeping up with what I do, we start with an oval/ellipse and two guide lines. 

 Sketch out little details such as eyes, nose, mouth. You should kinda sketch out the face. Side note! Keep in mind that lighting can alter your sight. Alivia has a lot of shadows near her eye making her face look closer to her eyes. This is very common and is called "missing skulls" Edwards says "The top half of the head apparently is considered less important than the features, and therefore is perceived as smaller" I have done this before with my first picture I used for my blog. I think it improved my drawing by making it look more realistic and human-like. Beware of this and notice these before you make your final picture. I decided to add hair too so she doesn't look exactly like an egg. 

Next you should add some shading areas. It helps when you actually do the shading and know what you're doing. I like doing it because it simplifies what a human can look like.
Next I added shading around the T-zone. The nose is the center of the face and I like to work around it. I recommend looking at the picture or look at your friend with loving eyes and draw the little details. Alivia has little details like no lines under her eyes. It's important to capture all the little things so it looks like your friend.

My phone ran out of storage mid way so I wasn't able to take pictures but Julia saved me by taking a screenshot of my picture via snapchat. Feel free to add her @julia-monkey. But i started working around the face and I noticed that her face looks a little off but I was too deep in the drawing that i couldn't do anything about it. The darker areas should be above the eyebrows, under the cheekbones, and under the mouth. She is also looking to the side a bit to there would be more shading. Contrast is also important because you see where the face is compared to the hair and neck. From the side of the neck to the furthest point of her cheek bones should be pretty dark and get slightly darker.

Hair is easy when its straight and you should just see the dark and light spots would be. Still make it darker than the face or else it'll look blended in.


Thanks for reading and have fun drawing!

Question: Would you give a framed drawing of your friend drawn by you? 

Tell me in the comments below!


Edwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, 1979. Print.

Soap Bubble

Soap Bubble

For my fourth post, I will be learning how to draw a soap bubble. I am using the book "How to Draw Cool Stuff" by Catherine V. Holmes. The first thing I need to understand is that "Lines and shaped drawing in a curved manner on top of a circle shape help to create the illusion of a sphere" (Holmes 53). When drawing a bubble, it is important to use curved lines to develop the shape of the sphere.

Steps: 
1. The first step is to lightly sketch a circle. I recommend using a cup or something you can trace to draw a perfect circle. I had to free sketch the circle because I had nothing to trace.

2. I forgot to take pictures of the steps of shading so here is the instructions from the book how to do it. (Sorry it's sideways, I couldn't figure out how to turn it.)

3. As you can see from my other posts, I am not the best at shading. It is hard for me to figure out where the light and dark areas are supposed to be. So here is my attempt of a shaded soap bubble.

I definitely have room for improvement. I think one thing that I want to understand better is how reflection, "An image given back by a reflecting surface" (Holmes 53), affects the bubbles shading. I encourage you guys to try out this drawing! I enjoyed the challenge even if the outcome wasn't so great. 

If you've ever drawn, what was one thing that was really hard for you? What are areas you could improve on?

Holmes, Catherine V. How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students. New York: Library Tales, 2013. Print.

Basic Cylinder

Basic Cylinder

For my third drawing, I will learn how to draw a cylinder from the book "How to Draw Cool Stuff" by Catherine V. Holmes. According to the book, I need to understand that "a cylinder is a three-dimensional geometric form utilizing line and ellipse" (Holmes 22). This tells me that  a cylinder is circle that is projected into three dimensions. 

Steps:

1. Start by drawing two points.

2. Connect the points with rounded lines to make a thin oval. This oval is called an ellipse. "A circle viewed at an angle; an oval" (Holmes 22).

3. Add 2 vertical lines directed straight down from both points.

4. Connect the base with a curved line.

As you can see, this drawing is very quick and easy. When drawing a cylinder, you must understand perspective. This is "The technique artists use to project an illusion of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface" (Holmes 22). It helps to create a sense of depth that allows the object to look three-dimensional. 

One thing that was hard for me was shading. I had a hard time making the cylinder's shading look cohesive. The book says you should start with a value scale, which show you the lights and darks of your drawing. Here is an example:

Then you use this diagram to shade the cylinder: 

Now here is my attempt:

I can definitely say that it is not my best work. This drawing showed me that I need to improve on my shading. What are ways that I can help develop my shading skills? 

Holmes, Catherine V. How to Draw Cool Stuff. N.p.: Library Tales, 2014. Print.

Remember Ribbon Drawing

REMEMBER RIBBON

For my second drawing, I will be drawing a remember ribbon from the book "How to Draw Cool Stuff" by Catherine V. Holmes. To draw this properly, I will need to understand "How to create the illusion of shadows and light in a drawing" (Holmes 51). By learning how to do this, it will add dark and light values that make the ribbon appear more realistic.

Steps:
1. The first step is to draw a skinny oval. Then draw a triangle underneath the oval, to make it look like an upside down cone.

2. Erase the bottom of the oval and add two, small curved lines extending from the triangle. Then connect the two lines by drawing an arch.

3. From the point of the triangle, continue the two lines diagonally so it appears as an X.

4. Draw two lines at a light slope extending from the top arch and draw two more diagonal lines extending from the angled lines. Then close the ribbon ends with diagonals.

5. Add shading, starting with dark areas first and add light layers with your pencil. Extend the shading further down the ribbon by adding a slightly lighter shade next to the medium shadows. If you want, you can take a tissue covering your finger tip and gently blend in the shading to make the lines blend away.

 By using shading, it adds depth and form to the ribbon and it makes it look real. The definition of shading in the book says "Showing change from light to dark in a picture by darkening areas that would be shadowed and leaving other areas light" (Holmes 51). Shading is important because it provides the illusion of dimension and depth.

Remember ribbons are commonly used to bring awareness to certain kinds of cancer. They represent the different kinds of cancers through colors. This is a great thing to learn how to draw because it can be put to a great cause and spread awareness to people. Also, it is very quick and easy, that anyone can do! Trust me, if I can do it, you can too.

What are your thoughts on how this simple drawing can bring awareness to a larger cause? Tell me what you think in the comments below(:

Holmes, Catherine V. How to Draw Cool Stuff. N.p.: Library Tales, 2014. Print.

Drawing Dogs

Structure & Anatomy for Drawing Dogs

Sakari William

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Overview

When it comes to drawing, it isn't something I do often in my free time. I doodle or sketch occasionally if I am bored, however I was never really good at it. I don't consider myself an artist or anything like that. So why did I do my subject on drawing? I did it because I want to see what I could be capable of. My drawings usually consist of people from numerous television shows that I enjoy watching but I could never grasp drawing animals. In this case, dogs. I feel that if I put forth enough time and effort into my drawings, I can do well. Therefore if I spend time on learning techniques for drawing dogs, then I may be able to do things I didn't think was possible before. 

I used to have two dogs, their names being Pudge and Sisu. I still have Sisu, but unfortunately Pudge passed away the December of 2014. Pudge was a mixed dog who we believed was an australian cattle dog mixed with a pointer. We are still unsure, but we do know Sisu is a purebred Samoyed. I have grown up with Pudge since the age of 5 when we first got her and she holds a special place in my heart as she made everyday life significant. I figured it'd be great to get to know how to draw dogs so I am able to pursue my interest in drawing along with re-imagining my dogs in an artistic platform. 

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Basic Structure

To start off, I have been practicing the basic structure and anatomy of a dog's face. What I have covered is the nose, ears, muzzle, and facial structure. Dogs come in many different shapes and sizes but I am focusing on what resembles Pudge.

The muzzle is one of the most important attributes of a dog. "Getting the shape and proportion of the muzzle correct is a key part of drawing any dog breed" (Amberlyn 13) Pudge's muzzle is relatively long so that was the direction I was going for while practicing a dog's head. I did a step by step drawing of a sample dog face that was similar to Pudge's. 

You start off with a circle for the dog's head and gradually utilize other shapes to structure the head. What is typical used for dogs with long muzzles is a cone shape with triangular ears for dogs whose ears flap down. The same kind of shape is used for dogs who have upright ears, but given the term "upright" you simply draw these triangular shapes in an upward position. With flappy ears, you draw the triangular downwards with a fold in the middle to provide further detail.

I have also practiced drawing the muzzle from a different angle so I can have examples on how to draw muzzles from different perspectives. The nose has almost an oval like shape but almost resembles an upside down trapezoid. 

The utilization of shading resembles the dog's color and fur pattern. It can also indicate shadows and darkness depending on what kind of dog you are drawing. Most of the nose is shaded with glimpses of white to add the effect of moisture. "Add a somewhat mushroom-shaped nose pad and then fill in more details, leaving a white band on the surface to indicate the shininess caused by moisure." (Amberlyn 14)

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This was just some insight onto one of the main components of a dog's facial structure and will be more in-depth in the future as this was a beginning process. Now here is my question,

Would you take up the challenge of doing something you haven't done before?

Amberlyn, J.C.: The Artist's Guide to Drawing Animals: How to draw cats, dogs, and other favorite pets. Published by Watson-Guptill Nov 20, 2012

Drawing: The Art of Patterns

Hi! 😃

My name is Sheena! :) I have always had a passion for sketching and painting and loved art for a very long time. I always try to read new books about art and find tips and advice to improve my skills. I'm not very good but I'm hoping with practice I will improve!

I checked out the book Zendoodle 
written by Susanne Schaadt. It was a wonderful and helpful book with lots of detailed steps and guidelines. The best part of the book is that it goes very in detail into the designs such as mastering your leaf shape, flowers, stripes and dots.

This art book focuses on patterns, details, and taking simple shapes into complex drawings and doodles. I would really recommend checking this out!

I practiced many different patterns from this book to improve my precision and details. The book had a multitude of pattern options to include in your drawings. Above is a image of the cover of the book. And to the right is an image of the overview and selection of patterns to draw.

The key to accurately creating the designs is too use different pens so you can create thicker and thinner strokes and more detailed designs. "I would recommend using thin and fineliner black or jet black pens 0.4mm on 120 gm copying paper". (Schaadt)  I used multiple pens such as sharpies, Nano- Liner pens, Micron pens and BIC pens. Unless I was coloring in big spaces I used very thin/fine liner pens. "Black ink creates a lovely contrast with the white background of the paper making the patterns clear and bright." (Schaadt)

Here are the pens I used:

Next I practiced many different patterns such as the leaf, semi circle, flower, flash, zig zag and many others. I would then use these patterns, shapes and design in a final drawing. It was actually a lot of fun to make the unique design and making my own! Practice:

After this I finally took all the advice and tips and put the pieces together! I used many of the designs but the key in making this mandala drawing was creating and keeping consistent symmetry throughout the whole drawing. "The symmetrical construction based around the center further enhances the calming and ordering effects of the patterns in the most delightful way" (Schaadt)  Here is my final drawing! I enlarged the photo so you can see the patterns:

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post! In later posts I will using similar designs and patterns and create different drawings.

Do you like to draw using patterns? Comment Below 😄

Schaadt, Susanne. Zendoodle: Meditative Drawing to Calm Your Inner Self. Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Search, 2015. Print.

Sphere Drawing

SPHERE DRAWING

For my blog, I will be posting about pencil drawings. I think that drawing is a relaxing thing to do in your free time. Unfortunately for me, I don't have a ton of free time to do intricate and astounding drawings, not that I could anyway. So I chose a book that goes over the basics of drawings. It's called "How to Draw Cool Stuff" by Catherine V. Holmes. It covers shading, texture, patterns, and optical illusions. I am currently in a drawing class so I have some experience, but I still have room to grow. Hopefully through this blog, I will be able to develop my drawing skills.

For my first post, I decided to draw a basic sphere. According to the book, I have to understand that "Shading adds depth, contrast, character, and even movement to your drawings by capturing the shadows and highlights of your object" (Holmes 27). When drawing a sphere, shading is an important part because it shows the shadows of the object, giving it form. Here's my attempt in drawing a sphere!

Steps: 

1. The first step was to draw a very light outline of a circle and choose the direction that the light source will come from.

2. Next, was to shade the furthest area from the light source.

3. I shaded toward the light source, adding a bit more pressure. This was supposed to be the darkest spot.

4. I filled in the circle with less pressure as the shadow moves toward the light source.

5. Finally, I gently blended the shading to bring it all together.

As you can see, blending my drawing helped develop the shape and make it look more 3D. The definition of blend from the book says "To mix marks or colors smoothly together on a surface" (Holmes 27). This step was important in this drawing because it helps show the sphere's shape. 

This drawing helped me learn how to show depth and form. Shading helped to make the picture more cohesive and 3D. I hoped you guys enjoyed this post! What do you think I can do to get better and develop my skills? Do you guys agree that drawing is a relaxing past time? Let me know what you guys think in the comments below!

Holmes, Catherine V. How to Draw Cool Stuff. N.p.: Library Tales, 2014. Print.

HOW TO DRAW IN 14 MINUTES😱😱! CLICK TO FIND OUT!

       ☞Creating Portraits☜  
November 28

By Veronica Ramsey