#htfasr

[chelsdavisart]

Hot Tips from a Studio Rat #1: Draw What You See

So I used to spend a lot of time- a lot of time- in the art studio at my college. I participated in several traditional drawing classes and watched a lot more- so the basics are pretty well etched into my mind. This is stuff that solves most problems that beginning art students face. I’m going to be focusing on drawing because that’s what I know best and frankly, that’s where you need to start. 

Your brain is a gosh darned liar. Your eyes are your best friends. Your brain wants you to believe that you are drawing an eye. That’s not true. You’re drawing a bunch of lines and shapes. This mindset is important. Get it out of your head that you are drawing an “eye,” or a “butt,” or a “face” and draw the shapes that you see. Don’t tell yourself that this kind of thing is supposed to look a certain way- just draw what you see. 

This also takes a lot of anxiety out of drawing, by the way. “Noses are hard,” but that collection of lines and shapes isn’t so bad. Fun, even.

As you practice, you will become familiar with the shapes and tones you generally find in certain areas of the face or figure. You are training your eyes in what to look for. So.. practice!

More to come!

[chelsdavisart]

Hot Tips from a Studio Rat #2: Work from General to Specific

A common mistake is to move too quickly to the rendering stage. Even the most beautifully finished drawing will look wrong if the framework is off. *AND* An accurate foundation will always look good. Take your time with this step- it’s worth it.

Curved lines are hard to measure visually and they will give you inaccurate angles. Start with straight lines. For this stage, use light lines. You’re not making any commitments at this point- you’ve got to get a solid foundation before using heavy lines. Get a loose outline, then separate the light from the dark. Make shapes, then refine them as you “carve” your structure. It will look smooth eventually. Work from general forms to specific details.

My professor used this narrative: when following directions, you cannot choose to skip every other turn and hope to get anywhere. Have faith in the process. It will take you where you want to go.

Everything is relative to something else. And your eyes will tell you what you need to know. When visually “measuring” the size of the shape, how does it compare to the size of this other shape nearby? No yardsticks- trust your eyes! Is one side of the shape more steeply angled than the other? Is this line longer than this other one? Again, take your time and check your measurements. You are training your eyes to see these things and it will take time to acquire this skill. Practice!