LEARNING TO SEE
Many beginners draw without really looking carefully at their subject; instead of drawing what they actually see, they draw what they think they see. Try drawing something you know well, such as your hand, without looking at it. Chances are your finished drawing won't look as realistic as you expected. That's because you drew what you think your hand looks like. Instead, you need to forget about all your preconceptions and learn to draw only what you really see in front of you (or in a photo). Two great exercises for training your eye to see are contour drawing and gesture drawing.
PENCILING THE CONTOURS
In contour drawing, you pick a starting point on your subject and then draw only the contours-or outlines-of the shapes you see. Because you're not looking at your paper, you're training your hand to draw the lines exactly as your eye sees them. Try doing some contour drawings of your own; you'll be surprised at how well you're able to capture the subjects.
To test your observation skills, stLldy an object very closely Jar a Jew minLltes, and then close your eyes and try drawing it Jrom memory, letUng your hand Jollow
• Drawing "Blind" For the contour drawing on the left, the artist occasionally looked down at the paper. The drawing on the right is an example of a blind contour drawing, where the artist drew without looking at his paper even once. It's a little distorted, but it's clearly a hand. Blind contour drawing is one of the best ways of making sure you're truly drawing only what you see.
the mental image .
... Drawing with a Continuous Line When drawing this man pushing a wheelbarrow, try glancing only occasionally at your paper to check that you are on track, but concentrate on really looking at the subject and tracing the outlines you see. Instead of lifting your pencil between shapes, keep the line unbroken by freely looping back and crossing over your lines. Notice how this simple technique effectively captures the subject.
Drawing Children Once you have trained your eye to observe carefully and can draw quickly, you'll be able to capture actions such as this child looking and then reaching into the bag.
DRAWING GESTURE AND ACTION
Another way to train your eye to see th e essential elements of a subject-and train your hand to record them rapidly-is through gesture drawing. Instead of rendering the contours, gesture drawings establish the movement of a figure. First deter mine the main thrust of the movement, from the head, down the spine, and through the legs; this is the line oj action, or action line. Then briefly sketch the general shapes of the figure around this line. These quick sketches are great for practicing drawing figures in action and sharpening your powers of observation.
... Studying Repeated Action Group sports provide a great opportunity for practicing gesture drawings and learning to see the essentials. Because the players keep repeating the same action, you will be able to observe each movement closely and keep it in your memory long enough to sketch it correctly.
Many beginners draw without really looking carefully at their subject; instead of drawing what they actually see, they draw what they think they see. Try drawing something you know well, such as your hand, without looking at it. Chances are your finished drawing won't look as realistic as you expected. That's because you drew what you think your hand looks like. Instead, you need to forget about all your preconceptions and learn to draw only what you really see in front of you (or in a photo). Two great exercises for training your eye to see are contour drawing and gesture drawing.
PENCILING THE CONTOURS
In contour drawing, you pick a starting point on your subject and then draw only the contours-or outlines-of the shapes you see. Because you're not looking at your paper, you're training your hand to draw the lines exactly as your eye sees them. Try doing some contour drawings of your own; you'll be surprised at how well you're able to capture the subjects.
To test your observation skills, stLldy an object very closely Jar a Jew minLltes, and then close your eyes and try drawing it Jrom memory, letUng your hand Jollow
• Drawing "Blind" For the contour drawing on the left, the artist occasionally looked down at the paper. The drawing on the right is an example of a blind contour drawing, where the artist drew without looking at his paper even once. It's a little distorted, but it's clearly a hand. Blind contour drawing is one of the best ways of making sure you're truly drawing only what you see.
the mental image .
... Drawing with a Continuous Line When drawing this man pushing a wheelbarrow, try glancing only occasionally at your paper to check that you are on track, but concentrate on really looking at the subject and tracing the outlines you see. Instead of lifting your pencil between shapes, keep the line unbroken by freely looping back and crossing over your lines. Notice how this simple technique effectively captures the subject.
Drawing Children Once you have trained your eye to observe carefully and can draw quickly, you'll be able to capture actions such as this child looking and then reaching into the bag.
DRAWING GESTURE AND ACTION
Another way to train your eye to see th e essential elements of a subject-and train your hand to record them rapidly-is through gesture drawing. Instead of rendering the contours, gesture drawings establish the movement of a figure. First deter mine the main thrust of the movement, from the head, down the spine, and through the legs; this is the line oj action, or action line. Then briefly sketch the general shapes of the figure around this line. These quick sketches are great for practicing drawing figures in action and sharpening your powers of observation.... Studying Repeated Action Group sports provide a great opportunity for practicing gesture drawings and learning to see the essentials. Because the players keep repeating the same action, you will be able to observe each movement closely and keep it in your memory long enough to sketch it correctly.
... Working Quickly To capture the action accu rately, work very quickly, without including even a suggestion of detail. If you want to correct a line, don't stop to erase; just draw ove r it.
Drawing a Group in Motion Once you have compiled a series of gesture drawings, you'll be able to combine them into a scene of football players in action.
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