Want to Draw? Start at the Beginning.

No matter how you want to draw in the end, the beginning is always the same. The basics of drawing never change. You have to learn to see, and you have to learn how to use the tools to draw what you see.

Understand Line:

The edge of any subject can be seen as a line. It can be soft, hard, and / or varied and you can express these qualities with the lines you create.

Understand Value:

Value is created by light and our eyes see all form in terms of shadows and highlights. Areas of value have hard and soft edges which can be drawn with hatching and blending techniques.

Know How to Handle the Tools:

Develop the hand and eye coordination to handle the all the tools well enough to draw what you see. These include pencils and several kinds of erasers and blenders. Practice will strengthen your muscles and sharpen your coordination.

After you learn how to see and draw, you have a good firm base from which you can go anywhere. You can develop your drawing style, or you can explore other mediums. No matter where you want to go, taking the time to build a solid foundation of drawing basics will make you a better artist and wiser about how you create your art.

carol

Author: Carol

I'm an artist, an accidental author, and lover of life. I grew up in Yorktown, Indiana, and I've been writing (and drawing) this website since 1999.

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