Online Art Learning
In this workshop we explore the beautiful qualities of pencil and ink lines, in order to create a balance between line and color.
When line overpowers color or vice versa - we need to be aware as designers of that delicate balance.
Here are some images with both ink and pencil lines. Which look do you think works best?
In our latest workshop - Drawing Nature - We took a closer look at insects and to how we see.
The exercise was focused on simplification of the subject and strategy to develop the drawing in stages.
Here is a short time lapse showing the step by step. Enjoy!
Are you ready for a four week Drawing workshop all about Nature?
We will look at drawing techniques with different mediums to capture forms ans textures from all kinds of wonderful creatures. Great exercises and lots of Fun.
Guaranteed to be wild!
Here is a quick time lapse from our urban sketching in Rome ‘The Colosseum’
This is a video showing the process of limited palette, Monochromatic abstract Painting.
We took a little ‘virtual” trip to Egypt for our urban sketching series.
Working with a nib pen, waterproof ink and watercolor, we engineered our lines to build a solid structure to then develop the values creatively using scumbling and cross hatching. Looking at light and shadow, we saturated the lines accordingly.
A little touch of color to balance the line work and …done!
Here is a short sample from our latest workshop ‘Drawing the Figure’
Here you will see a method of simplification to develop your drawing in stages.
This is a time lapse from our Watercolor Dogs workshop. In this session our main focus was the wet on wet ‘staining’ technique. We allow the water and pigment to work together and disperse with a little control over it. The color shapes and layers are patiently developed following the direction of the hair. This is lots of fun - you have to try it.
Here are a few tips for great hatching and cross hatching when drawing with Ink.
Hatching can be a very beautiful and very rewarding technique for drawing everything, The key concepts are simple to grasp but demanding when trying to master.
In the images below, you will see some of the most frequently used types of hatching.
First concept is Line Direction. Understanding the angle and direction of your lines to create realistic patterns comes only through observation.
Second key concept is Length. The variety of lengths in your patterns will give your drawing more visual interest as shown in image 3 and 4.
A third key concept is Density. The number of layers and the space between your lines will give your drawing light, shadow and form. Having a good sense of density and saturation takes your drawings to a whole new level.
Finally, what I think is the most important factor - Speed. The pace you develop to create your hatching can work in so many ways. When speeding up you can create gesture or movement but, for most forms and textures you have to be consistent and show patience. Keep an eye on your speed and find your pace.
In today’s session we begin by exploring the concept of negative space and how to apply this perception tool to our drawings. We look at our reference image upside down, This forces our perception to see the lines and shapes that are really there instead of our mind perception of what we know to be a face.
What we are looking for is the distinction between subject and the space around the subject., we call this negative space. Our goal here is to switch our perception from positive space (subject) to negative space (space around the subject) and see the shapes of it in order to draw them. We are looking for the simplest lines and angles that make up this shapes.
We move on to the final drawing - where we use this new perception tool to develop the major shapes of our subject and add it to our previous method of drawing by stages. Here is a step by step image of the process.
Recap from session one - we take a look at the the possibilities of our mediums. We test our washes in a chart format to see which one we like best and will fit our style. These are simple line washes from several different materials ranging from graphite to watercolor pencils, from willow to ink brush.
In our final project, we select our medium to compose a negative painting in 3 to 4 layers with a simple approach (like a sketch) considering our composition focused on light and dark contrast. We will add a Cardinal to our mostly monochromatic scene for color contrast. The main objective of this exercise is to experiment with washes to create contrast and know when we are near the end without going to far.
The main goal of this workshop - other than having a fun relaxing time - was to simplify the steps and process to develop your portrait drawings.
We started by looking at the types of charcoal we can use and the proper grip to render the quality of line we want. Then we drew eggs and gave them a center line and eye line in basic poses.
What we were after is more of a state of mind where we can remain in a loose, relaxed, confident sketching mode throughout the entire process. The next exercise is timed as we find the basic egg, the center line and the eye line as we look at portraits. Each sketch is a 30 second sketch.
In our next drawing - we apply each step of this process and we take it a little further by finding the basic big shapes and angles - and the shadow (dark) shapes. The tendency is to want to add details or ‘Draw’. It is key to remember that the state of mind discussed earlier is crucial and you must catch yourself if you are falling back on old habits.
This brings us to our final exercise. The fact that we will have more time can be a trap. You must stay focused on the goal for each stage of your drawing and pace yourself with discipline not to make up information that is not observed. You are building a strong foundation step by step and making the corrections before you move forward. In the end there is very little you will have to do in terms of detail - as every stage comes together in a solid sketch.
In this session we look at one of the fundamental elements of art - Contrast.
We begin by sketching in pencil or water soluble graphite from a reference photo of beautiful birch trees. What we are looking for in this sketching exercise is how to use and push contrast of line and space. We use the graphite lines to then add water and create washes that contrast the background from the trees or to darken the trees in order to contrast them from the background (space). We try this sketching exrcise of seeking formulas of contrast while testing different combinations of mediums such as pencil, charcoal, ink, ink pens or watercolor. When it comes to adding detail, we want to refrain from adding to much - we want to showcase contrast as a structure in our drawing, strong enough to stand on it’s own.
In our final project - we take our preferred combination of line and wash to complete a composition with horizon line, tree line and birch trees. Our goal is to emphasis the contrast of light, line, texture and space.
A sense of carefree sketching from our earlier exercise should spill over to this more ‘serious’ sketch. Look out for the contrast between loose and tight in your drawing and painting. Contrast is everywhere if we choose to see it.
Happy Sketching.
Hoping you had a wonderful Thanksgiving - I welcome you back as we further explore our watercolor techniques. We begin by drawing a few leaf shapes with pencil and without pencil so we can test a couple of wet on wet approaches and compare the look and style.
In our final project we try a negative painting technique focused on composition, color and layers. With a light wash of yellow, we set up the first layer as we go from yellow green towards yellow, orange and finishing with reds and browns.
The key is patience and timing to allow the wet on wet technique show us what it can do. For the finishing touches we use very light color pencil to add texture and detail.
In today’s session we explore the shape and color of Maple leaves.
We begin by taking a look at the types of shapes and margins (edges) of several leaves, and spend some time creating timed sketches (2 to 3 minutes each) using different mediums and techniques. Some of these sketches are Blind contour sketches which allow us to really observe our subject a little more intensely.
In our final exercise we put it all together. Working from a reference photo we use a pencil sketch to set up our composition. After looking at the color scheme, we apply a light wash of cool and warm yellow with the intention to work from light to dark and from yellows to deep reds and darker browns in several layers. Mostly working wet on wet - we try to get lost in the intimacy of water, pigment, brush, paper and self -
Here is a quick time lapse of the process.
On the final day of our Perspective workshop we begin with our warm up exercise again - 5 cubes and 5 cylinders - sketched with different mediums this time. I used pencil, charcoal, ink brush, watercolor + brush and water soluble graphite.
In our next exercise, we look at solutions that help us draw complex shapes in perspective. When drawing a pringle chip we start by visualizing it inside a cube. Looking at each side of the cube, we simplify the lines and draw them as guides. The final step is to combine the lines in a 3d rendering.
Our final look at the rules of linear perspective takes us to 3 point perspective. Setting up a horizon line and three vanishing points - we can use the previous principles of one and two point perspective to develop a shape in space.
Our final project is based on artwork by the artist Al Helm. We get to play with line, shape and space - creative expression with medium and technique.
Our goal in this workshop, very simple - Give your carrots personality -
We started by looking at several carrots and then sketching in multiple ways with a variety of mediums in order to get a better sense and understanding of the forms. These are all meant to be doodles and simple sketches. We are looking for line quality and also using color in the same sketch format.
In the next exercise we explore composition using one carrot and then two. We apply our preferred techniques and color selections. In the first I used only watercolor, in the second - I used pencil and watercolor. Preserving small areas of white, we used wet on wet to create layers and textures.
In our final exercise we worked to create a pattern using a combination of things. Line quality, color, technique, size, direction, negative space and rhythm. I used ink drawings and then watercolor washes as well as watercolor washes to then draw with ink. The pattern I chose included pairs of carrots instead of single carrots. How we choose to develop the pattern should be very intuitive - but you can sketch out several plans and then proceed from there. My carrots became couples that are very much in love with each other. Can you see their personalities? - I think I can, and that makes me happy.
We start this session with the warm up exercise of Cubes and Cylinders - this time I use ink brush for the cubes and Charcoal for the cylinders and then we revisit equal distancing techniques before moving on.
With two point perspective rules we look at how to develop exterior and interior two point spaces.
A very useful tool to draw shapes in space - two point perspective helps us set up the scaffold to then compose these shapes in the correct perspective.
In our final exercise - we work from one of 4 reference photos in several styles trying to develop our line quality and seeking our style when drawing a building in two point perspective.
Spend a day in beautiful Kyoto, Japan surrounded by magical cherry blossoms and sharpen your observation skills capturing the mood of this amazing place.
In our first exercise we test our wet on dry and wet on wet technique with several different brushes as we develop the blossoms.
While testing the pigment and brushes with these techniques, we apply water (uniformly) to a section of the paper and create a chart of the different paper wetness stages. Working from top to bottom as the paper is wet, we touch our brush with a light value of the pigment and work our way down. We are letting time pass as we continue each row of touching the brush with light pigment the paper, the section below has time to dry. From wet to moist to damp and then dry - we can see the effect coming together. The wetness stage of our paper will give us more or less control over the pigment dispersion.
With a pencil sketch and considering our composition, we now take a look at our color scheme and plan our first set of washes. The main idea is to capture the mood - you can always do this without an excess of detail. Your line quality as well as quantity will deliver stunning visual appeal when balanced with your color work. Less is more is a good philosophy and in this case it can be very tempting to want to add al of elements, lines or brushstrokes which can saturate and overwhelm your image. Make careful and patience decisions as you continue adding layers - knowing when to stop is a great skill.
On day three we begin with a warm up exercise of 30 second sketches - Five cubes and five cylinders. This time we maybe try a different medium such as charcoal, pen or ink. I used pencil lines with a graphite wash and then ink.
In our second exercise we explore Equal spacing of elements in perspective. Here are the step by step instructions:
draw a horizon line and place a vanishing point on this horizon line.
Draw the subject closest to the foreground and connect the top and bottom of the subject with lines to the vanishing point.
Find the middle point of this subject and draw a line from this middle point to the vanishing point.
Locate the second subject by angle sighting and draw it.
Draw a line from the top of the first subject thru the crossing of the middle point in the second subject and connecting with the bottom vanishing point line.
this is the marker for the base of your third subject.
drawing a line from the top of the second subject thru the middle point of the third will give you the base of the forth subject.
repeat this process by drawing a line thru the middle point of each new subject.
Here is a visual sample.
With a basic introduction to two point perspective we draw three cubes from low, high and eye level.
We do his by drawing a horizon line with two vanishing points at the edges of the picture plane. With a vertical line down the middle - we draw 3 corners and connect each end to both vanishing points.
We finish by applying these new concepts to a full page drawing with more of our personal style and preferred medium. I once again chose pencil with a graphite wash and ink.
The goal is to become more comfortable with the principles we can use in our own work and be able to find ways of following, bending and intentionally breaking these rules.
Eventually you will find that a stronger understanding of these basic principles will make all other areas of your art practice much stronger as well.
