Course Highlights


Step by Step Guide to Sketching

1. Design your drawing space. Which layout (horizontal, vertical, rectangular, circular, square etc.) best suits your subject matter?

2. Establish point of view (P.O.V.)

3. Determine focal points and how you will emphasize them in the composition.

4. Identify which objects, if any, require linear perspective. Lightly sketch in horizon line and vanishing points and sketch these objects using rules of perspective.

5. Lightly block in the contour lines of other subjects forming the foreground, middle ground and background. How do they overlap? Have an eye for shapes and visually approximate proportions.

6. Don´t be quick to erase. Use any incorrect lines to help you establish the required lines. Darken lines when refined to differentiate them from others. Erase discarded lines at will. (Some artists do not bother to use an eraser but instead cover up or incorporate lines into shading)

7. Establish your shading map. Where are the prominent highlights and shadows located? Squinting can help you determine where and how light is cast on your scene. Squinting reduces the amount of light you see and diminishes the presence of color, allowing you to focus on the location of the darkest and lightest areas.

8. Which shading techniques are required to create surface textures? Before applying this shading to your piece, do a quick practice session of each technique as a warm-up.

9. Begin by shading the foreground and working backwards, remembering the rules of atmospheric perspective. Employ progressive shading at all times to represent the way the sun naturally affects the look of objects.

10. Enhance contrast of important subjects and re-emphasize contour lines.

Other pages of interest

Landscape drawing
Vanishing points
Atmospheric perspective
Step by step guide to sketching
Sketching natural landscapes

 

 

 

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