The Artist's First Steps

Summer vacations offer us a look new subjects. For this picture you will select a subject and a background that is of the same hue. Choosing a scene where the background and subject are of the same hue can be simple when you look underwater! This picture was taken in an underwater display at Sea World. Zoo’s often have underwater displays such as this. You can also use photographs from an image search on the internet.

Gather materials and reference.

Step One: Line Drawing

Monochromatic colors are all the variations in value (lighter and darker) of a single hue.

A single hue ...

Summer is a wonderful time to gather photos of colorful plants and creatures like butterflies and other insects! Do you have a garden or flower bed where you can search for activity? 

Gather materials and references for your artwork.

Step One: Local Colors

Before I began to draw, I find an area that I want to focus on for my picture. Remember that a photograph is just a tool and the artist should use that tool in whatever way is best for the composition of the artwork. It is rare that an artist will copy the photograph in its entirety...

Drawing vehicles in any medium is challenging, and that makes it fun. Think about your favorite mode of transportation or try drawing something you may not have experience with, like a train or sailboat. Don’t be too critical of the outcome of your work. The many parallel lines and judgments of spacial relationships that this subject requires are great for developing your visual skills. Remember that every work of art is a step in a never ending path to improvement. I personally never want my path of improvement to end and I choose to have fun all along the way by choosing subjects that interest me. I hope you feel the same way. Making art should always be an adventure.

I took a photograph of this truck at a dealership parking lot. The first thing every artist must do is to become an editor. Editors decide what to take out and what needs to be added for the best results. I liked the truck’s reflection in the water, but decided that it was too much information for a 9 x 12 shee...

Summer parties and celebrations are wonderful opportunities to draw colorful foods and decorations. This week many of us in the United States will celebrate Independence day in some way. Set aside a few colorful items for your next drawing. 

Gather materials and references.

Materials:

Drawing pencil

Set of oil pastels*

Drawing paper – 4 sheets

*A reasonably priced oil pastel brand is Cray-Pas Junior Artist Student Quality Oil Pastels. I prefer a set of 25 or more colors.

Reference:

Select objects taken from holiday foods and decoration.

Step One: Arranging objects 

You want to draw a still-life and you want to know how to best arrange the objects that you choose to draw. Here are a few tips. Select objects that are very different in height. Place the tallest object in the back. Place the lowest objects in the front.

Avoid tangents, (points where the contour of one object just touches the contour of another object, without overlapping. Tangents seem unnatural and c...

Summer is a wonderful time to go to new places. A view like these fish could be found at a pet store, sporting goods store, a zoo, or an aquarium. When we look at a complicated subject, or a view with a lot of different objects in it, we need to find an area to focus on for the drawing. Remember that a photograph is just a tool and the artist should use that tool in whatever way is best for the composition of the artwork. It is rare that an artist will copy the photograph in its entirety. In this artwork demonstration, I focused on only two fish (shown below.) The surrounding plants and other fish will be used as background material. Now take a look at this week’s teacher example and then set up and make your own line drawing of a colorful group of fish or small creatures following the directions below. 

Gather art materials and references. 

People and their activities are some of the most interesting subjects for art. In the summer, you can go to any park and see people having fun and being active! We love what we do and you can draw a picture of something you love to do.  I like to draw the figure in pastel because the beginning step allows you to draw and redraw many times. The changes are easily made as you just wipe out your lines with the swipe of a cotton ball, and redraw them. This makes pastel the perfect medium for drawing a subject that you may want to make many changes to as you draw.

Gather art materials and references.

All you need is a piece of colored pastel paper or colored construction paper, a cotton ball or chamois, and a set of chalk pastels, also called soft pastels. Any type of chalk, soft or hard pastel will work. Oil pastels will not work with this method.

You will also need a photograph of a figure involved in an activity. You can select a picture of yourself if you like. Here is the pict...

 Gather art materials and references. 

This week our subject is something that everyone loves: food! This subject is readily available. Just walk into your kitchen or pantry. Jars of canned goods make lovely subjects. You may find a bowl of fruit or even draw what is on your plate at mealtime. That’s what I did. I liked the shapes of the chips and how the ice looked inside the glass.  You will make four drawings during this month. In each one I will show you another way that you can add more to a pencil drawing. You will need a graphite pencil, plastic eraser, and sheet of drawing paper for each week.

Find two or three interesting objects. You can use more, but be careful not to make your arrangement too complex. Set up your still-life. Overlap the objects so that the edges meet. This will help tie the group of objects together in a pleasing way. Notice, in the teacher example, how the plate sits in front of the glass, but it overlaps as well. The chips overlap each other and the ...

Today we explore birds you see in your own backyard. You will see the teacher's example and select a similar subject from your backyard, from a book, or internet sample. You can use the photo provided. Look at your reference as you draw or paint your picture. Are you surprised that you are not asked to copy the teacher’s example? You will select your own subject for two reasons. First, you will be most interested in a subject that you like, have interest in, or find within your own environment. Secondly, when we look at real objects or high quality photographs, we see much more detail. Artists select the details that are important to their own picture and what they want to accomplish within it. These are important aspects of being a real artist. You will get your information for the picture from a real object (a reference) and you will see the techniques for putting that information on the page within the teacher’s example. Techniques are methods of using artistic materials or processe...

Hi!

Today we look at how to draw objects that are partially hidden by overlap. Why is this important? Because our drawing does not have three dimensional space like the real world. Instead, it is an illusion of space. We create this illusion in different ways: 

I want to remind those of us that are older, to be considerate of younger students. Younger students are still approaching the drawing process in a different way and prefer to show the entirety of each object. This is just fine. Everyone, no matter their age or ability, should be able to draw in the ways that make most sense to them. When you are ready to use the topics in this lesson, you will enjoy drawing this way!

Enjoy Drawing!

Brenda Ellis, Author of ARTistic Pursuits.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER

1. Objects show edges that belong to the object only and are not shared with another object.

2. One object overlaps another so that part of the more distant object is covered up (not seen).

*Students under age of 9 or 10 m...

Hi,

Our summer lessons have shown you topics that will improve your drawing skills. You may wonder what an artist is thinking as he or she draws from direct observation. The mind is searching for visual information that is useful for the drawing. Not only that, but the mind is also blocking out information that it does not find useful. For instance, if you make a simple line drawing, you probably aren't too concerned about the color of the object. While drawing the outline, you may ignore things like logos, patterns, or other small details. The mind is busy focusing on one element at a time as it searches for visual information.

Enjoy Drawing!

Brenda Ellis

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER

1. If you focus on the small details first, you won't be able to draw the object well.

2. Start with a focus on the big shapes and fitting those shapes onto the space of the page. 

3. Improve on the big shapes using line to describe creases, edges, and details.

4. Focus on pattern and vary the line...