Step-by-Step in Drawing a Bed
Furniture mainstays in many places in the world, beds are practical in facilitating sleep. However drawings of beds often elicit a wider variety of cultural notions such as faraway travel, romantic liaisons, reproduction and experiences of restfulness. As the New York Times claims in article about ideas of beds, "[they are] are more than places to rest." Draw a bed step-by-step on a sketch pad or piece of white computer paper using charcoal by looking at a bed and following a basic tenant of drawing, according to Arthur Dirks, PhD., which is to draw what you see and not what you know is there.
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Instructions
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1
Look at the bed with one eye closed. Cup your hands into a shape that encompasses the bed. This will probably be something close to a rectangle. Open your eyes and draw the rectangle very lightly using a pencil on a piece of sketch paper.
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Close one eye again. Look for the lines where the bed fills in the rectangle and the spaces that are empty or filled with the wall, bed stand, lamps or other things. Open your eyes and draw these lines lightly using the pencil inside the rectangle. They will form the rough outline of the bed.
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3
Use the charcoal to draw lines inside the bed to indicate where the mattress ends fold down and blend them with your fingers. This will give the bed three dimensions.
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4
Draw forward-thrusting lines very gently using the tip of the charcoal that begin at the back of the upper line and meet the mattress fold line to further indicate the top part of the bed covers. Use softer downward jutting lines to indicate where the bed goes down to the ground. Draw the frame, if any, paying close attention to the way that the frame meets the bed cushions.
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5
Erase the rectangle and any of the initial boxy lines made with the pencil indicating the shape so that only the bed covers and shapes remain.
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Shade the bed with the charcoal to indicate patterns, indentations, shadowing. Use the eraser to create white spaces to give the impression of height or fabric puffing.
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Tips & Warnings
Sketch rapidly; sketching with charcoal is about practicing form and creating through use of the material, not drawing a final product the first time around.
Use your fingers to smudge the charcoal to create shadowing.
Charcoal smears easily. Work from left to right to keep from dragging your drawing hand through your drawing and messing it up.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
