Primary Drawing Lessons
Basic drawing skills can be nurtured and developed. Anyone with a moderate ability to draw can use a few primary drawing techniques and tips to help improve his skills over time. By practicing these primary approaches to drawing, you will see an improvement in your artistic development.
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Beginning Supplies
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All you really need to start are a No. 2 pencil and a piece of paper. Don't stress over what type of pencil to use. In the beginning, stick with the basics. Later you can decide whether you want to use graphite or charcoal pencils. The basic principles of drawing will remain the same, but the medium will produce different effects. For instance, graphite pencils are smoother to draw with but harder to erase. Start with a No. 2 pencil and a good gum eraser to practice the basics.
Focal Point and Perspective
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Learn to use a focal point to maintain perspective. This is particularly good for drawing landscape and horizon. A small guide dot in the middle of your paper is your focal point. The lines in your drawing will always go toward this dot to ensure proper perspective. Try it drawing a street with buildings on both sides. Draw two lines toward your focal point line. You'll see how the lines narrow to create distance. This takes some practice, but the more you practice, the more natural it will feel.
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Negative Space
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The negative space technique of drawing can often help simplify the drawing process. Rather than focus on the actual subject of your drawing, focus on the negative space. The negative space is what you aren't drawing. For instance, if you want to draw a stand of trees, you might focus on the background around the tree. Focus your attention on the skyline around the trees and work on the outline of your subject, then begin adding details.
Shading
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One of the most essential elements of drawing is shading. There are various shading techniques to work on. These include full-color shading and crosshatch. Full-color is a single directional shading technique used with varying pressure to bring out depth in images. Cross-hatching is a dual-directional technique that involves layering shading effects in two directions, one over the other, to create a crosshatched effect. Shading used appropriately, in key areas of a drawing, can bring your images depth. Sometimes the lack of shading can be just as important. By overshadowing, you risk destroying the depth effect. Practice finding the right balance, which can change depending upon image.
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