f u n d a m e n ta l s
Drawing Logic:
Perspective Basics
by Bob Bahr
I Convergence LInes
Vanishing Point
n scary films, a character somehow senses that something unidentifiable is very wrong as soon as he or she steps into a room. A surefire way to get a similarly unpleasant effect in a drawing is to be careless in handling perspective. The viewer will know something is wrong, even if it is not readily apparent. To make a convincing space, keep in mind the following three types of perspective systems and implement the one most appropriate for your drawing. Perspective is the visual effect that makes a square wall into a parallelogram and makes train tracks meet in the far distance—in your mind’s eye. The simplest way to ensure proper perspective is to adhere to a one-point perspective. This is easy: draw the horizon line in your composition and then consider the line of sight—the exact direction that the viewer’s eye is meant to go. The intersection of these two lines is the vanishing point. Once the vanishing point is established, the artist must simply ensure that all lines that recede into the distance on a parallel to the viewer’s line of sight—be it a row of trees, the roofline of a building, the moulding along a ceiling, or rows of grapevines—intersect at the vanishing point. These lines are called convergence lines. (See Fig. 1)
Horizon Line Figure 1: One-point Perspective This and Opposite page: Interior of the Cathedral of St. Bavo, Haarlem by Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, circa 1648, pen and brown ink and gray wash over graphite, squared for transfer in red chalk, 19¼ x 14. Collection the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.
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drawing people
Sculpting the Head
in Drawings
by William Maughan
Learn how to capture the general shape of the head and achieve correct proportions for accurate portrait drawings.
T
he stages of development in a drawing parallel the same sequence as sculpting in clay. You would never begin by sculpting the features first and then attempt to build a clay head around them. Likewise, do not begin a drawing with the features. When sculpting, you begin by applying clay to form the general shape, or gesture, including hair, neck, and shoulders. Once the shape is achieved, exact proportions are measured. By carving out and applying clay, the forms take shape. The details, if any, come last. A drawing is approached in the exact same sequence.
Above: The materials used to make the drawings reproduced in this article: X-Acto knife; sand pad; CarbOthello pastel pencils: caput martuum red 9 (No. 645) and titanium white (No. 100); Strathmore velvet gray charcoal paper; and a kneaded eraser. Opposite page: This portrait, like all the drawings in this article, is drawn in value. Lit from above, it appears three-dimensional as though sculpted in clay. The structure is made visible through light and shadow, which makes both sculpture and drawing come alive.
Gesture Gesture is what makes the sitter’s pose interesting and captures the sitter’s attitude, or air. It is the tilt of the head— forward and backward, as well as side to side—and the placement of the hair, neck, and shoulders. The slight forward and side tilt of a head, the angle at which the hair falls, is body language and communicates expression. The gesture drawing is your first attempt at placing the model’s most general characteristics on paper. Since, when drawing, the best practice is to move from the general to the specific, the gesture should always be captured first. This cannot be achieved later as you develop the drawing. You must begin with the sitter’s gesture and never lose sight of it, always striving to maintain it.
The text and illustrations in this article are excerpted, with permission, from The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Head, by William Maughan. Watson-Guptill Publications, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. © 2004 by William Maughan. All rights reserved.
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drawing with color
Painterly Effects with
Colored Pencil
by Lynne Moss Perricelli
California artist Alyona Nickelsen uses odorless mineral spirits to dissolve some of the pigment in her colored pencil drawings, eliminating the pencil strokes and creating rich, luminous color.
V
iewers are often puzzled upon first seeing a drawing by Alyona Nickelsen. “What medium is this?” they invariably ask. With the brilliant color and smooth surface of the drawings, most are surprised to learn Nickelsen’s medium is colored pencil. Attracted to vibrant color and painterly effects—but adverse to the odor of turpentine and the inconvenience of oil—the artist devised a technique in which she carefully blends some 20 to 30 layers of colored pencil and uses Gamblin Gamsol odorless mineral spirits to dissolve some of the pigment in the process. The result yields the luscious color and forms of the fruits and flowers that first caught the artist’s eye.
Above: Curve Appeal 2005, colored pencil, 131⁄2 x 12. Collection the artist. Opposite Page, above: Sincerely Yours 2006, colored pencil, 91⁄2 x 11. Collection the artist. Opposite Page, below: Ripe Point of View 2004, colored pencil, 81⁄2 x 111⁄2. Courtesy Art Source Gallery, Reno, Nevada.
Like many still-life artists, Nickelsen finds her subjects in her everyday life: at the market or in her own kitchen. First she envisions the painting, then seeks out the subjects. Once she has collected and assembled all the items for a setup, she conducts numerous photo sessions over the course of several weeks, using different light effects and points of view. Using her Nikon 8800 digital camera, she takes hundreds of photos. “Most of the photos are useful,” she says. So I eliminate some elements, change the light, do another photo session.” Later she can combine photos or modify them in Photoshop to achieve the composition she has in mind. This part of the process can take about a week, working eight to nine hours a day. “I first have to figure out what I want to show,” she explains. “Is it the roundness of the orange? The curling peel? And I have to make sure the colors are working together, that there is enough contrast.
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contents
Draw distinctive and dramatic pieces with the guidance
of top artists!
Materials: • Drawing Logic: The Right Tool for the Job • Graphite: The Drawer’s Humble Tool • Ink: Along and Around the Form Fundamentals: • Drawing Fundamentals: The Cylinder • Drawing Basics: The Cube • Drawing Logic: Perspective Basics • Modeling with Light Drawing People: • Sculpting the Head in Drawings • Understanding Anatomy: The Nose • Understanding Anatomy: The Brow • Understanding Anatomy: The Ear • Understanding Anatomy: The Lips • Seven Steps to Creating Expert Figure Drawings
C
ollecting the best drawing artist-instructors of American Artist magazine in one volume, this helpful guide offers the fundamentals of the fine art of drawing. Featuring pros such as Steven Weiss, Jon DeMartin, Bob Bahr, David Jon Kassan, and Kristy Kutch, American Artist Guide to Drawing shares the techniques, tips, and tricks you need to know to create amazing artwork. Inside you’ll find:
Drawing with Color:
• The importance of using the right drawing tools and surfaces for the desired effect, including graphite, charcoal, conte crayons, colored pencil, pen and ink, and drypoint. • Key building blocks to successful drawing, including using light values, drawing shapes, and perspective basics. • Step-by-step workshops for understanding anatomy and the principles of portrait and figure drawing. • Guided exercises for exploring the structure of a figure, including how to create expressive portraits with accurate proportion. • Tutorials on color, value, texture, and painterly effects.
• Painterly Effects with Colored Pencil • Creating Textures with Colored Pencil
Advanced Drawing Concepts:
From materials and basic steps to working with color and texture, American Artist Guide to Drawing provides the instruction and inspiration necessary to become proficient in the art of drawing.
• Using Values to Create Dramatic Drawings • The Benefits of Sight-Size Drawing • Clothing as Texture, Clothing as Symbol
American Artist magazine has been a widely read and well-respected resource for over 70 years; an essential tool for artists, both professional and beginner. Every issue is filled with step-by-step demonstrations, technical Q&A, in-depth artist profiles, and more.
Paperback, 8½ x 10¼, 144 pages ISBN 978-1-59668-266-5, $22.95 Available September 2010
