Weeks Ten & Eleven: Sketching, Composition, Form, Value, Rhythm

Great sketch sessions, everyone!! Each of you discovered new sketching techniques, we explored the elements of composition by drawing an agave plant. Everyone accomplished the goal of sketching loosely, quickly, and accurately.

Welcome new sketchers, Haley H. and Ben!! Scroll down or look for your name in Student Lessons, shown in the column to the right.


Be sure to check out the music video with Star Sketchers in action! Click here

And here are some new pics of you guys. Click here


Mini Drawing Show:
Shown below are the sketches that were done during Friday's video sketch session. Your skills really shined while drawing BIG! Click on the picture to enlarge for viewing:


top, left to right: Brianna, Alec, Haley
bottom, left to right: Raquel, Demetri, Freddy C.

Alec inked some cool character drawings that can be found in eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn. Click here

Happy Holidays! Look forward to drawing with everyone after the holiday break. --Rob

Haley

I'm not sure which songs you were listening to on the iPod while sketching the agave plant, but it sure inspired some VERY expressive line work!! Beautiful artistic composition, Haley! Lots of rhythm going on! The looseness of the contour lines and lighter and darker tones (showing the different values of green) is a big shift in your drawing style. Your excellent observational skills are starting to blend with a wonderful drawing style that looks like a painting--a great foundation for starting a sketchbook/journal.

Freddy C.

Really BIG-time breakthrough, Freddy!! Like I said in class on Friday, I think you're an artist but you just don't quite know it yet. As you were working on this sketch, you began to tap into the creative/artistic part of your mind. The contour lines forming the plant's leaves are loosely and confidently drawn. Your mid tones and darker tones look similar to brush strokes in an impressionist painting. Excellent use of the kneaded eraser for blending tones and showing highlight areas.

Demetri

Another awesome drawing, man!!! And it's another big step in developing a useful artistic drawing style. You turned your bold pencil strokes into expressive lighter and darker color values while maintaining accuracy. The contour lines of the plant's leaves are very well drawn. I really like how you started using the kneaded eraser to blend gray tones and show highlights. Just wonderful, wonderful sketching, Demetri!

Alec

Excellent! Sketch! Alec! The flowing, looser contour lines are a big shift from the tighter line work that you normally use. This composition is definitely taking an approach that a painter would use when making a study sketch of the subject matter. I know this sketch and the music you were listening to launched you into an eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn drawing (which I posted), but I hope you continue exploring sketching form real life; it will help you in a big way with the cool work you're doing with writing and imaginative drawing. You've got an excellent eye for accuracy.

Ben

Welcome to Star Sketchers, Ben!! Fantastic start in drawing the agave! The proportions (sizes of shapes compared to other shapes) of the plant are very accurately drawn. Excellent job of drawing the contour lines (edges) of the leaves. I really like how you held your pencil sideways and sketched while moving your arm. Great job of adding light and dark gray for the different values of green shown in the reference picture. You created an awesome composition.

Haley H.

Welcome to Star Sketchers, Haley!! You jumped right in and got to work on an awesome sketch of the agave plant! Great job of capturing accurate proportions (sizes of shapes compared to other shapes) of the plant. Excellent start in using gray tones to show different values of green shown in the reference picture. Really cool how you sketched guidelines for the contours (edges of the leaves) then added layers of gray for the color values. REALLY nice composition! Keep it going.

Freddy S.

Great to have you back in class, man!! You got back into it with a very realistic and natural looking agave! Excellent work in nailing accurate proportions and contour lines for the leaves. Way cool to see you loosening up your pencil strokes as you sketched quickly and accurately. Great start in using gray tones to show the different values of green in the reference picture. Your own drawing style is starting to show in this wonderful composition. Keep sketching, Freddy!

Week Nine: Form, Proportions, Texture

Everyone explored form and and lines by drawing after Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of an old man, the dog, and the jaguar. Great progress was made in loosening up and sketching quickly while keeping accurate proportions.

As we move into another 8 weeks, returning students will be exploring composition and realism as well as developing their own drawing styles.

Brianna and Alec have some of their drawing styles going on in new drawings posted in eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn. Click here to check them out.

C ya Friday! --Rob

Raquel

Outstanding drawing, Raquel!!! Overall, the proportions of Leonardo's old man are very well drawn. Really nice how you captured the muscle and bone structure (especially his jaw and neck) with contour lines. Your exploration of using lines and tone to show realistic form and texture paid off in a big way! This old guy looks 3D! The quick and loose 'noodle' sketch forming the man's head helped you to loosen up your lines.

Haley

Excellent line work showing this old guy's face!! You nailed accurate proportions and positioning of the facial features by using a variety of angled and cross-hatched lines. EXCELLENT use of lighter and darker tones to show the 3D form of the head. And really nice contour lines showing the edges and textures of skin, especially the areas around the eye and jaw. Keep experimenting with sketching fast accurate lines, Haley!

Freddy C.

Freddy, you've made another big step in drawing realistic form!! I really like how you experimented with drawing angled, crossed-hatched lines and gray tones showing the 3D form and rough texture of the old man's face, especially the area where the jaw and ear connect. The contour lines showing the ear and the shading around it make the ear look realistic. The contour lines showing the man's profile and the eye are very well drawn.

Hannah

Nice to have you drawing again, Hannah!! Wonderful start in drawing realistic and natural-looking contour lines forming the dog's head!! The overall proportions look EXCELLENT, especially the folds of the ears. Great job of positioning the eye and area for the nose. The 'noodle' sketch of Leonardo's old man was a great way for you to loosen up and sketch faster. Very nice start in drawing basic shapes to measure proportions of the head.

Tiffany

Welcome to Star Sketchers, Tiffany!! You jumped right in and learned about overlapping the legs of the frog. Excellent job of drawing accurate proportions (the sizes of shapes compared to other shapes). The gray tones showing the values of color are a nice touch. Really nice start in drawing the jaguar. You captured the proportions and positioning of its body with accurately drawn contour lines. This will be helpful as you explore drawing realistically. Cool facial expressions. :-)

Demetri

Awesome work, Demetri!! You started 'Old Man River' last week and did a REALLY nice job of tightening up his facial features. The contour lines showing the form of the ear and the area around the eye are looking very realistic!

Alec

Alec, once you got rolling on sketching this old guy's face, you pulled off a really cool contour line drawing!! The brow area and the view of the eye are VERY well drawn, showing 3D depth in your picture. Overall, your contour lines show accurate proportions of the head.

Week Eight: Free Draw

On Friday we had a very productive free-draw session. Everyone had the choice of drawing from observation, memory, how you feel, and/or imagination. Some really cool drawings were produced!

Look forward to seeing you all on Friday, the last class for the 8-week course. --Rob

Haley

I think you've found a cool drawing style to explore, Haley! Excellent use of contour lines and shading to produce a powerful illustration. By successfully showing that the girl is thinking about something you've brought your drawing to life. Great facial expression!

Brianna

I knew you'd enjoy a free-draw session, Brianna! You pulled together your observational skills to make an excellent drawing of your iPod. Excellent job of using contour lines to show the earphones! I really like all the details that you included.

Freddy

It's awesome that you made this drawing after a lesson in one of my books. Fantastic job of drawing accurate proportions of the dinosaur's body and wings! Your ability to draw natural looking contour lines really shows in this sketch, Freddy!! The facial features, claws, and textured hair are very well drawn.

Demetri

Glad to have you back in class for the free-draw session, Demetri! Your choice of Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of an old man was a challenge, but you pulled off an excellent sketch! The contour lines showing his profile and facial features are very accurately drawn. And you got an excellent start at using cross-hatched lines to show the texture of his hair and skin.

Alec

I know you spent a lot of time looking at the reference book on surrealism before doing this sketch. You've got an extremely active imagination and you're able to connect it to your drawing hand. You've worked hard at improving your observational and sketching skills and look forward to seeing the future drawings that you produce.

Week Seven: Form, Texture, Roundness

The Crate of Realism: bones, skulls, shells, rocks, and rusty old stuff

On Friday we drew from real life! First we focused on the roundness and contours of a pumpkin. Then everyone selected an object from the 'crate of realism'--shells, skulls, bones, rocks, and rusty old stuff. Although it was challenging at first I saw big breakthroughs in accurate, natural looking sketches. Alec's drawing of the coyote skull spun off into a cool drawing that's posted in eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn. Check it out!

This week's drawing challenge (if you have time, of course): Find an object from the classroom or your backpack. Select this object specifically for its different textures. For example, show the fabric of a jacket or piece of cloth (try shading the areas where it folds), or the roughness of a piece of wood, or the difference between shiny and rough metal. Show textures by using tones, cross-hatching, jagged lines, wavy lines, or broken lines. Have fun!

We've got some fun experiments on Friday (it's the last day of the course). See you then! --Rob

Raquel

Your drawing has improved steadily during the past seven weeks, Raquel. Your positive attitude about learning new skills and techniques shows in your line work and accuracy. You jump in, focus your attention; then draw swiftly, confidently, and accurately. The roundness of the pumpkin and accuracy of its proportion is drawn well. The texture of the stem looks natural. The textures and contour lines of the shells are drawn VERY well. And your 15-minute sketch of the lantern (one of the most difficult objects in my pile of rusty old stuff) is awesome!!



This week's drawing challenge (if you have time, of course): Find an object from the classroom or your backpack. Select this object specifically for its different textures. For example, show the fabric of a jacket or piece of cloth (try shading the areas where it folds), or the roughness of a piece of wood, or the difference between shiny and rough metal. Show textures by using tones, cross-hatching, jagged lines, wavy lines, or broken lines. Have fun!

Haley

Haley, you've pushed your drawing skills to new levels each week, and your drawings show it!! When you're in the zone (iPod and all), your observational skills are sharp. The contour lines showing the roundness of the pumpkin and the texture of its stem are a great example of your improved sketching skills. The textures and contours of the shells are very well drawn. I really like how, toward the end of class, you got into drawing the contour edges that form the weird-looking shell for a really nice study sketch.


This week's drawing challenge (if you have time, of course): Find an object from the classroom or your backpack. Select this object specifically for its different textures. For example, show the fabric of a jacket or piece of cloth (try shading the areas where it folds), or the roughness of a piece of wood, or the difference between shiny and rough metal. Show textures by using tones, cross-hatching, jagged lines, wavy lines, or broken lines. Have fun!

Brianna

I'm not sure what your iPod playlist, but you got into the zone and pulled off a couple of excellent sketches. Drawing from real life objects was a little scary for you at first, Brianna, but you stayed focused on drawing the accurate contours for the roundness of the pumpkin. Where the stem attaches at the top is very well drawn, showing the realistic form of the pumpkin and depth to your drawing. The imagined background is a cool touch. Your sketching skills really turned on for the shell! Great job on drawing the contour edges and patterns showing the textured surface. Your determination to improve throughout the course shows in the confident lines of your latest drawings.

This week's drawing challenge (if you have time, of course): Find an object from the classroom or your backpack. Select this object specifically for its different textures. For example, show the fabric of a jacket or piece of cloth (try shading the areas where it folds), or the roughness of a piece of wood, or the difference between shiny and rough metal. Show textures by using tones, cross-hatching, jagged lines, wavy lines, or broken lines. Have fun!

Alec

A distinctive drawing style has definitely emerged in your work, Alec. You've consistently applied yourself to learning new skills and have pushed your drawings to new levels. I'm seeing confident, accurate line strokes in your latest realistic work. Fantastic job of capturing the contour lines that show the roundness of the pumpkin. The texture and positioning of the stem looks very natural--a big step in realism, man! And your drawing of the skull, that took off into an expressionistic composition is totally cool! I posted it in eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn. I also look forward to seeing any of your character studies if you have time to work on them.

This week's drawing challenge (if you have time, of course): Find an object from the classroom or your backpack. Select this object specifically for its different textures. For example, show the fabric of a jacket or piece of cloth (try shading the areas where it folds), or the roughness of a piece of wood, or the difference between shiny and rough metal. Show textures by using tones, cross-hatching, jagged lines, wavy lines, or broken lines. Have fun!

Week Six: Form, Proportions

Wow! Friday's work using grid lines for drawing accurate proportions went very well. All of you made huge progress in drawing realistic, accurate proportions.

Your drawing challenge for this week is to work from the reference picture of this drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. Concentrate on drawing accurate proportions and contour edges of the profile of this strange-looking man. Especially concentrate on drawing the cross-hatched lines showing the form and textures of his face.

Ms Smith has the reference pictures for you. Here's a link to the reference if you need it: Click here

On Friday we'll be drawing from objects from real life C ya then! --Rob

Raquel

I wasn't kidding on Friday... you were blazing while drawing the dog!! You were so in the zone on this one, Raquel. You nailed correct proportions, accurate positioning of the facial features, and the folds of the ears. I really like how you used lighter and darker tones to show different values in color, different textures, and the muscles forming the neck and shoulder. The 3D form of the nose is especially awesome!

Your drawing challenge for this week is to work from the reference picture by Leonardo da Vinci. Concentrate on drawing accurate proportions and contour edges of the man's profile. Especially concentrate on drawing the cross-hatched lines showing the form and textures of his face. Ms Smith has the reference pictures for you. Here's a link to the reference if you need it: Click here

Brianna

You just keep on improving your drawing skills, Brianna!! The overall proportions and contour edges of the dog are very well drawn! The positioning of the eye and nose is right on. And you nailed the accurate folds of the ears as well as the form of the neck and shoulders. The different gray tones make for a really cool, overall composition!

Your drawing challenge for this week is to work from the reference picture by Leonardo da Vinci. Concentrate on drawing accurate proportions and contour edges of the man's profile. Especially concentrate on drawing the cross-hatched lines showing the form and textures of his face. Ms Smith has the reference pictures for you. Here's a link to the reference if you need it: Click here

Freddy

You did it again, Freddy!! You stepped up your drawing skills to a whole new level! The proportions of the the dog's head and neck are very accurately drawn. You did a great job of drawing accurate contour lines showing the edges that form the dog. Really nice job of drawing the folds of the ears and accurate positioning of the eyes. The highlights showing the nostril on the nose is an excellent touch.

Your drawing challenge for this week is to work from the reference picture by Leonardo da Vinci. Concentrate on drawing accurate proportions and contour edges of the man's profile. Especially concentrate on drawing the cross-hatched lines showing the form and textures of his face. Ms Smith has the reference pictures for you. Here's a link to the reference if you need it: Click here

Alec

Your accurate line work is developing into a really cool style, Alec!!! Overall, you did an EXCELLENT job of drawing accurate proportions of the dog. You nailed the proportions and folds of the ears as well as correct positioning of the eyes. Your eye for accuracy is ready for this Friday as we venture into drawing objects from real life.

Your drawing challenge for this week is to work from the reference picture by Leonardo da Vinci. Concentrate on drawing accurate proportions and contour edges of the man's profile. Especially concentrate on drawing the cross-hatched lines showing the form and textures of his face. Ms Smith has the reference pictures for you. Here's a link to the reference if you need it: Click here

Haley

A choice iPod playlist and your positive sketching attitude got you into the zone for this one!!! Overall, you nailed down very accurate proportions of the dog. Excellent work of positioning the eyes, nose, and ears. Your line work is clean and accurate. Nice job of including all the facial features. The whiskers and highlight in the eye are really nice touches. :-)

Your drawing challenge for this week is to work from the reference picture by Leonardo da Vinci. Concentrate on drawing accurate proportions and contour edges of the man's profile. Especially concentrate on drawing the cross-hatched lines showing the form and textures of his face. Ms Smith has the reference pictures for you. Here's a link to the reference if you need it: Click here

Reference Picture: Profile by Leonardo

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) was a big-time artist who lived in Italy and France during the Renaissance. Click on the image for larger view.

Week Five: Form, Contour Lines, Positive/Negative Space

Alright, Star Sketchers! Everyone is ready to take their skills to the next level! Last week you experimented with shifting from the left side of the brain (analytical, verbal) to the right side (emotional, visual). Drawing the negative space around the chair forced your brain to shift from left mode to right mode. It was challenging but I was really impressed to see everyone work through through it. And some of you had some BIG breakthroughs in improving your skills. Perceiving space and being able to draw accurate contour lines will be very helpful for the remaining weeks ahead. Another thing that everyone did well was to draw the egret twice the size of the reference picture while keeping accurate proportions!

Be sure to check out eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn to see Alec's cool drawings. Add some of your favorite drawings...

or add...

This week's drawing challenge:
Look around the classroom or in your back pack. Find an interesting object. It can be a stapler, a piece of your jewelry, or a watch; anything that you can set in front of you to draw. Take a moment to see the negative space surrounding the object... that's where you'll lightly draw the contour lines that show the edges of its form (like you did with the egret). You can add lines and patterns to show textures, and gray tones for shading. HOT TIP: Start by lightly drawing basic shapes of the objects to help you get accurate proportions.

Examples of objects drawn by students: Click here

See you all on Friday! --Rob

Demetri

Demetri!! Friday was a breakthrough day for you, man! You struggled with the drawing of the chair while learning about positive and negative space. But then... you pulled it all together, got into the zone, and made an awesome drawing of the egret! You did a great job of looking for the negative space around the edges; then you drew accurate contour lines to form its body. Great job on working large on the paper while keeping accurate proportions. Keep looking for the negative space; then drawing accurate contour lines for the edges of the objects you're looking at. This will help you during the next weeks of the course. Hey, try this week's drawing challenge...

This week's drawing challenge:
Look around the classroom or in your back pack. Find an interesting object. It can be a stapler, a piece of your jewelry, or a watch; anything that you can set in front of you to draw. Take a moment to see the negative space surrounding the object... that's where you'll lightly draw the contour lines that show the edges of its form (like you did with the egret). You can add lines and patterns to show textures. HOT TIP: Start by lightly drawing basic shapes of the objects to help you get accurate proportions.

Raquel

You nailed the lesson of drawing the negative space around the chair, right away! Then you got into the zone and did a great job of drawing looking for the negative space around the egret. The contour lines showing the form of its body, 's' curve in the neck, and head are very well drawn. I REALLY like how you included the contour edges that show the details and textures of the feathers. Adding the plants to your composition is a nice touch. Raquel, you're starting to see the world as an artist. Keep focused on drawing accurate proportions and contour lines in the upcoming weeks. If you've got time, try this week's challenge...

This week's drawing challenge:
Look around the classroom or in your back pack. Find an interesting object. It can be a stapler, a piece of your jewelry, or a watch; anything that you can set in front of you to draw. Take a moment to see the negative space surrounding the object... that's where you'll lightly draw the contour lines that show the edges of its form (like you did with the egret). You can add lines and patterns to show textures. HOT TIP: Start by lightly drawing basic shapes of the objects to help you get accurate proportions.

Freddy C.

You definitely made BIG progress last week, Freddy!! Drawing the negative space around the chair made you a little crazy... but you stuck with it. And then you focused on doing a FANTASTIC job of drawing the negative space around the egret. The contour lines that form its body, neck, and head are drawn very well, especially where you show the textures of the feathers. The 's' curve of the neck is accurately drawn and the details for the face and beak are very cool! If you're feeling like drawing this week, go for the challenge...

This week's drawing challenge:
Look around the classroom or in your back pack. Find an interesting object. It can be a stapler, a piece of your jewelry, or a watch; anything that you can set in front of you to draw. Take a moment to see the negative space surrounding the object... that's where you'll lightly draw the contour lines that show the edges of its form (like you did with the egret). You can add lines and patterns to show textures. HOT TIP: Start by lightly drawing basic shapes of the objects to help you get accurate proportions.

Alec

Even though you weren't feeling so great on Friday, you blasted through a couple of EXCELLENT drawings, Alec! You nailed the negative space around the chair, spot-on. Then you applied that skill to seeing the negative and positive space when drawing the egret. Your contour lines show a lot of control around the edges of its body and head. Great job of adding the contrasting gray and white to show the contours of the feathers. If you can get in another drawing this week, try the challenge; it will be good practice for you...

This week's drawing challenge:
Look around the classroom or in your back pack. Find an interesting object. It can be a stapler, a piece of your jewelry, or a watch; anything that you can set in front of you to draw. Take a moment to see the negative space surrounding the object... that's where you'll lightly draw the contour lines that show the edges of its form (like you did with the egret). You can add lines and patterns to show textures. HOT TIP: Start by lightly drawing basic shapes of the objects to help you get accurate proportions.