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.

Haley

The exercise of drawing the negative space of the chair threw you off a bit. But then you got into drawing the negative space around the egret. Your contour lines show the edges and form of its body and head. I really like how you drew the area where the legs connect to its body, separate from the wings. Nice job of drawing the 's' curve of the neck. The contours and details of the beak and head are very accurate. What's so cool, Haley, is that you always keep drawing; and this pays off for you. The sketch of the poppy shows steady improvement in looking for the contour edges; then drawing them. If you're sitting around with nothing to do in class (yeah...right), 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.

Hannah

You've got the eye for seeing negative space and contour edges, Hannah! It took you awhile to drop into the zone while drawing the negative space around the chair. But while drawing the egret, you got into seeing the contour edges of its body and head. The proportions are very accurate and the 's' curve of the neck is well drawn. The contours and details of the head look really natural. During the next weeks we'll continue drawing realistically. With focused effort, you're definitely ready to create some cool stuff. It would be really cool, if you have time this week, to 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.

Freddy S.

Yes!! Freddy!! The negative/positive space lesson (the chair) was a challenge at first. But while drawing the negative space at the bottom of the page you got into it! Your drawing of the egret is a huge step towards drawing realistically. It shows how you started seeing where the negative space around the bird and the positive space of the itself. You drew accurate contour edges that form the egret. I really like you included detailed contour edges for the feathers. Hey man, push your skills a little; if you have time, 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.

Brianna

Your hard work is really starting to show, Brianna!! Each week your eye for accurate proportions has steadily improved and your line work has become confident. After you got through drawing the negative space around the chair (I know you got a little frustrated with it) you dropped into the zone and put together stylin' egret! First of all, you did an excellent job of drawing the negative space around the entire bird, especially around the 's' curve of the neck and its body. Secondly, the proportions of its body are accurately drawn. The contour edges of the head and beak look very natural and you got a great start in adding details for the feathers. I really like how you went big, using your whole paper while keeping accurate proportions. Onward to the next level of realism! :-) And if you have some spare time this week, give the drawing challenge a try. It'd be great practice...

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.

Examples of Student Drawings of Objects

Drawings by last year's students at Highlands Community School

Star Sketchers in Action

Week Four: Proportion, Texture, Contour Lines

Alright, Star Sketchers, we're making big steps towards creating realistic drawings. I'm seeing big improvements in your sketching skills as you drew realistic contour lines last Friday. Some of you dropped into the Zone and got going on accurate sketches right away.

Read about what I mean by the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Alec

I'm really liking the drawing style that's emerging in your work, Alec!! Your lines are getting tighter and cleaner. And your eye for proportions is getting sharper and sharper. Overall, the dragonfly is VERY well drawn. The contour lines that show the realistic form of the dragonfly look very natural. You're ready for stepping further into realism. NICE proportions and detail work on the tiger!

Read about getting into the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Freddy C.

Wow!! Freddy!! The dragonfly is VERY well drawn!! Your ability to draw accurate proportions and details continues to improve each week. The contour lines forming the edges of the dragonfly are clean and realistic looking. You did an excellent job of including all the details of the tiger and dragonfly, especially the dragonfly's transparent wings and its legs.

Read about getting into the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Hannah

It took you awhile to get into the Zone on Friday. But once you did... you pulled together an EXCELLENT drawing of the dragonfly, Hannah!! The contour lines that form the edges of its body are really well drawn and make it look realistic. You've got a nice style of drawing emerging from your ability to sketch accurate proportions and natural-looking contour lines. Keep refining your line work as we move into more realistic drawing on Friday. The details of the wings look very cool!

Read about getting into the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Brianna

The music helped you get int the Zone for drawing this cool dragonfly!! Great job on sketching accurate proportions of its body and wings. I really like how you took the time to draw contour lines for the curved edges of its legs and body. You're starting to develop your own unique style of drawing--keep looking for the shapes of things and then drawing them. :-)

Read about getting into the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Haley

You were having a difficult time getting into your usual drawing Zone on Friday. But you kept at it... and cranked out some clean and accurate preliminary sketches. The basic shapes you sketched for the wolf were an excellent start in drawing its proportions. It would be great if you could finish it. The sketch of the basic shapes of the dragonfly's body are well drawn. And, overall, the proportions of the tiger look really good. Keep it going Haley! :-)

Read about getting into the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Freddy S.

The first thing that's so cool about this dragonfly is how you drew BIG! This helped to show the contour lines for the form of its body and wings. The second thing is how you drew contour lines showing the roundness and jagged details of its legs. Its legs look natural and very realistic, especially its front right one. This is a huge step in drawing realistically. Keep it going, Freddy, as we move into more realistic drawing on Friday.

Read about getting into the Zone: Click here

eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn Challenge for this week:
Draw how you feel, right at this moment. For example: Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, or frustrated? You can express your emotions with your imagination, from memory, or from something you're looking at. Use lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and gray tones. It can be abstract or representational (recognizable things), it's up to you and your feelings. Use the whole paper for your composition.

Getting Into the Zone

Imagine playing your favorite video game (or a sport or activity you do well), and getting your best-ever score. Every move you make scores mega-points! You're in a state of mind where everything flows naturally without having to think about it. You're in the Zone.

In drawing, being in the Zone is when you don't have to think about what you're drawing. Everything seems to flow out of the tip of your pencil. Each time you draw, it takes a little time to find the Zone (just like when you're playing video games). But with practice it gets easier and easier to naturally drop into it. And when you're in the Zone, your drawings will amaze you!

Week Three: Patterns, Texture, Proportion

Last week we got into drawing with patterns and textures. There were many breakthroughs in students taking their skills to the next level. Highlights included big-time improvements in line work and proportions by Freddy S., Freddy C., and Demetri! Keep on sketching guys!

Getting Abstract!
Last week's drawing challenge was to create an abstract drawing. To view your absolutely cool abstract drawings go to eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn.

And now...

This week's drawing challenge:
School Mascot Character Design



Your job (if you have time this week) as a character concept artist is to create a mascot for your school. Use model sheets from professional artists as ideas to help you sketch body proportions, costumes, and facial expressions of your school mascot character. Use your imagination, your mascot can be any kind of fun creature that would represent the name of your school. You can do as many sketches and poses as you like. One pose is all that's needed for your final sketch.

Character Model Sheets: Click here

Keep up the great work Star Sketchers! --Rob

Brianna

Lines! Shapes! Patterns! You put it all together for a fantastic abstract drawing, Brianna! Hope you explore more abstract and expressionistic drawing, so we can post it in eXpReSsiOn sEsSiOn. You're making steady progress in your drawing as shown in your sketch of the lizard. Stay focused on looking for the overall shapes and proportions of things, such as the size of the lizard's body compared to its head; then drawing them. Also keep practicing sketching light guidelines before drawing darker outlines.

This Week's Drawing Challenge: Character Design of School Mascot
Your job (if you have time this week) as a character concept artist is to create a mascot for your school. Use model sheets from professional artists as ideas to help you sketch body proportions, costumes, and facial expressions of your school mascot character. Use your imagination; your mascot can be any kind of fun creature that would represent the name of your school. You can do as many sketches and poses as you like. One pose is all that's needed for your final sketch.

Character Model Sheets: Click here

Raquel

Your drawings of the jaguar and lizard are BIG steps toward drawing realistic 3D form, Raquel!! You did a great job of drawing accurate proportions compared to the reference picture you were looking at. And I really like how you used the whole paper for your jaguar while keeping accurate proportions. Nice job on drawing the textures on the lizard and the tree branch. The patterns and gray tones on the jaguar are well drawn! Is the angle of the jaguar's right foot, compared to the reference picture, correctly drawn?

This Week's Drawing Challenge: Character Design of School Mascot
Your job (if you have time this week) as a character concept artist is to create a mascot for your school. Use model sheets from professional artists as ideas to help you sketch body proportions, costumes, and facial expressions of your school mascot character. Use your imagination; your mascot can be any kind of fun creature that would represent the name of your school. You can do as many sketches and poses as you like. One pose is all that's needed for your final sketch.

Character Model Sheets: Click here