Friday 9 December 2011

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Drawing Basics Illustrated



You Can Draw Today


If you're interested in learning how to draw but don't know where to start, or feel it would be too time consuming to attend an Art class, you'll be glad you started reading this article. A few years ago, I asked several co-workers if they knew how to draw anything and the facetious reply was often, "Yeah, I can draw a smiley face" or "Well, I can draw a stick man." Since most people are able to draw the aforementioned simple figures, they would already be half way there to a simple character face. I thought it would be a great idea to use that as a starting point to drawing a simple character face. The stick-man also makes a great starting point for the character body and that could easily lead to other drawings in a relatively short amount of time.
Once one has learned to draw the character, it is then a simple matter of learning how to shade your drawing using the basics of light and shadow. With practice, and some time, this will lead to more detailed, artistic sketches. So, how do you begin? The following is an overview of the simple process used to draw a character face from a smiley face. For an illustrated example of how it is done, please use the link at the end of this article.
All you need to get started is a pencil and paper. Fancy art pencils and or art paper are not necessary at this time. A typical number 2 pencil would work well for this. When starting out, apply light pressure as you work so that you can cleanly erase any mistakes later.
To begin, erase the sides of the smiley face and replace them with straighter lines. The upward curving corners of the smile, or mouth, are then erased until the smile appears like a straight line. At the ends of the line, add very small "c" shapes to form the corners of the mouth. (A reverse "c" is used for the right mouth corner.)
Add a slightly curved line under the mouth line and darken it a little. It should be shorter than the mouth. Above the mouth line, draw a very small, apostrophe or a single curving quotation mark shape, to represent the vertical groove, or philtrum, of the upper lip.
Above the philtrum, draw a "u" shape but darken it a bit. This is the shadow under the nose. Erase the spots for eyes and replace them with small but thick "c" shapes. Then simply draw a slightly curved line above them for the brows. Follow up by adding "C" shapes for the ears. You should now see a face that resembles a comic book like character. If you would like to add hair and face lines, please use the link provided below this article.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, send me an email, I'll be glad to help.
johnpagan@furyinthegarden.com

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