JustPaste.it

Seems simple enough, right? At whatever your subject may be, just look and put it to the surface. Artists and art instructors have a reputation for telling their students to"just draw what they see", often leaving the student with a confused look on their face.

For those of us that already know what to look for, this infamous statement makes sense. Because it is simple it appears simple.

They may observe a individual, a landscape, or a still life, but they do not know how take the information and turn it.

But once they know and understand what needs to be observed and recorded in the artwork, the"light bulbs" turn on.

In this post, we will look to search for when creating an drawing or painting that you can draw what you see.

Look For the Shapes

For many of us, the very first things we notice are the lines. This is how most of us learn how to draw so it makes sense that we seek these out originally. We see objects' advantages as lines, which can be referred to as contour lines. Our first inclinations are to draw on these lines which contributes to a distorted form of the subject.

I suggest that we look for the contours and skip the lines. Sure, we will use lines to draw on the contours, but by identifying the shapes often beginning painting or a drawing leads to greater accuracy. Don't worry, we'll address the lines, but it's often not the best place to start.

All subjects can be simplified into basic shapes. By piecing them together and layering basic shapes, we can construct the structure of the subject. That is what sketchbooks are for, although the procedure for finding the shapes does take a bit of training and practice of your mind.

Here is a simple example...

Drawing shapesOh yes -- the hand. As it is complex, the topic of the hand strikes fear in each beginning artist. But even this subject can be simplified into shapes which are simple to draw. It's just a matter of identifying those shapes and piecing them together.

For the back of the hand, there is a rectangle drawn in the above example. There is A triangle drawn connecting the thumb. Organic shapes are drawn for each segment of the fingers.

We can make comparisons to the negative shapes that exist around the subject as we draw on the contours. These comparisons and the alterations that are made, will improve the accuracy of the drawing or painting.

When the basic shapes are drawn and laid out, we can move on to another thing to search for -- the lines.

Look For the Lines

Now that we've identified the contours, we can move on to drawing or painting the lines. Since the overall shape of this topic has been defined, we can focus on the quality of line that's produced, without worrying about the shape created by our shapes (outlines).

Using the shapes we could add the contour lines adjusting thinness and the thickness of the mark to create interest and variety.

Lines in observational drawingsThe line quality that is produced not only enriches the interest, but also communicates the form and feel of the subject. When we observe the subject, we can pay close attention to subtle changes in the lines and add them,"as we see them", in the painting or drawing.

Part One

Part Two

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Let's move on to look for -- value.

Start Looking For the Values

It is important to note that the upcoming few things that we will be searching for in our Silent Observer topic are dependent on one another. Since they affect each other, so they may be concurrently. Since it's the greatest influencer of another two, we'll begin with value. And if the value is accurate, then texture and form just"fall into place".

It is how we see the parts of the world around us. It's the value that tells us about forms the light, and textures of the environment around us.

About value

Locating the dark, light, and values in your subject and adding them in the right locations in the art contributes to accuracy.

Values in observational drawing

Watch this demonstration (Membership required)

Obtaining the value as close as possible to what is observed is crucial As it tells us much about the light. It is one of the most important things to look for when you're drawing"what you see".

Learn skill and a new drawing concept every day for 25 days. Each drawing concept taught includes a short drawing exercise (less than 1 hour) that strengthens the concept taught.

VIEW Program

Look For the Form

The form of the subject is communicated via the value that exists on the subject. These values' relationships inform the viewer about the shape of the subject.

Most items will have defined.

Locations of worth. Above image from"The Oil Painting Master Series" course.

Highlight -- The place on the topic where light is hitting.

Midtone -- Area on the topic of value, often the local colour of this subject.

Reflected Highlight -- Areas of value lighter than the center shadow which result from surrounding surfaces or objects bouncing light.

Cast Shadow -- Shadows which are cast on surrounding surfaces or objects because of blocked or partially blocked light.

The positioning of these locations of value tell the viewer about the light and the form of the subject, so it is reasonable that we should be looking we paint or draw. As soon as we position them the illusion of form is made.

Look For the Textures

Exactly like form, the relationships of significance communicate in painting or a drawing texture. The marks, if they're made with a brush or with a pencil also play a role.

In conjunction, value's connections and the directional marks lead to the illusion of texture.

Lines that are directional to produce texture

Above image from"The Colored Pencil Course".

These indicated lines are sometimes known as"cross contour lines". Not only do these lines communicate the texture on the subject, but they could tell us a bit about the form.

Look For the Colors

Of course, the colour is important in an observational drawing or painting and should be observed. In applying the color the secret doesn't necessarily lie in the monitoring, but rather in how those observed colors are to be mixed.

Matching colors

Mixing colors requires a bit of practice and experience . Various mediums require different methods. You do not mix oil paints in precisely the same manner that you mix pencils, for example.

And while matching the color as closely as possible may seem important, the value of the colour is actually a factor. Colors can be altered, but then the subject is still communicated when the value is matched.

Changing color

With drawing and painting, of course, as closely as possible, you will want to match the colours. You don't need to paint a portrait of somebody and make them green (unless they're a Martian or are very sick). I include the picture above to demonstrate the value of value and also to point out that if you are off a bit with the color, it okay.

The Theme

If you are keen, you've probably noticed that the six items listed here are six of the seven elements of art...

Line

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Shape

Form

Value

Texture

Color

The only element missing is"space", which can be communicated through a variety of factors including placement, value, colour, detail, overlapping, and size.

The key to"appearing" lies in understanding what exactly to look for. When we make an drawing or painting, the subject is communicated by us throughout the elements of art.