Painters Online

RT START Draw realistic children Children don’t hold still. So, step one in drawing them is to take a photo, say Carrie Stuart and Rick Parks ... Start Art 5 16 www.painters-online.co.uk Going digital I mostly use film photography, but digital cameras are progressing at a fast rate and are easy to use. Just be sure your photos are clear and have enough detail. Some digitals look great on the computer but terrible when printed. If that’s the case, you can draw while looking at your computer screen. It’s easy to transfer a digital colour photo to black and white for drawing purposes. Lighting I prefer a strong light source because I like the play of light and shadows on a face. The problem may be, however, that too much sunlight can make for squinty eyes, black shadows and not enough contrast. One way to solve the problem is to photograph your subjects on an overcast day. You’ll get some light patterns without the blasting sunlight. You can also photograph in the shade on a sunny day. You’ll achieve contrast without the bright sun. Select photos that describe the contours of the face rather than those that look like something spilled on the picture. Direct light may place the face in total darkness, making drawing it almost impossible. If this happens, you might try to lighten the face using a photo manipulation computer programme. Size Make your photo as large as possible, because if we can’t see, we can’t draw. Copyright Photographers work hard and their photos are their art. If you get the photographer’s permission to draw from his or her image, go ahead. Don’t assume, however, that because your grandson is in the photo that you can draw from it. Play it safe and ask. Places to find photos I can’t think of a better resource for drawing faces than the wonderful antique photos you have in your old family albums. Start by scanning the photo (or have it done for you). Enlarge the scanned photo so that it’s easier to see and keep the original nearby. Antique stores, garage and estate sales and other such locations may also provide a treasure trove of photos to draw. Also, some books and magazines have great photos for practice, but remember these are just for practice, not publication or sale. Bigger is better This is the size you need for details That’s the ticket! Try photographing your subjects on an overcast day to achieve good contrast without squinty eyes or dappled shadow Exercise 1: Scribbling, erasing and smudging Scribble your heart out—you need to get the feel of the pencil and the paper. Some pencils scratch the paper, some glide. Some papers snag your lead, some caress. Push on the pencil, then hold the pencil lightly. See what kind of a line a dull pencil makes compared to a sharp one. Get out your eraser and erase many of the lines. Can you do it? Have you scored your paper? Are there remaining black marks? Which pencil felt good and erased well? Now get your paper stump and start smudging. Which leads smudge? You may have to go back and rescribble. Make neat scribbles and messy scribbles. What happens when you smudge them? Power jotting First, we need to warm up our drawing skills. Sharpen your pencils! Exercise 2: Pencil handling and shading Now let’s direct our scribbling to shading. Turn your paper over or get out a new sheet. Your pencil strokes should be quick, yet controlled marks. Start with a black edge, then move your pencil back and forth, getting lighter and lighter as you move across the paper until you can no longer see your stroke. You will need… 2H, HB, 2B and 6B pencils Pencil sharpener 12-inch (30cm) see- through ruler Circle template Kneaded and white plastic erasers Electric eraser (if you can afford it) Bristol board Tracing paper Soft brush Drawing board Set of paper stumps Set of tortillions Reference photos French curves (for drawing glasses)