Painters Online

Start Art 8 7 www.painters-online.co.uk Learn to draw Using animals as your subject matter Anja Dahl sets out some basic principles to follow to help you have fun and success with your drawing Suggested materials A good starting point is a practical artists’ set containing a selection of different drawing media, or you can buy pencils and chalks individually depending on what you need and feel most comfortable using.You will also require a sharpener and an eraser. A kneadable eraser can be used to erase without leaving any bits and it can also be shaped to a point to erase fine areas neatly.To prevent the drawing from slipping, use adhesive tape to stick the paper to the table or a board.A stump (paper blender), a sponge and a cotton cloth or paper tissue are recommended for accurate smudging.To protect your drawings, slip a piece of paper under your working hand to prevent accidental smudging while you draw and spray the finished works with spray fixative when you are satisfied that they are complete. Pencil and graphite Most techniques begin with drawing an outline using a standard or graphite pencil.These pencils can also be used for creating complete drawings full of nuance.Whereas a standard pencil has a wooden barrel, a graphite pencil is made exclusively from graphite and can therefore also be used for broader shading. Lead and graphite pencils come in various grades of hardness. For soft shading, harder leads are best, whereas strong shading needs soft leads. Sketching requires a harder pencil such as an HB. Start with the lightest strokes using hard leads and then change to darker strokes using softer leads. Indian ink Unlike pencil and graphite, Indian ink cannot be erased.You will therefore need to practise and plan in advance Pencils in different grades of hardness will produce different shades of light and dark in a pencil drawing. Soft transitions can be achieved by smudging. Rapidograph This is a thin-nibbed Indian- ink cartridge pen that enables the drawing of a precise, constant line. Experiment with your Rapidograph pen to produce different types of hatching and shading. Practise holding and using pencils with a light touch for sketching, otherwise the lines will press into and indent the paper