# All 'Art Tips' Thread For The Budding Artist



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread like this so that all us budding artists can share tips and ask questions on all things arty with one another etc in order to improve our work.

One of the hardest things I struggle with is proportions and placements of shading etc. 

I'm always researching to try and improve and I found this bit of info on this site very helpful:




READ DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN BY BETTY EDWARDS 









If you want to read one book on how to draw, this should be it. It has been in print since 1979 and is a real classic, as it teaches you not so much how to draw as how to LOOK. It proposes the idea that most people when trying to draw allow the part of their brain associated with linear reasoning and language to 'jump in' and tell them what it thinks they OUGHT to be drawing, making them less likely to really look. In Edwards' view, artistic ability isn't 'magic' or based entirely on good hand-to-eye coordination! Artists are simply people who seem to know how to suspend this part of their brain activity instinctively.



A good example is the exercise below - the book reproduces this drawing of Igor Stravinsky by Picasso (_Musee Picasso_, 1920) . It asks you to copy the drawing firstly the right way up, and then upside down. Most people will find that the drawing they did upside down is far more accurate! This is because when the drawing is the wrong way up, your brain will be unable to identify the separate features of the face or parts of the body and therefore to impose any preconceptions about what those things should look like. All you will be able to register instead are abstract lines, and so you are likely to find yourself mentally measuring the distances between them and deciding where they ought to be placed on the page far more accurately. The exercise teaches you that drawing is about constantly mentally measuring, sizing up and comparing shapes and lines. If you aren't doing that, then you aren't likely to produce an accurate drawing.









 
3. LEARN TO SEE ABSTRACTLY


This is really a good summary of the lessons above, and it's what I try to do when I draw. I aim to entirely forget that I am drawing an eye, nose, mouth and so on and instead try to simply see the image I am copying as an abstract collection of lines and different shapes of light or dark. After I've loosely sketched in the lines of the portrait I will first fill in the pupils of the eyes, as these are almost always the darkest areas of tones that you will see. Then I'll dart around the image looking for all the darkest areas of tones - these may be in the nostrils, or the hair for instance. I find this a useful method as when I next turn my attention to the lighter tones I will have something to compare them to. Sometimes if I'm really stuck and can't see what's wrong I will turn both my portrait and my reference picture upside down! This will usually help me to see exactly which shapes have been drawn or painted incorrectly. As with lines and shapes, try never to make assumptions about areas of light and dark! For example people tend to assume that the whites of the eyes or the teeth will be the brightest parts of the face. In fact these areas are usually a little shadowed, with bright areas of highlights. 

Here's a good example of the benefit of trying not to mentally 'name' the parts of the face as you do your portrait and seeing them as separate from each other. Take a look in the mirror at your own mouth - most beginners when drawing a mouth will assume without really looking that both lips end in a clear and linear way when they meet the rest of the skin. In fact, they aren't defined anything like so clearly - you'll notice on your own lip that the thin lip tissue actually blends back into the skin of your chin in quite an uneven way and straggly way. In between the two you may well see an area of lighter pink, intermediate skin that isn't quite lip but is darker in colour than the rest of your skin. Underneath this is where you may see a line - of dark shadow. By thinking of the face as a series of abstract tonal areas and working your way through them methodically, you'd have been much more likely to notice this and to draw it accurately! 


_Info taken from Portrait Artist and Painter Anna Bregman - article archives_



Anyone got more tips on all things arty??


----------



## Snizard93 (Oct 12, 2011)

Subbing!


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

I reckon we should all draw that guy in the glasses! No tracing!!!!
Whadya reckon, guys???


----------



## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

I like this thread idea! 
I want to try the melting wax crayons technique, but instead of just a line of crayons, jazz it up a bit...hard to explain what I want to do, you'll have to wait and see in my art journal...if it's a success


----------



## Snizard93 (Oct 12, 2011)

ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr said:


> I reckon we should all draw that guy in the glasses! No tracing!!!!
> Whadya reckon, guys???


It's okay for you, you can draw people :wink:


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

Thats just it, Sniz - the idea is about not drawing a person - its about drawing the lines and shapes of the 'object'. It'll be fun! Try it!! I'm gonna do it! I hope others will too. I'll upoad it when I've done it.
Elaine, melting wax crayons?? WHAT is that??


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

Quick question!

Can anyone give me some advice on what GSM paper I should be using for commission work?
I _think_ I am currently using 130 GSM. It's ever so slightly off-white, but results are OK. I have discovered recently that I should be using pure white to set off the drawing, right?

Any help about lightweight/heavyweight GSM tips would be much anticipated and appreciated, thanks!


----------



## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

This is great! Anyone have any tips for drawing in colours? Mine seem to come out dull and bad haha!


----------



## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

Type in 'melting crayons' on youtube 
It's a very simple technique but looks intersting! I want to combine it with outlines of birds etc, to make it more interesting!


----------



## Snizard93 (Oct 12, 2011)

I second what Sarah said! What "GSM" should we be looking for if we want crisp white, quality drawing paper?


----------



## Caitlinpalomino (Nov 16, 2010)

Subbing  this is an awesome idea!


----------



## Prussian Blue (Feb 19, 2012)

I keep a hand mirror right next to my palette and look at my progress in reverse every few minutes to " check " to see if I'm on track...it gives you a fresh look at what you are doing! LOVE the book Right Side of the Brain!!! been a studio staple for years!! I like to use it when I teach drawing classes...the students get a mental workout. 
One of my tips for the day...when painting in acrylics or oils...I never use black out of the tube...for a nice, rich black, mix your darkest brown with your darkest blue. You can mix in a little red or green if you want to warm it up a bit...makes the blackest black you can get!


----------



## Snizard93 (Oct 12, 2011)

Prussian Blue said:


> One of my tips for the day...when painting in acrylics or oils...I never use black out of the tube...for a nice, rich black, mix your darkest brown with your darkest blue. You can mix in a little red or green if you want to warm it up a bit...makes the blackest black you can get!


Keep the tips coming :lol:


----------



## Prussian Blue (Feb 19, 2012)

One more for today! Try not to use the white if you can...I like using Naples yellow light and Naples yellow deep...mix that with your white for a bright sunny color. If you use too much white to brighten it will make your color chalky!!! If you are painting the blaze on a face or white feet and legs that are in shadow, tint them with a little blue with a dab of burnt umber for that shadowy look...not too much! Cobalt, ultramarine, work best for this...steer clear of Pthalo blue...it's a little greenish.


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

AWESOME! Thanks Prussian Blue...

Anyone want to answer the GSM paper question? Pretty please??


----------



## Prussian Blue (Feb 19, 2012)

ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr said:


> AWESOME! Thanks Prussian Blue...
> 
> Anyone want to answer the GSM paper question? Pretty please??


For the GSM...I like a 325 smooth or ultra smooth cold press or hot press watercolor paper..the rougher texture is great for charcoal and for graphite, the smooth. You really have to experiment with the papers to find what works best for you. It's the tooth rather than the weight of the paper that determines how that medium plays out on the surface. Anywhere between 300 and 350GSM I find is the best for me!


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

Thanks Prussian Blue. Anyone else got any tips for graphite work? What makes of paper you personally like, etc?


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

confusciuswasagreatteachr said:


> quick question!
> 
> Can anyone give me some advice on what gsm paper i should be using for commission work?
> I _think_ i am currently using 130 gsm. It's ever so slightly off-white, but results are ok. I have discovered recently that i should be using pure white to set off the drawing, right?
> ...


 

"gsm"?


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I like what is written so far. I like to say to people, "Draw what you SEE , not what you think you see". But, she has explained it better.

I also like to think about the lines of energy in a painting. For horses, these will flow down the neck and spine and one must think about how this very heavy animal is carrying its' weight. So, I kind of think of that line of energy to the ground (if the animal is standing).

Or, maybe I should say, I think about the bones of the animal under the skin. I need to be able to feel the bones and where the should be in ordre to make the drawing look like it really bears weight. In order to do this, I often literally try to stand myself in a position that mimics my subject so I can feel which leg is more weighted, which hip stick up, which shoulder is above the other, things like that. I can "feel" an empathy with the position of the subject if I literally take up that postiion (in pretend) myself.


----------



## Prussian Blue (Feb 19, 2012)

tinyliny said:


> "gsm"?


Grams per square meter, referring to weight


----------



## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

I'm looking to get into some color, and might get my dad on the motorcycle to go get some art stuff. Do you guys like using plain ol' crayola markers or some nice colored pencils?


----------



## Prussian Blue (Feb 19, 2012)

lildonkey8 said:


> I'm looking to get into some color, and might get my dad on the motorcycle to go get some art stuff. Do you guys like using plain ol' crayola markers or some nice colored pencils?


I would definatly go with colored pencils...more variety of colors and you can blend them a little!


----------



## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

Thanks!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Prussian Blue said:


> Grams per square meter, referring to weight


 
Meh, shoulda known it was some of that dad burn Metric horse --p--.


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

I'm just bumping this thread.
Some names I've discovered in my pencil art 'travels' recently are:
JD Hillberry
Darrel Tank
Dirk Dzimirsky

So much inspiration there!!!


----------

