Traveler's Urban Sketchbook: Beginners Guide to Sketching

Take step one in learning how to sketch by do a Contour Line drawing.  Contour line drawings are all about turning your "thinking brain" off and turning on your "observational brain".  This is not an easy task!!!  You will find yourself struggling with this first drawing not because it is hard, but because you have to rewire your brain so that you stop THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT IS :-). To do a successful sketch you've got to stop thinking that way and just find the LINES, THE SHAPES, THE VALUES, THE TEXTURES in what you are seeing.

So, you will be drawing a crumpled piece of paper!!  The reason for this is because there is nothing for your brain to think about while you draw.  You are forced to just look at the edges, the interior lines and the shades and shadows that occur.  It's also a lot of fun!

And oh ya!  You have to do your first contour line drawing by:

• NOT LIFTING YOUR PEN OFF THE PAGE (as much as you can)

• NOT LOOKING (as much as you can) AT WHAT YOU ARE DRAWING

But what have you got to lose!  It's only a piece of crumpled paper!  I will share with you one of my favorite sculptors, John Chamberlain, who makes metal sculptures that look very similar to your drawings so you can be a contemporary artist too! 

Do as many as you want of these drawings!  I would suggest 3 so that you really learn how to enjoy looking at something and not thinking about something.  It's one of my favorite ways to draw!!

Take step two in your Contour Line Drawing journey.  Add recognizable and multiple objects to your composition.  In this lecture you will watch as I use the method of seeing edges, interior lines and shades and shadows in three objects that combine to make one composition.  It's really not that much harder than the first lesson!  I promise!

So find this compostition at your dinner table and pull out your sketchbook.  For your second version of this drawing, try adding a strawberry or some other food on your plate.  I'd suggest you do this drawing at least 2 times to get the feeling for the placement and size of multiple objects when they sit next to each other.

Once again:  try your best to follow the rules of NOT LIFTING YOUR PEN OFF OF THE PAPER (as much as you can) and DON'T LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE DRAWING (as much as you can).

Enjoy and see you in our next lecture!

In Assignment Three of your Contour Drawing journey, move outside and find a simple object to draw.  A trashcan is one of my favorites!  I will be drawing a fountain in my backyard and will be following the same two cardinal rules, trying to not lift my pen as much as possible and trying not to look a whole lot.  As objects get more complex, I relax with these rules. Hopefully by now you are getting a feeling for Contour Drawings and won't turn on your "thinking brain" if you do look or lift your pen. 

One of my favorite aspects of Sketching is that it is mostly done outside!  While sketching, you will hear the sounds of birds. have butterflies float overhead, hear conversations of people as they pass by or perhaps smell the bakery down the street.  When you've turned off your brain so you can sketch, your senses are activated and you will notice things you don't normally when you are "in your head".  It's such a wonderful, memorable moment.

This is why I call this class Traveler's Sketchbook.  You will travel in your mind while you create you drawing and when you look at your drawing later.  Some sketchers even add notes about what they noticed to remind themselves later.  It's such a personal way to mark a moment, even if that moment occurs in your backyard!

Do three of these drawings in your backyard.  Trashcans, simple plants, pots, fire hydrants, benches, all of these types of things would be great examples.

In Assignment 4 of Contour Drawing, I will tackle a more complex object.  I will be drawing an Agave Tree in my backyard.  I chose this tree since it has so many fronds that make up the large top of the tree.  I show you how following the contours of the interior lines help you to create a zig zag line that gives you the feeling for what the tree looks like.  It will be your first step in simplifying a complex object by not drawing exactly what you are seeing, but just following the interior lines within.  YOU WILL HAVE TO TURN OFF YOUR THINKING BRAIN HERE!  If you haven't learned how to stop thinking and trying to draw exactly what you are seeing by now, go back a step and draw the simpler objects until you have this confidence. 

ONLY DO THIS OUTSIDE OR THROUGH A WINDOW-DO NOT LOOK AT A PHOTO!  Photographs see things differently than our eyes and tempt us to add way too many details.  Get outside!!

So your assignment is to draw a small tree.  If you can find a succulent type of tree, even better!!  See what symbols, lines and shapes your pen comes up with as you study the interior lines of a tree.  Let it be, don't judge, practice a few times as see what you come up with.

So:  Your assignment for this lecture is using Contour Lines, draw three small trees coming up with an interesting patter, symbol, line that captures the "idea" of the tree, but does not replicate the tree. 

GOOD LUCK!!

Proportional drawing is a technique that allows you to take proportional measurements of the object you are trying to draw, and then translate these proportions on paper in a sketch.  Using your pencil and fingers, you will mark the width of an object and then use that as the unit of (1).  You will then turn the pencil 90 degrees and find how many of the unit (1's) appear in the height of the object.  For example, you may find (2) of the widths appear in the height of the object.  That would be a 1:2 relationship. 

Once you find this information you can draw a rectangle on your paper with the same proportional relationship and then draw your object to fit inside this rectangle.  You can use this method to find all sorts of details in your object. 

You will find this first video is incredibly informative and does a great job at explaining this technique.  Practice drawing a simple vase like I do in this exercise and then try a couple more simple objects until you get used to this measuring method.

The rules you must follow that I don't mention in the video:

-YOU MUST STAY SEATED IN THE SAME PLACE AS YOU MEASURE

-YOU MUST STRAIGHTEN YOUR ARM COMPLETELY EACH TIME YOU MEASURE OR THE MEASUREMENT ARE NOT COMPARABLE

Have fun introducing just a little of you "brain" into this drawing technique!

Assignment two of Proportional Drawing goes back to the second composition you drew as a contour drawing.  So the next challenge is to draw multiple objects using the proportional measuring system.  Watch how I create a unit of (1) at the width of the glass and then move this measuring unit around the entire composition.  Compare the two drawings when you are finished to see which one you prefer.  A good sketch is a combination of the two techniques.

For your assignment, use the proportional measuring system to do two of these simple compositions, perhaps adding a small piece of fruit on the plate the second time, or move the fork into a more challenging position like in the foreground.

In Assignment Three we move outside to once again draw a simple object outdoors.  I will draw the fountain again.  Create the unit of (1) by finding the width of your object and then use that unit to measure the height of the entire object.  Block it in with your rectangle in your sketchbook and then find the proportional location of the other details in the object.  Maybe start with something simple like a trash can and then move to something more complex like a fire hydrant.  Notice how once you have the edge details of your object correct, that you start to rely on your contour skills to add the interior lines.  If this starts happening then you are on your way!!  That's how sketchers combine both skills to tackle complex objects.

Remember the two cardinal rules about staying in the same position and measuring with your elbow locked and you will be good!

For this assignment, draw at least two simple objects found outdoors.  Enjoy the sounds of birds and the life that surrounds you.  DON'T DO THIS FROM A PHOTOGRAPH-it's just not the same or nearly as fun!

In this final lesson, I will use the proportional drawing method to block out a complex object found outdoors, a patio table.  I will also introduce the idea of a vanishing point to show how the table looks three dimensional by demonstrating how it appears to diminish into the background.  Vanishing points and perspective will be covered in Part Three of this four part course, but this will start to give you the idea.

Tables and chairs are a common object with multiple elements that you will find both indoors and outdoors.  It's a good idea to take a crack at drawing this.  Your first attempt may not look realistic at all but practice makes perfect so try try again.

Begin by blocking it out proportionally as I show you in the video lecture and then use both proportions, directional lines, and contour lines to fill in the details.  Using a pencil to block all of this information in is always helpful since you can find the correct lines with your pen when it's blocked in and then erase your construction lines.

Try a table and chairs a couple times in your sketchbook.

And thank you for taking my course!  I hope you found this useful and I hope to see you in the next session where we explore plants, trees, and some shading and shadowing information to add to our sketches of landscapes!!

Until next time-Marilee