My He(ART)-Full Life



Friday, September 13, 2013

sketching love

Since starting my class with Danielle I have been filling up pages and pages in my sketchbook. I used to draw all the time...but then kind of stopped along the way because I became too busy. But Danielle shows us how we can do very quick sketches (2,5 or 10 minute ones!!!) anywhere. The great thing about sketching is...it's so portable! And now I remember just how much I love sketching!! It's one of those activities where time seems to stand still and fly by all at once! Anyways...I wanted to share some of my fave. sketching tools with you...
* pencils!!! I swear by Derwent Graphic but there are so many great brands out there. I always get the full range (you can buy sets or in singles) that go all the way from H1-H9 and then B -B9.
* Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor in black medium. This pencil is just magic for dark dark blacks! It literally pops off the page! You can get the full set here...I just have a few blacks which I picked up from an art store.
* charcoal...there are tons of options out there from soft vine to hard pencils. I use a General's charcoal pencil in 4B soft that I picked up somewhere ages ago. There's this starter kit here too.
* a sharpener. I invest in a quality one because I don't want my pencil tips breaking!
* a tortillon or blending tool. They come in all different sizes and are super cheap. They produce amazing blends for softer areas.
* erasers. I use a general one for actually erasing and then a kneaded one as well as one of these for shaping and creating highlights.


* if I use a pen, I stick with an ultra fine point Sharpie (in permanent black)
* I sometimes add watercolors to my sketches. Whatever is available...I usually use Tara's watercolor box from Ikea!!!
* sketchbooks!! Oh my!!! there are so many wonderful ones out there in all different sizes and papers. I have so many of them. I think the best thing to do is go into an art store and see what's available, the types of papers out there, are you using only dry media or adding watercolors/collage etc. Another alternative is to make your own sketchbook filled with some of your fave. papers!!
Really, you don't need a whole bunch of stuff (although it's fun to try out different products).
Books I Have and Use: 
* Drawing on the Right Side...a classic! If I were to only use one book...this would be it! Full of exercises that facilitate really seeing what's in front of you.
* Drawing With an Open Mind: this book is a little intimidating because in 10,000 years I will never draw like him...but it's very informative. And his drawing are just a pleasure to look at
*Drawing A Contemporary Approach: lots of exercises and examples. I think this is actually a college textbook. Wow!!! I just took a look on Amazon and it's, like...$114!!!! I picked it up used somewhere for $10 or so!!
* How to Draw What You See: A super simple book that can propel you in the right direction.
Happy sketching!!!
P.S. there's still time to sign up for HerStory!!! It's an amazing opportunity.

It's been raining cats and dogs over here...so this weekend is going to be filled with staying at home, snuggling, reading, baking, sketching ...and maybe bundling up for a few photowalks! Happy weekend!

No comments: