Summary
Here are the main points from my
series to help you plan your own
image of the scene.
1 When drawing your initial picture,
remember to draw from the outside in.
This means drawing basic shapes,
beginning with the largest and moving
down in size until you finish with the
finer details. This keeps your picture
in proportion and ensures
that it sits comfortably on the paper.
2 Confirm from which way the light
is coming and place an arrow on your
drawing board to remind you. The
direction of light is important, as
correctly drawn shadows will bring
a drawing alive.
3 Try not to copy exactly what you see
in front of you. Move objects around or
leave them out if it gives your picture a
more balanced and less-cluttered look.
4 Keep some of your drawn lines
broken. Too many solid lines can
make the drawing appear flat.
Uneven and broken lines give your
work more texture and movement.
5 Remember to use the three-pass
method of building up your picture.
This means, build your picture up in
three stages, beginning with a basic
outline and concluding with the
addition of dark tonal values, textures
and possibly colour in and around the
focal point.
6 Let peripheral objects fade away and
become less detailed the further theyare from the main feature. This will
naturally guide your viewer’s eye to
the focal point.
7 You might also add directional lines
that will lead the viewer to the centre
of interest.Different media
If you are working with water-soluble
graphite or line and wash, choose a
good-quality watercolour paper as your
support. Ordinary drawing paper will
buckle when wet, which will spoil your
work. Artists’ quality Hot-Pressed (HP)
paper is an excellent choice.
Don’t be concerned about completing
detailed shading or texture patterns
when using water-soluble graphite, as
these will all blend together when you
wet the drawing lines. Concentrate
instead on strong tonal shading.
When producing line and wash,
check that your ink is waterproof
or you will have a nasty shock when
adding your watercolour washes. If
you choose to add watercolour washes,
keep them loose by using as large
a brush as you can manage and leave
some white paper showing. This
gives the impression of letting
the light into your picture.
Limit the number of watercolours
you use so that your finished picture
takes on a more cohesive look.
For graphite or ink choose a
heavyweight drawing paper. Think
about whether Rough or smooth willhttp://www.painters-online.co.uk JUNE 2017 23
Draw along with LP
suit your style of work best.
Watercolour paper, however, will
work just as well, especially if you like
to draw on a textured surface. If you
have chosen to work in ink, do as
little initial pencil drawing as possible.
Ideally don’t use a pencil at all and go
straight in with the ink. Your drawing
will take on a more fresh and
spontaneous look.
I do hope you will try this project
using your own choice of materials,
perhaps even completing more than
one version. Experiment with mixing
graphite, ink and watercolour. Always
use the best-quality art materials you
can afford. You will produce better
work if you don’t skimp on quality.
You’ll find my finished version in
next month’s issue.
When you’ve finished your artwork,
don’t forget to send an image to
[email protected] to share on the LP
painting project area of our website,
http://www.painters-online.co.uk. LPAnneKerr
Anne teaches on painting holidays
in the UK, Italy and Spain. She gives
talks and painting demonstrations
to local art groups and runs classes
at her home studio. Full details
can be found on her website:
http://www.annekerrartstudio.comGre yscale ver sion of the reference photograph to highlight
the tonal values in the picturet tThe finished outline of the scene, ink , 11 (^12) ⁄x 814 ⁄in. (29x21cm)
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