Drawing

The path

1. 1
   Level 1Free

   Lines and Light

   A fully shaded still life from real objects

   15 Steps, about 40 minutes each. Anyone who thinks they 'can't draw'. If you can sign your name, you can learn this.

   1. Chapter 1: Lines and forms. Confident lines and ellipses, contour drawings, boxes in perspective, and a mug drawn from life.
   2. Chapter 2: Light and shadow. A smooth value scale, shaded spheres, cubes and cylinders, accurate proportions, and a fully shaded apple or egg.
   3. Chapter 3: Your still life. A still life planned in thumbnails, laid in, shaded and finished: a drawing you'd frame.

   1. 1
      Confident lines

      A page of straight lines and a page of ellipses, drawn with the ghosting method.

      Confident lines are the foundation of drawing. A hesitant, scratchy line looks unsure. A smooth, single line looks deliberate, even if it isn't perfectly placed.

      The ghosting method, taught in the Drawabox course, builds confidence. You plan a line, practice the motion above the paper without touching it, then draw it in one smooth stroke.

      The detail beginners miss is drawing from the shoulder. Lines drawn from the wrist curve and wobble. Lock your wrist and move your whole arm from the shoulder for longer lines. It feels awkward at first, but makes straighter, smoother lines.

      Here's an example. Two dots, 4 inches apart. Pencil hovering over the first dot. The motion toward the second practiced three times in the air. Then one smooth, confident stroke, without stopping. Some lines overshoot or miss; that's fine. A page of them. Then ellipses: the motion practiced in the air, then drawn around two or three times lightly.

      Right is a page of smooth, confident lines and a page of ellipses, even if some miss their marks. Speed and confidence come before accuracy. Take breaks to rest your arm and shoulder.

      DrawaboxDrawabox
      Show your group
   2. 2
      Contour drawing

      Two blind contour drawings and one careful contour drawing of your own hand.

      Chris Wilson Studio
   3. 3
      Boxes in one-point

      A page of boxes drawn in one-point perspective from a single vanishing point.

   See all 15 Steps

   1. 4
      Boxes in two-point

      A page of boxes in two-point perspective, seen from the corner.

      BYU-Idaho Art 110
   2. 5
      Draw a mug from life

      A careful line drawing of a mug from life, with correct ellipses and proportions.

      Ctrl+Paint
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   3. 6
      Value scale

      A smooth 7-step value scale with your pencils, plus a hatched one.

      Proko
   4. 7
      Shade a sphere

      A shaded sphere with a highlight, core shadow, reflected light and cast shadow.

      Circle Line Art SchoolThe Drawing Source
   5. 8
      Shade cubes and cylinders

      A shaded cube, cylinder and cone, all lit from the same side.

      BYU-Idaho Art 110
   6. 9
      Measure proportions

      Two objects drawn side by side with their heights and widths measured using your pencil.

      Proko
   7. 10
      Shade an apple or egg

      A fully shaded apple or egg from life, with a cast shadow, on good paper.

      Envato Tuts+
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   8. 11
      Set up and thumbnail

      A still life of 3 objects set up and lit, and six small thumbnail sketches of it.

      Art Prof
   9. 12
      Lay in the still life

      Your chosen still life laid in lightly on good paper, with correct proportions and placement.

      Circle Line Art SchoolProko
   10. 13
       Block in the shadows

       All the shadow shapes in the still life shaded in one even, light tone.

       Proko
   11. 14
       Build values and texture

       Middle tones, core shadows and surface textures built up across the whole drawing.

       Art Prof
   12. 15
       Finish and sign

       The finished still life with highlights, final darks, a signature, and the drawing protected.

       Chris Wilson Studio
       Show your group
2. Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

   Faces

   Your first portrait from life

3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

   Figures

   Gesture and figure drawings of people

Where it ends: portraits that look like people

Free lessons in Lines and Light come from Drawabox, Chris Wilson Studio, BYU-Idaho Art 110, Ctrl+Paint, Proko, Circle Line Art School, The Drawing Source, Envato Tuts+, Art Prof. We link to their work and never copy it.