Week 1: Lines, Shapes, Patterns, Overlapping

Great to be drawing at the Ranch again! A whole new crew of sketchers got started with learning about measuring accurate proportions. We focused on holding the pencil on its side and using the whole arm while drawing. Here are pencil warm-ups by Freddy and Cristian:

 

After pencil warm-ups, everyone got into drawing guidelines for basic shapes... 

Working from reference lesson pictures, students learned to correct sizes of proportions (the sizes of shapes compared to other shapes) by sketching on top of mistakes. Francisco's drawing of the crab (above, left) shows changes in the position and size of the crab's claws.  Jared's toucan sketch shows excellent use of light guidelines for accurate proportions of the body compared to the head.

Arturo's toucan study sketches (above) show his use of guidelines as he searched for accurate proportions, compared to the reference picture. Overall, he improved the proportions of the head and body. Great job of adding light and dark tones.

As we made our way through the lessons, everyone started gaining control of their line work. Erika's toucan (above, left) shows lighter guidelines before final outlines. Cristian's toucan (above, right) shows a keen eye for accurate proportions.

The overall shape of the puffer fish can be tricky to capture. Francisco's guidelines nail down accurate shapes. We also got into overlapping shapes to show depth of space, as in the frog drawn by Francisco. 

To view everyone's sketches and reference pictures...
Erika

Great line work! Practice making the final outlines a little darker. Check out: Getting Into the Zone and other students in our music videos

Francisco

Excellent progress in sketching accurate guidelines before finishing with darker outlines. Check out: Getting Into the Zone and other students in our music videos

Freddy

You gained more control of your line work with each new sketch! Check out: Getting Into the Zone and other students in our music videos

Jared

Keep focused on drawing light guidelines before finishing with darker outlines. Check out: Getting Into the Zone and other students in our music videos

Arturo

Great job in learning to hold the pencil on its side while looking for accurate proportions. Check out: Getting Into the Zone and other students in our music videos

Cristian

Nice control of your line work! Keep practicing sketching corrections on top of mistakes as you look for accurate proportions. Check out: Getting Into the Zone and other students in our music videos

 

Lesson Reference Pictures