Drawing from Line to Life » Tips & Tricks http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog Drawing Lessons, Workshops, Tutorials, Books and Art Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:21:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 How To Draw Trees http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2012/01/how-to-draw-trees/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2012/01/how-to-draw-trees/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:21:30 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=717
"I have been working on trees for the last couple of years, and they turn out pretty nice but, although it looks fairly like a tree, it is not even close to as defined as the trees that you are drawing. In doing the leaves, do you do more of a small random dash, or perhaps is it more of a dot?"

Your trees are missing depth. I'll concentrate on the central one, which is fan-like - a series of radiating ribs with leaves attached. However, there is some depth, as a few of your leaf masses appear in front of some of the branches. Bear in mind that a tree is basically a deformed ball...]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2012/01/how-to-draw-trees/feed/ 1 Problems with Proportion? http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2012/01/problems-with-proportion/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2012/01/problems-with-proportion/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:38:53 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=703 I have been drawing portraits for a couple months but am still having a hard time with proportions. I'm finding angled faces hard to draw and I always end up distorting them into looking straight ahead and it looks wrong. I think "looking straight ahead" might give me a clue to the problem. You haven't yet taught yourself to see what is really there and you are drawing what you think is there. That's a very common problem and one that you have to work at to overcome... ]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2012/01/problems-with-proportion/feed/ 0 Are my leads GRAPHITE or CARBON? http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/graphite-or-carbon-leads/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/graphite-or-carbon-leads/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:16:37 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=693 ,br> This a Staedtler "problem" I'm often asked about - particularly when an artist has ordered Lumograph "graphite" but received a pack of "carbon" leads. I have in my possession elderly packs of 2mm "graphite" leads and the more recent "carbon" leads...]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/graphite-or-carbon-leads/feed/ 3 Drawing Tree Bark http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/drawing-tree-bark/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/drawing-tree-bark/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:17:33 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=679
I'll cover HOW later but first I want to question the WHY. Why do you want to include the bark? Is it simply because it appears in the background of your photograph? Is it connected with your dog? Does it tell us, the viewers, anything about the dog? In brief: if it doesn't add anything to the story being told then it's probably best...]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/drawing-tree-bark/feed/ 0 Colour or Black & White? http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/colour-or-black-white/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/colour-or-black-white/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:05:09 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=659 "I am wondering if you get asked by many people if you would do your drawings in color instead of Black & White? I miss my Graphite pictures and I feel like I've been wasting a lot of time trying to make others happy."

Been there, done that, Ginger. And like you, I found that "working for others" didn't appeal. I had to stay with the medium I really care for and working for "me". That's what art is about, isn't it? Expressing your love or feelings for something. Displaying the subject to your viewers and saying "Look at this. No, look closer. See what a beautiful creation this is." To my mind, there's a world of difference between...]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/11/colour-or-black-white/feed/ 1 Dog Drawing critique http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/02/dog-drawing-critique/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/02/dog-drawing-critique/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:50:54 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=502
You've developed a good eye, and you show a good understanding of what you are attempting to draw. The Rottweiler's nose, for example, is perfectly shaped - and you've certainly captured the character of this lovely dog! However, I think you're too focussed on the reference, and drawing without really being aware of the three-dimensional shape that you're depicting.

You are very accurate with the growth direction of the hair but reacting, I think, to the tones you see before you without asking yourself what they represent... ]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/02/dog-drawing-critique/feed/ 0 Drawing Trees http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/02/drawing-trees/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/02/drawing-trees/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:31:07 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=490 "Drawing from Line to Life", Rob emailed me to ask...
I admire your attention to detail without the sacrifice of the 'drawing' appeal in your pictures. I was wondering, when drawing trees you mention drawing the internal structure. Are you advocating that when setting out to draw a tree you would draw the internal structure first...
]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/02/drawing-trees/feed/ 0 Working on a slant http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/01/working-on-a-slant/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/01/working-on-a-slant/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:26:40 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=452 http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2011/01/working-on-a-slant/feed/ 0 Colour Shapers http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2010/11/370/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2010/11/370/#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:09:30 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=370
When I see a tool, however far removed from drawing, and it looks useful I just have to try it :)

Colour Shapers are intended for painters but I find then ideal for blending in tight spots. Unlike tortillons or stumps, they don't absorb much graphite...]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2010/11/370/feed/ 0 Drawing Skies http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2010/10/drawing-skies/ http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2010/10/drawing-skies/#comments Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:22:23 +0000 Mike Sibley http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/?p=311
Can you offer any advice on how you tackle skies?

Skies are more important than I once realised! I used to leave the areas white but I soon discovered that adding even a light tone to skies immediately increased the brilliance of highlights within the drawing.

Applying an overall, smooth tone to skies can present technical problems; there should be a total absence of line and smoothly graduated changes of value. Any marks that don't conform to Nature immediately reduce your carefully rendered realism to mere "drawing". I've developed a technique to overcome both faults. Try this: practice drawing a line that drops gently onto the paper... ]]> http://www.sibleyfineart.com/_blog/2010/10/drawing-skies/feed/ 0