Gimpy72 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 2:25 pm
To imagine how something is to the touch it's easy BUT then how on earth can I know how to draw rust, smoothness, glossy surfaces etc. It's overwhelming me...
Is that a lack of knowledge of how pencil grades and pressure react? How can I approach this texture-theme without feeling stressed? Thanks for any advice.
First... don't stress!
Just take one step at a time.
In my experience, it works like this:
Initially, you draw by copying. That can be copies of other drawings, but is more likely to be copying photo references. Not only is there nothing wrong with that, I'd
recommend it.
Now you're drawing shapes and values. And that's fine, because you have something to match your efforts to. The more your drawing looks like the reference, the closer you are to improving your techniques. And that's what you're learning at this stage -
techniques, and hand-to-eye-coordination.
Eventually, you find you no longer have to think about how to draw something - you'll automatically pick the right grade and use it in the required manner.
Next, you'll begin to become dissatisfied with copying and will want to tell your own story. To show the viewers of your drawing what
you think about it. Now, the references begin to be sources of form and detail, rather than objects to copy, and you'll begin to
interpret what you see. Later still, you might experiment with combining a number of references into one drawing, perhaps with a setting that's mainly based on your imagination. Remember, at this stage you're no longer wondering how you might draw it - you already know that.
And all this time, as you progress through everything above, I can guarantee something else will happen too...
You'll begin to look more closely at the world around you. And what you see will gradually find its way into your memory. So, in time, you'll be able to draw on past experiences and knowledge as you draw your subject.
Now it's working both ways. As you draw, you'll use memories to help with your interpretation. And when you're away from drawing, you'll see things and wonder how you might draw them.
There's another stage, too, that I can't explain. That's learning to SEE. I try to help with that in the videos, but I can't make it happen for anyone. I often refer to it as
understanding. I'll suggest you draw what you understand, which includes what you feel, rather than just what you can see. Don't let any of this worry you. It'll creep up on you unnoticed
Take a look at the
YouTube video I just released. Listen as I talk you through my thinking, and you'll see that I'm not creating
a drawing, I'm creating
a real 3D scene - one that relies on logic and a predetermined direction of light, so I know where the shadows will fall.
And then remind yourself that I'm in my 42nd year of drawing professionally.
So, all these things take time and practice. And I don't think there are any shortcuts. Some artists will reach one of those stages and not progress to the next. It happens, and they’re probably happy with that level of ability. Others might rush from
beginner to
accomplished relatively quickly. Yet others will find it happening over a longer period. But there's only one requirement to make it all happen...
JUST DRAW.
Oh, and never throw anything away. You'll need to look back on your older drawings to realise how far you've come.
