Newbie questions

[DavidNYC]

Hello everyone,

My name is David from New York City. I'm a total rookie although I've taken a drawing class a long time ago at the Students Art League, and I have some drawing landscape books that I've played around with. But nothing like the depth of instruction I'm seeing in Mike's books and video's.

As I move through the preliminary exercises, questions are arising. Two for now.

I was watching the video on linear shading, and Mike introduces stippling and how he used it on brick.

All the shading in this picture was done with one shading technique? Stippling? I see the beginning where you start and then see this finished photo and it's difficult to believe that the smoothness of the texture and graduations were all done with this one technique. It's really amazing. There was no other shading technique used at any time?

If so, can I ask how long something like this took to complete?

Would this be a strategy one might employ for close up study of tree bark?

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My other question is I've been sketching a tree similar to the tree tutorial. I have difficulty getting the proportions correct. In the 8 week workbook, the final exercise entails a grid but I don't see complete instructions on how to use this grid method? Did I miss something somewhere?

What I've been doing is simply sketching on a practice piece of paper where I don't get so stressed out that it doesn't look correct. Sometimes I erase, but often I'll just sketch new lines (not worrying too much about the mess) until I can get the proportions correct. In the tree tutorial, Mike says that he took an hour or so to draw it and then he drew it on his final paper to work the leaves then you redid it on another paper. You just redrew it again? Or used another method to transfer.

I want to draw the tree in proportion to itself and other items in the background. I assume I just keep practicing until it looks good?

Is using tracing paper where I trace over a sketch and then transfer to a new paper something that is used?

[DavidNYC]

I just received my copy of Drawing from Line to Life. WOW!! What an impressive book!!

It answers my question about grid and transferring photo's.

And there is a written out tutorial on tree's. Two questions answered.

Lastly, I'm assuming all those bricks were done by stippling. Something I'm playing with.

David

[Mike Sibley]

I was watching the video on linear shading, and Mike introduces stippling and how he used it on brick.
All the shading in this picture was done with one shading technique? Stippling? I see the beginning where you start and then see this finished photo, and it's difficult to believe that the smoothness of the texture and graduations were all done with this one technique. It's really amazing. There was no other shading technique used at any time?

Sincere apologies for the delayed reply. Well, there's a misconception or two here:

First, I used stippling only for the mortar, because it would suggest a gritty surface quite effectively. And even that isn't entirely stippled.
The 3D form was built up using stippling (aka "dotting"), where the spacing of the dots produces the required value. Then that was lightly layered with 2H to dull the whiter content, but not in any area that I wished to remain white. That 2H layer ties everything together into a solid whole, in a way that it's difficult to explain.

The bricks contain no stippling at all. I wanted those to be relatively smooth - partly because smooth contrasts with gritty, which adds emphasis to both.

The bricks were mainly horizontal linear shading. Then a light, localised, blending smoothed the surface a little. The shading was also applied zigzag-fashion. That's usually a mistake, because the ends of the lines receive double graphite, so they remain visible. But I used that "fault" to suggest depressions and other features, that I developed.

If so, can I ask how long something like this took to complete?

As long as it needed. I'll have to guess, because time never bothers me. Any drawing gets the time it requires. So... let's say 1 hour for the mortar, then maybe 30 minutes per full brick... which is about.... no, I can't work it out that way Probably about 3-4 hours.

[Mike Sibley]

In the 8-week workbook, the final exercise entails a grid, but I don't see complete instructions on how to use this grid method? Did I miss something somewhere?

No - I just decided not to complicate that week by delving into how to grid. There are plenty of online resources to cover that. But you'll find a lot of useful info in this video: GUIDELINE BASICS - MANUAL METHODS. And on my website: GRID METHOD of RESIZING.

What I've been doing is simply sketching on a practice piece of paper where I don't get so stressed out that it doesn't look correct. Sometimes I erase, but often I'll just sketch new lines (not worrying too much about the mess) until I can get the proportions correct.

That's a very good way to go about it. Getting it right first time is not necessarily beneficial. Because working your way towards the final proportions teaches you a lot more about your subject along the way. By the time you begin drawing, that tree will be like an old friend

In the tree tutorial, Mike says that he took an hour or so to draw it, and then he drew it on his final paper to work the leaves then you redid it on another paper. You just redrew it again? Or used another method to transfer.

Plan the drawing on any paper other than the paper you'll be drawing on. Make all your errors away from that paper. When you're happy with the guidelines, transfer them to your drawing paper and begin. How you transfer them doesn't matter. Watch that video above, and the two associated with it, and you should have most of the knowledge you need.

I want to draw the tree in proportion to itself and other items in the background. I assume I just keep practising until it looks good?

Ummm.... Yes Although, with time and experience, you'll find the process speeds up considerably.

Is using tracing paper where I trace over a sketch and then transfer to a new paper something that is used?

It could be. There are no rules. Again, have a look at the GUIDELINE videos.