DrawWithMike.net

If you haven’t seen Mike’s latest video featuring a drawing of a canvas army bag titled TEXTURES: Drawing Fabrics, I really encourage you to watch it. Here’s a link: https://sibleyfineart.com/_members-area ... abrics.htm. You can watch it on YouTube too: https://youtu.be/4VuizL6yyYk?feature=shared [ED: shortened version]

I was so inspired by it, that I asked Mike if I could try my hand at a Procreate project, using one of his references, and he very kindly gave me permission. The thing is…I can never leave well enough alone, so it’s turning into a full-blown exercise in composition, and I’m having so much fun with it!

I chose this reference out of all of the ones Mike offered with his video. I love the textures, but I didn’t know how to use a bag like this in a simple composition. I remember my Dad had a bag made of the same coarse canvas, but the shape was different. That’s where Procreate can help!!

There are two main methods that I use to reshape or correct objects in Procreate. The first is the Warp option, under the Transform tool. You can pull and push any object into any shape, but of course it’s best used moderately because the more you warp your photo, the more pixelated it becomes. It works like magic though! The other method which is very useful and allows me to make finer adjustments is under the Adjustments tool. Select Liquify, and a menu bar will appear below your image. Select Push. You can now push or pull any part of your image using your iPad pencil. You can also adjust the size of the area you are modifying by using the Size slider on the menu bar. I also altered the colour slightly so that it looked more like my father’s bag. I started to form a story in my mind, so I pulled and pushed until I could imagine that there was something hidden in the bag, but I wasn’t sure what yet! A few more tweaks and I could imagine how the bag felt in my hands.

I love what you've done with the bag. It looks to be full of actual objects now - objects that stretch the exterior - rather than it just being stuffed for display. And that means I can "feel" its shape, as you mentioned. That, to me, is very important, because once you can feel it you begin to draw the bag you know, rather than pencil marks that represent a bag.

The only thing that bothers me is the side at the base. It gives the impression of there being no recession - because its base simply continues the base of the front. Some part of me expects that to step back - like the original does. Just a hint would suffice.

Coincidentally, I'm using similar tools in Affinity Photo right now for the next video - "Altering and Improving References" - but a house, not a bag.

Mike Sibley wrote: Mon Jun 30, 2025 10:15 am The only thing that bothers me is the side at the base. It gives the impression of there being no recession - because its base simply continues the base of the front. Some part of me expects that to step back - like the original does. Just a hint would suffice.

Coincidentally, I'm using similar tools in Affinity Photo right now for the next video - "Altering and Improving References" - but a house, not a bag.

Yes! I see what you mean. The perspective is off. I’ll correct that!

I’m looking forward to seeing how Affinity Photo handles these type of changes. Procreate works quite well, but too much manipulation can lead to a blurry and pixelated image.

First things first. Thanks Mike for bringing my attention to the left bottom corner. I corrected it as best I can. I can always tweak it later when I begin drawing. Simulating graphite drawing in Procreate isn’t straightforward. It can be done of course, but it has a different look when compared to drawing on paper. This is my way when the drawing is a little less detailed, but there are many ways to approach this. For a more detailed step-by-step approach, you can look at my Rhinoceros Hornbill thread.

First I outlined the bag, then I filled it with a very pale grey in order to give me a base for my graphite strokes. Then I used one of the airbrushes that comes with Proceate to indicate the shadows. This helps me see where the folds are in the fabric. I can then start drawing my pencil strokes on a layer above this.

It’s difficult to get subtle variations in value of the pencil strokes. I use the airbrush for the eraser, and lower the opacity so that I can gently lighten some strokes, the same way Blu-Tack can be used with graphite on paper. I begin to lay out my pencil strokes for the fabric, trying to respect the contours of the bag. Later, I can move the shadow layer above the pencil layer, and set it to multiply. This will help the layers blend together.

That bottom edge, in my opinion, looks much better now. It's what we visually expect. And, of course, it adds depth.

This might not affect your drawing of the bag - it's YOUR bag, and not necessarily the one in the reference -but your warping appears to have created a diagonal weave in the bag instead of vertical/horizontal.

The more I look at the warping and reshaping, the more I like the result. The original reference looked staged, but this now looks used, and quite natural. And I suspect you "know" what's in the bag. So now you're creating a bag that's moulded around known objects, rather than just drawing texture on a shaped object...... Boy, that's difficult to explain!

I’m sorry for the delay, Mike. Life has a way of taking over sometimes

Yes, I agree that the warping is affecting the weave direction. I’m putting together a little composition that I hope to upload soon. It may help me deal with some of those problem areas. Anyway, I hope so

As a story developed in my mind, I gathered reference material. I make it a habit to always use my own reference material especially when my goal is to propose a drawing for publication, or to donate artwork for conservation efforts, but I think that when I’m practicing or working on something as an exercise, I feel comfortable using online references.

If I were planning a walk on a local country road, I would pack some snacks, a drink and a pocket North American bird guide in case I came across an interesting new species. Where I live in the Laurentian mountains in Quebec Canada, I can see a wonderful variety of birds migrating through my area.

One thing I can always count on though, are my resident eastern chipmunks who are always nearby. They are curious, unafraid, and ALWAYS hungry, LOL. Chipmunks, like us, are omnivores, and I’ve learned to share my apples with them.

One more thing. No self-respecting chipmunk would share food with another chipmunk, but in my world, they get along wonderfully! Mike generously provided the canvas army bag reference, and the rest come either from Pexels or Unsplash or from my own references. I honestly can’t remember where the bandana reference came from, but I modified the pattern for this exercice.

That's a lovely composition! It tells your story quite clearly, even at this early stage. And it's very nicely balanced too.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this progress. So, no pressure then...

Thanks Mike. I enjoy drawing more when I get lost in the story.

I forgot to mention a very important point. I had to decide on a light direction that I would have to apply to all of the elements in my composition, irregardless of the actual light direction in any one of the reference photos. In this case, I decided on the upper right, so I have to think of this when I apply my highlights and shadows.

I started with the canvas bag. I see what you mean Mike about the weave of the bag being distorted when I distorted and reshaped the bag. After trying different methods, I settled on one that suggests the texture, rather than trying to draw every twist and turn of the material. It’s difficult to get very fine detail with digital drawing, unless you set the resolution very high. In Procreate, the higher the resolution, the lower the number of layers available, and I know I will need several laters.

Then I remembered when you explained that when you depict one of your beautifully intricate enormous trees, you detail the leaves in the outside, but you use a type of scribble stroke to describe the foliage deep within the tree. I tried to follow this principle.

Here is the bag so far. I used just a few brushes. A good graphite brush, such as the 2B that comes with Procreate is a must. I can also highly recommend Lisa Glanz’s graphite pencils. They feel like the real thing. Her Overlay fill pencil acts very much like the flat edge of Mike’s chisel point. With these 2 brushes, I was able to work as I would using traditional methods, creating my lights and darks to depict bulges and folds in the bag and straps. I’ll call this the base layer.

The canvas texture in my opinion is best described digitally by using a brush with a canvas texture. There are many free ones available. There are several on Procreate’s website (https://folio.procreate.com/discussions/10/28/39723). This texture should be applied on a layer above the base layer of lights and darks, using the multiply mode.

You still have to keep in mind the shape of the bag and the light direction. For example, where the light hits the tops of the bulges or folds, we would probably see less texture detail, so I softly erased some of the canvas texture in these areas. Because I used the multiply mode, the darker areas in the base layer still show through and appear as shadows.

The canvas texture still has to mold itself to the contours of the bag and for this I used the Push tool under Adjustments/liquify. It’s not perfect, but it gives the feeling that this bag is sewn from canvas.

Finally, the ribbed texture on the shoulder strap was added on it’s own layer, above the others, using Procreate’s brush « Diagonal » in the Textures category. As with the canvas brush, I pushed and pulled the diagonals to make them conform to the strap.

It’s difficult to explain some of these steps, but as usual please feel free to ask if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer.

Laurene wrote: Tue Jul 22, 2025 5:57 pm Then I remembered when you explained that when you depict one of your beautifully intricate enormous trees, you detail the leaves on the outside, but you use a type of scribble stroke to describe the foliage deep within the tree. I tried to follow this principle...

...and you succeeded! What I've found with midground trees is that you can signal the type or species by sharply drawing the fringe leaves silhouetted against the sky. Then the rest can be suggestion.

For example, where the light hits the tops of the bulges or folds, we would probably see less texture detail, so I softly erased some of the canvas texture in these areas. Because I used the multiply mode, the darker areas in the base layer still show through and appear as shadows.

Personally, I think you've judged it perfectly. I immediately detected the canvas weave in the darker areas. Not necessarily consciously - I was just aware of it as I looked at the bag. In every area - top, bottom, side - there's just enough canvas texture to tell me it's a canvas bag. In effect, that's what I aimed to do with my graphite version; to leave just enough cross-hatching to say "this is canvas" without laying it on thickly with a trowel.