Category: Illustration

Tracing How-To

4/19/2015

While each piece of art is slightly different, all of my art is original because I'm crazy like that. So, how do I make so many pieces of the same design on paper that is too thick or dark for a lightboard? Guys. It's due to little miracles called tracings.

It takes a long time to illustrate something from scratch. I sketch and correct my lines, and keep sketching until I get the design in a place I like. To save on time, as soon as I have a design I like, I make a tracing of it. Then, to make the transfer process as seamless as possible, I take 5 steps.

//Step 1//
Cover the back of the tracing with graphite:

4 Ways to Sketch, Part IV (Shapes)

9/14/2014

On Instagram, I showed a sketch I had done of the same flower using four different techniques. I thought it would be helpful to dive into the types of sketching since each technique is used to hone in on different illustration skillz.

The last type of sketching is using basic shapes. This is the method I use to make my most realistic-looking pieces and allows for a little more evolution and correction than the other highlighted sketching techniques. Feel free to join in while we explore this type of sketching a little more:

4 Ways to Sketch, Part III (Contour)

9/7/2014

On Instagram, I showed a sketch I had done of the same flower using four different techniques. I thought it would be helpful to dive into the types of sketching since each technique is used to hone in on different illustration skillz.

The third type of sketching is a standard contour. There are several ways to treat a contour sketch (like part II- continuous) but this is usually what comes to mind for me. Contour basically means an outline. Depending on the details of your subject matter, this can take a little or a long time, but you can decide how much detail you want to include. Care to join? Please do:

4 Ways to Sketch, Part II (Continuous)

8/31/2014

On Instagram, I showed a sketch I had done of the same flower using four different techniques. I thought it would be helpful to dive into the types of sketching since each technique is used to hone in on different illustration skillz.

The second sketching method is what I like to call a continuous line drawing. It can have some silly results at first, but with more practice, the better things will look. The purpose behind this exercise is to help you learn how to gauge space and relative line placement. This isn't a timed exercise, and I like to do this slowly as I continually reference my subject and the nuances that my line quality is developing. I'd love it if you joined, so grab a pen and a paper and let's get started:

4 Ways to Sketch, Part I (Gesture)

8/24/2014

On Instagram, I showed a sketch I had done of the same flower using four different techniques. I thought it would be helpful to dive into the types of sketching since each technique is used to hone in on different illustration skillz.

The first in this series, and quite possibly the best for beginners is the gesture sketch. This is great for super fast sketching and embraces errors and allows for easy correction. I like to use this technique to capture images in two minutes or less because it really focuses on the gesture or movement of the subject. This is less about a finished piece of art and more of a warmup exercise to stretch those drawing muscles. Three-fourths of becoming a good artist is learning how to see and the rest is learning techniques to draw what you see. Perspective is everything, and this little exercise will allow for developing that ability to see things as they are and not as you imagine them to be. Want to learn how? Grab a pen and set your timer for 60 seconds to join along...

Tracing How-To

4 Ways to Sketch, Part IV (Shapes)

4 Ways to Sketch, Part III (Contour)

4 Ways to Sketch, Part II (Continuous)

4 Ways to Sketch, Part I (Gesture)

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