Questions tagged [drawing]
For questions about the use of pens, pencils, chalk, etc. to create images or patterns on a 2-D surface.
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What is the advantage of having an angled drawing desk?
I grew up using normal desks in school and drawing in art class on tables. I have drawn on tables for most of my projects, but every artists desk has a lift to it.
What is the purpose of the varying ...
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6
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How can I avoid smudging my pencil drawings?
I'm very new at drawing. I'm not very good at pencil types yet, but it seems like whichever pencil I use (I have a set of 12 ranging from 6B to 5H), I end up with smudges.
Is there a way to reduce ...
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3
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What should I use to draw under oil paint?
I was drawing onto my primed canvas in pencil, in preparation to paint over the top in oils, but a friend told me that I shouldn't do that, since over time the graphite will rise to the surface of the ...
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Determining a station point for a perspective drawing
For simple perspective drawings, you don't really need to get into having a station point (or vantage point, not vanishing point) at all. As I'm looking at more complex methods, a station point ...
user24
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What can I do to ensure I only erase the smaller details without affecting the area around it?
I don't draw much and can't even call myself an amateur yet. As a result I make a lot of mistakes and also many test strokes when drawing.
For small touch ups and mistakes the eraser is my best ...
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6
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How to plan a drawing?
When I am drawing, I have a lot of good ideas to use, but I always have trouble envisioning the drawing I want to make! I end up starting to draw and then erasing it countless times before I get close ...
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How do I get a blur (blended) effect in pencil drawings?
When drawing pictures with a pencil, I often want to create a more or less solid darker colour in some region. It's easy to shade an area so that it appears a solid dark colour from a distance, e.g. ...
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What does it mean to "push your values"?
When I used to frequent art-critique forums, I would often hear senior artists advise people to "push values", generally with little to no explanation beyond that. I gathered that in many cases it ...
user24
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7
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Which kind of pencils should be used by a beginner for drawing?
I am curious what people would consider a basic / standard pencil type to have in their toolbox for pencil sketching.
There are a ton of variants I see with different hardness/softness etc and I don'...
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How does shading & blending with carbon pencils differ from graphite pencils?
From what I've read, carbon pencils give a more matte-like texture than graphite, and are a drier media - similar to charcoal. Graphite can become reflective when photographed and scanned so I'm ...
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What eraser can I use with wax core coloured pencils
I have a paper box of Prismacolor coloured pencils. I avoid using them since I think my drawing doesn't deserve them. The odd time I do use them and make mistakes I have a hard time erasing them.
...
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Do I need to hold the pencil in different ways for different kinds of shading methods?
There are different types of shading techniques like criss cross, straight lines, circular shading, blending, scribbling, and dot shading (drawing dots close to each other).
I draw and shade ...
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2
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How can I draw single hairs on a black background with charcoal or graphite?
Every time I look at super realistic portrait drawings in charcoal or graphite, I wonder how to draw single hairs against a black background (on white paper, though) like in these pictures:
source
...
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3
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How to draw human body in chest/collarbone area?
As I have found myself learning more about the human body anatomy, and less focused on the human anatomy of the face, I am struggling with the latter.
I am an expressionist. I do want accuracy, and ...
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What are the key disciplines of realistic drawing?
I hear a lot of drawing instructors say to "focus on the fundamentals", but I am unclear as to what the fundamentals of drawing are. For many of the other arts, the fundamentals are clear, in music, ...
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4
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How to find the contours of a 3D object?
In Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil, the author says that we should shade according to the contours of an object. As an example he has shown a cone shaped flat bottomed flower pot, which was quite ...
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What are practical advantages and disadvantages of learning to use both hands to draw?
This question is not only about using both hands simultaneously, it's about being able to use either of your hands in general. By practical, I mean advantages and disadvantages in terms of drawing. In ...
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How do I keep my ink from smudging when I draw?
When I try to make sketches with a fountain pen on printer paper, it keeps smudging, so I have to restart. What do I do to prevent smudging?
If this helps, I'm ambidextrous.
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2
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Does grid drawing help with drawing from imagination?
I've taken art classes in high/middle school where I did a couple of grid drawings and I've even done a couple on my own. I also had an art class in college last semester and everyone there loved my ...
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What's the term for the opposite drawing style to hyperrealism?
I'm learning how to draw, and I'm trying to find the name of my favorite style so I can find more resources about it. The style is reasonably minimalistic, using only the necessary detail to make ...
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3
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How to measure the distance to horizon line one-point perspective?
I am drawing a room, which is 10m x 10m (or whatever units).
I am drawing it in one point perspective.
How do I determine exactly where to draw the back wall? As in, how far back.
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9
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7
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How can I protect my pencil & charcoal drawings once complete?
I have now built up a small portfolio of pencil/charcoal drawings. Most of the time they are kept in my folders, but sometimes they are viewed by friends and relatives. And on the odd occasion ...
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How to erase pencil under ink?
I use an HB pencil, very light, to sketch before drawing with ink.
I use Staedtler ink pen and Staedtler plastic eraser ( whit rectangular with blu paper around )
The problem is that when i erase ...
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9
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2
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Drawing detail in dark hair?
When drawing from reference photos, and the hair is photographed, the definition of the hair is muddled. No lighting on the hair. Almost like a silhouette.
Example:
I lightened the image up to see ...
- 1,771
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2
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208
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How to color with an even darkness?
I want to draw a certain design from a stencil and fill it in evenly in black, but using any drawing utensil I know of, like markers, sharpies, colored pencils, paints, etc., I will inevitably be able ...
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1
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What aspects of drawing should I focus on as a beginning artist?
The UK is going into a second lockdown and I've decided to try drawing as a hobby to get away from my every day job of been a programmer. I did art at school and that was the last time I did anything ...
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2
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How can I safely transport a charcoal drawing?
What is the best way of transporting a charcoal drawing over on a long ride?
The drawing is fixed with a workable fixative but im still concerned about smudging. I was thinking about rolling the ...
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1
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Do I need a non-photo blue pencil for scanning drawings?
I see the non-photo blue pencils in the pencil section all the time, and I'm wondering what their purpose is for modern artists.
Do I need one if I want to scan in drawings where I've sketched the ...
user24
8
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3
answers
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To draw anything, is it necessary to draw its wireframe first?
See the pitcher plant drawing here, where they have actually drawn the wireframe first (see image below).
What will I gain by drawing the wireframe first? Why not draw the outer lines directly?
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How can I draw realistic hair with pencil?
I've always loved drawing people and my medium of choice has been standard drawing pencils, but I often struggle with hair - specifically long hair. I've come across a couple techniques that have ...
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What's the difference between drawing paper and regular paper?
Supply stores sell drawing paper, sketching paper, and all sorts of bound pads and books of the same.
What makes this paper different than regular notebook or printer paper? How is it better suited ...
user24
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3
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Is it possible to combine charcoal and graphite in one image?
I'm drawing an image with quite a large range of tones and I plan to draw the darker tones in charcoal. However, I used a graphite pencil for the preparatory drawing. Is it still possible to draw with ...
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How can I draw right angles with just a ruler?
If I am trying to draw a rectangle or square on a piece of paper I can use existing corners of the paper as a start point. However I lose accuracy when completing the square or shape on the inside of ...
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6
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How to overcome the fear of imperfection?
In all of my art classes, and virtually anywhere I encounter new artists, the number one obstacle I see holding them back is a "fear of imperfection." So I'd like to submit this question to any/all ...
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What's the finest readily-available way to write on paper?
I'm trying to make the smallest legible lettering I can - miniature writing on normal paper or something thinner.
This is in the context of craft with kids, so I'd like something affordable, also not ...
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Is the starting point in sketching important?
This question came up to me when I was watching drawing / sketching tutorials on youtube. Let's say you have to draw a cat, they would start with the legs and then complete the rest of the drawing, ...
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3
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Masking tape tears paper off!
Well, I thought masking tape is used for painting on paper because it can come off easily. I simply put masking tape on a drawing sheet and just to see whether it comes off easily or not, I started ...
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What are other techniques to draw a circle besides using or mimicking a compass tool?
I would like to draw circles and ellipses more accurately without relying on a compass (or spinning my paper around). This seems like a simple google-searchable question, but most of the results are ...
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How to stop or reduce graphite from reflecting light?
Drawings drawn with graphite shine a lot under even a little light. The paper needs to be held at certain angle for proper viewing. Anyway to reduce or stop this?
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3
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Dim lighting with colored pencils
I asked a similar question to this recently (Shading dark scenes) but this time I want to know how I can get a colored pencil drawing to look very shadowy and dark.
How do I color the picture where ...
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2
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How to draw mandala when I intend to color it with pencil colors?
Mandala drawings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala
Color pencils are not strong enough to hide the normal pencil. Example: Orange color pencil will not hide the underlying HB graphite pencil ...
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How to start a pencil portrait without using an outline of features?
I enjoy drawing head portraits in pencil, but I've found that sketching an outline of the prominent features often lead me astray. For example, due to shadows my eye is sometimes approximating the ...
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How can I prevent my drawings and paper from yellowing over time?
Some paper just yellows over time, especially if left out somewhere where it sees sunlight.
Acid-free paper is a partial solution, but not terribly budget-friendly.
Is there something else I can do ...
user24
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2
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How to calculate the shadow direction, size, and transparency?
Suppose I want to draw a shadow of X. How do I know what should be the EXACT
size of the shadow
direction of the shadow
transparency of the shadow.
Of course, it all depends on the light source. ...
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Should I spray my graphite drawing with fixative before shipping it or should I advise my customer to spray it when it arrives?
I'm about to finish up a graphite drawing I was commissioned to draw and my customer doesn't live close enough to give them the drawing in person. So, I need to roll it up and ship it to them. Will ...
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What can I do to make drawing this angle easier?
This here's the angle I mean:
The face-turned-down-eyes-looking-up angle. It makes for a wide variety of expressions, from innocent to intense to creepy.
It's something I'd like to master, but it ...
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1
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What are the different kinds of erasers used in graphite drawing?
When you are drawing you inevitably make mistakes. Erasing therefore is a large part of drawing. Not just for mistakes either. They can aid in shading and detail work, like hair, and other fine ...
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Is there a standard angle to use for drawing and drafting tables?
I just moved into a new place, and plan on creating a desk that can be used as a computer desk, quilting desk, and drawing/drafting table. While often it will be a flat surface parallel with the floor,...
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1
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Charcoal hatching
I want to add hatching to my charcoal drawings. But vine or charcoal pencils are very soft so the hatching lines become way too thick.
What do artists use to create beautiful charcoal hatching?
Is it ...
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votes
1
answer
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Should I follow a specific drawing way?
I usually enjoy doing things my own way, as it feels more natural. I recently started to take watercolor lessons(this was probably a mistake) and my teacher said my way of sketching was wrong.
For ...
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