Enrolling in an art class guaranteed I would spend time each week using my hands to make art. I had taken a drawing course in college and there were other periods in life where I was dedicated to different kinds of crafting. As someone with a busy career and other life demands, I was feeling depleted creatively. I took basic drawing with artist and Art League instructor Scott Hutchison and it was a great experience.

If you are considering taking a basic drawing class for the first time, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Today’s guest post is by Claire Mouledoux, vice president of communications for Visit Alexandria who is one of Alexandria’s 40 Under 40 honorees and a former member of The Art League Advisory Council.

After all, there's always something else to draw.The author (in green) poses with her Basic Drawing class and their teacher, Scott Hutchison. It can be hard at times, but there is a point where you just have to stop messing around with it. There's also something to be said about knowing when to stop. Pencil marks are allowed and they can make the drawing more interesting than if it was perfectly even.

This is an informal sketch, not a photo-realist drawing, so you don't have to draw the spots or create a perfectly smooth surface. Look over the entire drawing and compare it to your subject, Sometimes, a little 'artistic license' might be used to emphasize shadows and improve the form. You can always shade back over the area if you change your mind. A kneadable eraser is useful for erasing or 'lifting out' tone if you shaded an area that you want to be lighter. If you have one, use a softer pencil-at least a B, or even a 2B or 4B-for the darker shadow areas. Most beginners make the mistake of drawing too lightly and shadowed areas may be quite black. When you see a dark area or shadow on the subject, don't be afraid to use a dark tone. The focus is on 'global tone'-the overall effect of light and shadow-rather than the color and detail on the surface. The goal of this lesson is to create a fairly three-dimensional-looking shaded form, showing light and shade. This little trick is one way to prevent that effect.ĭon't worry about the surface detail such as spots or patterns. Sometimes, if you try to draw up to an edge or outline, the marks will get heavier as you get closer. To create a loose, hatched look in the sketch, allow some of the shading to carry across the outline. Using the side of the pencil for shading will show more paper texture. A more patient application allows you to get a smooth, fine tone with this method. As in the example, you can use the tip of the pencil so the pencil marks show for a technique called hatching (shading technique that implies shade, tone, or texture). There are a few ways that you can shade and you can use a combination of them in the sketch. You will instead shade the mid-tones and darkest shadow areas.Īlternatively, you can shade over an area and use an eraser to create the highlights. You want to avoid this area and allow the white paper to be the highlight. Note where the light shines onto the fruit and gives it a highlight.

Simple easy contour drawing