Drawing 101: Lesson Five

Anybody can draw. I realize that is not the common view but I stick by it. If you want to learn how to draw, you can. You just have to practice and have some confidence in yourself. Here are seven “lessons” that will help you get there. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid and had art lessons in high school. I’ve also read a few books on drawing. I’m taking ideas from all my experiences and reading to help you learn how to start drawing. I recommend doing no more than one lesson a day. It takes some time to learn to draw. Just like anything else, you have to practice on a regular basis to get there.

Lesson Five

This lesson is going to use many of the same techniques from Lesson One. However, this will take what you’ve been practicing and kick it up a notch. Choose a chair or stool in your house and drape a blanket or throw something similar over it. Place it in a direct light source. Start by drawing the outline. Then draw the negative space. Remember, the negative space is what shapes you see inside the object. For instance, if you’re drawing a chair, what shapes do you see forming between the legs? Draw those shapes. This is a technique to help you make sure the parts of an object are in scale.

After you have your outline and your negative spaces then begin drawing the edges of the chair surface. You will get to practice perspective drawing in this lesson. Some lines will be parallel with the floor but other lines will be at an angle.  This is just beginning drawing so we won’t go into a big lesson on perspective. Simply draw what you see.

There should be lots of good areas of shading to work on. Typically there will be a strong contrast of dark areas and really bright areas. Use the side of your pencil to shade those in. Finish by putting details into the blanket. This is a good still life to practice because blankets have good texture. You want to start practicing adding in texture details.

stool

Editor’s Note: We are now accepting submissions by anyone that has attempted these lessons. Go here to see how to submit your drawings.

Brandon Atwood
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Brandon Atwood

Hey there, my name is Brandon Atwood. You'll see contributions from me that are primarily visual. I love to draw and paint, so when I get inspired I will share it with you. My hope is that my art will help you experience the power of the resurrection in new and fresh ways in this fallen world.

4 thoughts on “Drawing 101: Lesson Five

  • May 17, 2016 at 5:30 pm
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    My eldest son has been drawing these each time you post a lesson. My plan is to use rainy summer days for my other two sons to complete them when school’s out. We’ll submit the finished products! Thanks for the series!

    Reply
  • May 18, 2016 at 8:12 am
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    That’s awesome! Can’t wait to see their drawings.

    Reply
  • May 18, 2016 at 12:54 pm
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    Hey Brandon. These are nice, deceptively-simple drawing exercises. Give a kid a sketchbook and these lessons and step back. I’m going to link to these next week at HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay. Thanks!

    Reply
  • May 18, 2016 at 1:20 pm
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    Thank you Jim! Glad they can help.

    Reply

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