In Dynamic Drawing one of the core ideas is the best way to learn to draw quickly with a fluid line and get greater control, is to spend time just practicing that! Pretty simple really. To facilitate that we have Live Dynamic Gesture Drawing, using moving rather than still subjects. The model repeatsContinue Reading
Mike Mattesi has a fantastic take on capturing a dynamic line and form in his work and great notes to accompany his examples. The book is well worth owning! I’m just missing the middle child in his main trilogy myself. Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, and Force: Animal Drawing: Animal locomotion and design concepts forContinue Reading
After you have the structure, you need a skin. A lot of that is about lighting, and textures! In this post we’re going to focus on the Lighting! Lighting forms and shapes. Lighting is fairly simple really but it’s common for people to take a while getting into the habitContinue Reading
You will never get better, unless you make mistakes. So this comes up often in my class, it’s a universal obstacle to learning, and improving rapidly. This often leads to a lot of cautious, stiff, even scratchy lines when we draw too. The hesitation, not trusting your hand to do theContinue Reading
A handy time saver when working in analog or digital mode, is to lay in under your art, a perspective grid to follow when drawing objects in space! I’ve made and used many over the years. To the right is one I found on google, looked up the site creditedContinue Reading
I’m often asked by studentswhat to use for corrections over ink… Historically I’ve been a heavy user of Pelikan Graphic White, an artists’ Gouache i’ve relied on for over 20 years now! But, Pelikan has discontinued it, so I needed to find a new alternative to use both for myselfContinue Reading
Dynamic Drawing at Syn is build on the idea that deliberate focused practice on discrete skills is better than trying to learn by doing whole drawings, straight through from start to finish, aspiring in each one to some kind of perfect finish.Continue Reading
Drapery is a valuable area of observational art to study, given everyone tends to where clothes. That’s in fact not the only reason, but it’s a good one. Also in the context of Dynamic Drawings emphasis on gesture drawing, notably drapery forms often follow patterns that are very user-friendly for aContinue Reading
Craft is when we do something well, knowledgeably. We all recognize it. It gets called talent a lot but in truth it’s always the result of practice. The application of craft.Continue Reading
[ezcol_1third] I recorded doing some blocking out my perspective freehand in pencil, for one of the panels of my comic Dream Life. This is pretty much Single Point Perspective, but I exploited those curvilinear lines/angles I showed you in the cropped version [b] of the 5 point perspective grid [a]Continue Reading
In this weeks class we’re introducing the principles of perspective, with an emphasis on using perceived/impressionistic rather than optical/mathematical applications in our art. But i Also wanted to make a point about the value of the humble single point perspective technique, and how in many cases it’s very powerful byContinue Reading
Pattern & Rendering exercises. Your assignment is to gain a greater familiarity with patterns! Learn how each can be rendered, stylized, with a variety of drawing implements. I recommend you begin with pencil, crayon, brush, pen, even tablet if you plan to be using it. Do these digitally if that isContinue Reading
About line for tone & value, cross hatching, contours, and to follow surface or not. In the this post, I introduce basic feathering, hatching, cross hatching & basket weaves as part of your regular practice regime. We’re going to explore hear how you can use them. The idea using them to doContinue Reading
To get a head start on this weeks class here’s a 10 min intro to this great little tool and some basic tips on using a brush to draw for those of you new to it. After this you might want to look at the pages on Pattern & RenderingContinue Reading
George Pratt is one of the most impressive artists working today. This Academy Guy clip of him working on a movie poster and explaining it all as he goes is inspiring, and informative.Continue Reading
To build on the introduction to brush and texture exercises i’ve put up already, I thought i’d record myself doing some work in ink and wash for you all to observe while explaining why I use what techniques I do when I do. There’s a 5 min time lapsed versionContinue Reading
Artists have been using mechanical aides since the beginning. Variations on the idea go all the way back to the Egyptian ‘canon of proportions’. Grinds are a classic way to break down the picture plane, compose space, alter and record it. Archaeologists use them too, in order to document the spatial relationshipsContinue Reading
In class 3 we talk about some basic compositional rules. The Rule of 3rds – the golden mean; Lead room; Geometry and symmetry; Rule of odds; & Simplification! And how those ideas and other lend contribute fundamental elements of what makes for dynamic art. To illustrate applications of the Rule of 3rds,Continue Reading
Doing formal studies and serial studies of both live subjects and other artists work is a core learning tool! The goal is to have fun while systematically refining our skills and broadening our visual vocabulary. Related: Exercises like pattern work and gesture studies. Subjects of study can be anything. Art by existing master’s’ compositionsContinue Reading
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