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Questions, Answers & Tips:

osmundp: how to hold a pencil when drawing

BB: Many people advocate holding your pencil loosely between your thumb and first two fingers almost horizontally so that the back end of the pencii dangles under your palm . I do not recommend this. We have all grown up writing with pencils (and pens) held firmly with the thumb and first two fingers so that the pencil is at an upright angle sticking up through the space formed between the thumb and the forefinger. This is already a familiar and natural position and definitely gives the most control. With this ordinary writing grip you still have firm control even if you draw in a free and loose manner. And by the way, free and loose, is the way to go. :-)

5/30/2010

Louise : How do I 'clean' a paper torchon for drawing? :)

BB: A torchon , also known as a stump, is a tool made of a hard roll of paper that is used for blending tones of charcoal, graphite(pencil), pastel, chalk or other dry abrasive drawing media. They come in different sizes and are a more accurate tool than your fingers for controlling "smearing " effects. When you wish to clean it for fresh use, usually with a different drawing media, just sand it down a little with a piece of fine sandpaper. Stumps are good but try also pieces of sponge, felt, kleenex, or other odd materials for different blending and graduated tone effects. : -)

11/29/2009

jina: how do you color your drawing, a plant with contrasting colors on the outsides of the drawing where there is space?

BB: If i am not mistaken, you are asking how to make a colored background to contrast with your subject. There are many ways to do this. First, it may not be necessary. The white background of the paper often makes the best background because it keeps the sense of air and transparency. You will notice I rarely give more than a slight hint of a background (if that) in my drawings because the background can take over and dominate the drawing and change the appearance of the subject (i.e the plant or figure) in unexpected and unwanted ways. But anyway good contrast and a feeling of air and transparency is generally what you want. The color should be applied in a diluted or porous and varied way. If the color is too flat or heavy it will tend to not look like space and will instead come forward and compete with your subject (although sometimes I like this effect). Using a different medium for your background can create an additional contrast of texture which can be very effective.In general do your backround so that it is less powerful than your subject and does not compete with it. A background should be just that - a background. PS if you do your drawing on toned or colored paper than you have a background color right from the beginning to contrast your subject with. i hope this helps. Good luck!

11/27/2009

Emani: I am a college student majoring in Graphic Design. I am currently in Drawing 1. We are into self portraits now, and I am having the hardest time being able to draw the exact same thing on both sides of the face. I am not an artist, but have surprised myself on some of our projects! Is there any advise you could give that would help me with this problem. I know they say practice, but my project is due now and I need HELP! Thank you in advance for your assistance.

BB: Sorry if this answer comes too late. I believe you are referring to getting the eyes and ears and corners of the jaw, etc. to line up on both sides. You draw very light (6H pencil) guidelines parallel with the edges of you paper from one side to the other to indicate the bottom and top of both eyes ears, etc. This is assuming the head is level. if the head is at an angle the indicator lines will be parallel with the angle (at the same angle) as the head. Once you've got the basic positions you erase the guidelines and draw in the features. :-)

11/23/2009

monika: I am practicing the dvd "Art is an Attitude"; finally, I got to draw the last demo chapter 27 Mass & Line using acrylic ink & watercolor crayon. I like the finished color you get on a figure; I see there is a little bit of yellow, orange, red/ochre as they are bleeding into each other. When I mix my colors, I put a little water in a dish and start adding few drops of Dr. Ph. Martins Spectralite liquid acrylic little bit of yellow, red & brown. Then, I dip my sumi brush in, and all I get, is one shade of hot orange on a paper. Would you tell me why this happens, please help to understand. Looking forward to hear from you.Thank you again for your wonderful dvd.

BB: Monika, I am glad you are practicing the exercises You will find they they will pay off the more you can do. To get the effects of the mixed colors that you like: have three separate mixing containers or one mixing dish with separate divisions (like the oriental flower mixing dish you can see on the DVD).. Put several drops of one color in one and the next color in the next and so on so each color is separate. Always add the water second so you can control the concentration. You will end up with three separate fully mixed colors ready to paint with. The idea is to add one color to the paper very wet and then add the next so it comes into contact with the edge of the first color and blend with it a little bit. Yellow , red and brown are all warm colors and very close together . You will get a more interesting result using a combination that includes more contrasting colors. For example, try using a warm and a cool color together (like yellow and blue). I will be giving my figure drawing class on July 12 at the Learning & Product Expo in Chicago so you haven't missed it. Try to make it if you can. You can register at www.learningproductexpo.com Happy drawing!

6/23/2009

david: what arethe 5 main drawing equipments andb th eir uses

BB: Nice question. You know...you can draw with almost anything. You can dip a stick into a bottle of ink or even a cup of coffee and make quite an interesting drawing. And not all artists would agree what the five main drawing tools are. So I can only say what my top favorites are. The number of traditional drawing tools is huge and growing all the time. Here follows a list of some of the traditional drawing tools (please be aware that each drawing tool has unique functions and abilities which are useful for differing results and effects; there are many terrific books dedicated to how to work with each of these types of drawing materials ): charcoal and charcoal pencils, chalks, pastels (hard and soft), Conte crayons, litho crayons and pencils, graphite pencils and carbon pencils, colored pencils (water-soluble and non water-soluble), wax crayons(water-soluble and non water-soluble), fountain pens, reed pens (bamboo), quill pens (feather),dip pens (with detachable nibs), sumi brush, brush pens, graphite powder, felt tips, gel pens and so on. In my teaching we start with a square conte type of crayon -I use the Cretacolor black pastel carre which is a little darker and richer than the conte. Also we draw with rollerball pens. My favorite is the Zebra GR8 Roller. And we draw with sumi brush with ink, reed pen with sumi ink, wax watercolor crayons (Cretacolor Aquastix))and Art Chunkies (big earthy chalks). So that's my personal big seven. For the sake of full disclosure I should mention that I sometimes work for some of these companies and demonstrate their products but that doesn't change the fact that these are my favorite materials anyway.

10/1/2008

Tip #1: What is the best way to hold your pen or pencil when drawing?

BB: Some people like to hold their drawing instrument loosely and even awkwardly in order to be more expressive. I recommend holding your pen , pencil, or crayon firmly (although not tightly) in the same way you would hold it to write with. This gives maximum control. Having a good and naturally comfortable grip will help you to draw with a confident and fluid motion. Then the energy and movement of your arm and hand will translate to the page.

7/23/2008

Julienne: Thanks Bill. Great video! Are you teaching any upcoming classes in the Los Angeles area. I am a student at Art Center College of Art and Design, and I need some additional help.

BB: Julienne, I will be teaching classes at the Learning and Product Expo in Pasadena, October 24-26. For more info see http://www.learningproductexpo.com/splash.htm I hope to see you there!

5/30/2008

prons: Hi I've been trying to draw lately and I've gotten better except for one problem. All my art looks like cartoon characters without the color. It seems I can't figure out how the achieve the full look or shading of professional figure drawing. I'm just using a #2 pencil and notebook paper, so I'm not sure if the problem is my technique, or my equipment. Can you help point me in the right direction to pinpoint my problem?

BB: Perhaps the answer is both equipment and technique. Get an art sketchpad and try differnt types of drawing and sketching pencils and crayons. For shading I recommend trying a broken conte crayon on it's side and practice making five patches of tone each distinctly different going from light to dark and then also single strips of shading going from dark to light. Also try the same thing with a water soluble lead pencil like General's "Sketch and Wash" or a 6B (very soft)woodless (solid graphite pencil)pencil both with the point and on it's side. Also get some styrofoam 3-dimensional shapes from Micheal's Craft Store to study how to shade spheres, cubes, cylinders etc. and practice the shading effects. "Rendering in Pencil" by Arthur Guptill, "Anyone can Draw" by Artur Zaidenberg (you can find cheap out of print copies online) and a new one "Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson are 3 great books on drawing. And, of course, if possible, try a local figure drawing class or course. Happy drawing!

5/30/2008