Learn how to draw

When I was in middle school, I caught the drawing bug. My best friend and I would copy Garfield and Bloom County comics to learn how. When I was in high school, I took a drawing class that was a game changer. My drawing improved dramatically. Later, I found out that my high school drawing teacher used the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards as the framework of his class.

This book helps you learn how to draw by using methods that help you see in a different way. We usually see a chair, then think of the chair when drawing it.  An artist looks at a chair and sees lines and shapes. Once you retrain your brain, you will be able to draw subjects in a more realistic manner. The way Bettty Edwards teaches us to change the way we see is to draw a line drawing that has been turned upside down. Try it yourself with the drawing below.

 

Portrait of Igor Stravinsky by Pablo Picasso

 

 

 

Drawing the subject upside down helps remove the preconceived idea of what it should look like and allows you to see what is actually there. Once you are able to do that, practice, practice, practice! The more you draw, the more improvement you will see. Now that I am older and life has distracted me from drawing, this is the book I will use to brush up on my skills.

 

 

The following books on drawing are also great. Place them on hold for curbside pickup or check them out on OverDrive or Libby. Don't forget to visit CreativeBug for more drawing lessons!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Realism Challenge by Mark Crilley
One Drawing a Day by Veronica Lawlor
Draw Your Day by Samantha Dion Baker
Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists by Carla Sonheim

 

Art Before Breakfast by Danny Gregory

Danny Gregory learned how to draw after a tragic accident changed is life. Since then, he has become a sketching guru, inspiring us to sketch everything around us, including our breakfast. This book gives us 5-10 minute drawing lessons that illustrate that don't have to have a lot of time to draw.

The Realism Challenge by Mark Crilley

Based on Mark Crilley's popular YouTube videos of the same name, this book shows you, step-by-step, how to create 30 hyperrealistic drawings with watercolors, colored pencils, and white gouache (opaque watercolor).

One Drawing a Day by Veronica Lawlor

This book grew out of the blog, One Drawing a Day, and presents a 6 week course in mixed media drawing. Mixed media is the term used for creating art with multiple materials: pencil, pen, watercolor, pastels, etc.

Draw Your Day by Samantha Dion Baker

Between the beautiful illustrations and the ideas on keeping an art journal and what to put in it, this book is pure inspiration. I checked this book out so many times, I ended up buying it!

Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists by Carla Sonheim

Check out this book if you want to learn how to draw using fun lessons that inspire creativity.

 

By MelissaJ on November 19, 2020