ABCs of Sketching - Part 4

Aspect 6: Tone, shades & textures

Tone, shades and textures make a drawing or painting come to live. They can be used to express 3D effects on a 2D medium. They can be used to describe the details of raw materials (e.g. metallic surface, glass, etc).

When drawing human beings, shades and tones can be particularly useful. A light and smooth shade can express gentleness, while a coarse, deep, and heavy shade can suggest age.

Shades can also be used to define lighting effects. Lighting effects affect the mood of the drawing and can be very helpful in describing the setting of the drawing.

Aspect 7: Planning

As you can see, the 6 different aspects described above are not isolated elements. They can combine to form many different effects that'll affect the overall quality of your drawing.

Therefore, it is important that an artist plan early how to execute a drawing or painting. Here's an example of how planning takes place:

1. Know what you want to achieve. This is important as only then will you know when a drawing is complete. Knowing what you want to achieve with a drawing or painting will help to prevent overworking a work of art.

2. Draw broad lines and curves lightly to form the overall shapes and structures of the drawing. Keep in mind the composition of the drawing. Choose drawing tools that allow you to make amends easily (like a light HB pencil).

3. Decide which areas are light, and which areas are dark. Also, think about the subjects that need to be defined and emphasized. How are you going to define them?

4. Use pencil marks to mark out these areas. Make notes if necessary.

5. Decide how you want to start working on the drawing. E.g. top to bottom, left to right, etc.

Once planning is complete, the artist can begin drawing. Note that it helps tremendously to constantly assess the drawing to ensure that the overall composition maintains its balance.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources. For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com for free online drawing lessons.

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By Darren WK Chow