Drawing Projects Made Easy

Step-by-step instruction for beginners

Barrington Barber

• Publisher: Arcturus
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781782120582
• eBook ISBN: 9781398814066
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

Best-selling author Barrington Barber presents a range of exciting projects, from simple still lifes and full-blown landscape compositions to individual portraits. His systematic teaching method ensures that you quickly acquire the techniques you need to complete sets of drawings that any aspiring artist would be proud of.• Rather than teaching by rote, this book inspires readers to discover their own individual style of drawing.
• The material here works for complete beginners as well as those who are looking to improve their skills.
• Fully illustrated throughout by the author.

PROJECT 1: STARTING OUT WITH STILL LIFE

This part of the book starts with some straightforward drawings of mundane household objects so that you can practise your handling of shape, texture and tone. Many of the items you have around the house will have ordered, symmetrical forms and you need to be able to tackle those with confidence to make your interiors look convincing.

Once you’ve mastered the drawing of everyday objects in isolation, the next easy step is to try out your skill at putting together a composition of several objects and producing a still-life drawing. I have suggested a variety of obvious things for you to draw, but you can choose any subject that interests you.

In the later pages of this section I’ve included some larger and slightly more complex subjects so that you have something to get your teeth into if you find yourself steaming ahead in great shape. The main thing is to enjoy the process of drawing without worrying about how well or badly you’re doing initially; just try out your skills of observing and then recording what you see, and you’ll find that the more you do this the better you will get. I don’t guarantee to turn you into an artistic genius, but with a little effort and the will to persevere you’ll soon develop your abilities.

Simple still-life objects

Here we’re going to build up to drawing a simple still-life composition, starting with some practice on straightforward household objects to help you tackle the problems that you’ll discover. In these examples I’ve given you a variety of shapes, some easy and others more complex.

First I tried a tumbler and a wine glass, because they are easy to see through, and so you can see how the shape works. They are both centred on a central line, both sides being mirror images of each other. You could draw a vertical and draw each side of it, as I have done with the tumbler.

I’ve also drawn in all the tonal values, but before you embark on this do make sure that you have got the shape right.

Next I moved on to two solid objects, which are a bit more complex because of the projections on them. The first is a teapot, which I have drawn with the spout turned slightly towards me. So although the middle part of the pot is based on a central line, the spout and the handle are angled projections off that more balanced shape.

The next example is a cup and saucer, with the handle projecting to one side, and here you also have two objects that fit together to contend with. The shapes are gradually getting more complex to suit your developing skills.

Now a return to a glass tumbler – but this one has faceted sides in the lower half, which produces a more testing shape to draw. Again, as with all of these objects, the main thing is to get the shape right and only then go ahead with the shading.

A jug is the next object, but a curved one with a painted rim and handle to make things more tricky. Work on the shape first and then add the tone as before.

This pleasingly old and battered watering can is a little more complex in construction than what has gone before. It is your accuracy of perception that is going to be tested here, so this is good practice.

Unlike man-made goods, objects found in nature often have imperfections and unevenness in form. The trick with this pine cone is to make the tones very dark in the central shadows and lighter where the leaves don’t overlap. Because of the variety in shape you don’t have to worry if your drawing isn’t exact.

In the case of a vase of flowers, you’ll be drawing both natural and man-made things. Try to make the flowers and leaves look softer and more fragile than the vase.

Grouping objects

Now we’re going to move on to groups of objects – always trickier than single items as you have to consider their relationship to each other.

Start with an orange and lemon, placing them in such a way that one overlaps the other. This means that you have to consider the size of one compared with the other, as well as the different shapes. When you put in the tone, notice how the shading on the lower part of the orange helps to show up the shape of the lemon.

Now try three objects – two apples...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Project 1: Starting out with Still Life
• Project 2: Themed Still Life
• Project 3: Interiors – Around the House
• Project 4: Exteriors – Drawing a Local Scene
• Project 5: Landscape Composition
• Project 6: City Panorama
• Project 7: Individual Portrait
• Project 8: Figure Composition
• Copyright