THE MOBILE ART STUDIO

Stonehenge a stone circle in Wiltshire, England is the ideal subject matter for drawing. Shading technique and blocking in have been practiced. Here, I expressed Stonehenge in silhouette against a big sunset, creating drama. Negative space of Stonehenge The first image shows Stonehenge’s negative shapes within a narrow rectangle. The central dividing line makes plotting this enigmatic stone circle easier. Notice the interesting shapes where the sky peeks between the stones. Negative space is a great technique for practicing drawing freehand. Gridlines over the Stonehenge drawing. 1 Onto a sheet of A5 sketching paper, a rectangle of 10x5cm was divided into 5 sections via a HB and ruler. The lines have been drawn lightly but have been emphasized here. The bottom segment is where Stonehenge will inhabit. This segment has been split in half to make the freehand drawing easier. The image showing Stonehenge’s negative shapes can be used a drawing reference. Wat...

This simple shading exercise on Ingres paper was completed as a step by step Youtube clip. Each stage is clearly laid out within the speed art movie, but is explained in depth here. This drawing demo comprises a typical village scene, in this case, a church enclosed by trees. The church is located in the Lake District in the UK. Materials Needed for Shading on Ingres Paper Pastel Pencils for Shading Ingres Paper The drawing equipment used for this sketch was pastel pencils in the following colors: white, light grey, mid grey, sepia and black. A wide pencil sharpener, HB pencil and eraser were used for the preliminary drawing. The Ingres paper used was A5 (8inx6.5in) in size. What is Ingres Paper? Briefly, Ingres paper is simply a toned paper with a canvas-like texture. I used mid grey paper in this exercise, where the texture was like canvas. Ingres paper can be found in an array of tones from duck egg to dark grey. The texture of Ingres paper means that soft pencil ...

A lesson on drawing a horse head is a great stepping stone into portraiture as animals are a slightly more forgiving subject matter yet offers lots of visual interest. A good photograph of a horse and good quality soft pencils are the requirements. In this lesson, grey drawing paper, or Ingress paper has been used. Requirement for Drawing a Horse in Easy Steps How to Draw a Horse Rachel Shirley When it comes to drawing anything that presents a fair amount of detail such as a horse, setting aside at least an hour or so of uninterrupted time will increase the likelihood of a satisfactory drawing. More time will be required if undertaking a horse painting . For this drawing exercise, the following art materials was used: Soft pastel pencils. Watercolour pencils or graphite pencils of 2B to 4B are also ideal for shading. Black, dark grey, cream and a white chalk pencil will provide an array of shading tones and highlights for grey paper. Grey paper or any mid-toned paper can b...

An ideal art exercise for beginners on shading technique, the budding artist cannot fail to get satisfactory results by following this step by step drawing demo to improve drawing skills. See my video clip on this great shading technique. This demonstration is taken from my guidebook on drawing for beginners. Perfect Shading Technique Shading does not always come easily for some. The key is to select subject matter that enables the practice of pure shading without having to worry about the linear aspect of the subject matter. For this reason, the object concerned is a hypothetical sphere. All that is required is decent quality sketching paper (A4 or A5), a soft pencil: HB to 2B. An eraser, ruler and a circular objet that can be used a stencil. Bottle tops, large coins or a small saucer can be used. Dispense if you are confident in drawing a circular shape with accuracy freehand. Master Class in Shading Method Remember to start light and work darker as the drawing progre...

A pencil sketch exhibiting textures or patterns as the pencil is worked over the paper will add an extra dimension to the drawing and offer opportunities for exploration techniques for shading. Shading Technique with Pastel Pencils and Patterns A multitude of effects can be achieved if the drawing paper is laid over a textured surface prior to sketching. This rubbing technique can be used to give a textured effect to an otherwise solid area of shading within a drawing. A different texture can be used for various areas of the drawing or the pattern orientated differently throughout the drawing. Art Materials for the Sketching Exercise Thin drawing paper of around 80gsm. This will permit the texture to show through during the shading process. Soft graphite pencils (2B or softer). Coloured pastels pencils can be used. A selection of textured surfaces. Off-cuts of embossed wallpaper would be ideal. Woodchip, weave effect, swirly patterns or grainy can be found at most DIY sto...