Take this Drawing Test to See Visually Alert You Are

Drawing not only involves what the pencil is doing on paper, but also what is going on in the brain between the mark-making. In fact, drawing begins before the first line is drawn.

During my years teaching, I came across students who struggled to draw. I noticed that a common feature of this low drawing ability was the tendency not to look at what is in front but to draw what is believed to be in front. A struggle to draw often comes in tandem with a low visual awareness.

Cure for Low Drawing Ability

Optical Illusions can Occur in Real Life
when Drawing

Low visual awareness means taking little notice of how things are arranged around us. This might be difficulty in judging the angle of a contour, the size of an object next to another object. An inability to make visual judgments can manifest itself in many ways, such as the inability to hang a painting perfectly level, or to arrange objects in a balanced still life.

How Distorted Perception can Ruin a Drawing

Visual distortions or optical illusions come in many forms, examples of which can be seen in this image. The impossible trident would appear to have 3 prongs, but does it? The dot in the triangle falls midway up, although it would appear to be higher. The 2 lines within the chevrons run parallel with each other although they appear to converge. And both squares on the upper right are the same size. These are crude examples of visual distortions. In fact, such illusions can fool the eye in the most subtle ways which can sabotage the drawing.

See my Youtube clip testing your visual alertness - a key to great drawing. You may need to view full screen during the test.

Test into Drawing Ability

My Youtube clip examines the issue of distorted perception when it comes to drawing. A test within aims to give a rough indicator to how prone your eyes are to deceiving you. Get pen and pencil at the ready, as there are 10 multiple questions within. These questions ask for visual estimates of four figures. Simple shapes can be found within the clip which will test your ability to visually judge angles, sizes, the relationship of one object to another and even its tonality.

Look before Drawing

No visual aids are allowed and don’t pause the video. Some questions are more difficult than others. Guessing the right answer does not award a point.

Where Drawing Talent Really Lies

Answers to the test are given at the end of the clip. 8 out of 10 or more indicates a keen eye for making visual estimates. You may not need the spirit level to hang that painting, or you may have a natural flair for arranging flowers. 5 – 7 out of 10 and you have good visual awareness, but there is room for improvement. Less than 4 out of 10 and you may have low visual awareness.

Improve Drawing Quickly

Don’t worry if a low score is the result. Practice is the key to good visual awareness. Practice looking around you regarding:

The size of one object in relation to another (is it bigger, smaller? By what degree? (a half, a third, a smaller fraction?) How does the object’s width relate to another? Is it twice as wide, etc?) Use a pencil and hold it at arm’s length with one eye closed. This can be used as a visual measuring tool.

The position of one object in relation to another (is it higher, lower? And what about the distance between?

Estimate the angle of straight lines. Is it fairly horizontal, vertical? Estimate the number of degrees out it might be?

The contour of an outline. Is it quite curved, jagged? Does the line thicken in places?

Learn to Look at Things

Drawing involves setting up an internal dialogue regarding how things look. Question assumptions. Tables do not always appear to have four legs; a drinking cup may appear to have no handle and a hat can look like a tortoise.

By increasing your awareness of how things look around us may result in a better score on this drawing test in the future, not to mention drawing.

The Most Important Part of Drawing

Low visual alertness to how objects look can create a drawing that disappoints. Learning to really look before lowering the pencil to paper can result in a drawing that holds truth. Check how visually astute you are by watching the video clip which includes 10 questions within. A high score would indicate a good eye for judgment. This skill is an asset to drawing. A low score can be improved upon when practicing the skill of looking. Overcoming distorted perceptions means dispelling assumptions about how objects ‘should’ look.

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Sketch a village scene with Ingres paper

Improve visual memory in drawing

I love painting but I can't draw

My site on photography

Pastel Pencil Exercise on Shading Buildings on Ingress Paper

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 can ‘skid’ over the rough surface, leaving behind pleasing textured effects.

See my speed art clip on shading with pastel pencils on Youtube

How to Sketch with Pencil Pastels

After carefully completing the line sketch (use the eraser sparingly as it could flatten the texture of the paper) I shaded the sunlit rooftops with white. I applied firm pressure to create a relatively solid tone. The edge of the white pencil was used to bring out sharp detail around the spires and the sunlit walls.

Using Sepia Pencils in Drawing

Step by Step on Shading on Ingres Paper with Pastels

For the shaded walls, I lightly shaded sepia pencil to create a sharp contrast in tone, but softened the tone with mid grey afterwards. Working pencils in layers helps to bring an even, soft tone to the buildings. Always avoid exerting too much pressure initially. I used the soft edge of the pencil tip.

Once the mid grey was shaded over the church walls, I carefully illustrated the windows with black. Keep edges sharp for detail. This means using the sharpener for these areas. Take note that a little mid grey is needed where the light catches the architraves. This will help suggest recesses in the church wall.

Shading on Grey Paper

Once the church tones had been blocked in, I shaded mid grey on the drystone wall in front, dappling white at the top of the wall. This helped suggest sunlight catching the top of the wall.

As can be seen, an array of textures was used for the background. I applied pointillism and irregular marks over the sunlit canopies behind the church, and then shaded a more even layer over the distant woodlands. I moved the pencil in vertical strokes to emulate the trees. White was used for the sunlit tops and the hills. Remember to keep comparing how one tone relates to another throughout the painting. This helps retain tonal imbalances.

Sky Shading with Pastel Pencils

I applied an uneven layer of white over the sky and the foreground to bring harmony to the composition. I allowed some of the grey paper to show beneath in places to retain that textural feel. I finally scribbled sepia over the large tree on the left, moving the pencil in the direction of growth. I was careful not to overdo it, or the area could look overworked. I used a black pencil for the darkest areas.

As a final touch, I drew the spires at the top of the roofs and neatened detail. Sharpened pastel pencils were needed for these areas.

Quick Shading Exercise on Ingres Paper

As can be seen here, an effective sketch in pastel pencils on Ingres paper can be completed within an hour and with just a few pencils. I began light first, working into darker shades later on the drawing. Applying shading lightly will bring out the texture of the paper.

Articles on Drawing and Painting

Take this test to see how visually aware you are
How symmetrical drawing can improve drawing ability
Draw an ellipse step by step
How to judge tones in your painting
My website about colors

Paint a Waterside Tree with Five Oil Colors

An effective oil painting can be completed in half an hour and with just five oil colors. This oil painting demonstration required the simplest art materials, ideal for the student who prefers to use basic materials. The scene comprises a tree next to a river, ideal for painting reflections.

Simple Art Demonstration on Painting Reflections

How to Paint Water Step by Step

The art materials needed for this demonstration are:

Oil colors: titanium white, pthalo blue, burnt sienna, cadmium lemon and viridian. Only a flat bristle no. 6 and round sable no. 3 were used. Artists’ spirit was needed only for cleaning the brushes at the end of the session.

I had primed a small panel with two coats of gesso before beginning the painting. The panel measured 7x9inches. A HB pencil and eraser was needed for sketching in the composition before laying down the paint.

My youtube clip shows how I completed the painting

Oil Painting Demo in Minutes

1 I worked from light to dark and therefore began with palest areas of the painting. I mixed a little burnt sienna with mostly white and plied this uneven mixture over the sky area and corresponding reflections. I applied this color thinly towards the top and bottom of the painting as I wanted to introduce another color in these areas.

Simple Landscape Painting Demonstration

2 I then mixed a little pthalo blue into white and introduced this color unevenly at the top and bottom of the picture. With a clean bristle, I smudged together the warm and cool colors careful to avoid contamination that could result in muddy mixture. I blended the colors more smoothly on the areas of water, to suggest reflections. I flicked the bristle in vertical strokes.

3 I then mixed a little viridian and cadmium lemon into white and dabbed this warm green onto the field in the background with a fine sable.

Burnt Sienna on the Landscape

4 I mixed burnt sienna and a little white and made vertical strokes around the reedy area at the foot of the tree. To add contrast, I plied on viridian, pthalo blue and a little white for the trees in the background. Areas of color were softened where they met, such as the treeline and sky.

5 Burnt sienna, pthalo blue and viridian were mixed for a deep, rich dark and this was applied onto the reeds at the foot of the tree. A clean bristle was used to smudge out this dark color into the pervading reflection color, to suggest a glassy surface to the water.

Simple Demonstration on Painting Reflections

6 The surrounding to the tree trunk and its reflection sets up the tree to make it look more dramatic. Any niggles should be ironed out before beginning the tree itself. I mixed pthalo blue, viridian and burnt sienna to create a rich black and I applied this dark onto the tree trunk initially. I worked the same color for the tree’s reflection to ensure the subject and its reflection accorded.

7 A narrow brush was used for the branches and twigs, moving the brush into the direction of the tree’s growth. Care is needed not to get carried away with adding too many twigs or the area could get confused. The secret is to generalize. Look for clumps and feather out the dark color to suggest ‘gathers’ within the tree.

Oil Painting Reflections

Oil Colors Needed for Painting Water

8 And now for the water. With a fine sable, I mixed a little pthalo blue with white and dragged the brush in small horizontal strokes to suggest disturbances on the water’s surface. I let some of the undercolor get dragged into the upper color.

9 With a separate sable, I mixed a little burnt sienna with pthalo blue and lightly applied horizontal bands over the water to contrast with the paler streaks. I allowed some of the underlying color to get dragged with the horizontal strokes to bring a fluid quality to the paint.

Finishing Touches to the Landscape Painting

10 Finally I dabbed burnt sienna with a little white, to produce a rich, rustic color and applied small, vertical strokes over the stalk tops. This warm color provides great contrast with the cool colors in the background.

A Landscape Painting in Five Oil Colors

An effective oil painting can be produced with just five oil pigments as can be seen in this demonstration. Basic art materials were used. This painting took around half-an-hour to do. The secret is a strong, striking composition that will carry the basic oil colors. This tree also provides stark contrast against the background.

Improve your Drawing Skill by Drawing Symmetrical Shapes

One of the most common problems with drawing is the affliction of skewed-looking objects. The crooked look to a drawing may remain unforeseen until the drawing is well under way. The solution is to practice drawing symmetrical objects freehand without any drawing aids.

Drawing Exercise to Improve Skill

Symmetry can be found in many objects including ornaments, tools, creatures and art. I believe that students with low drawing ability lack visual awareness of one or more quadrants of the visual field, whether this is the left, right, top or bottom of a page. This results in a drawing that appears to lean to one side, or to be placed too far on one corner of the page. Common problems are: teapots that appear to lean to one side, lob-sided ellipses, squashed-up edges of portraits or animal drawings.

Drawing Lesson for Beginners

Crooked Drawings become
Obvious
when Placed in a Grid

Countering skewed drawings can be aided by the practice of symmetrical drawing freehand. Try practicing drawing simple symmetrical objects such as circles, squares and triangles. The challenge is not as easy as it sounds. Rulers and compasses are not permitted, but the rendering of freehand and the use of the naked eye.

Skill of the Naked Eye

The aim is to practice how truly horizontal a line is; how perfectly curved an arc is or to judge the location of the central point of an object. Students that may benefit most from this drawing lesson are those that find it difficult to visually judge if a mirror is hung straight on a wall or similar. Perfectly symmetrical drawings are not possible without being able to make accurate visual judgments.

Video Clip of Drawing Exercise

My video clip shows how I drew simple symmetrical shapes freehand by gradual increments. The first attempt will seldom be perfect, as can be seen. Few can actually draw a perfect circle straight off. Work toward accuracy by working progressively darker and viewing the drawing from different angles. An eraser is of course allowed, but no rulers or other such drawing aids can be used. Keep rubbing out the drawing and adjusting the lines. Practicing this skill will develop visual awareness of the following:

Drawing Symmetry Freehand

• How close to horizontal a line is.
• How close to vertical a line is.
• If one side of a symmetrical drawing truly mirrors the other.
• How central to the page the drawing is.
• How equal each quadrant of the drawing is.
• To judge a central point in the drawing.
• How truly curved a line is
• How straight a line is.

How to Counter Skewed Drawings

Drawing of Cockerel

The clip also shows how I drew a near-perfect rectangle and triangle. This is followed by a step by step demo on drawing a circle as perfect as possible.

Accurate visual judgments of such drawing elements will guard against a skewed drawing in the future, even if the object drawn is not symmetrical. This is because every drawing ideally should inhabit a good portion of the page, be centrally placed and has roughly equal amounts of space around the drawing. This can be seen in the drawing of the cockerel.

More challenging shapes can be practiced if need be. Drawing simple shapes larger will also be more challenging than drawing them small.

More Articles on Drawing Methods

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How to draw ellipses

Shading a sphere

Step by Step Demonstration on Drawing Ellipses

Drawing ellipses is one of the basics of drawing techniques. However, I have seen many of my students struggle with drawing a basic ellipse. The ellipse’s gentle curves and its symmetry can be hard to put down freehand. Not only that, but the ellipse’s arc will shift in appearance depending upon how the vessel is viewed.

Difficulty in drawing Ellipses

Drawing an Ellipse

The challenge becomes ever more difficult if an object has multiple ellipses such as that seen on the thread of bottle tops or ornaments. The best thing to do is to draw the simplest ellipse shape before venturing further. My video clip on drawing the most basic ellipse shape will enable the artist to build upon this skill when more complex subject matter is tackled.

Mistakes in Drawing Ellipses

Improvements can be made in drawing when looking out for common mistakes whilst drawing an ellipse. This can also be seen in the video clip, which includes: drawing ellipses with corners, sloping ellipses, ellipses without symmetry and ellipses without depth to the rim. The secret is to plot the ellipse before drawing it. This will guard against the elliptical element turning out wrong.

Drawing Techniques for Still Life

Make sure the plotlines on which the ellipse rests is perpendicular in form and symmetrical in shape before laying down the lines. To this end, the beginner may plot a faint cross onto a piece of paper before drawing the ellipse. Make sure the cross is true to vertical and horizontal. The video slip shows how to plot the elliptical element of an object into a rectangle sketched on top of the cross. The ellipse shape itself can then be placed within the rectangle and the rectangle rubbed out. Make sure the ellipse shape rests centrally within the rectangle before going further.

The Curves of an Ellipse

The curves of the ellipse can be sketched faintly at first. Turn the drawing upside down to check if any element of the ellipse is not central or symmetrical. Bear in mind that the curves of an ellipse will alter between top, bottom and sides. Ellipses will never possess corners, regardless of how obliquely it is viewed. The curves simply become tighter in appearance. This means taking care on how the curves are drawn. Of course, the arc opens out on the top and bottom of the ellipse form.

How not to Draw an Ellipse:
Asymmetrically, tear-shaped, with corners & with a rim of equal depth

Sketching Techniques for Still Life Objects with Ellipses

The rim of an ellipse will have depth of some kind. Due to the foreshortening effect, the depth will appear widest to the far left and right of an ellipse. This can be seen in the video clip. Never draw the rim of an ellipse as having the same depth all round, also this is true in reality.

Once the ellipse shape is sketched in, the rest is simple. Sketch the rest of the vessel using the cross as guidance. Note that the curve at the base of the vessel (if viewed from slightly above) will appear more curved than the ellipse at the top. Never illustrate the base of a vessel with a flat bottom.

Objects with Ellipses in Drawing

The key to drawing good ellipses is to avoid common mistakes, which are asymmetry, illustrating corners, rendering sloping ellipses or tear-shapes ellipses. This often means sketching plotlines onto which the ellipse may rest. The outline of an ellipse can then be keyed into these plotlines. The video shows how an ellipse element can be plotted over a cross and a rectangle. The ellipse is more likely to be even, perpendicular and symmetrical in shape. The rest of the vessel is then made more easy.

More Drawing Techniques

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How to Create Photographs from Artwork

Photography forms an inherent part of producing artwork because it offers a snapshot of reality. Perfect photographs are not always necessary but useful visual information that can be applied to painting. Having some mastery of photography will help the artist get the effect desired.

Using Photography for Art

Photos of Brotherwater in the Lake District (Rachel Shirley)

Having a great idea for painting will often involve using photographs at some point. But the key to taking pictures that can be used in art lie in being in control of what is visible through the viewfinder before taking the shot. This means practicing visual awareness.

It is a given that sharp photos are essential when using them to reproduce detail and this means spot-on focusing and minimal camera-shake. Making sure no part of the object is cut off is also important. This means having some understanding of how the camera works.

These three photos of Brotherswater in the Lakes (UK) feature high tonal contrasts, ideal for impasto techniques, but no good for a detailed study, for if we pan in (top right) the image becomes pixilated. Notice how the same location looks different when  shot in landscape or portrait mode, and in different weather conditions.

Analyzing Photographs for Art

In order to improve visual awareness in photography, find a selection of photos or cuttings from magazines and then make an evaluation of each. This exercise is also suitable for an art class in photography or art.

Place each photo on a surface to evaluate. Do so one by one with a notebook and pen handy. Make notes to the following questions:

1 What is the focal point of the photo? It might be an ornament, a cliff-face or castle.

2 Are there any secondary focal points within the photo? What are they? Examples might be a speeding boat in the distance, an oak tree or a chimney stack.

3 Make an educated guess of whether any of these focal points are intended or accidental. Give reasons for believing either. It doesn’t matter if you know the answer or not; make a calculated estimate. The boat, for example might appear to have come into view at that particular moment, or a dead tree in the background might have been included to echo another tree in the foreground.

4 Make a note of what lies at the edges of the photograph and what lies in the centre. Does the composition appear one-sided; does it appear balanced to the eye? What can be seen in each of the 4 quadrants of the photo?

What Makes a Good Photograph for Painting?

Now make a judgment of the photo’s weakest points. What didn’t work? This might be a pylon that appears to sprout from behind a person’s head or too much background behind the object. There might be insufficient visual information due to a blurred photo. State what doesn’t work in the photograph and say why. Suggest how this problem can be overcome if the shot was taken again.

Lesson on Using Photography for Painting

Examine the colors in the photographs to establish

• What are the most prevalent colors in the shot?
• Which colors occur least frequently?
• What are the brightest colors?
• What are the palest tones on the shot?
• What are the darkest tones?
• Which tonal or color area draws the eye. Why?
• Is the photograph monochromatic or contains mostly bright colors?

And lastly, if you were asked to do a painting working from the photo, which colors would you use? To make this task more manageable, break it down into each area.

Lesson Idea on Using Photos for Artwork

Make a visual estimate of the pigments you would mix if you had to reproduce the subject matter depicted. This might be burnt sienna and cadmium red to emulate a brick wall or viridian green and burnt umber to render a spider plant.

Think about the art techniques you might use. Would a detailed approach fit if the photo depicted a butterfly? Would a more suggestive expression be use for a sky? Would wet into wet be used or dry brushing? Could scratching into the paint layer be employed to create patterns or textured effects?

What are the challenges ahead? For instance, intricate patterns on a lattice fence might require a lot of work. Does the sky lack detail because it is overexposed in the photograph?

Artclass on Using Photos for Painting

You may repeat this process when evaluating each photo. Doing so will help make you more aware of what can be seen in each photo and anticipate challenges that lie ahead before taking a shot.

Good lighting is also vital if a photograph is to be of any use for artistic expression. A dull day or indoor lighting could rob the shot of interesting tonal contrasts. The shot could appear bleached-out under a flashbulb or pixilated under poor dull light. A bright day will increase the vitality of a shot, creating interesting reflections such as light bouncing from neighboring surfaces.

Using Photos for Artwork

What would appear to be an ideal photo for a painting may turn out useless as an art resource. Often, a series of shots will be needed to create a painting. High visual awareness of what lies within the viewfinder will help the photographer gain the results needed. Awareness of what lies in the background as well as the foreground will help reduce the chances of a disappointing shot that cannot be used. Anticipate artistic challenges such as high detail, a pixilated shot or bright colors. What art techniques would you use when depicting the subject matter in a painting? What pigments would you use and how would you overcome foreseeable problems? Conscious evaluation of photographs will help improve photographic techniques, particularly when it comes to using them for creating artwork.

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Computer Art Lesson Plan for Stage 1 and 2 Children Using Microsoft Paint

An ideal art lesson for kids is to use a standard Windows programme such as Paint. Windows Paint will enable youngsters to create eye-catching designs by simple means and also to explore computer software for the first time by using the mouse and clicking functions.

How to Use Paint for Kids

Microsoft Paint can easily be found by clicking on the Office graphic on the lower left of the computer screen and then selecting ‘Paint’. If Paint cannot be found, look under ‘Accessories’. Click on Paint and a blank screen with toolbars on the right and above can be found. Kids may explore what the different tools do, but a simple demo in the form of a Smartboard presentation will enable kids to see how it works before practice.

Instruction for Creating Computer Art Lesson for Kids

The teacher may show kids some examples of the sort of artwork that can be achieved by this simple software, as can be seen in the Youtube slideshow, comprising images created by 9 year old Joseph Busby.

The following computer art instructions will help kids get used to the Paint tools quickly before practice.

• Click on ‘view’, ‘zoom’, ‘custom and then select either 12.5% or 25% to gain an overall view of the blank screen.
• Click on any shape then click and drag on the screen, and the shape will be inserted onto the screen. Circles, ellipses, rectangles or polygons can be chosen from.
• Drag the mouse outwards on the screen, and the shape will appear bigger; drag it into the shape, and it will appear smaller.
• Click the ‘undo’ button beneath ‘edit’ and the action will be undone, handy for mistakes.
• A selection of line thicknesses can be found by clicking on the line icon. Move the cursor over the screen to draw a straight line.
• Click on the paint tin after selecting a colour from the colour palette, and a clicked enclosed area will be filled with that colour, as can backgrounds.

Free Art Software for Kids in Class

 Kids may click other icons in order to explore different functions. By the end of class, however each child must have completed a simple design by the use of line, shape and colour. If necessary, the ‘save’ function may be used or designs will be lost. Differentiation is available in the form of the use of other functions, such as the cut and paste function and the use of the other paint tools such as airbrush, pencil and brush. Freehand drawing may also be explored.

IT Art Lesson for Schools Using Microsoft Paint

Using computer software for the first time can be made easy for kids by creating immediate and eye-catching deigns. Microsoft Paint is a simple computer software, ideal for getting kids used to the mouse and using tools to create colourful art. Line, shape and colour can be blended to create lots of imagery. Hand to eye coordination may be exercised as well as learning about how computer functions work for various effects.

Further Articles Relating to Art for Kids

The colour theory
Step by step art instruction
Beginners guide on drawing
Guide to kids' art materials