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Learn to Draw & How to Draw Exercises!

In this section of the website, I’ll show you how to learn to draw, and throw in some bonuses in rose drawing and flower drawing in general. Learning how to draw is not difficult, but it does require some practice and again, some ambition on your part!

I'll get straight to the shortcuts, cause if you're like me, you want the good stuff now! If you want more detailed information, I have a recommendation at the bottom of the page, but to get started right now, here's what I use and you will not need to learn to draw right away!:

On small paintings, a simple inkjet printout of the reference photo is printed out, and transferred to the canvas using carbon paper!

But remember to set these up for life-sized or just a tad larger than real life!

If you don't the object will simply look strange. But then again, on some works, you may just want that effect! A miniature or a blown up image depending on the circumstance in what you are painting!

Before we get too far however, I do have a suggestion for you. If you like what you see here on the site, and are interested in more tips and shortcuts, sign up for my bi-monthly e-zine.

I promise not to spam or sell your email address. I will not cookie your computer. I'll just send you an email that has a few new tips and any updates to the site. (New demonstrations, etc.)

I am also checking out and will report on new "how to learn to draw" tips and techniques. And for those that learn better visually rather than the written word or pictures, I will be offering videos soon. You wont find them on the site unless you're signed up! (It will be a secret page!)

tracing

Here you can see a little tape at the top of the print out holding it secure so it will not shift. It's really hard to get it exactly back into place if it moves on you while tracing!

tracing

For larger paintings, I use a good quality photo projector. Shocked! Don't be, even Leonardo Da Vinci used an invention he created called a camera obscura, the great-great grand-daddy of modern camera’s to speed up his process of painting.

You can use the cheaper quality projectors, but you won’t be happy with the results because they can’t give you the details you need on the large pieces. A minimum of 500 watts is recommended.

500 watt tracer machine

Now your saying,
Hey, I aien't got the money for a projector!

No worries. Here's how I used to do it before I had one. This item still hangs in my studio and is quite the nice tool!

Take an old frame, something that you pick up at a yard sale for $3, and a ball of string. Mark along each edge 1 or 2 inch intervals. Tie your string at these intervals along one side, then down the other. When you start the cross pattern, interweave the string to help keep them in place.

As you can see, it's nothing fancy. Hang it in front of you still life setup or printer picture. Graph your canvas off at the same intervals as your screen, and begin drawing using the screen grids as a reference. It's much easier to draw or match what you see in a 1 inch square than the entire picture. Concentrate on getting intersecting lines of the 1 inch square correct, and like a jigsaw puzzle, the whole piece will come together.

Using the shortcuts, you’ll receive some form of eye to hand coordination practice, but it’s truly not enough. To learn to draw, you’ll need to follow these exercises, and purchase a few materials. Things, as an artist, you probably already have on hand. You’ll need a bound sketch pad, #2 pencils, and a gummy (pliable) erasure.

These exercises will not only improve your drawing skills, but will improve your painting skills because painting is merely drawing with a brush. You’ll see this all throughout the lessons in painting!

OH! If when you're done with the warm ups, and feel you need some more detailed instructions, a very good recommendation would be a downloadable e-book that has loads of exercises and tips.

Here's the link to her site.

Click Here for Drawing Lessons!

Check it out now as she has a number of special offers that she includes with her book. Some very nice offers! And the price is right too!

Another highly recommended book is "Drawing on the right side of the brain" by Betty Edwards.

I'll get into more details on some of her exercises in the complex drawing exercises. It explains how the human brain is working while you're drawing, or doing heavy concentration work.

It seems women have the upper hand in this area since cross brain communication of the left and right side brain is better in women.
Us men only work from the one side it seems. Did I just call myself a half-wit? My wife does tell me I'm very single minded on some things. LOL.

Anyway, here are some exercises to work with. Start with these before any others. Just like regular exercise, you need to warm up. These are a few easy exercises to get your hand warm!

Click here for Warm Ups.

pencil drawing Now I want to direct you to a website that has much more information than I can give here on Drawing Reuel Feenstra has a fantastic website that teaches the in and outs of drawing as a finished art form. Learn to draw some wonderful pictures like roses at his Rose Drawing Lesson! Also some wonderful pictures like this on the right at his Online Gallery

Oh, before I forget, I've found another super site that offers free lessons on drawing from direct observation. Elizabeth makes it look so easy too. Go check out her site at Learn to Draw Lessons

And just in case you got to this page, and blew past the info on composition, here another link to that exceptionally excellent page!

Easy Art Composition

And another link to Materials page to see what you will need to begin painting!

Have you already been drawing? Do you have a finished piece you'd like to share? Need a critique? Or do you have a drawing that has a special story behind it? Come along and share your art work with us here at Your oil paintings, drawings and stories!