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About Drawing:Techniques and DefinitionsDrawing is a form of visual expression and is one of the major forms within the visual arts. It involves the choice of one or more tools from a wide variety and the choice of a support appropriate to that tool in order to make marks. An artist who excels in this art form is referred to as a draftsman or draughtsman. A wide variety of marks are possible. To produce a drawing the tool needs to move across the surface of the support or used in such a way as to create marks on the support. Common tools include: graphite pencils, wax color pencils, pen & ink, inked brushes, conté crayons, charcoals, oil pastels, markers, or a stylus Common supports include: a variety of papers, illustration board, scratchboard, or a digital tablet. The word 'drawing' can be used as both a verb and a noun. In the form of a verb it is the act of making marks on a surface so as to create an image, form, or shape. The produced image is also called a drawing, in the form of a noun. Drawing is distinct from painting. The techniques of "drawing" and "painting" may be confused because similar tools can perform both tasks. It is the operations which gives each its distinction. Painting generally involves the layering of pigments by means of a brush onto cloth or prepared surfaces, whereas drawing is generally concerned with the marking of dark lines onto paper. The process is often explorative, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem solving and composition. It is fair to note that modern painters often incorporate methods of drawing in their painting process. Portrayals may be representational, depicting objects or scenes which the artist views, remembers, or imagines. They may be realistic to the point of lifelike resemblance, architectural drawing or looser approximations of reality, highly stylized, or abstract. The medium is the means by which ink, pigment, or color are delivered onto the support’s surface. Most media are either dry or water-based. Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencil, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. The supports like paper can come in a variety of different sizes and qualities. Paper ranges from newspaper grade, for practice, up to high quality and relatively expensive rag or rice paper sold as individual sheets. Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper will hold the material better. Thus a more coarse material is useful for producing deeper contrast. For pen & ink work, typing paper is often used for practice drawings. Bristol board makes a hard surface that is especially good for ink sketches or fine detailed graphite drawing. Coldpressed watercolor paper is sometimes favored for ink works due to its texture but illustration board is ideal for finished works in ink. Tracing vellum is often used for experimenting on top of a pencil image prior to committing a technique to the final page. Besides tools and supports, various other items are routinely used in the process. These may include a pencil sharpener, sandpaper, kneaded or plastic eraser, blending stumps, and chamois. Other tools that sometimes prove useful are tracing paper, a circle compass, ruler, fixative, and drafting tape. The use of an easel or slanted table reduces the distorting effects of perspective while drawing. Prior to working on an image, the artist will likely want to gain an understanding of how the various media will work. The different implements can be tried on practice sheets in order to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement in order to produce various desired effects. The stroke of the drawing implement can be used to control the appearance of the image. Ink images typically use hatching, which consists of groups of parallel lines. Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, is used to form lighter tones, and by controlling the density of the breaks a graduation of tone can be achieved. Finally stippling, or random placement of dots on a page, can also be used to produce a texture or shade. Typically a drawing will be filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist will want to draw from left to right in order to avoid smearing the image. Sometimes the artist will want to leave a section of the image blank while filling in the remainder of the picture. A frisket can be used for this purpose. The shape of the area to be preserved is cut out of the frisket and the resulting shape is then applied to the support’s surface. This will protect the surface from receiving any stray marks before it is ready to be filled in. Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This will hold loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevent it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can negatively affect the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area only such as outdoors. Shading is the technique of varying tonal values on the support to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows, and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image. Blending uses an implement to move the material on the paper so as to hide the original strokes. This can only be done when drawing with a material such as graphite or charcoal that is not permanently attached once applied. When shading and blending is needed, the artist can employ a combination of a blending stump, chamois, or a specialized putty-rubber eraser. The chamois cloth in particular is useful for creating smooth textures and for removing material to lighten the tone. There are a number of methods for producing texture in the picture. In addition to choosing a suitable support, the type of material and the technique will result in different textures. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture. Thus a coarse texture placed next to a smoothly blended area will appear more prominent. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones in close proximity to each other. A light edge next to a dark background will stand out to the eye and almost appear to float above the surface. Layout is also a key factor to drawing. By measuring the dimensions of the subject while blocking in the image will produce a realistic rendition of the subject. A straight drawing implement held horizontally or vertically can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the support’s surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject to each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A proportional divider can also be used to scale a photograph up or down. A photograph automatically shows a scene with correct perspective for the location of the camera. It follows that an artist wishing to paint a picture of the scene with true perspective needs only to draw an accurate copy of the photograph. If his painting is to be of a different size from that of the photograph he must accurately scale it up or down. This may easily be done by using a proportional divider set to give the scaling ratio to fit the scene on to the support. A grid can be used to produce a more accurate portrayal of a photograph. The image is subdivided into equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. A scaled version of these lines is drawn lightly on the paper, and the outlines of the significant features are copied onto the drawing. A similar approach when using an easel is to mount a small, heavy paper frame through which the artist can view the scene. The image on the paper is then scaled in reference to this frame. The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans the placement of elements in the art in order to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating. The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features. When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed. A study is a draft image that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearance of specific parts of the completed image or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art onto itself and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study. People have made drawings since prehistoric times. This art form first gained widespread popularity among European artists during the 1400s, when paper became generally available. Since that time, each century has produced artists who have created great images. Drawing may also be done on a computer. Digital art is quickly becoming a popular method of illustration with a wide range of programs tailored to the digital artist. See some of Lisa Vega’s
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