Quick sketches. How to make sketches of people without knowing how to draw? Setting up a comfortable place for drawing

Hello! Lately, I haven’t been able to sit down to film regular video lessons, much less video courses, but I still try to draw regularly. It’s clear that when the workload is high, there is no time left for major masterpieces. But this is not a reason to completely abandon the creative component of life. During such a period, the art of sketching or quick sketches comes to the rescue. If you only have 10-30 minutes free a day, then this is enough to devote to quick sketches, thereby not only maintaining your drawing skills, but also improving your outlook on things, the confidence of your strokes and lines.

In this article I will talk about some services that allow you to sketch more efficiently. Let me remind you that the main idea of ​​sketching is to depict on paper the main idea, the concept of the drawing, in a very short time, so that this idea is understandable to any viewer. In this case, the time limit plays a very important role - the artist begins to look at the object of drawing differently, highlighting only the characteristic features and characteristics of the object. In sketching, the individual traits of the artist himself, including emotions, can be very clearly revealed. the drawing is done quickly, vividly, with the desire to convey the image of the object as quickly as possible.

I decided to try my hand at the art of sketching and now I know for sure that I will not give up this business, because... I see a lot of useful things for myself in this process, especially in the direction of developing creative abilities. For the experiment, I used one of the foreign services quick poses, which provides free photographs of models for free sketching. I will return to this site a little later, but for now let’s look at others:

characterdesigns.com

In addition to information about character development, this resource offers a whole set of photo sets that can be used as references for sketches. There is no time limit here, as well as options for selecting objects. The principle is simple - select a set of photos opposite " Choose a photoset:" and press the button . Next, choose the photo you like and draw a sketch. This is the simplest option and essentially only provides you with photos. You have to control your drawing time yourself, which is a big disadvantage.

reference.sketchdaily.net

An excellent service with a tool for submitting references on various topics with the ability to select a time interval. By clicking on the link, you can choose what you want to draw - Full Body, Body Parts or Animals. For example, you decide to draw hands. To do this you need to go to the bookmark Body Parts and set the settings:

• Body Part: hands
• Gender: male
• View: front (Front)
• Time interval (Time): for example 2 minutes

Next, click on the button . A random photo will open for you and the countdown will begin, during which you must have time to draw the object shown in the photo. Adrenaline starts to go off scale when you don’t have time, and time is running out very quickly 🙂 That’s when, in the next picture, you start thinking about how to make it in time and what steps you need to take for this. Your own opinion is born on what needs to be drawn first, and what then needs to be detailed so that it can convey the main features of the object.

I will not translate all the settings here. Even if you don’t know English, you can simply go through the parameters to find out what each setting item is responsible for. There is nothing complicated there. Let's move on to the next service.

artists.pixelovely.com

Also a very good site specifically designed for sketching with the ability to choose what you want to draw. And as in the previous service, in addition to human figures, you can choose references of various animals and birds. Let's consider choosing a reference for drawing a human figure. To do this, go to the Practice Figure Drawing section and select answers to the questions.

For example, we want to draw only male clothed (covered) models with a time interval of 2 minutes. In this case, the settings will look like this:

Next, click on the button and start drawing. After 2 minutes the picture will change to another one and you will start a new sketch. The downside is that you can’t see how much time is left until the end of the time interval; there is no timer.

quickposes.com

Well, we’ve reached the service that I once settled on. The service differs from similar ones in that for working a certain number of hours you receive a certificate from quickposes. There are 3 levels of certificate:

• Level 1 (for 10 hours of drawing)
• Level 2 (for 30 hours of drawing)
• Level 3 (for 70 hours of drawing)

BUT! There is a prerequisite! Only 30 minutes of drawing spent per day count towards the certificate. This means that you can receive a first level certificate in a maximum of 20 days, provided that you draw every day for 30 minutes.

This is mainly to get you into the habit of sketching every day. The certificate itself should not be the goal, it is just a nice addition, as the author of the site writes.

If you want to track time and receive a certificate, then prepare your email address and go to the main page of the quickposes website:

Here we need to select the parameters:

1. posing themes, such as athletes or warriors
2. reference display time interval
3. your email
4. inverted mode (I always set it to No)

And press the button to start drawing.

To check your progress, you can enter your email in the left column of the site (number 5 in the screenshot above) and click on the button .

It is important to always indicate the same email address, because... Subsequently, you will be sent a certificate for it.

Here are some of my sketches that I drew using references from this service:

It was very interesting to try sketching with different materials, for example, pen, pencil, charcoal, pastel and on different papers. I always set the interval to 120 seconds, because... In addition to the main silhouette, I wanted to add a few details. But sometimes this was difficult to do, because... Time was quickly running out.

I would like to note that several times I experienced a very interesting state when all thoughts left my head and my hand itself drew what it considered necessary. At the same time, I kept the entire drawing in my mind, and not some individual details and strokes. It's quite difficult to explain in words, but it's much easier to feel when you draw quickly and want to make the drawing recognizable.

I never managed to draw every day. There were days when there was no time to spare even 10 minutes. Or there was time, but there was no strength. So instead of 20 days, I scored 10 hours of drawing in about a month. At the same time, on the 4th-5th day thoughts began to creep into your head, like why do you need this, you don’t need to force yourself to do it every day, etc. :) But if you don’t pay attention to them and continue to draw, then they will soon go away and you just have fun from the process.

As a result, after about a month I received this certificate in pdf format by email:

At the same time, both from the results and from the sensations, I noticed that the strokes and lines in the sketches became more confident and much more pleasing to the eye.

I suggest you try your hand at quick sketches. Draw always and everywhere, be liberated in drawing. It is not necessary to create only full-fledged paintings. Even 5 minutes of sketching is beneficial for creative development.

Thorough mastery of all the lessons in this course will help you take your first steps in studying human anatomy and proportions, teach you draw people from life and from your imagination, in various poses and in motion, naked and clothed.

The first lesson is a preparation for the actual study of the figure, and will also lay the foundation for the structure of further work. The practical exercise at the end of the lesson will be of particular value to you as an artist when creating a human model and in preparing preliminary sketches, sketches, thinking of ideas, proposals, actions and poses where the figure is to be drawn without the use of models or copying. I'm highly recommended give him the closest attention, and under no circumstances should you miss it.

Drawing a person from life

To draw something well from memory or from your imagination, you must first build up a stock of basic knowledge about the topic. It's best to start drawing from life. By constantly observing those around you, you can quickly and easily learn a lot of information about proportion, shape and structure, and in the process you will also develop your drawing skills. No amount of information gleaned from textbooks drawing a person cannot serve as a substitute for this valuable exercise.

You must learn information not only about body shape and structure, but also gain in-depth knowledge of how people stand, sit, and move if you want to convey it to paper convincingly. For this reason you should use a sketchbook all the time.

Sketchbook

Just as a writer needs a notebook to jot down his thoughts, and an athlete needs to exercise regularly to stay in top shape, an artist needs an album or sketchbook to constantly hone your skills and visual memory. Your sketchbook should always be with you, so choose the optimal size for yourself and carry it in your bag or backpack with a simple pencil. You don't have to buy an expensive sketchbook, because... you will have to do a lot of sketches and notes, and you won’t even notice how quickly it will end. Buy something simpler so you don't have to worry about the cost. Catalog of sketchbooks from web-paint.

Best place to start probably at home. Your family members are ideal sitters because they are easily accessible and often engage in low-impact activities such as reading or watching TV.

In order to keep your “models” ready to pose, it is advisable not to pore over each drawing for too long. Each sketch should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.. This is of great importance because... At this stage, quantity is important, not quality. You will quickly learn how to capture the essence of a pose or character in a few strokes and your work will be very realistic.

Once you've sketched a few times in a familiar environment, you'll soon feel confident enough to take your sketchbook outside. Find a suitable secluded place for yourself where no one will disturb you and try to make a few sketches.

You should get into the habit of drawing constantly. Whenever you have a free minute, take out a sketchbook and sketch people around you: standing at a bus stop, sitting in a cafe or at work is a good opportunity to sketch people nearby. A pencil or ballpoint pen is ideal as a tool.

Use only one side of the paper. There are three reasons for this. First, cheap paper is see-through, so the lines you draw on one side may affect the quality of your work on the other. Secondly, even if you use good quality paper, the pencil drawings on the back pages will rub off the roughness and ruin each other. The third reason for using only one side is that in due course you can take apart your sketchbook page by page and compare one work to another to check your progress.

At first, you won't be able to do more than tilt your head or turn your shoulders before the subject begins to move. This is normal: everything you do contributes to the growth of your knowledge of the human figure. These details may not seem very valuable, but they are not. If you can portray an unkempt young man slumped in front of a bus stop or a tired old woman burdened with shopping, your work will have authenticity because... the essence of character lies precisely in the subtlety of such details. You'll be surprised how easy it is to notice and how much will it be appreciated by everyone who sees your work?.

Your sketchbook should serve as your personal document. In fact, many artists also take notes in it and add comments to sketches, thereby increasing the usefulness later, especially if the sketch will be used as the basis for a finished drawing.

Don't strive for neat, well-groomed drawings arranged artistically on the page. That's not what your album is for. Now your goal — capture character and the position of the selected object within a few minutes. Pick someone who is likely to stay in one position for a while and get to work. Don't be shy. Don't try to make attractive lines, this exercise is about quickly capturing the moment. Your sketches should be a real pleasure to see and sketch the life around you, as well as help you develop a keen eye and a confident stroke.

If you've never tried sketching, you might think it's hard work, but it's not. This is the most enjoyable and most useful activity. It is relaxing and invigorating, and is also a means of improving drawing skills.

Always keep a sketchbook with you wherever you go. This is so important that I will not tire of repeating it. Draw people waiting for the train on the train platform, or those sitting on a park bench, or your family members watching TV. In bars, restaurants, cafes and on the street you can see people of different heights and builds. Mark them in your album and you will never regret it. Sketching is not only an enjoyable activity, it is also the best way to expand your knowledge and abilities. If you want to create vibrant, realistic work, this must become a habit. Sometimes it is worth including the background and surrounding details in the sketch. This could be surrounding trees or buildings. When you start drawing from your head, this experience will be very valuable.

As we progress through the course, we will periodically return to this topic, drawing sketches from life. Without this exercise, your powers of observation and your drawings from memory will gradually deteriorate until they become little more than a series of clichés.

Practical task

Make at least 20-30 sketches of different people in different settings. I do not recommend moving on to the next lesson until you complete this assignment. This exercise should become your regular daily workout.

This article used materials from the book “Figure Drawing without a model” by Ron Tiner.

Which already shoots on par with a DSLR, there is a group of people who are ready to walk half the city to catch the perfect moment, stop... and sketch it. We talk about travel sketching as a way to preserve and share memories. Even if you don't know how to draw, it's worth a try. And here's why.

What is a sketch?

Sketch - sketch, draft, sketch. In other words, this is the fastest drawing in the world, which is accessible even to those who have forgotten how to hold a pencil. With the help of sketches, you can make plans for tomorrow or take notes on lectures, as they do in Japan. And also “write down” recipes, emotions from books read, brainstorming results, and so on ad infinitum. With travel sketches, everything is the same, including all the delights of life that the word “travel” carries in itself.

What types of sketches are there?

Sketches. Such sketches suggest that the lines should not be straight, and the characters should not be clear, the main thing is to convey the atmosphere and your state at that moment. It’s just like photography, only even more exciting.

Cards. Your own map is the best way not to get lost in a new city. Draw a map of the historical center with objects that are interesting to you and put on it the location of coffee shops and restrooms. Walking will be more enjoyable!

Travel notes. The visual travel diary format allows you to go beyond drawings; here you can come up with your own formula for the perfect trip. Add text to the sketches, connect routes with arrows, highlight the most important things: the best views, food, oddities of local residents... Absolutely anything will do!

For inspiration, take Katya Gushchina, who once boarded the Moscow-Vladivostok long-distance train and made an amazing sketch story about it.

Travel books. And if you are in a very determined mood, sit down right away with a travel book! An important rule: one trip - one book. Combine all of the above in one notebook, and also draw the sneakers that have traveled thousands of miles with you, and a dessert that you will definitely want to repeat at home. You may have to carry a glue stick with you to glue gallery tickets and cards from the train station photo booth into your chic travel book, but it's worth it. After all, a travel book is even cooler than an album of photographs that you don’t already have.

A kind of travel book is “Walks in St. Petersburg” by Yana Frank, so maybe you can print yours when you return?

Climb into someone else's sketchbook

We invite you to look through the thoughts and drawings of travel sketching practitioners.

Inna Karney

Takes visual notes and draws maps while traveling.

How to get started

At the very beginning, there was an idea for a hand-drawn diary to record life events. At first it seemed that there was nothing to record, so what happens in a day? The first drawings were primitive and described one or two events. I took my husband to the airport, for example. Everything fit on an A6 piece of paper. About two weeks later I discovered that I needed a larger sheet of paper, and from then on my visual day took up the entire A5 sheet. The experiment with a drawn diary was designed for one hundred days. Just at this time we were returning from a trip to Mongolia and Lake Baikal, the last pages were notes about a trip to rock climbing in the Baikal region. These were already travel sketches, but then I didn’t classify them as a separate genre, because essentially they were drawings of what happened during the day.

About goals

I drew a map of Warsaw so that I could recognize iconic places while walking through the old city. The fact is that when I read guidebooks, a mess of facts, objects and descriptions forms in my head. Another thing is a map, especially a drawn one.

A sketch of a trip to Iran has a route, an idea and a budget; the emphasis here is not on impressions (impressions in the sketches of individual cities), but on useful information for other travelers.

Tips for Beginners

1. Practice. Daily is best. The idea of ​​a hand-drawn diary worked for me. For some, an online extreme sketching course is suitable. In any case, you will gradually develop the skill and become a level eighty sketcher. If you practice.

2. Shut up your inner critic. You are not an artist, just allow yourself to record impressions with words and pictures in the way that will work out. Yes, I still draw crooked men and make mistakes in the inscriptions. But when I look at the drawn route around Jerusalem, the city stands before me with all its narrow streets and the people I meet there. It's priceless.

About your favorite sketch

Since we're talking about travel sketches, let's take a look at the map of Riga. Although in fact my favorite sketch is with a pancake recipe, but that's a completely different story.

Arseniy Chubich

Sketch panoramic views and travel details “here and now.” Once I went to France alone and kept a diary for.

About courage

I'm sure everyone can draw, just in different ways. Therefore, if the soul asks, then why not. The most important thing is to overcome your fears, then everything will be fine, and passers-by smiling at you will encourage you even more.

About places

I try not to mess around and draw on the spot, because otherwise it’s difficult to consider it sketches from travel. But sometimes circumstances do not allow it, if, for example, I am not traveling alone. Sometimes it happens that I look through photos from trips and realize: “Oh! We need to draw this urgently!” And sometimes I start on the spot and finish afterwards. Sometimes I like to finish drawing something in a graphics editor. My best sketches came from life, not from photos. Perhaps this is because the photograph is flat, and there I am directly surrounded by what I am drawing.

About materials

It really depends on your mood. I try to take different materials, although at any time you can buy something on the spot. I really love pencils and pens. Sometimes I want to draw with colored pencils - I use Faber Castel. My pens are the simplest ones, ballpoint or gel. Sometimes you really want to paint with paints, but it’s hard to carry them with you. I'm thinking of starting to paint with watercolors again, it's very good for sketching. In general, you can draw with anything, whatever you like best, except that it’s a little hard to carry around all the time. I have a pencil case that just fits all this.

Tips for Beginners

You can draw anything you want. Starting from the narrow streets of old cities, ending with seascapes. For those who like to draw objects and details, it’s great to draw in antique shops; they will never refuse you if you ask. If you like to draw food, markets are the best choice. There, by the way, you can draw general multi-figure plans, as well as practice sketching faces. You can draw in museums, especially zoological or technology museums. Animals do not move there, which makes the process easier. On the other hand, something very simple can also turn out to be interesting. There are no frameworks here other than those in our heads, so the sooner you overcome your shyness, the better!

About your favorite sketch

This article is for those who want and love to make sketches. I'll tell you about the materials that I use for sketches.

The choice of a set of necessary materials for small plein airs and sketching is individual for each artist. Some people like to draw only in moleskins and nothing else, but for some, plain paper is enough. Everyone chooses what they like. Do you want markers, do you want pencils, do you want pens or paints, and a brush. Anything you can draw with is suitable.

The optimal sketcher set is:

1. Gel pen (liner). If it’s a liner, you can take different thicknesses.
2. Hard pencil
3. Soft pencil
4. Eraser (just in case, you never know)
5. Pencil sharpener or sharpener
6. Squirrel brush or other animal, or synthetics (whatever you like)
7. Watercolor or black ink
8. Watercolor pad or separate sheets of paper
9. A small piece of hardboard or other hard material on which you can draw

A4. The work was done with gel pen and watercolor

But everything is in order:

Notepads

If you are a beginner artist, then a pencil and a notepad will suffice. I prefer A5 notebooks (this is half a regular landscape sheet) with a hard cover. If you are a wealthy artist, then you yourself know what you need. Let me just say that I prefer bound albums, since I can draw on two halves at once. Sometimes I draw in albums on springs and glued together. There is a problem with good materials in Sevastopol!

Pens and pencils

Any pencils will do. From hard and soft pencils to colored pencils. It all depends on the goals. For colored pencils, I prefer SUPERB WRITER. They are soft and pleasant to use.

Brushes and paints

And choose colors to your taste. To begin with, you will have enough children's watercolors for a few pennies. Then you can buy more expensive ones. I use White Nights - for me it’s one of the best brands. Try different brushes. It is believed that brushes made from natural hair are better, but I use synthetic ones and I like them.

If you want to learn how to draw well, you can't do without a sketch. And even if you have already learned to draw, you still can’t do without a sketch!

A quick sketch helps to train the ability to create a “living” line, learn to isolate the main thing in nature, quickly conveying the essence on paper, and also learn how to make a successful composition of a sheet. In addition, a sketch allows you to record an idea for a future painting that has come to mind in order to return to it later.

You can make sketches with anything, but it’s better to start with a pencil or pastel. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to make elegant sketches with pens and markers, ink, or even using mixed media - the choice of materials is quite large. But even if you prefer a pencil, remember: the sketch does not tolerate numerous erases and corrections. If you don’t like what you got, just start something new, because your goal is training, not an instant masterpiece. Although after a couple of months the quick drawings themselves will start to turn out better and better.

More practice!

It is better to start with a non-living or at least sedentary nature, because at first it is very difficult to “grab” the pose of a moving object. And you can start drawing moving objects and completing them from memory within a week or two.

The sketch needs to be done quite quickly - no more than 10-15 minutes. If you don’t have a life model and are drawing from a photo, then you need to finish in 2-3 minutes, having only managed to capture the pose or the main outlines, since the habit of carefully copying from a photograph greatly harms the novice artist, preventing him from learning to feel the volume of the depicted objects .