2022 Workshop 3

August 1, 2022

Sketching & Drawing – The Foundation of All Art

Discover the world of sketching and drawing; the foundation of creating any type of art. Together we will learn the fundamentals, which will help you grow in confidence while deepening your knowledge and understanding of sketching & drawing. You will learn about values, shading and how to create more realistic drawings.

Fox drawing by Brandon Schaefer — Artwork by Brandon Schaefer

Started Aug 1st, 2022

Lesson 1: Materials, Using the Materials, and Simple Lines & Shapes

Instructions

In this lesson we will be learning about all the materials you will need to start sketching and drawing in your sketchbook. Try to simplify your materials as much as possible and only use what is necessary for you. It's easy to become overwhelmed by an excess of materials, so it's best to avoid this if possible and keep it simple. We'll practice making different types of lines, shapes and forms to prepare for future sketches and drawings.

Started Aug 8th, 2022

Lesson 2: Blocking-in Methods and Simplifying Objects

Instructions

In this video we will learn a few different methods for beginning a drawing and how to block-in our subject on the page. This stage of the drawing process is one of the most important to understand and practice a lot. The better you become at this stage of drawing, the easier the rest of the drawing process becomes. We will also learn about simplifying objects.

Started Aug 15th, 2022

Lesson 3: Proportions, Measuring Techniques, & Values

Instructions

In this lesson we will learn all about proportions and how to create more accurate drawings. We will use the block-in methods from Lesson 2 and use measuring techniques and proportions to make our block-ins more accurate and realistic. Lastly, we will learn some simple shading techniques to bring our drawings to life.

Started Aug 22nd, 2022

Lesson 4: Drawing a Simplified Portrait from a Painting

Instructions

In this video we will put together all of the lessons from the previous videos and create a final sketch or drawing. We will incorporate lines, shapes, blocking-in, proportions, and shading. Please take your time on this stage and try it as many times as you can. Sometimes it can take multiple attempts to get the desired outcome we are looking for. Practice will only make your drawing better.

Workshop 3 Supply List

Strathmore:

Strathmore Toned Tan Sketchbook 80lb/118gsm • medium surface - P412-5 (5.5 x 8.5") or P412-9 (9 x 12")

Lyra:

Lyra Graduate Graphite Pencil - Set of 12 - L1171120

Lyra Sandpaper Block - L2091507

Lyra Rembrandt White Pastel Pencil - L2052001

Lyra Kneadable Eraser - L2091467

You must be logged in to post

Topic: Lesson 2 Questions

2022-08-08 07:20 Strathmore

Thank you for joining us for lesson two! Ask any questions you may have about Brandon's week 2 lesson.

L v

2022-08-08 09:24 Lisa

How often do you find yourself replacing your kneaded eraser? You demonstrated rolling it into a cylinder in the 1st video. I wanted to try that, and mine won't cooperate. Thanks!

2022-08-09 18:53 Brandon

Hi Lisa, How long have you had that kneaded eraser? I find I can usually use mine for many years. Although, everyone is different and maybe yours has dried up significantly somehow. It should be fairly easy to shape it any way you wish - kind of like play-doh or something similar. I would definitely invest in a pack of new ones :) Have fun!

2022-08-09 22:08 Lotus

Hello Brandon, Thank you for doing this workshop. Although I am not new to drawing I still found your first two lessons very useful. I have trouble with complex curves or even simple ones, and your explanation on how to do curves using the straight line angle technique has helped me greatly drawing an animal. I could see a big improvement in my before and after your tutorial sketches. The sketch of curves , I did by using straight line angles, and I also did some curves by imagining the angled lines. You can see where I have erased and had to adjust. I probably should have just done another, but this I sketched after my animal sketch, and was at the end of drawing energy..haha. Lotus

2022-08-09 22:19 Lotus

Ok so here are my sketches before your tutorial and after.

2022-08-09 22:20 Lotus

After tutorial...

2022-08-10 13:10 Brandon

Hi Lotus, thank you for sharing your thoughts and photos of your recent sketches! This is really great to hear and I'm glad you are finding the series helpful in some way. I can definitely see an improvement with your animal sketch afterwards :) And the sketch you did of the curves, I can see that it is quite nice and precise - those straight lines are definitely so useful for getting curves - ironically haha. Glad you found this method useful - I know it really changed my drawings as well once I started implementing it years ago. Hope you have fun with the drawings moving forward! Keep up the good work.

2022-08-11 03:31 Lotus

Thank you, Brandon. I love the irony of drawing curves form straight lines. Lotus

2022-08-15 12:15 StephZ

Hi Brandon-thanks so much for teaching this class. As a sketching tool, at first I didn't get the idea behind drawing lines, but then I began to practice what you were teaching and the concept became much more clear and is most helpful. A little bit of a "light bulb turning on" moment. THANKS!

2022-08-18 12:13 Brandon

Glad to hear that StephZ! I understand that some concepts won't resonate with everyone, but sometimes you never know until you give it a shot and see what happens! Glad it was helpful for your sketching and drawing. Have fun with it! :)

Brandon Schaefer