Perspective on a Curved Street This is a sketch I did on a winter day in Milan, Italy. The warm colors and shabby details of these buildings are what drew me to this scene. I love the way the light softens all the colors as they recede into the distance. At first, this scene appears to employ onepoint perspective. I’m looking down a single street, and all the buildings recede toward a point somewhere in the background. But because this street curves to the left, each building is aiming at its own unique vanishing point. They all share the same horizon line, but for each building there will be a unique vanishing point on the horizon. Sketching Process: SKETCHING A MOUNTAIN SCENE 1 | Sketch the mountain in the foreground with ink, making it more prominent. 2 | Sketch the background mountains with pencil. Pencil naturally has a lighter line weight than ink, so these mountains appear to recede into the distance. 3 | Use an even heavier line to sketch foreground trees, creating even more depth. These elements are closest to us, so they appear more saturated and defined. 4 | Final shading with a soft pencil brings everything together. KNOWING WHEN TO STOP Knowing when a sketch or painting is done can be one of the most elusive skills to learn. This usually comes about with years of practice and, unfortunately, by ruining many paintings. There’s a line you cross, and once crossed, you immediately know you’ve gone too far. But to approach this invisible finish line and stop just short of it is a tricky skill to master. When I know I’m getting close to finishing a piece, I listen for a quiet voice in my head that begins to whisper, “you’re almost done.” This voice never shouts, but it is insistent. It will just quietly say, “stop.” It’s easy to miss this voice. It’s also easy to ignore. But when you carry on and paint those extra brushstrokes that are a bridge too far, that voice says, “See? I told you. Maybe you’ll listen next time.” The next sketch, the next painting, tomorrow or next week. This voice is one to listen for. It’s elusive and hard to recognize, but once you know what you’re listening for, you’ll be able to hear it, and it will become familiar. Get to know this voice. For each of you it will be different. This whisper can be your best friend. Springtime sunshine in Northern California. It can be tempting to get caught up in details and textures and just keep going, but we must listen for the voice telling us the painting is done. More details can always be added, but they’re harder to take away. So set your sketch aside and come back to it later. Sometimes the perspective of time can tell us that our piece is done. ADDING VOLUME: Sketching Process 1 | A great way to draw volume is to practice drawing what is knows as the bean. We want our figures to have volume and mass to them, rather than be two-dimensional stick figures. 2 | Imagine a squishy jellybean or pillow and draw it in as many forms as you can. 3 | Add shoulders and hips to the jellybean or pillow shapes. 4 | Draw three-dimensional tubes and shapes, rather than just an outline.
✔ Author(s): Alex Hillkurtz
✔ Title: Sketching Techniques for Artists: In-Studio and Plein-Air Methods for Drawing and Painting Still Lifes, Landscapes, Architecture, Faces and Figures, and More (Volume 5) (For Artists, 5)
✔ Rating : 4.7 out of 5 base on (383 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1631599232
✔ ISBN-13: 9781631599231
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about Sketching Techniques for Artists by Alex Hillkurtz
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The world-building in this book was simply phenomenal. I was transported to a different realm and felt like I was part of the characters' journey. The attention to detail made it all so immersive.
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The author's writing style is so captivating; I couldn't put the book down. Every sentence was beautifully crafted, and the descriptions painted vivid images in my mind. A true literary gem.
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The depth of character development was astounding. I felt like I knew each person intimately, understanding their hopes, fears, and dreams. It made the story so much more meaningful.
