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Let's Get Your Creative Juices Flowing!!!
Hey art lover!! Today, while browsing Pinterest for new zentangling ideas, I stumbled upon some truly amazing art. After analyzing these pieces, I identified three key elements that made them stand out: Lineweight, Shading, and Highlights.
These THREE techniques are ESSENTIAL to help you create depth, dimension, and a polished look - not only in zentangles, but in ANYTHING you create! Let's dive into how you can apply all 3 elements so you can elevate your zentangles from simple... to STUNNING!!
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Line Weight
Line weight (or line variation) refers to the thickness or thinness of your lines in a drawing. Varying the line weight in your artwork adds depth and dimension - basically just making it more FUN to look at :)
Thicker lines can be used to emphasize the outline of your subject, while thinner lines can depict finer details and textures. By adjusting the pressure on your pen or pencil, you can create a range of line weights to bring your drawing to life. Even easier - CHANGE out the fineliners or markers you're working with so you incorporate a wide variety of nib sizes! These are my faves by Molotow.
If you don't have a set of fineliners with multiple nib sizes, don't sweat it. You can just darken some areas of your work to make them totally black like I did behind my tiny half moon shapes in the center of this drawing...
Shading
Adding shading to your drawings IMMEDIATELY add sophistication to your projects. If you've never done shading before, check out today's video because I actually show you with my phone light how shadows can naturally appear on my paper.
You always want to imagine a light source shining on your drawing from ONE direction. For whatever reason, I tend to imagine my light source for most of my drawings is in the upper left corner. Then I simply shade off to the right of my lines to add realistic looking shadows.In today's project, I used two gray copic markers in light and medium to add shading. Highlights
For me, highlights are the most crucial part of any drawing or painting. To add the highlights shown below, I used my white Prismacolor pencil on its side to create a soft, "glowy" effect. Watch how I did it HERE.
Since I'm a fan of super BOLD highlights, I reached for my Copic opaque white to take my highlights to the next level. This adds INSTANT drama and makes the drawing REALLY pop, right?!
Enjoyed Today's Video?
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Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 19 Instructional Art Books! Whose work has appeared in...Archives
September 2024
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"Karen is flipping hilarious and she's very real...I like the way she teaches in a way that really gives you confidence, whether you're a beginner or advanced there's always something new to learn!"
- Elizabeth W. |
What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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