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The Tombow mono zero eraser is an ESSENTIAL drawing supply in my studio. If you've never used it before - the mono eraser is built like a mechanical pencil, but filled with a long, skinny eraser instead of graphite.
In today's drawing supply demo, I'll show you why the Tombow mono eraser is a MUST HAVE in my studio + the QUICK & EASY ways I use it to add dimension when I'm shading faces in graphite. If you're just learning how to draw faces, or curious about what the mono zero eraser can do for you - today's video is a MUST SEE!!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
The mono eraser is one of my MOST FAVORITE drawing tools on the planet! As you can see, the mono eraser (right) is WAY smaller (less than half the size!) of the eraser on my pentel mechanical pencil.
The mono's tiny eraser nib enables me to chisel highlights into my drawings after I've already done some shading.
I've nearly finished a Fairy Witch graphite drawing project for The Celtic Collective, and just need to add in some highlights. I thought you might like to watch how I do this using the mono eraser. Interested in learning MORE about the Celtic Collective? Add your name to the waitlist here to be notified the next time we're open for enrollment!
The crystal necklace around this girl's neck is definitely an area where I need to add some thin reflections. I use my mono eraser in a similar way to my drawing pencils and tend to just "draw in" highlights wherever I want them to go.
It's literally like sculpting - I carve the highlights OUT of previously shaded sections to remove some of the graphite and add dimension by revealing newly "drawn" white highlights.
Another way I like to use the mono eraser is for cleaning up my edges. In the photo above, I ran the tiny eraser nib along the darker outlines of this piece of jewelry to remove sketchy lines, smudges, etc.
I LOVE adding drama to the center of the upper eyelids when I'm shading faces. My Tombow mono zero eraser is perfect for blending out highlights here to help the eye look more bulbous and realistic.
Do you love drawing and shading faces too? Or maybe you're just learning how to draw faces? You NEED my FREE whimsical face drawing guidelines. They're super easy to follow, and will help you draw proportional facial features every time. Simply click the button below to request your free guidelines cheatsheet, and I'll email it right over!
If you're just getting starting with learning how to draw faces, I've got a quick playlist of face drawing tutorials for you to practice with, that is perfect for beginners! It's FREE on YouTube, and is the perfect way for you to start playing with the whimsical face drawing guidelines.
If you know me and my work at all, you KNOW I'm not a huge fan of detail work. LOL! But the Tombow mono zero eraser has helped me add another layer of dimension to my work and I kinda love doing it!!
Whenever I'm drawing hairstyles in pencil, I also love using my mono zero eraser to create the illusion of individual strands of hair within my drawing. CLICK OVER to the video to see this technique in action.
Thanks for hanging out with me today! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
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Wanna practice drawing necks realistically in JUST 5 minutes?! LET'S DO IT!! In today's step by step drawing lesson, we're going to be drawing 5 female necks in real time, directly onto my FREE drawing worksheets. If you need help with how to draw necks, have always wanted to learn how to draw a face, are struggling with how to work drawing practice into your daily life, or need to add MORE FUN into your art practice, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU!!
I'd love for you to draw right along with me! Simply click the button below to grab my FREE 5 in 5 Facial Features Drawing Packet, and I'll send it straight to your email inbox.
Today's video is a follow up to a facial features drawing series I did a couple of months ago because I'm getting a lot of requests for how to draw necks and eyebrows!
If you're just discovering this series on how to draw facial features, the whole point of this thing, is just to get us practicing our drawing skills. We're not making it our "life's work," it's just a little drawing exercise, and we're only going to spend about 5 minutes working with each neck drawing reference photo, then we're moving on.
You'll see a stop watch going in the bottom of my screen. It's not here to stress you out. It's just to remind ME not to spend more than 5 minutes with any one reference image. Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
When we're working on these drawing worksheets, there are three things I encourage you to focus on one at a time, when looking at each neck drawing reference image:
1. Shape 2. Value 3. Details For my supplies today- I'm just using my favorite Blackwing pencil - it's like a soft 4B, and super smooth to work with. You're also gonna need a blending stump, an eraser (I love my vanish eraser and the tombow mono eraser).
In each neck drawing reference photo, I left in the jawline visible so we can look at how thick the neck is, and where it begins in relation to the head.
I started drawing the jawline on my first reference image with the chin, then added in the angles I saw in the model's face shape.
Once the angles were penciled in, I took a minute to study the reference for any other lines that felt like they need to be drawn in (see below). Then I grabbed my blending stump to begin dragging some graphite around to help indicate the shadows I saw in the model's neck.
Make sure you download your 5 in 5 Drawing Packet so you can practice right on the drawing worksheets with me. Then click over to the video so we can do this quick drawing practice together in real time (no timelapse).
While doing this drawing practice, I realized necks are really WAY more about shading than drawing!
If you're someone who's been afraid to try drawing a face realistically, or if you've been afraid to try adding a little bit of shading to your drawings - this is the PERFECT drawing exercise for you! Plus it's quick - something I always love!!
If you need to knock back any areas of your shading because they've gotten too dark, use your eraser to "pounce" and lift a little graphite off the page. Click over to the video to see this drawing technique. Keep checking your reference image to compare the lightest and darkest areas on the model's neck with your own drawing.
Our next reference image has a more rounded face shape than our first model, and a wider neck.
My hope in today's free drawing lesson is that you can sharpen your observational skills, and let go of any fears you have about not having an anatomy background for drawing.
You don't need it for the kind of drawing we're doing! This is just some light practice, and the anatomy can be indicated with your shading.
Our third reference image has some super dramatic shading for us to work on in the neck and collarbone. If you want to add in her braid- feel free, but don't stress about it. Today's practice is just about focusing on the neck.
Did you grab yourFREE 5 in 5 Drawing Practice packet and print it out yet? I hope so!!
As I always say, "You'll NEVER get worse with more practice." So print that sucker out, and let's get to work! If you're enjoying today's episode, make sure you check out the entire series on my YouTube drawing channel, because I teach you how to draw and shade eyes, eyebrows, noses, lips, hair, face shapes & more! Plus, each facial feature has 2 pages of black and white face drawing reference images to study and capture in your own drawing practice - right on the same pages. Our fourth neck drawing reference is SUPER subtle, and will help you sharpen your observational skills as we zero in on the highlights and shadows in this image together.
Our last drawing reference (below) for today has a super unique shape and lots of beautiful values for us to concentrate on replicating in our own drawing.
Make sure you grab my 5 in 5 Practice Packet so YOU can sharpen your drawing skills right along with me.
Thanks for hanging out with me today! Interested in learning about how to create a mixed media portrait, but missed my Mixed Media Art Deco Workshop last week? Don't worry! You can STILL sign up and do this at your own pace - any time you want!! No art experience is needed for this super FUN online art class - I'll teach you everything you need to know, and we'll go step by step, together.
Ready to learn realistic eyebrow drawing in just 5 minutes?! LET'S DO IT!! In today's step by step lesson, we're going to be drawing 5 sets of eyebrows in real time, directly onto my FREE drawing worksheet. If you need help with how to draw eyebrows, have always wanted to learn how to draw a face, are struggling with how to work drawing practice into your daily life, or need to add MORE FUN into your art practice, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU!!
I'd love for you to draw right along with me! Simply click the button below to grab my FREE 5 in 5 Facial Features Drawing Packet, and I'll send it straight to your email inbox.
Today's video is a follow up to a facial features drawing series I did a couple of months ago because I'm getting a lot of requests for how to draw eyebrows and how to draw necks!
If you're just discovering this series on how to draw facial features, the whole point of this thing is just to get us practicing our drawing skills. We're not making it our "life's work," it's just a little drawing exercise, and we're just going to spend about 5 minutes working with each reference photo, then we're moving on.
You'll see a stop watch going in the bottom of my screen. It's not here to stress anyone out. It's just to remind me not to spend more than 5 minutes with any one reference image. Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
There are three things I'd love for your to focus on one at a time, when looking at each eyebrow reference image:
1. Eyebrow Shape 2. Value 3. Details For my supplies today- I'm just using my favorite Blackwing pencil - it's like a soft 4B, and super smooth to work with. You're also gonna need a blending stump, an eraser (I love my vanish eraser and the tombow mono eraser).
So with our first reference, as you can see- I draw in the general shape I'm seeing for the right eyebrow. The value I see is really pretty black, so I reach for my blending stump right away and then try to add in a few individual hairs even though I don't really see them in this particular photo - they're definitely there.
On the left eyebrow in this reference image, (above) you can definitely see a LOT more individual hairs, so I make sure to add those in where I see them, to make my drawing look more realistic.
or our second reference image, I'll show you how to draw bushy eyebrows - 2020 style. Lol! After these were drawn in with a little shading added, I carved out some highlights using my tombow eraser for detail.
The next face drawing reference has some really unique eyebrows for us to draw. They're much thinner than the last set, and are great practice if you're trying to learn how to draw curved eyebrows.
This style (above) is actually my favorite to draw on the mixed media portraits and whimsical drawings I love to create.
QUICK TIP: When you're ready to draw the individual hairs on the eyebrow, make sure your pencil tip is really sharp, or switch to a mechanical pencil. Doing drawing practice like this with drawing reference photos and cheatsheets can help you think of new ways to draw from your imagination later.
Our fourth reference today has a very different shape and is a great face drawing reference photo if you've been looking for something to help you with how to draw a natural eyebrow.
QUICK TIP: You always draw things that grow (hair, grass, etc.) from the ROOT up to the tip.
I hope you find these eyebrow drawing references helpful for your own face drawing practice. Remember to grab my cheatsheet so you can do your drawing practice right on the drawing worksheet like me. This drawing worksheet is part of my 5 in 5 Facial Features Drawing Series on my YouTube drawing channel. In case you missed that- it's a super helpful 6-part video series on how to draw facial features with a worksheet of drawing references to go with each feature. We worked on how to draw realistic eyes, how to draw realistic noses, how to draw realistic lips, ears, how to draw different face shapes and how to draw fun female hairstyles in 5 minutes. I popped these new eyebrow drawing worksheets at the end of my drawing packet. You'll also see worksheets for how to draw necks - that's coming up on my YouTube channel soon, so stay tuned for that! Thanks for hanging out with me today!
Interested in learning how to create gorgeous mixed media portraits and learning how to draw art deco style? Join me for my upcoming 1-week, online art workshop starting September 27, 2021.
I'll teach you how to upcycle an old record jacket from the thrift shop into your very own mixed media canvas. Then we'll collage our hearts out, do a little mixed media drawing, and I'll show you ALL my tips and tricks to mixed media layering like a pro!
CLICK HERE to SIGN UP for the WORKSHOP and take advantage of my special 60% OFF Coupon Code before September 27th If you do plan to join me for this upcoming workshop, one of the mixed media art supplies I ALWAYS use is faber castell gelatos. I have heard from a number of my students that they can't get their hands on gelatos, so I just did a video on my mixed media YouTube channel about Faber Castell Gelatos Alternatives, and test a huge variety of gel crayons out for you so YOU don't have to! Make sure you check this out before the workshop starts on September 27th. See ya there!! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
This martini glass drawing tutorial is SO fun & easy! Pour yourself a drink & come hang out with me for our own little draw & paint party. If you love art deco style already - you'll LOVE seeing a glimpse of the projects in my recently released trilogy of Learn to Draw Art Deco Style books. Then, I'll show you how to draw a martini glass and shade it 2 different ways- once using Noodler's Ink (it's basically like watercoloring!), and the other using my favorite alcohol markers (copics)!!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
In 2020, I went down a serious 1920s -1930s / art deco rabbit hole just for me. I fell in love with the styles and just had a blast getting into the fashion, figures, hats, shoes, jewelry, furniture, pets, men, cars and cocktails of that era!
During that time period I published not one, but THREE Art Deco Drawing books (1, 2, 3).
What's fun about these books is I do have a lot of FREE videos on YouTube to accompany the book, so if you've ordered a book and see a little film icon in the corner- make sure you check that link out because there is a video lesson you can play while you work your way through lessons in the book.
I used a lot of watercolor, alcohol markers, and fountain pen inks. In each of these books you'll even find a few fun facts about this time in history because I'm a bit of a vintage history nerd! And when I look stuff up, I've gotta share!! I love everything OLD!
Volume #1 is super "girly" with lots of fashion, shoes and jewelry. In this book I go in depth about how to use my Quadrant Method for drawing figures too, so if you've been wondering how to draw figures easily - this is a great way for beginners to get started!
In my second volume, I'll teach you how to draw male figures as well as popular dogs and cats from the Art Deco era. If you're not sure how to draw a dog or how to draw a cat, I teach you how to use my Quadrant Method for this as well. It's SUPER easy!!
Art deco furniture was GORGEOUS, so you'll find quite a few fun pieces in this volume as well. If you've been following me for a while, you may already know I've got an obsession of painting with fountain pen inks!
I find fountain pen ink to be even MORE vibrant than my favorite Daniel Smith watercolors, and I love to just dip my watercolor brush straight into the bottle to get some serious pigment onto my paper.
When I was painting the Art Deco furniture projects for this book, I felt my fountain pen inks really made the velvet I was rendering look realistic! You kinda have to see it to believe it.
I wrapped up Volume #2 of Learn to Draw Art Deco style with a chapter on cars and cocktails from this era. It's really remarkable how realistic some of these drawings look!
You can totally achieve this too when you learn how to layer your art supplies properly. Even if you're a beginner- you can do this! I'll show you how and keep each project step by step, so even beginners just learning how to draw feel comfortable!
To dotoday's full length drawing tutorial with me - all you need is a sheet of watercolor paper (if you want to color your martini using a wet medium like watercolor), or a sheet of bristol, card stock, or marker paper if you'd like to shade your martini in alcohol markers.
Be sure to click over to the video to draw with me in real time (22:22). The drawing itself is fairly simple, so if you're a beginner interested in learning how to draw - this project is perfect for you!
We're starting with an upsidedown triangle and adding a stem. Once everything is sketched in, I pulled out my Habannero Fountain Pen Ink and simply started coloring in the liquid for my martini. If you're not sure how to paint with fountain pen inks, just follow me. It's basically the same as using watercolors - just richer.
If you don't have any fountain pen ink, you can definitely use Dr. Martin's acrylic ink in a similar way or watercolors.
Click over to the video to see how I shade the stem of the glass. I often reach for my Daniel Smith Hermatite Genuine. This is a really soft gray. You can also just really water down some Bloodstone Genuine or Payne's Gray as well to paint a fine line down the stem of the glass.
If you'd like to see the same project done in alcohol markers while your ink painting is drying, click over to the video (42:00). If you enjoy the look of outlining in your work and are going to shade with alcohol markers, you can outline your glass before or after you shade.
If you choose to outline first, make sure you're NOT working with an alcohol based fineliner because it will bleed. The fineliner should be pigment based or water based (warning: SHARPIES will bleed, so don't use these). Check out my Amazon Shop of favorite art supplies for drawing and mixed media. I recommend Moltows for outlining with copics or other alcohol markers.
Make sure you swatch your alcohol marker shades off to the side so you know ahead of time that they will blend well together. Before your start shading in marker, be sure to erase your graphite because your markers will drag that around and smear.
HOT TIP: To ease your shading transitions between marker shades, just keep on layering because each top layer rewets the bottom layers and helps them blend. You can also use your lightest of the three colors to blend, or work in a layer of colored pencil, followed by some highlights with a posca paint pen. Click over to this video for more tips on how to copic marker blending!
Make sure you click over to the video because I walk you through both versions of this project step by step!
Thanks for hanging out with me today!!
❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
Wanna find out which drawing pencils, pens & erasers I won't leave home without?! Today, I'm dumping out my travel art supplies bag to show you EXACTLY what I brought on our last trip so I could play in my new toned paper travel sketchbook! If you've got a trip coming up and can't decide how to narrow down your drawing supplies - today's video is FOR YOU!!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: Some of the product links below are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
So many times in the past when I've brought a travel art bag on vacation, I didn't even use half of the art supplies I brought with me! I kinda got sick of dragging around a ton of stuff, so started challenging myself to bring less.
Sometimes I'll limit myself to paper and a pencil if I wanna go super minimalist - but most of the time, I'll bring a pouch with me and fill it with an assortment of drawing pencils, erasers and gel pens like I'm going to show you today. On my most recent trip I decided to only bring dry media drawing supplies, which means my black stabilo all pencil and my waterbrush had to stay at home! Simply deciding something like "only dry media supplies" is a super easy way to narrow things down when you're trying to bring less. Click over to the video to see each supply and why I've chosen to include it! Here are my top ten favorite travel art supplies for drawing - in no particular order!! I've really been in love with my clicky pens from Pentel lately. I use the .07 nibs for writing and the 1.0 nib for drawing. I LOVE a juicy gel pen for drawing - it's like ice skating on my paper!
Next, I've gotta have white drawing supplies for adding highlights to anything and everything I create, so there is always a little collection of white posca pens (I'm always afraid one might not work, so I bring at least two!). I also throw a few black posca pens in my bag for outlining!
If I'm bringing toned paper (which I did on this trip!), I'll bring my china markers as well (the white, wax pencil at the bottom in the above picture). They're super opaque and fun to use. If you've never used china markers or worked with toned paper before - I've got a whole series JUST for you!
Normally I'd also bring my black china marker, but was in a hurry and couldn't find it before I left, so grabbed my jumbo jet black pencil (shown above). I buy these at Jerry's Artarama. They also go on really opaque and have a similar feel to a china marker. It's oil impregnated charcoal!
Next, I need my drafting pencils - also from Pentel. These have some weight to them and feel heavy in my hand- which I love. I use the .09 for really bold lines. This one is great for when I'm teaching online because people can see the lines from it really well. I use the .07 and .05 for more detail. They also make a .03- but I find that I don't use that one as much.
When I want to do some shading- I really love my Palamino Blackwing Pencils. I feel like you can do everything with one of these suckers! They're so soft. It's like having an entire pencil set wrapped up in one pencil!!
Honestly, if I only had a blackwing pencil, a blending stump (below) and one of my white posca pens, I'd be a happy camper (if we're talking bare minimum supplies). Remember with blending stumps - the dirtier, the better!
Next - let's talk drawing erasers. I have two favorites. I use my vanish eraser absolutely ALL the time. It's super gentle on your paper and very effective at lifting graphite off the page.
My next favorite eraser for drawing is by Tombow. It's called the mono zero eraser. It's basically like a mechanical pencil, but an ERASER! It's amazing to chisel out teeny tiny highlights!
I've been loving my Uni-Ball Signo gel pens for quite a while! Sometimes I'll draw with these alone, but typically I'll use them for adding fun outlines and doodles at the end of a drawing. They also work amazing well on top of watercolor!!
Depending on the kind of line weight I want to use in my drawing for outlining at the end - I may also choose to use a thicker, black posca pen as well.
Finally - I WON'T leave home without my beloved pentel pocket brush!
This thing makes the most AMAZING eyelashes and I use it for both drawing and mixed media portraits! If you've never worked with this before- it really has the feel of a paintbrush and can take a little getting used to. Here's a video to help you use the pentel pocket brush for drawing eyelashes in drawings (featured at the end of that video), and one for using the pentel pocket brush in mixed media drawings!
I recently discovered a similar product with an even teenier brush nib at Michael's, so that was in my travel art supplies bag this trip as well!
That's it! I hope you find today's video helpful!! I know it can be such a challenge narrowing down you art supplies when you're traveling - but this list should really help you out!
❤️MY ARTIST BESTIE, LUCY BRYDON & I created a NEW ART MEMBERSHIP together called The Celtic Collective! It's now open for enrollment! Join us before the price increases on August 7.
Today I'm starting a FUN cartoon cat drawing series over on my YouTube Drawing channel!
I've been teaching my students in The Fun Fab Drawing Club over at Awesome Art School how to draw cartoon cats & dogs, and thought YOU might like a sneak peek at what we've been up to! Feel free to use this funny Siamese cat lying down as YOUR OWN cat drawing reference so you can play along with us!
I'm keeping it easy with supplies - just a pencil, fineliner and some copics to shade! Come draw with me! BEGINNERS WELCOME!!
Before I get too far into this drawing tutorial, I HAVE to give a shout out to the talented artist who inspired these drawing lessons - Heather Nesheim!
I'm actually dedicating this WHOLE series to Heather because I think her work is amazing and when I asked her if we could study her work and use it to inspire our own cat drawings, she said YES!
So a HUGE thank you to, Heather!!
Through this whole series - we'll be honing our drawing skills with a wide variety of cat cartoons!
I think it's SUPER important to have an awesome reference that YOU LOVE when you're just learning how to draw because you'll be way more interested in actually drawing it! And...the more you draw- the BETTER you'll get!! I'm drawing all my cats in pencil and doing the cat drawing outline with a fineliner before I pull out my copics for some alcohol marker shading.
I've tried TONS of brands out for fineliners and I have to say I'm really in love with a new set made by MOLOTOW. You can find them in my store over on Amazon if you need a fineliner that WON'T SMUDGE under your alcohol markers.
The set I've got comes in multiple nibs to help me vary my line weights. I love their water based pigment in the ink, and the way they feel kinda heavy in my hand - which makes me feel like I've got more control over my work.
Real quick - if you do feel like you need some fineliners or find another something you love over in my Amazon store - my links are Affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
Thanks again Heather for inspiring such a FUN drawing series for us over at Awesome Art School in the Fun Fab Drawing Club! We love your work and are so appreciative that you let us practice drawing like YOU!! You can check Heather's website out here or go follow her on Instagram @heddarsketch. Wanna do this and MORE fun cat cartoon drawings with me in REAL TIME (not timelapsed/ sped up) over at Awesome Art School? Join the waitlist in The Fun Fab Drawing Club!
❤️Did you miss my Fun Fab Fairies Workshop? NO worries!! You can STILL sign up and enjoy each of these lessons on your own time at your own pace in this stand alone classroom at Awesome Art School! CLICK HERE to REGISTER.
❤️MY ARTIST BESTIE, LUCY BRYDON & I are creating a NEW ART MEMBERSHIP together called The Celtic Collective!! Learn More & add your name to the waitlist here. Opens July 7th!
In today's face sketching video, we're building on what you learned about toned paper drawing over the last 2 weeks, and putting it ALL together to create a QUICK female face drawing!
We'll use my face drawing guidelines and identify the values we see in our face drawing reference photo. Then I'll show you how to shade your drawing + quick ways for drawing shadows and highlights using china markers, a pencil, blending stump and sharpies on toned paper! BEGINNERS WELCOME!!
Grab your supplies & come practice face drawing with me!
First things first, if you haven't grabbed my FREE Toned Paper Packet/cheatsheets- please do that and get them printed out. It's 5 helpful pages to set you up for toned paper drawing success!
You'll recieve my face drawing guidelines, along with a few reference photos for drawing a sphere (last week's exercise), a reference image for today & a list of my fav supplies if you need some!
Simpy click on this button and I'll send the cheatsheets STRAIGHT over to your inbox!
In Part 1 of this toned paper drawing series, we went over concepts and supplies for drawing on toned paper. Last week in Part 2 - we talked about how to draw and shade a sphere on toned paper, as well as the differencecs to keep in mind when working on toned tan paper or toned grey paper vs white paper.
I'm working on toned grey paper today because I think this is a bit easier for beginners who are getting used to value scale drawing. Before I start drawing, I scribbled some shading with a variety of pencils and marked which pencil helped me achieve which value on a scrap of toned paper, below. If you're new to toned paper drawing- I suggest you do this too so you have a reference for yourself that you can use while you draw.
As we discussed last week, when you're drawing on toned paper- you're "responsible" for adding in ALL the brightest highlights and darkest shadows. The mid-tones are already represented for you by the tone of the paper.
Once you get your Toned Paper Packet downloaded and printed- grab your reference drawing photo for today (shown above), and we'll get started on your free drawing lesson.
The face I'll be drawing isn't going to be super realistic because I typically prefer a lighter style called whimsical drawing. If you're new to my YouTube drawing channel - my goal is to help you become a better artist by keeping things FUN so nothing feels stressful. That means we don't get too hung up on details.
Make sure you click over to the video to do this face drawing lesson in REAL TIME with me because it makes SUCH a difference!! We're starting out with an oval and sketching in our face drawing guidelines - something I NEVER skip -even after all the hundreds of faces I've drawn!!
If you're somewhat familiar with drawing facecs and feel like you'd enjoy learning more about how to draw facial features more realistically, I have another FREE series you might enjoy (which also comes with free drawing worksheets). Make sure you check that out because it's awesome if you like drawing faces as much as I do!
After you get your face shape and guidelines drawn, it's time to lightly sketch in some squished ovals to serve as placeholders for the eyes, nose and mouth.
If you're just learning how to draw eyes, I LOVE using my circle template to draw the irises on my girls when I'm pressed for time, or not in the mood to draw perfect circles from scratch! If this little cheat helps you too - DO IT, and don't feel bad about it. Just move on and keep your drawing project FUN!
Make sure you click over to the video because I'm showng you exactly how to draw a face step by step, and will keeping things EASY for you if this is your first time drawing a face. The face drawing guidelines will help a TON! Trust me ;)
I also bring back my circle template/ stencil for adding pupils into the eyes. Make sure you pop those right into the center of your irises. I see pupils kinda all over the place, and this little tidbit will help make your faces look more sophisticated- especially if you're just learning how to draw eyes!
Once you've gotten all the facial features in position where they need to go - you can erase all of your guidelines.
Follow me in the video to start observing the values depicted in our reference photo. As you'll see in the FREE Toned Paper Packet I've provided- there are some versions of the reference image with polka dots of gray that I've laid down to help you decide which pencil to grab when shading various parts of her face.
I love using my china markers (also called grease pencils) on toned paper because you can get really opaque coverage with them.
The only thing I don't love about my china markers is they don't blend - so just be aware of that as you head in to attack your shadows. If you haven't used a china marker before - here is another video for you. I demo how to sharpen a china marker in that video and in last week's YouTube drawing tutorial. For today's face shading, l'm starting with my white china marker to pop in the lightest white highlights first - which are really happening in the left side of her face.
When you've finished with the whites- move on to your darkest darks with your black china marker (colored pencils are fine to use for this drawing exercise too).
Now when you take a step back to view your work a little from a distance, I don't want you to freak out if you're new to face drawing!
This girl is in what I lovingly refer to as "the ugly phase." It means she probably looks really unfinished and might have you second guessing if you should toss her into the trash because you feel like she is so ugly. DON'T DO IT. This is normal! EVERY face drawing has an ugly phase. Just accept it, know your project is about halfway done and KEEP GOING. Don't let the "ugly phase" win! Now that I've got a good base of my highlights and darkest shadows down, I'm going to work some graphite pencil in, and start moving some of the graphite around with my blending stump.
Remember, china markers don't blend, but you can ease some of your shading transitions by adding some pencil and a little graphite blending with a blending stump.
I pulled out my sharpies and pentel pocket brush to add some hair and a few details into her face. She's starting to come to life and working her way out of the ugly phase. See?! I told you! You've just gotta keep going!! She'll snap out of it! A word of caution about the pentel pocket brush- it doesn't want to work that well over the china marker, but I'm doing it anyway because I LOVE it for drawing eyelashes. If eyelash drawing is a struggle for you, or you're just not sure how to draw eyelashes - download my cheatsheet with tips on how to draw eyelashes. I also have two videos on eyelash drawing - one on my YouTube drawing channel, and one on my mixed media YouTube channel.
Once eyelashes are popped in, I step back a little to compare my drawing to my drawing reference. I'm not looking for perfection. Remember this is totally for fun and just a quick drawing lesson to help you get started with working on toned paper!
What do you see when you compare the two? Focus on lights and darks. Where can we add more drama to make her pop even more? Zero in on the lightest lights and darkest darks.
Get aggressive! Don't be afraid to dive in and make the black areas blacker. Do a second pass with your china marker, or pull out your pencil and darken what needs to be so you can move the graphite around with a blending stick to ease the shading transitions from light to dark. Remember, you can vary the amount of pressure you use when you're coloring with china markers. This is another way to soften shading transitions since you can't blend china markers with a blending stump.
See how she's coming even more to life now that I've added additional shading? This extra layering makes ALL the difference.
Once I've finished with my darkest shadows, I pull out my white sharpie to help accentuate the brightest whites. Take a look at this!!
Just adding ONE dot to each pupil for some eye shine takes the whole drawing to another level of fun and makes her look more sophisticated. We could actually call her done at this point! Those two dots did THAT much!
If you follow me, you KNOW I love some dramatic face shading on my girls so I'm not calling her done yet... adding white paint pen is my favorite part and hasn't been done yet!
Because I'm doing a whimsical drawing, I look to my face drawing reference photo for inspiration about where to add my shadows and highlights. However, I absolutely feel comfortable stretching that a step further and adding a few marks where I know highlights naturally occur on the human face.
Watch the video to see that in action when I'm drawing highlights on the chin, cheekbones, eyebrow ridge etc. A really great trick for helping you understand where to pop in face shading is to pick up a foam head from your local craft store. Then just play with a light source - either a lamp, the flashlight on your phone - whatever! Shine the light directly on the foam head -forcing a variety of shadows and highlights you can follow.
Alternatively, I've got a video taking a closer look at this concept to help you out.
Need that link again for the toned paper packet to get started on this entire tone paper drawing series on YouTube?
Click the button above, and I'll drop my toned paper packet straight to your email. (Includes my face drawing guidelines & today's face drawing reference image!)
Thanks for hanging out with me today!
❤️ Did you miss my Gnome Workshop with guest artist Sarah Turner of Tenderfoot Village? CLICK HERE to enroll for $27 at Awesome Art School (if you're in the Mixed Media Society - you got free access to this but NEED a coupon - if you don't see it in your email, please email me!)
❤️Did you miss my Fun Fab Fairies Workshop? NO worries!! You can STILL sign up and enjoy each of these lessons on your own time at your own pace in this stand alone classroom at Awesome Art School! CLICK HERE to REGISTER.
❤️Did you know I've started a FUN new podcast with my Scottish, artsy bestie, Lucy, ALL ABOUT SCOTLAND & the mythical goodness I can't get enough of about this magical place?! YES - we talk about everything including ARE Fairies Real?! (You know I think they are!!)
The podcast is called 1 Scot, 1 Not! Check us out on YouTube and here's our podcast website! ❤️EVEN BETTER - LUCY & I are creating a NEW ART MEMBERSHIP together called The Celtic Collective!! Learn More & add your name to the waitlist here. ❤️Want FREE, immediate access to my Fun Fab Drawing Club and/or Mixed Media Society plus discounts on all my art books, sneak peek at YouTube videos and new book content, behind-the-scenes fun and MORE? Join me over on Patreon today and get HUGE PERKS in return for a small monthly donation. ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON (available in both Kindle and Paperback) ❤️ SIGNED COPIES of my art books on ETSY ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
In today's toned paper drawing video, we'll build on what you learned last week, and put the value scale to work drawing and shading a sphere. First we'll study the values we see on a reference photo. Then I'll show you some quick ways for drawing shadows and the highlights you see in the reference on both white and toned paper.
If you missed last week's drawing YouTube video - you might want to check that out first, because I talk about toned paper sketchbooks, drawing supplies and more.
I've also got a FREE 5-page toned paper PDF for you to download and use as a reference while you're playing along at home. This will help you TONS with understanding the value scale, drawing shadows and drawing highlights. Plus you'll get a list of my FAV toned paper sketchbooks and drawing supplies to set yourself up for success! Simply click the button below, and I'll shoot it straight over to your inbox.
I've included a reference photo of a sphere in black and white in the Toned Paper Packet.
Before we dive into drawing and shading a sphere on toned tan paper- I want to make sure you understand how to use the value scale to draw a sphere on white paper first.
I added "polka dots" in my cheatsheet reference image for you to indicate where your eye should be registering value changes that you need to replicate in your drawing.
Be sure to click over to the video to see this in action!
Last week I scribbled beneath each value scale dot with an example of the drawing pencil that can help you achieve each value. If you're a beginner with shading, this will come in really handy when you're ready to start drawing shadows we see in the reference image on your own paper. And as always- when you're working with me- you don't have to use fancy supplies. You can also do this entire exercise in one #2 school pencil.
As you'll see in the video- today's shading practice is really all about me trying to make sure you understand the concept of how to look for values in a reference, and how to record what you see on your drawing. Your execution doesn't have to be perfect or even look that great -just lay down some value and do a little down and dirty practice!
When working on white paper - you need to cover every single shade of the value scale except white in your drawing. When you're drawing on toned tan paper (or toned grey paper), you're "responsible" for adding all the shades of the value scale EXCEPT for the mid-tones, because those shades are represented by the tone of the paper. Pretty cool, right?! For my sphere example on toned paper I'm starting with my white china marker (also called a china pencil or grease pencil) and adding in the lightest highlights I see in my reference image, then start adding in my darkest shadows with my black china marker. I use a little graphite to blend a bit of the midtones and use my blending stump ot help. (The china marker doesn't really blend, so just be prepared for that!)
If you're new to working with china markers - all you need to do to sharpen your pencil is to pull on the string and then pull off some of the excess paper wrapping. If you're interested in learning MORE about china markers - I've got a video for you.
I love using the sides of my china markers to lay wide areas of color down, and don't mind the blunt tip. If you prefer working with something that gets to a sharper point - you might want to work in colored pencil.
There is a constant push/pull of working the values and studying your reference photo to make sure you're depicting the values in your drawing correctly.
If you'd like to work on drawing a sphere in more detail through a full lesson - I've got one of these in The Fun Fab Drawing Club.In this one - we draw it in pencil on white paper. Currently enrollment for both of my clubs are closed at the moment- but you can add your name to the waitlist for the drawing club here, and mixed media club here. I'll let ya know as soon as doors open again!!
Next week on my YouTube drawing channel - we will be drawing and shading a face so you can practice these new skills in a different way!
Need the link to that Toned Paper Packet one more time? Here ya go! Click the button below and I'll send it right to your email!
And of course don't forget to watch the video....
Thanks for hanging out with me today!
If you're in the Mixed Media Society with me, our GNOME WORKSHOP (hosted by guest artist Sarah Turner of Tenderfoot Villange and I) opens today (June 1st)! You DO need a special code from me to enroll for free. If you haven't already received that- please email me for help so you can enjoy this club perk!!
Not in the Mixed Media Society, but still wanna make these TWO adorable gnome projects?! I GOT YOU!!
❤️ CLICK HERE to enroll for $27 at Awesome Art School ❤️Did you miss my Fun Fab Fairies Workshop? NO worries!! You can STILL sign up and enjoy each of these lessons on your own time at your own pace in this stand alone classroom at Awesome Art School! CLICK HERE to REGISTER.
❤️Did you know I've started a FUN new podcast with my Scottish, artsy bestie, Lucy, ALL ABOUT SCOTLAND & the mythical goodness I can't get enough of about this magical place?! YES - we talk about everything including ARE Fairies Real?! (You know I think they are!!)
The podcast is called 1 Scot, 1 Not! Check us out on YouTube and here's our podcast website! ❤️EVEN BETTER - LUCY & I are creating a NEW ART MEMBERSHIP together called The Celtic Collective!! Learn More & add your name to the waitlist here.
❤️Want FREE, immediate access to my Fun Fab Drawing Club and/or Mixed Media Society plus discounts on all my art books, sneak peek at YouTube videos and new book content, behind-the-scenes fun and MORE? Join me over on Patreon today and get HUGE PERKS in return for a small monthly donation.
❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON (available in both Kindle and Paperback) ❤️ SIGNED COPIES of my art books on ETSY ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
If you've always wanted to try toned paper drawing, but didn't know where to start - TODAY's VIDEO is FOR YOU! Join me for a quick value scale lesson about drawing shadows & highlights. Then I'll show you a few examples of my own toned paper drawings, while I give ya a sneak peak at my new toned paper drawing cheatsheets AND talk toned paper sketchbooks & drawing supplies.
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
If you're a long time subscriber of mine on YouTube Drawing Channel or Mixed Media YouTube Channel - you know I'm ALL about giving away FREE resources to help you become an Awesome Artist! Today I've got a brand new 5-page PDF to help you learn how to draw on toned paper. Simply click the button below and I'll send it straight to your inbox!
This will help you TONS with understanding the value scale, drawing shadows and drawing highlights, plus you'll get a list of my FAV toned paper sketchbooks and drawing supplies to set yourself up for success!
Before we get started with toned paper, there are a few key concepts you have to understand about drawing on white paper FIRST. Once you've got these down - drawing on toned tan paper or grey toned paper will be a snap!
To help you understand this lesson - I'm pulling out my How to Draw & Find Your Style book for reference.
To make your drawings REALLY come alive, you want to have variations of value represented within your drawing to make it look more 3-dimensional and sophisticated.
The more variations of value you show in your drawings, the more advanced your work will look.
If you have my How to Draw & Find Your Style book at home - I'm looking at pages 101+ and giving a demo about how to recognize values in a drawing reference photo so you know how to replicate shadows and highlights when you're drawing.
When you're looking at a face drawing reference photo, it can be helpful to scan the image to get an idea of where the lightest lights, mid-range grays and jet black values appear. I've noted those with little boxes to help you find them more quickly.
In today's new cheatsheet, I've created circles in various shades of gray to help you think about each value you want to show in your drawing somewhere.
Click over to the video to see which drawing pencils I'm using to achieve each of these shades.
If you're new to shading faces it can help you to have a little cheatsheet next to you like this for reference to remind you which pencils help you achieve which value.
Keep in mind you don't HAVE to have a wide range of special drawing pencils to do this.
If all you have at home right now is a number 2 school pencil- you can work on varying the pressure you use while you're shading to help you achieve differences in value.
Toned paper traditionally comes in two shades - gray and toned tan paper (be sure to click over to the video because I go through my favorite toned paper sketchbooks).
When I'm working on toned paper, I often will end up using a black and white drawing pencil or pen, and using the gray or brown of the paper as my third main value. I also tend to use line weight to represent value like in these quick toned paper sketches below.
In my free PDF, you'll see exactly what my favorite pads of toned paper sheets are and which drawing instruments I love to use most when working with toned paper.
Click here to grab that download if you haven't already - or press on the button below!
Thanks for hanging out with me today!
I'll see you back here next week to draw and shade a sphere on toned paper. The following week we'll draw a face! ❤️Did you miss my Fun Fab Fairies Workshop? NO worries!! You can STILL sign up and enjoy each of these lessons on your own time at your own pace in this stand alone classroom at Awesome Art School! CLICK HERE to REGISTER. ❤️Did you know I've started a FUN new podcast with my Scottish, artsy bestie, Lucy, ALL ABOUT SCOTLAND & the mythical goodness I can't get enough of about this magical place?! YES - we talk about everything including ARE Fairies Real?! (You know I think they are!!) The podcast is called 1 Scot, 1 Not! Check us out on YouTube and here's our podcast website! ❤️EVEN BETTER - LUCY & I are creating a NEW ART MEMBERSHIP together called The Celtic Collective!! Learn More & add your name to the waitlist here. ❤️Want FREE, immediate access to my Fun Fab Drawing Club and/or Mixed Media Society plus discounts on all my art books, sneak peek at YouTube videos and new book content, behind-the-scenes fun and MORE? Join me over on Patreon today and get HUGE PERKS in return for a small monthly donation. ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON (available in both Kindle and Paperback) ❤️ SIGNED COPIES of my art books on ETSY ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK
If you've never used graphite transfer paper, are wondering how to use it, or WHY you'd ever want to transfer a drawing to another piece of paper - today's video is FOR YOU!! I've got FIVE favorite ways of transferring a drawing and can't wait to show them to you!!
First of all... why would you ever want to make a copy of a drawing you've already done? Lots of artists like to do this to save themselves a little time, but more often it's to SAVE their precious supplies - like paper!
I love to do watercolor illustrations, but using my eraser over and over again on my beautiful watercolor paper can really damage it. To save that paper - I prefer to do a drawing on less expensive paper - so I can erase till my heart's content, THEN transfer it to my watercolor journal, or to a sheet of loose watercolor paper. Lots of artists might use transfer paper to make this happen. But what if you don't have that on hand, or if it's too expensive?
You can do this first idea for FREE!! Set your drawing against a bright window and lay a sheet of paper on top. Lightly trace your outlines onto the new sheet of paper.
If you want to get a little fancier, you can use a light table. I find this tool to be SO helpful!! I use my light table for drawing when I've got a really thick sheet of drawing or watercolor paper that I'd like to transfer my drawing to. A light table will get this job done for you SO fast because the light is super bright!!
Another option is to make an actual photocopy of your work if you've got a simple scanner at home like this. Mine is attached to my printer. This is a great solution if your drawing is on 8-1/2 x 11 paper. If your drawing is on larger paper, we need to get creative! Watch the video and I'll show you some ideas!!
If you DO have graphite transfer paper, I show you exactly how to use it in today's video. I EVEN show you how to make transfer paper YOURSELF if you're in the mood!
Now my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE WAY to transfer a drawing to a new piece of paper might surprise you...
I HIGHLY recommend you draw it again from scratch! I KNOW!! But there's seriously something to "Practice Makes Perfect!" If you know me, you know I'm not striving for perfection and don't want you to either!! But EVERY time you practice, it seriously makes you a BETTER artist!
Any time you have the OPPORTUNITY to redo a project, it will ALSO make you a better artist. MY job is to help you keep the projects light and FUN so you WANT to keep coming back for more!! If you're having FUN, you'll practice more, and the more you practice, the BETTER your art will become!!
Thanks for hanging out with me today!! ❤️Did you know I've started a FUN new podcast with my Scottish, artsy bestie, Lucy, ALL ABOUT SCOTLAND & the mythical goodness I can't get enough of about this magical place?! YES - we talk about everything including ARE Fairies Real?! (You know I think they are!!) The podcast is called 1 Scot, 1 Not! Check us out on YouTube and here's our podcast website! ❤️Want FREE, immediate access to my Fun Fab Drawing Club and/or Mixed Media Society plus discounts on all my art books, sneak peek at YouTube videos and new book content, behind-the-scenes fun and MORE? Join me over on Patreon today and get HUGE PERKS in return for a small monthly donation. ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON (available in both Kindle and Paperback) ❤️ SIGNED COPIES of my art books on ETSY ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM ❤️ FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK |
Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 19 Instructional Art Books! Whose work has appeared in...Archives
May 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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