- Perspective
- Sketchbook
- Graphic Translation
- Technical Illustration
- why Artists need to draw
- why Designers need to draw
Why draw?
Michelangelo answered this question succinctly: “Drawing is the root of all knowledge.”
The importance of practicing your ability to draw cannot be overstated. It is without a doubt the single most important skill related to your ability to succeed as either a studio/fine artist or designer of any kind. The reasons for this are many, below are a short list of some of the major ones.
- The most important factor in drawing and painting is the ability to see, learning to see more, greater detail and achieve greater understanding.
- Drawing is the most direct way to give visual form to an idea that you have in your head.
- Drawing from observation “sharpens” your eye by developing your ability to focus, concentrate and become consciously aware.
- Drawing aids your ability to understand 3D form.
- Drawing exercises your imagination.
- To inspire the design.
- To record the geometric shapes and patterns of the composition
- To problem solve and analyze.
- To learn artistic dexterity and eye-hand coordination.
- To help your memory. Drawing helps with short-term memory and ideas that might otherwise be forgotten.
- Drawing will make you a better communicator.
Humans are amazingly similar in their diversity. The first step in being able to show the variations and individuality of each person is to have a clear basis for comparison. You will find as you study the head that the proportions are very consistent, regardless of the individual. It will be useful to start each drawing with a standard set of proportions that you can then modify for your expressive needs. Pay particular attention to the shape and proportions of the skull itself. This bone structure is, of course, the basis for the shape and look of the skin which lies on top. The proportions given below are an accepted norm and will be found to be useful for a standard basic head.
The eyes are in the center of the head.
The face is divided in thirds:
1. hair line to brow
2. brow to bottom of nose
3. bottom of nose to bottom of chin.
The bottom of the lower lip is halfway between the bottom of the nose and the chin.
The width of the head “HW” equals:
1. The distance from the top of the head to just below the nose
2. From the point just below the nose to the pit of the neck
