Joe's Art Class

How To shade with color pencil

2010-12-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hey thanks everyone who has been reading and participating with the drawing! Have a merry Christmas!
I have included a video on how to shade with color pencil. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ3a6fdnTic

Layering with Darks

2010-11-03T19:20:00.001-07:00

It has been a little while and I have been quite busy.....however I thought that I would share a quick lesson from one of my projects. There are some things that have been taught to me and there are other things that I have learned by doing. I personally learn the strongest by doing. I am a tactile learner. However, I also have learned the more I use all of the senses that I can the better i learn something.
In the Picture above you will notice that I have a basic skeleton drawn lightly on the page. You will also notice that I have already put some color down in a layering process. I usually go from light to dark. However in this case I have noticed that sometimes it is beneficial to add the darks right away.

For instance....notice the bottom side of the boat in the above picture. I have gone ahead and drawn the darkest lines possible where the shadows are. In the original picture there is a reflection of blue water on this side of the boat. As I observe the original picture I notice that the black slowly fades into indigo blue then marine blue, then true blue, then sky blue. Typically I would layer from light to dark. But, in this instance I thought of something: If one draws a darker color of the lighter the lighter colors value is zero. But, If I color the lighter color blue it creates a kind of a half shade on top of the black creating a slower movement through out the spectrum of the color blue. And since I am in need of a slow smooth transition this is perfect. This seems to work well with color pencil as it has a waxy translucent finish.
Give it a try with a shadow that you find somewhere. You might be surprised what happens!

The Big One

2010-10-03T14:59:00.001-07:00

Here we Go! I have undertaken the biggest art project ever! (For me) My Job is to draw from this reference photo below in color pencil on matte board size 48x29 in! But the craziest part is that the diminsions of the piece desired is quite wide, and I need to finish the sails.

So....I have almost finished with the new dimension on the computer, thus saving myself headaches later. I think that it is coming along great. I have had the hardest time trying to figure in all of the cables and sails and where they need to end up. I have had to use a bit of math, talent, and just plain instinct to feel my way throught the drawing. I hope to have this one done well before Christmas.

Sunset Moth

2010-09-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished look for those of you who have not seen. I was pleased with the final producted and I learned a ton! It just takes time, and time is precious. I am now going to tackle the hardest peice that I have ever done. I will keep you posted on this as I go.

Painting with Layers

2010-09-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

I dare someone to pick up a paint brush and paint. I think that "Painting" is a dying art. Pun intended. I have been having great fun messing around with paints. This half way done butterfly is an acrylic piece that I have been working on that started out OK and has gotten better and better. I learned a few things and thought that I would mention them. The first: Painting is best described in layers. I have noticed that be the use of layers one can achieve a fairly realistic piece. The butterfly for example, is being painted in layers. This is fairly different than working with pencil in the sense that the pencil is done like a map of shades. In other words, I like to start my drawing in the upper left corner and work my way down to the lower left keeping my page free of unwanted smears(hopefully). However, with the painting, I can just start throwing color on the page. It is very intriguing to me. So not only do you want to draw what you see; one must see the layers to paint. This concept helped me to jump a minor hurdle. that I was struggling with. By the way, I do not yet know if this completely works with watercolor. I guess someone will just have to try it out. =) any way enjoy and notice the layers!

How to draw a house

2010-07-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

I think that the next lesson will be on drawing structures. Maybe take some time to take a picture of a common structure. Analyze the structure. Try to notice things that you would not normally notice. You can also implement the things that we have studied: one point, two point perspective.

A Study on the Face

2010-02-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

The human face is full of shapes and textures. There is so much to the drawing of a face! I think that this has so much to do with recognition of expression and aesthetics. The first thing I want to do is have you all do your best to draw a face of anyone you would like. We will then analyze in the next lesson how to draw the face. No cheating now! If you do not know who to draw, you can draw this baby face that I drew a while ago. Try not to research to deeply yet on the face....just draw one. I will not be mean; I promise. For some this may be a simple review. I understand. Have fun! =)

How to Draw a Peach

2010-02-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

These are the supplies I used to do this drawing...

How to draw objects with reflections

2010-02-19T12:17:00.001-08:00

Drawing reflections can be difficult, but they can also be a ton of fun. There are many different types of reflections. You can look at my Porsche drawing and notice many of these types of reflection. Metals, plastics, liquids, and just about any type of surface is capable of producing a reflection. I chose to draw a Christmas ornament. It is simple in its shape and easy to interpret the reflection. Lets get started.

How to Draw a Strawberry

2010-02-18T18:08:00.001-08:00

By now you should be getting the hang of the steps. Try remembering and reviewing the stages to drawing a basic shape. I have included more pictures to help with the process. Have fun. =)

How to Draw a Lemon

2010-02-16T19:40:00.001-08:00

Here is a step by step of a quick sketch that I did of the cross section of a lemon

Drawing a Cherry

2010-02-15T19:00:00.001-08:00

I thought that we should continue to focus in on some still life. Take your time with this exercise if you can, so that you can study the pressure you are applying to the page. You need to get into a habit of developing your style and technique. See if you can use the artist scribble.

Porsche 911 Final

2010-02-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

It is Done...I am going to put the persons name in the license plate to whom I am giving this drawing.

Porsche 911 turbo

2010-02-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

I know that I have blog about this drawing a bit...it has been my consuming piece as of late! I thought that I would be done last night! But, alas i only got this far. But I am going to finished it tonight even if I have to use my own blood! Not really though.

The Art Scribble

2010-02-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Many young artist will have recognizable troubles with the way there lines and shading appear. In other words, the shading may seem inconsistent, and the couture lines seem predictable and flat. Do not be discouraged if this is you! It will take time, but eventually you will be able to hide those weaknesses and turn them into strengths! I think that learning to art scribble will help develop control and make the harder things easier. I have put an exercise together to help. Practice this once a week, and you will see results throughout your drawings.

Practice Draw what you see

2010-02-08T21:14:00.001-08:00

It is truly important to visual take the time to study your Subject! This may seem obvious, yet young artist seem to miss the obvious all too much! I will often look at objects through an artist eye. Meaning, I will try to see Light and Dark, shading, and basic shapes. If you practice this, you will be able to improve your observing skills. I found that I learned the most when I watched another artist work.

Shading on Basic Shapes

2010-02-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Now we will work with basic shapes. I often use shapes to this day to help me with the structure of a drawing. Utilizing shapes can help you get proportions correct.
Here are the basic shapes that I use.
Let's start off easy. we will use the Circle.

Draw What you See!

2010-02-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

In this next exercise we need to learn to draw what we see, not what we think that we see. You will see below, two different drawings. The one on the left is without looking at the page, and drawing what I thought that I was seeing. The drawing on the right is an example of drawing what I was seeing not what I thought I was seeing.

Now you can try. Try to draw something in front of you without looking at the page first; then it while drawing what you are actually seeing.

Two point perspective

2010-02-02T08:43:00.001-08:00

Now lets try a two point perspective...

How to draw from a one point perspective

2010-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Perspective is everything! Even in our lives in general; it is everything sometimes even past the truth. In one sense perspective is based on the artist. In other words, an artist can choose to break the rules; however, there are some universal truths about perspective that will help you drawings come to life. Lets try One Point Perspective and then two...
I hope that this helped...just post a question if you Have any.

blending

2010-02-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

I was able to take some video of the latest drawing that I did. I thought it might be helpful to those were interested in seeing how I Draw skin. This involved outlining the subject and shading and blending.

Tools and Materials

2010-01-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

Drawing is an important Art form in and of itself all the way down to Signing your name.
Drawing starts as lines and circles which evolve into shapes; add light and dark shading and you drawing can come to life! Materials for drawing are not expensive, and I love the fact that you can draw just about anywhere. As you improve you will desire a "new edge" and the need for more expensive tools will come. You want to always make sure that your work will be preserved for as long as possible. This is why I say, "Never draw on lined notebook paper unless that is part of your idea!" here is a list of items that I use and may be helpful to you:

Sketch Pads - I use nothing less than 70lb paper but prefer +100lb
Workspace - this could be an isle, desk, drawing board, or a comfortable workable space for you.
Artist's Erasers - I recommend a kneaded eraser as it is soft on the page and mold-able.
Blending tools - I use paper blending stumps, cue tips, and a soft form of tissue paper.

Pencils - I enjoy using a range of Derwent graphic pencils.
Charcoal - I use primarily the charcoal pencils, but you can use sticks as well.
Sharpener - I would avoid electric sharpeners or anything that would waste the pencil!
Fixative - This is merely a way to help preserve and protect your drawings

I purchase the majority of these supplies at a HOBBY LOBBY.

Hope that this helps and our next lesson will be on Perspective.

email me any questions at joe(at)joeeverson.com

humbly,

Joe Everson

Finished

2010-01-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ok...so i finally finished! This is a drawing of B J Cunningham who is a wide reciever for MSU. I took a picture of it with my phone so the quality is so so...I hope that B J likes it.