10 Essential Techniques for Better Drawing

Overview

New Course! Discover a toolkit of fundamental techniques to refine your artistic skills alongside internationally acclaimed artist Patricia Watwood. Use hatching, crosshatching, stippling, and veiling to create shadows, tones, and gradation. Locate and define objects in your drawings with composition, block-in, and contour lines. Next, depict shapes in three dimensions with precise perspective. Accurately orient objects to create a convincing sense of placement using enveloping and triangulation. Transfer drawings so they can be copied or moved to a new surface for a fresh start. Enhance your ability to depict light and shadow, and create accurate value shifts for true-to-life results. Plus, get tips for working with toned ground and drawing materials beyond graphite and ink. Apply beginner drawing techniques to draw what you see with confidence and accuracy.

Video Lessons

01: Introduction

Meet your instructor, fine artist Patricia Watwood, as you prepare to embark on a journey through classical drawing techniques. You’ll learn how to use this reference class, which is broken up by various subjects, and gain a sneak peek into the techniques and troubleshooting tips that you’ll learn throughout the class.
Duration: 3 min

02: Introduction to Black & White Media

Beautiful drawings require a strong command of your materials, and this lesson breaks down the tools every artist should have. You’ll start with a comprehensive overview of graphite and charcoal varieties as Patricia demonstrates how to draw and blend various lines and fill strokes. Next, you’ll practice ink-shading techniques such as stippling, crosshatching, and more!
Duration: 22 min

03: Line & Contour

The ability to create strong, carefully placed lines is one of the most important skills an artist can learn. Patricia offers thorough demonstrations for creating various line types that will help ground your subjects in space and place them accurately within the plane you’ve designated. You’ll learn the difference between composition, block-in, and contour lines before putting charcoal to paper to practice each type.
Duration: 17 min

04: Structural Drawing

Perspective meets dimension in this helpful guide to creating structural drawings. You’ll train your eye to see perspective more accurately as you work with basic geometric objects to study ground and picture planes. Practicing these techniques will help transform your art into more realistic and classically influenced studies.
Duration: 14 min

05: Enveloping & Triangulation

Patricia explains the concepts of enveloping and triangulation, which help you create accurate relationships between the elements in your drawings. You’ll explore the traditional practice of using a plumb line to compare the distance between objects in a still life and the objects on your page. You’ll also use reference points to determine where to place your objects and how to check the distance between them.
Duration: 18 min

06: Transferring

Practice the art of making copies of reference photos or works of art as Patricia demonstrates methods for transferring your work onto carbon paper or tracing paper. You’ll learn which lines are the most important to copy over, and how to create a structured grid that will help inform where to place your block-in and contour lines.
Duration: 13 min

07: Value

As you become more comfortable using various materials, you’ll gain more control over the value shifts in your drawings. Patricia shares the best way to practice drawing a range of values using charcoal, ink, and more. Next, she sets up simple diagrams that will prove to be valuable tools as you practice capturing shadows, highlights, and transitional areas.
Duration: 21 min

08: Form

Form is one of the most challenging elements to capture accurately, but Patricia’s thorough instruction will help you transform your work from amateur studies into professional drawings. You’ll discover ways to block in and refine forms of all shapes and sizes, analyzing light and shadow in relation to how they emphasize each object’s dimensions.
Duration: 19 min

09: Working on a Toned Ground

Put your new value-building skills to work as you explore the perks and challenges of working with toned ground. Patricia explains the pros and cons of working with toned papers and shows what types are available to artists. You’ll also explore ways to bring out the lightest lights and darkest darks on a range of differently colored backgrounds.
Duration: 15 min

10: Color Media

Patricia wraps up the class with an engaging exploration of using colored media in your drawings. You’ll love adding subtle or overt pops of color to your work using colored pencils, watercolor-based media, and more. Patricia shares new considerations for blending, shading, and working with value as she discusses the properties of her favorite colored tools.
Duration: 11 min