One Day One Theme drawing exercise

I want to start by getting you all drawing. The main thing is to have fun with this and learn through doing. Like starting any new project it will take a while to get into the flow so give it a go… and try out different themes and approaches.

Choose a theme and make multiple small drawings of things that follow that theme. For example, your theme could be...shoes, cups, chairs, pot plants, tools, etc. Or perhaps… things in my bag, things in the room, things that are blue…

You could create a diary of objects – important things items during lockdown? There is no right or wrong about what theme you choose - but try to find something that allows you to explore a variety of shape and texture. Or… Just whatever would be fun to draw!

Depending on how many much time you want to spend drawing you could do one theme per day.

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill a page with a collection of drawings. Consider how you fill the space of your page. Try to create variety by:-

• Using a variety of sources as a reference - e.g. draw from observation - draw things that you find lying around at home - plus make drawings based on images of things that you find on the Internet/ in books.
• Varying the scale at which you draw so that your drawing is made up of small and larger images.
• Consider varying your viewpoint - for example, if you were drawing shoes, consider how they look from different angles and at different eye levels.
• Consider using different drawing techniques - continuous line drawing, crosshatching, stippling (dots), pencil shading, etc. Look on the Internet/ in books for inspiration.
• Consider exploring different drawing media - e.g.  pencil, ink pen, biro, felt tip pen, charcoal, etc. Use media that you enjoy using and that allows you to bring out the the characteristic shape or detail of that thing. Try to keep drawings monochromatic at this stage - and concentrate on shape, edge, tone and texture.

Tip – if and when you get stuck, get inspiration from looking at other artists and designers work. Google ‘Pen and Ink techniques’ or use Pinterest as a way of researching techniques and ideas. See below some examples of artists and illustrators’ work.

As and when you are ready to share your drawings – or want feedback on drawings in progress, please photograph and email file to my ALW work email:- [email protected]

Examples of others work:

Hannah Coulson, Illustrator:

Andy Warhol, Artist:

  

Henrik Drescher, Illustrator:

Kate Bingham Burt, Illustrator: