Learn drawing to create original art
Drawing is probably one of the most important skills to learn if you want to sufficiently use pencil, brush and any paints, not to mention pastel painting. It is almost like writing: we start with letters, and we finish up creating breathtaking poems and meaningful stories. Being skilled in manual drawing also allows not to depend on any devices, any editing, any tracing.
Drawing still life
Once you manage your lines, you manage your brush strokes, composition and values, as well as contrasts. Drawing still life or simple things around us is a good start. People sometimes say: I do not feel like drawing vegetables or fruits. However, that is the shortest way to make one’s eyes perceive the multi-dimensional reality and recreate it on a flat paper or canvas. We draw and create volume and dimensions. Becoming good with still life subjects is a base for more complex subjects.
Painting is drawing with a brush
Drawing teaches us about shadows and light, light direction, values and contrasts. It teaches us very fast how to create a powerful composition. We generally need to become familiar with a good brush stroke. I have noticed that most beginners apply paint as if painting a wall: back and force, to the left and right. Painting requires using elegant, long or short, soft or powerful brush strokes which make our subject more impressive. That also helps with blending, composition and values.
Realistic art is based on drawing
Even people, who love painting abstracts need to create a map of the intended painting in their mind. In order to move paint somewhere, we need to rely on composition elements. That sure does not apply to bad abstract art which is present all over the internet. Therefore, sketching out our plan, helps achieving good results faster.
Pen and watercolor: beautiful art without struggles
I have mentioned in my previous articles that using pen and watercolor is a perfect way to obtain basic watercolor painting skills. Why? It contains all the most important parts which one needs to be aware of in order to paint and create art. It is much faster than, for instance, acrylic or pastel, therefore, it makes a lot of sense when testing our ideas.
Pen and watercolor paintings:
Take it easy, go outside
Fall season offers us colors and shapes and subjects without limitation. They are not only beautiful, but they also allow practicing all kinds of shades and color mixes.Take it easy, go outside or watch nature through your window. We can place beautiful fall bounties on our desk: that is all we need. Fall is rich and generous, we simply shouldn’t be lazy, but take advantage of all the natural inspiration around us. Remember: drawing and sketching will take you anywhere in art.
New studio
Although, I have not completed arranging my new studio yet, and there are still unpacked boxes, not to mention, boxed in hundreds of paintings, I managed to get something new done over the last two days, and I hope you can get inspired by these artworks which I will most likely post separately at a later time point.
Beautiful work, as always, Inese. I’m curious how your new space is working out?
Thanks! It is working to some extent. We are still adding lights, and many things are in boxes, especially watercolor paintings. I think I won’t take them out just yet because it is so much work again. We will be attaching a few more paintings on walls, but since I could fill up with my art a huge gallery, there is definitely not enough wall space. I can rotate some paintings, etc., and the best would be just to sell some more. Moving was tedious because of the art. It took long time to pack and later to unpack supplies and paintings with glass because they are heavy, too. Just imagine, hundreds of brushes, sorted out by sizes and medium, many papers of all kinds, blocks, rolls, sheets, numerous canvas painted and blank, pastels, acrylic, oils and at least 50 sets of watercolors. It is nice to move as normal people move, but I do things I which all take space, like sewing with many boxes of fabrics and other stuff. I also had many books and extremely many magazines with sewing patterns and reading stuff. It’s not done, but maybe after a year it will be. Husband does not like the landlord, so, maybe it is a good idea not to unpack everything.
Such a talent! Congrats, Inese.
Thanks Cynthia! Developing one’s talent is endless. I suppose, I was born with a very strong ability to see things artistically and capture them on paper or canvas. I have no idea where these genes have come from because I do not know about anybody in my close or distant family who is doing art. My mom has exclusive taste for beauty, home decoration, gardening and fashion design. I got the sewing and fashion designing from her. Other than that, I am the only one who has made art a part of life.
And you are very good at it. Brava!
Thanks! It is very easy for me, practically as natural as breathing. Therefore, I am looking for more challenging things.
I reviewed a few of old sketches from fashion and human figure drawing time (too bad, most of large ones and most of all portraits are lost while moving to Canada), and started a new class. There is a lot of material already, I just did not have time to publish anything yet. People, who attended the first class, were very amazed that anybody can learn drawing human figure (we are doing females fashion style at first) as long as one knows how to do it and what to start with. Some people say I should put this online in a form of a video, but the problem is no video can show how to understand this type of drawing, it is pretty much a class which has to be held in real life.
Thanks Cynthia for your great comments!
Lovely paintings Inese.
Thanks! WordPress has changed settings, I was struggling for hours to get in, had to reset everything. Not nice!
Darn WordPress!
Every platform is changing their terms, and it seems this is causing trouble.