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We’re going to talk about sketching a dog. For a lot of people, sketching can be intimidating. When we’re sketching a dog, the most important thing is just to loosen up first. I’m using vine charcoal. I’m going to have what’s called a kneaded gummy eraser, and then I really like having an eraser, just from a regular pencil. Before you even start sketching the dog, just start to loosen up with your charcoal. Make some lines; press hard, press soft, make some straight lines, some curvy lines, and just see what it feels like to even have the charcoal in your hand. It’s very important to familiarize yourself with the materials.

When sketching a dog, I suggest always looking at a photo or some picture that can be your inspiration. What you want to look for are the basic shapes. As I look at the picture of this dog, I’m looking at his head, and I see that his head really is an oval shape. I really want to just look for the basics, I’m not concerned about any extra details and I’m not concerned if this looks exactly like the picture. The whole idea of drawing is to express yourself. I always say, “If you want it to look like a photograph, just take a photograph.”

Here in the ears, you can see that it’s almost like a half-circle. I’m just looking for the most basic shapes to start. The other ear, it’s like another half-circle. As I’m working, I see the nose area almost like another circle. Right now, just putting together all these basic shapes. You can see the back of his body, it’s almost like a straight line down. Where his leg is, again, just a straight line, and then a little curve, another little curve, and a straight line down.

As you are sketching you, will always make changes, you’re always going to erase, you’re always going to add to your drawing so don’t be afraid of making mistakes; truly, there are no mistakes. Rally, all drawing is a series of straight lines and curving lines. Instead of thinking, “How do I draw a paw?” Start to break it down into here’s a curved line, here’s a straight line, here’s another curved line, and then here’s another big curve line, and then the other leg or paw. You notice I’m not concerned about it looking super-realistic; I’m not concerned about it looking like a photograph. I’m just focusing on almost an inch at a time. Is it a curved line or is it a straight line?

Now we can come back up, and this is where we start to make changes. This is where charcoal’s terrific. Anytime you want to make a change, you just rub it out with your finger or you can always use your eraser. I’m going to come back up, start to sketch in the face with a little more detail. We have this circle, we have this oval, and we have these floppy ears, just these curves. Now we’re going to look for, where is there a little straight line? Where is there a little curved line? Here’s that little curved line, and then the cheekbone of the dog is just a straight line up. I’m always happy to use my eraser, I’m always happy to make changes. Then again, a little curved line around the eyebrow or the eye bone; it curves straight up. Then I notice with the ear, I’m just going to bring in that straight line. Instead of the straight line, now I can alter that line a little bit. It’s almost like a wavy line. It’s almost a line, like this. Then once again, the ear comes down; it’s a straight line, there is a little curve. Then you have this big U-shape. Then it comes right around to the top of the dog’s head. I’m going to come back to the other ear and bring in a little more detail.

It’s always great to start very, very simple; very broad. Finding the big shapes, find the straight lines, finding the curvy lines, and not thinking too hard about, “What am I drawing? What is it supposed to look like?” You want to break it down to the simplest, simplest form, and then you can start to add some detail. Most importantly when it comes to drawing, you really want to focus on your own sense of self-expression. Everybody draws differently, and the whole goal of drawing and the whole goal of doing any type of art, is to have a place where you can relax and express yourself. You want to allow your own style to come in through this drawing.

I’m going to look at the eyes. They eyes really happen on this angle. Then the dog’s face is also . . . from his head down to his nose, happening on an angle. Where I drew this very simple circle, I can wipe that away a little bit. I’m going to now, from his eyes to his nose, it almost makes a triangle, another very, very simple shape. You are always looking at, how can I create very simple shapes, and how can I draw in a way that is very comfortable and easy? People think drawing is so complicated. It’s not. Everybody can draw a line. If you can’t draw a straight line, as a lot of people say, can’t draw a straight line, then don’t draw a straight line, draw a curvy line. Everybody can draw a line, and that’s all you need to do; one line at a time.

From the nose, here we go again; it’s almost an upside-down V or the top of a triangle. Then the bottom, the jaw, once again, a straight line connected to a curvy line. Here’s another curvy line. Then it’s just the side of his, or her face goes straight up. We have the structure of the face down and we have some of the body. I’m just going to quickly sketch in the rest of the body. Then we are going to start talking about shading.

I’m going to start to just bring in a little bit of shading. The whole idea of shading is to bring in the dark tones and the light tones. The idea behind shading is that you create a sense of dimension; you make it feel 3-dimensional rather than 2-dimensional. All you have to do with a charcoal; press right on the paper. If you press hard, your shading’s going to be dark. If you press very light, your shading will be lighter. If you want a lighter tone still, you can blend it in, or you can even use your eraser. You want to just play around with your charcoal.

We’re looking for the darkest area of the dog. There is some darkness around the eyes. While you are bringing in shading, you’re still just looking for shapes. It’s nothing other than shapes, and almost like little dabs. You’re just dabbing on the paper. The back of the dog is very dark, so I’m going to just shade it in. One trick with charcoal, you can always break your charcoal, and then use the side of the charcoal. It’s a faster way to cover a whole area of anything that you’re drawing. I’ll blend it in a little just with my fingers, and maybe not everywhere, just maybe the back of the dog.

I’m going to look for any medium tones; not as dark, but not as light as the paper. I’ll shade in the ears; I’ll bring some shading . . . just basically the color of this fur. Not going to touch where it’s white. Once again, just looking for these shapes. ‘m looking at the shape of the fur and how it really moves through the dog. I’m not concerned if it’s perfect, I’m not concerned if I’m being so, so exact, I really just want to draw the essence of this dog rather than specific, like a photo.

I’m going to come in with a little shading with my finger. I’m just going to rub in the ears a little bit and I’m going to rub in anywhere that I have shaded with this medium tone. I’m just going to bring in the eyes a little more. All eyes are it’s almost a perfect circle. I’m bringing in the center of the dog’s eyes. Because this is not necessarily super-realistic, I don’t have to make the eyes super-realistic; it can just be a suggestion of those eyes. I’m going to come back in, since charcoal spreads very easily, I’m going to come back in and bring those dark tones back in. I’m going to bring in my eraser and I’m just going to erase some of these initial lines that I had drawn.

I want to just make sure that the nose . . . I see, I put in the wrong place. I want to just bring back that nose. It’s like a half-circle on the top, it’s pretty dark. You have these dark nostrils, and then this little triangle underneath. It’s just a suggestion that it exists; it’s a suggestion of the shape.

This is really the beginning phases. If I wanted to, I would continue working on this, perhaps for an hour or even more. I’m just going to just come in to finish up the initial stages of the sketch. I’m going to basically draw with my eraser. I’m going to smoosh my gum eraser down, almost so that it’s like a flat pancake. I’m going to use the edge of the eraser to actually sculpt in and draw on top of the dog. Finding any white areas and I’m just going to erase and also draw a bit with the actual eraser. The eraser is a drawing tool in and of itself. It’s not just to take away something in a drawing; it’s to actually draw, as well.

This is just a preliminary sketch. If I would continue, basically, now I’ve set myself up with the initial sketch, and then I could come in, I could add the collar if I want. Basically, I would just spend more, and more, and more time bringing in all of these different tones. I would be bringing in more of a realistic approach to the eyes. I would be bringing in more shading. I would be bringing in more of these basic shapes, looking at where these shapes change, where these shapes intersect. The most important thing is I’ve created a base to start with. Even though there are white areas of the dog, it doesn’t mean that it’s bright white. I’m just going to bring in a little shading, a little more shading, and maybe darkening some areas just to show some dimension. I could start to bring in . . . again, it’s just a line, just a little curvy line, just to show these different paws.

Perhaps I can draw a little bit of a straight line behind, just to show that he’s sitting on something. You can always use your charcoal to shade in the foreground, which is the area in the front, or the background. The more time you spend on any drawing, the more developed it’s going to look. Like anything else, when you give something more time and more attention, it develops even more. Perhaps another time, I would continue working on this drawing and adding more and more shading; not being afraid to erase, not being afraid to make changes, and most importantly, allowing myself to really express myself and to bring in my own sense of unique creativity into the drawing of this dog.

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Now we’re going to focus on how to draw circles and ellipses, which absolutely come in handy for anything else you’ll want to be drawing. In order to draw a circle, a little tip can be the following, which is to draw the letter ‘T’, or a cross. Some people have a very easy time drawing a circle; other people have a harder time. If you are a person who has a harder time, you can draw this ‘T’ or cross, and you’re going to make a little point equidistant from the center. Basically, it’s going to be connect-the-dots, but instead of with a straight line, with a round line. I’m just going to connect with a little curve. I’m going to connect this again, another curve. Here, with another curve, and with another curve. Here you have your circle. If you want to make it a bigger circle, you just bring the point a little farther from the center. Again, a curve, quarter curve, bring it around, bring it around right here, and around here. Then I can always come right back over, just to smooth it out and make it feel like a very perfect circle.

Ellipses are basically a circle, like the top of this candlestick, but if I move it, it becomes an ellipse. It’s seeing a circle from a certain perspective. Typically, it’s almost like an oval, a skinny oval, so this would be an ellipse; this type of shape. If you take your pencil and you draw a curve line, connect it with another curve line right underneath, almost like a mirror image and connect the ends with the curve line. That is an ellipse.

An ellipse can come in handy when you’re drawing a candlestick, a vase, or a glass. Basically, if I’m going to draw the top of this candlestick, from where I’m sitting, it’s not a perfect circle, it’s this ellipse shape. There’s another ellipse that comes right around it. There I have the top of the candlestick. You can find any circular shape at home, any circular object, and you can practice drawing your circles and your ellipses. Circles and ellipses will show up in still life, they’ll show up in flowers, they’ll show up in human form, so if you can just spend some time practicing your circles and ellipses, you can relax, listen to music, draw a few circles, and know that you’re moving forward on your drawing journey.

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Now we’ll talk about how to draw with your eraser, which is one of my all-time favorite techniques. People think that an eraser is used only to get rid of mistakes. On the contrary, using your eraser to draw can create incredible movement and incredible modes of your own self-expression.

Here I have a moon, a full moon in a night sky. I’ve already prepared a lot of the shading with charcoal. You can see that I’ve created one side of the moon quite dark, the other side of the moon quite light. I’m just going to add some charcoal to the light section so I can show you step-by-step how to use you use your eraser to actually draw.

My first step is actually going to be to darken the area in the background just behind the lighter area of the moon. This way, once we bring that light area back in, it will have a lot of contrast against a dark background. For the best part; I’m taking a regular eraser from the pencil, you can also use what’s called a gum eraser. I love the regular eraser on a pencil because you can really get a lot of definition. I’ll show you here. You can draw any line and any movement right into your paper. I’m going to draw and erase certain areas of this moon so that the light really pops out. Then I’m going to allow myself to continue to draw with the eraser, just to create a sense of movement. You can see it’s almost like sculpting right into your drawing with the eraser. Now my moon is turning into more of a ball of yarn or some abstract circle with a lot of movement and a lot texture.

When drawing with your eraser, you literally could draw anything. If you’re drawing a figure, if you’re working on a landscape, if you’re drawing something realistic or abstract, drawing with the eraser will give you the ability to create a lot more movement and a lot more expression within your drawing. Here is an example of how much movement, and how much depth and energy is created in a drawing when I’m using my eraser to draw.

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My name is Rebecca Schweiger; I am an internationally exhibited artist, and the founder of the Art Studio, New York.

These days, our lives are so hurried and so chaotic, and everybody needs a break to relax, reconnect with ourselves, and really reconnect with our own expression. The Art Studio, New York is a creative haven for everything self-expressive. We offer art classes and creative experiences for every age, for every level, and ultimately cater to anyone ready to connect with their creativity and self-expression. Whether painting classes, drawing classes, realism, abstraction, corporate events, private parties, private classes; and the list goes on, and on, and on. Our whole mission is to create a home that includes and welcomes everyone back to themselves and their creativity.

Just see our website at www.TheArtStudioNY.com, and see all of the examples of how people of every age and every background; total beginners included, have tapped into their creativity and have found a real sense of meaning, relaxation, and creativity through tapping into their art and their heart.

Drawing can be incredibly fun, relaxing, empowering. Drawing gives you a method of expressing who you are through art. Right now, I’m going to show you a wide variety of drawing techniques, so you can really reconnect to your creativity and express yourself through drawing.

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We’re now going to focus on how to draw a person. What you first want to think about is a certain pose or posture of a person that would be interesting to you. What I really recommend is getting a small wooden mannequin, and you can move that around so you have something to look at.

I’m basing this drawing off of a mannequin. What I’m going to do is really focus on the basic, basic shapes of the mannequin. There’s a very oval-style head. I’m going to start actually with a stick figure. People say, “I can only draw stick figures.” If you can draw a stick figure, you’re already a few steps ahead. I want to just capture the movement of the body. The arm comes up and out, this arm comes down, and then there are 2 legs. This allows us to create a little bit of a skeleton of the drawing. I’m using just a regular drawing pencil; this is a 6B, which is quite dark. It’s my preference, I love this pencil, but there are all sorts of other pencils you can use or any other drawing material.

I’m looking at the mannequin, and I want to just start and focus on the top part of the body. What’s great about working from a mannequin is you really start to learn the proportions of a human figure and the way that everything fits together. On a mannequin, you have these basic shapes: You have the ribcage, the stomach area, the hips, and that is the core of a human body. You have the neck area, and then you have the joints, which I am going to draw with circles. Those are your shoulders. This is where the legs are going to connect. Then for the arms, you are going to draw and have from the mannequin, almost rectangular cylinders.

While I’m drawing, most importantly, I want to enjoy the process of expressing myself; having time to relax, to unwind, to let go of stress and to really tap into my creativity, to enjoy the creative process. Anytime you’re doing any type of artwork, the whole goal is to tap into your inner creativity and your sense of self-expression.

I’m just constantly looking at this mannequin, and basically, you’re drawing a few specific shapes: Circles, a rectangle that has a cylinder so it’s a little curved on top and on the bottom. Those are your basic, basic shapes that you’re going to draw, perhaps an oval, as well. If you really break it down, it’s much more simple than a lot of us think it is, initially. Then again, another cylinder. This figure that I’m drawing, the arm is reaching outward, so it’s another cylinder, another circle. Then for the hand, I’m just going to draw a basic shape right now, almost as if this person is wearing a mitten. The other side, you have your cylinder, your rectangular cylinder, your circle which is the wrist, and again, more of a mitten shape.

When you’re starting to learn how to draw the human figure, it’s not important to get every detail, every eyelash, every fingernail. You really want to capture the bigger picture first, again, the movement, the essence, the life force of that which you’re drawing. You can focus on details later on, but if you focus on what we’re talking about here, these basics, I guarantee you that this will build a really solid foundation.

As I’m drawing this I realize that I drew these hip joints a little too far apart, which is fine. I’m just going to erase and redraw, make them a little closer together. Here we are again with the legs; cylinder rectangle shape, which may not even be a shape, but now I’ve made it into one. A circle for the knee, another cylinder shape for the bottom part of the leg, a little circle for the ankle. Same as with the hands, we’re not going to draw every toe, we just want to suggest a shape of a foot.

This is a perfect, perfect way to start learning how to draw a figure. Again, just to walk you through; you have your stick figure literally just with lines. You’re going to mark in the rib cage, the waist, and the hips. For the arms and the legs, you’re going to combine circles with rectangles that are somewhat like a cylinder. Your head is going to be an oval shape. The best way to keep practicing this is to have your little wooden mannequin. Keep moving that mannequin in different arrangements and different poses, and practice for as long as you want using just the mannequin. If you practice that, I guarantee that you, you’ll then be ready to practice with real figures and you’ll be drawing human figures in no time.

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We’re now going to focus on drawing clouds. My favorite clouds are these big puffy clouds. I always think that when I’m in an airplane how fun it would be, in my imagination of course, to bounce from cloud to cloud. Those are the types of clouds I love drawing. What we want to do, clouds obviously live in the sky, and a lot of what makes them feel so puffy and so white is because they’re against blue tones.

I’m going to very quickly shade my paper. I’m using chalk pastels, they come in many, many different colors, many different brands. Any brand and any color is fine. Even though I’m making a blue sky, maybe you want to create a pink sky or an orange sky. You always want to bring in your own ideas and your own imagination to anything that you’re drawing. What’s great about pastels is they blend wonderfully. I’m going to very, very quickly blend this blue and white together.

As I continue, one thing to think about with the sky is that it tends to get a little darker on tops and it’s typically a little lighter on the bottom. I’m just going to put a little darker tone of blue with my pastel. I’m not even using the tip as if I were writing with a pen, I’m using the side. I’m using the side to just cover more surface. I’m going to add a little more blue, now it’s a lighter tone of blue. To the bottom third, I’m going to put white over it. Again, typically skies tend to get lighter and lighter when they’re closer to the earth, and darker and darker when they move up. For blending with pastels, I’m just using my fingers, as you can see. You can use a few fingers, you could use one finger. This all comes out when you wash your hands, so you don’t have to worry about making a mess.

I want to think about my clouds. I always suggest finding a photograph of something that would inspire you. A lot of people think drawing can come straight out of imagination, but in fact, most people don’t have the capacity in their brain to remember exactly what something looks like. With something like a cloud, there are no two clouds that are the same.

What you want to do first is choose some clouds that would inspire you, and you’re going to start sketching in the shape. For clouds, what you typically have are these little bubble forms. It’s not a circle; it’s almost like a half-circle, and it’s a lot of different shaped half circles that start to connect. Instead of thinking about the whole cloud, just pay attention to one little half-circle at a time. I’m going to start sketching in my cloud. I’m just moving around, I’m looking at whatever it is that’s going to be my inspiration. All along the top I’m looking for these little half-circles, looking for the outline of the cloud. A lot of times, the bottom of a cloud is not as puffy, it’s not that cotton feeling, it’s almost more of a smooth, soft form. What I’m going to do now is I’m going to draw, basically, straight lines, but the straight lines will connect with one another. Instead of a perfect straight line, maybe it’s like a soft line. I’m going to create these very soft lines. Again, because no two clouds are the same, as you’re drawing this, if it’s not exactly what shows in the photograph, it’s okay. No one will know.

Now I’m going to think about what colors are in the cloud. Typically if you’re looking at a white puffy cloud, the sun will be shining, and because the sun is shining, you’ll have areas that are very light, you’ll have areas of the cloud that are in shadow, and then you’ll have different colors in between. What I’m going to suggest is first find the area of the cloud that is the darkest, the shadow area, and what you want to do is block in that entire shape. Just look for, is there a curving line of the shadow? Is there a straight line of the shadow? What general shape the shadow looks like? For my shadow, it curves up around, and then circles right down. Again, around, up, and down. I’m just going to, with the side of my charcoal, shade that right in with the side of the pastel. I’m choosing purple because I love purple. I don’t have to use grays all the time; I can use any colors that I want.

I’m going to take the white and I’m going to draw and sketch in, and add the white to show the lightest part of the cloud. You’re going to continue to bring in the absolute lightest areas, the absolute darkest areas, and then you’re going to think about other colors that might show in this cloud. Perhaps there’s a little bit of a peach color shining through, perhaps there’s a touch of yellow, perhaps there’s a touch a blue. You’re going to start, with your, mixing these colors together. Always coming back to, what are the darkest areas? What are the lightest areas? What shape do they make? You can come back in; redefine the tops of those white clouds. I would continue doing this. I would probably bringing in more clouds, as well. I will probably also go behind the cloud; bring back in that blue tone. I would continue to work on it until I feel really happy about how the cloud looks, and until I’ve expressed myself creatively, and have allowed myself to expressed myself through my drawing.

Here’s an example of more of a finished drawing of that cloud. I have used the exact techniques that I have described: I added some clouds, I had added a puffy cloud underneath, then a softer cloud here, and a little bit of a softer cloud here. Again, through looking at the shapes, simplifying the shapes, drawing these little half-circles on the bottom, it’s more of just soft lines bringing in those areas of darks; looking for the shape of dark, looking for the shape of light, and then coming back into the background, adding a number of shades of blue from light, from the bottom the dark at top, and bringing in any colors that are inspiring to you.

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We’ll focus on drawing a mountain. I’ve already prepared a landscape; this is a marsh with a wide and deep field of grass. We’re going to focus on drawing mountains way in the background.

Mountains typically, when we see them in a drawing, are very far away from us. I’m going to take my pencil, and I’m just going to sketch in a mountain range. When drawing mountains, if they’re in the distance, basically what you’re going to do is with your pencil or pastel; you’re going to draw a series of curving lines. Instead of it being a solid line, it’s almost like you want to make your hand shake as you’re doing it. If you think of a mountain, usually there are trees and all sorts of other living things in Earth on top of the mountain. It’s typically never a perfectly straight line.

I’m going to take my pastel, and if these mountains are in fact way in the distance, I’m actually going to use a purple tone. I’m using the side of my pastel. In some places, I’m using the tip of my pastel. I’m not necessarily going for a super-realistic expression of this landscape. I’m really going for color, I’m going for feeling. As I’m drawing this for my own self, I’m wanting to draw something that’s much more expressive.

I’ve added the purple; I’m going to rub it in slightly with my fingers. Sometimes I’m rubbing it in right on the paper, and sometimes I’m just dabbing at it. What I’m going to do is I’m going to lighten the area that’s in front of it. If the area in front of it goes lighter, it will automatically push back the mountain range, which is darker. Depending on the mountains you’re drawing, if they’re way in the distance, they are going to tend to be one or two colors and darker. I’m going to add a touch of darker blue to these purple mountains. I’m using the pastel very quickly, just sketching it right in.

I’m going to draw another level of the mountain range with my pencil. I’m going right on top of the pastel with a 6B pencil, which is quite dark. I’m bringing back on top of the purple mountains that I just created in areas, just touches with my pencil. You’re going to continue with your imagination, with your own sense of self-expression, and your own unique mark to create these ranges of mountains in the distance. They’re squiggly lines, almost allowing your hands to shake slightly.

The last thing I’m going to do is I’m going to bring a touch of blue, the same blue that’s in the forefront of this drawing. I want to show some blue sky, and that will really allow the colors of the mountains, which are now, there’s some purples, and then there are some golden yellows. If I make the sky a different color, it will allow the mountains to really pop out. I’m going to bring in a touch of blue, and we’ll shade that in, just rubbing the pastel through the paper. I’m going to add just a touch of white to lighten up the sky.

All the while as I’m doing this, most importantly, I’m expressing myself. I’m allowing myself to connect with the beauty of the landscape that I’m looking at, and I’m allowing my own unique personality and my own unique experiences to really affect the look of the drawing. No two drawings are the same; no two artists are going to draw the same. They’re going to be most interesting if you can really bring your personality and your perspective into the drawing.

I’m still just using the side of the pastel, bringing in a little more blue to the top so that these mountain ranges will pop out. I’m going to just bring a touch of green into some of the mountaintops so that these gold and yellows and greens can shine through. You can use any colors you want. Add a little bit of a touch of hot pink, just for some contrast.

There you have a range of mountains.

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We’ll focus on how to draw fruit. Of course, there are many different types of fruit one can draw; I’m going to focus on an apple. When I look at an apple, what I’m seeing initially is an oval-type form.

I’m using vine charcoal, and I’m going to first draw this basic form, again, just an oval, just to see that initial shape in. I’m going to really focus on 2 things: I’m going to put in a circle right at the top where the apple core will at some point go. Now I’m going to focus a little more on the outside lines of the apple. It is oval-shaped, but there are more specific shapes going on. I’m just going to look at each little area.

I realize that this line here comes to a point slightly, then it follows the oval, then it comes in slightly. Then I’ll look at the other side. Doesn’t mean that both sides are the same, exact. As long as I’m really, really looking at the apple, I get all of my information, what it should look like.

The bottom, as many apples do, has this little curve. That’s the shape of my apple. I’m going to take my eraser, or my finger, and just rub out that initial oval. Now I have the actual lines of the apple, which are slightly more detailed. If I want, I can take my eraser, just so that what’s leftover are these specific lines of the apple. Your apple that you’re looking at will most likely look different than this apple. Although this is a base, you really want to focus on the apple that’s in front of you, and to really follow those lines.

We’re going to look at the core now. I’m just going to shade out the circle that I drew. I can allow some of the shading to still shine through. A lot of people will draw an apple like this, that’s not necessarily an apple. What we’re going to really look at is the exact shape of the apple core. There’s this little curve, and then it comes up, almost like a straight line but there’s a little curve to it. The other side comes in and out, and then it meets at the top. I’m going to erase inside of this little core just because we don’t want to see any lines coming through it.

My last step is I’m going to just add a little bit of shading. I’m going to use the side of the charcoal. You can practice on the side of your paper. The side of the charcoal, rather than the tip, covers more surface area and it’s a very expressive way to move through your drawing. I’m going to look at my apple and find the areas that are darker. For me, the right side of the apple has a lot of shadow. I’m going to move through my apple using the side of my charcoal, and blocking in the shading that I see. There are different areas that could still be shaded, maybe just a little lighter, and then areas that are shaded darker. You can play with how hard you’re pressing with your charcoal. If you want it to be darker, you’ll press harder. If you want it to be shaded, but just lighter, you’ll press softer.

I’m now going to use my fingers, and I’m really just going to start to move that charcoal around. I like to, when I’m shading, move my finger in a circular motion, especially with something like an apple which is round. My circular motion, when I’m shading, will lend itself well to that shape. I’m just going to start to add a little more detail. There’s a nice shadow cast on the apple. I’m going to put just a little edge of the table in so it feels like the apple is sitting on something. I’m going to bring in a really dark shadow, which for me, since the light is hitting the apple on the left, there’s a shadow on the right side.

Just for the sake of that drawing feeling a little more dramatic, I’m going to shade behind parts of the apple. I’m going to find where the lighter areas of the apple are, and behind it, I’m going to allow it to be dark. My last step is I’m going to take my eraser, regular eraser from a pencil, and I’m going to erase into my apple, to really bring out those lighter areas. Anywhere where the light is hitting, if you see a little bit of a highlight on your apple, you can bring in and use your eraser to just pull out some of those lighter areas.

Most importantly, you really want to enjoy the process. A lot of people, when drawing, feel like they want to create a perfect drawing in about 2 minutes or less. It’s not so realistic, and then it’s not enjoyable. You really want to give yourself the time and space to enjoy drawing whichever fruit you’re drawing, and set aside some time so that the whole process can be relaxing, so you can really express yourself. I’m just adding some finishing touches, and soon, my apple is finished.

Transcript

We’ll now focus on a simple drawing, for beginners. I have a vase here, which is the subject matter that we’ll focus on. I’m going to be using vine charcoal. I have a gum eraser, and an eraser just from the back of a regular pencil.

What I’m going to suggest is actually with your charcoal, to just add some shading to your page to get started. You’re not going to use the tip, like a pencil. You’re going to turn it on its side, and you’re just going to go in any direction: Up, down, left, right, diagonal. You just want to get a little color on your paper. Then with your hands, your fingers, you can blend in a bit. This is just allows us to get started. Sometimes it’s helpful to have an entry point into our drawing.

You can use any basic shape, any form. It could be a glass, it could be a mug; something simple with simple lines. I’m going to start by looking at my vase, and I’m going to focus on the top of the vase. The top, if I looked at this way, is a circle, but when I’m looking from this angle, it’s an ellipse, which is a circle turned on its side. I’m going to draw that ellipse. Now I’m going to focus on each part of the vase, almost 1 inch at a time. I see that the neck of the vase is a little curve, so I’m just going to draw that curve. As I’m drawing, I’m not going to focus on, ‘this is a vase’. I’m going to pretend that I don’t even know what a vase looks like, and I’m just going to focus on little bits of the vase at a time, so that all these little bits, all of these mini-lines can come together to form an actual drawing.

Basically, it’s a mirror image on the left and the right side. If I want, I can even draw a line down the middle. Anything that I do on the left side is going to happen, basically opposite, on the right side. Here are your two curved lines. Then what happens is it curves right out, basically, just continuing that line. Then it tucks around and comes down, basically, almost a straight line.

Where it’s sitting on the table, it’s not a flat line, it’s slightly curved. As I’m looking at this, I’m realizing I want to make a slight change. That is part of drawing; you can always, always, always make changes. It’s always a work in progress. I realized the neck is a little thinner, so I’m just going to bring that line in slightly. It’s one curved line, connected to another curved line, connected to a straight line. That’s all that side is. The other thing I’m realizing is that the top of the vase is a little wider from left-to-right and a little thinner from top-to-bottom. You can see how easy it is to work with charcoal. Anytime you want to change something, you just draw right over it, and you can shade it right out.

One thing I’ll do is I’m going to just draw a little line behind it to ground the vase, so that it really feels like the vase is sitting on something. Very, very quickly, I’m going to use my charcoal and just do a little bit of shading. There’s a darker shadow that’s cast on the table. I’m using the side of my charcoal, and I’m going to move through this vase and just pick out a couple of areas where it’s a bit darker. If I want, I can use the tip at times, if I want a little more definition or if I want to make it a little darker. I’m just basically going back and forth, making lines, just like this.

I’m going to come in with my finger, wipe it through a little bit so that it makes a bit of sense. I’m going to wipe over that midline that I had created. As I’m shading now, I’m going to make this motion, almost like a wide U, so that my shading mimics the shape of the vase. My last step, maybe I’ll bring in a little more definition with the tip of my charcoal, darkening some of the lines, definitely not all of them, but just areas, just for a little touch. I’m now going to come in with my eraser, and I’m going to erase a couple of areas, just to show where the light is hitting. These little touches with the eraser will allow us to have a little more definition. I’m really drawing with the eraser. I’m not only erasing, I’m drawing right on here. As I define some of these lighter areas, your drawing is going to look much more 3-dimensional.

Those are some tips to beginning drawing. If I want, maybe I’ll even just make this side a little darker so the lighter side of the vase can pop forward. Very quickly, you will have a beginning drawing. The most important thing is to have fun, to relax, to practice. Don’t criticize yourself, and to allow yourself to really express yourself and to create from your heart. You will be creating incredible drawings in no time.

Transcript

We’re now going to learn how to draw a realistic eye, for beginners. Drawing an eye is not as challenging as you might think. We can really break it down to a number of very easy steps.

What I’m using right now is a variety of drawing pencils. Drawing pencils come in different styles, and they all have different letters. The letters show how dark and soft or how light and hard the graphite is. Anything with a letter B, I like to think of ‘B’ for bold. The B pencils are much darker. The H pencils, I usually think of ‘H’ for hard. The H pencils are much harder and their marks are actually lighter. The best way to figure out how these pencils work are to the use them. You don’t have to have many pencils. Even if you just have a regular pencil from home, that’s a perfect way to begin.

I’m going to use this B pencil; it’s a medium shade. When drawing an eye, what you’re going to start with first is almost a shape of an almond or a football. I’m just going to sketch that shape. From the beginning, it does not have to be perfect. If I make a mistake, I can always erase it. You’re always going to make changes when you’re drawing, so there’s no need for it ever to be perfect. The most important thing is to use your own creativity, to experiment, and to have fun.

The only area that I didn’t finish this almond shape is the inside of the eye. Everyone, on the inside of their eye has this little form, the tear duct. The shape is almost like the combination of the letter U, sideways, and the letter V. It’s not exactly a U and it’s not exactly a V; it’s a little bit of a combination. It’s like a V but with the bottom of it being like a U.

It’s always great when drawing to have an area on your paper where you can experiment, so not everything has to happen right in the main drawing. Sometimes people have an extra piece of paper where they can practice their sketching, practice making a shape, or making a line, and I highly, highly suggest this. As a beginner drawer, I would suggest just practicing this type of shape to start.

Your next step is going to be the center of the eye, which is basically a perfect circle, but we don’t actually see the entire circle. Typically what we see is most of that circle but not the top. I’m going to sketch that right in, and again, excellent on the side; just practice drawing a circle. If you need help drawing a circle, you can always find something that is circular and you can trace it. Inside of that circle is the iris, again, another perfect circle. Typically, it’s a little higher; it’s not exactly in the middle. I’m going to draw that.

My next stage is that every eye has a crease. If I close my eye, there’s a crease right on top. Every eye . . . again, there are no two eyes from different human beings that are the same. You really want to focus on the uniqueness of what you’re drawing, and you want to bring in your own creativity, your own self expression. I’m going to draw this crease. You can notice that instead of doing just one solid line, often, I’m making almost little sketch marks, almost like little dashes that will connect with one another.

You can hold your pencil in a couple of ways. You can hold it just like you would hold a pen or you can hold it with your two fingers and your thumb, and almost balance it with the rest of your hand. If you take the pencil like this and you just start to loosen it up, your forefingers will be touching with your thumb. This will give you a softer line; it will also allow you to feel more free when you are drawing. It’s excellent when you’re drawing if you can feel freed up, relaxed, and that way you will also feel like you have more of a liberty to be very expressive, and yet, also have a lot more fun.

Underneath the eye is another tiny, tiny, tiny crease, right under the eye. I’m going to draw that in, as well. I’m now going to start thinking about shading. When we think of an eye, typically no matter what color the eye is, whether it’s blue or brown, that circular area is going to be darker. I’m now going to switch to my darkest pencil, 6B, and I’m going to shade in the iris. I’m using the side of the pencil in a diagonal motion. I’m not worried about staying in the lines; I just want to really darken it up. I’m going to go around that eye. I’m just going to draw a little bit of a shape, and it could be any shape; it could be a little square, it could be a little circle, it could be a little squiggly. This is going to be the reflection in the eye. I’m not going to shade in this area, but I’m going to shade in everything else. You can see I’m going very fast. It doesn’t have to be perfect, doesn’t have to stay in the lines.

I’m going to just use the tip of my pencil and bring in that dark outline again. I’m now going to just focus on . . . if you look at an eye close, close-up, and I would suggest even looking at your own eye in the mirror, there are these lines of detail that come from the iris out to the edge. I’m going to bring that in; it will allow your drawing to have a little more texture and it will just look at little more interesting. Then I’m going to come in once again with my pencil. This time I’m going to switch pencils, I’m going to use a 2B, which is a medium-dark shade, and I’m going to start shading just around the outside rather than everywhere. This time I’m using the tip of the pencil. It’s very much like coloring with a crayon, but this time I’m using a pencil. As an example, just back-and-forth, back-and-forth. Try to do it perhaps on another piece of paper and see how fast you can go. You want, when you are drawing, to feel very freed up so that you can really express yourself. The whole goal of drawing, the whole goal of creating art, is to nurture your creativity and to have a way that you can really express yourself authentically. I’m just going to darken that iris a little more. I’m pressing a bit harder with my pencil.

Now I’m going to bring in some eyelashes. My first step is I’m just going to darken this top part of the eye, and again, not necessarily with one solid line but these dashes. I’m going to darken the bottom, as well. Not as dark as the top. Just make it a little darker. With the eyelashes, your eyelashes are going to be these lines, almost like a wisp. You can even practice with your wrist, something like that. They’re curved lines, but they’re not so controlled. I’m going to bring in those eyelashes. Again, just these wisps, these wispy lines coming from that top line of the eye. I know that some people have very long and dark eyelashes, some people have shorter eyelashes. You can use your imagination. I would suggest playing with different possibilities and seeing what feels right for you. For your bottom eyelashes, they don’t always start right in the center. You can move your pencil over a little bit. Again, same type of wisps. Typically, the bottom eyelashes are shorter than the top eyelashes. You can continue on like that.

You’re next step is going to be really focusing more and more with shading. You can use a variety of your pencils, and you are going to start shading not only within the eyeball, but this whole eye area. Everybody thinks an eye is white; it’s not always white. The only reason it would be white is if I held a light right up to my eye, otherwise, there’s a lot of shading. I’m just going to bring in a touch of shading, and again, the side of my pencil just moving very quickly. I can use my finger to blend in some of the pencil. There’s going to be shading right around the eye, above the top crease, below the bottom crease. I can always add as much as I want. Remember, I can always go back in with my eraser.

Then my next step would be more detail to the eyelashes. Typically when drawing eyelashes, you don’t necessarily see every single eyelash, so really, what you’re wanting to just show is a certain amount of motion, a certain amount of movement. It does not have to be exact. Some people when drawing an eye, won’t even draw the eyelashes, they’ll just draw some shading to show that there is movement coming from the eye. As I continue with this drawing, I’m going to spend as much time as I want, really adding these finishing touches. You could spend hours drawing an eye, and the more time you give to it, the more realistic it’s going to feel. Remember, you really want to break it down into these basic shapes, and then really focusing on your shading. Your shading is, again, very simple. Think of years ago, coloring with crayons but now you are using pencil.

Transcript

We’ll now focus on how to draw water drops. I will show you the beginning stages and techniques of drawing a water drop. Truly, you could spend hours perfecting a drawing of a water drop or anything else, but the most important thing is how to get started. Always very important to just relax, to find a comfortable place to sit, turn on some music, and approach your drawing with the goal of really having fun and expressing yourself; having a way to really authentically express yourself. I typically tend to look at something, rather than pull something from my imagination, that way I have a base for my drawing. I’m going to just choose one water drop. Water drops obviously come in every shape and every size. What I’m going to do first is sketch the shape of the water drop.

Typically, any water drop is going to be either a circle or an oval, so you might even practice drawing a circle or drawing an oval. Then within that circle and oval, for lack of better words, there are almost squiggly lines. Instead of a perfect circle, maybe it comes down a little bit or comes up a little bit higher. The goal is to not focus on the whole shape at once. Break it apart, and take a little bit at a time. All a drawing is, is a little line connected to another little line, connected to another little line. Everybody can do this, and everybody can do that. If you can do those 2 things, you can draw.

I’m going to focus on the shape of my water drop. It’s a curved line, connected to another curved line, connected to another curved line, connected to another slightly curved line, another curved line, another curved line, and that’s it. What I’m going to start to do is think about the shading. The shading will allow the water drop to feel 3-dimensional. I’m going to do the shading and sketching with a variety of different pencils. Some of the pencils are lighter, and some of the pencils are darker. I’m going to start, actually, by looking both outside of the water drop and inside of the water drop for the darkest areas.

I’m using a 6B pencil. A 6B allows us to get very dark lines. I’m just going to move around inside the water drop and outside the water drop, and shade in. All I’m doing is with the tip of the pencil I’m doing this type of motion. It’s just back-and-forth, back-and-forth. Then I do it on top of, so it’s layers of back-and-forth, and then sometimes it’s smaller. If I press harder, it’s darker. If I barely press, it’s much lighter. Right now, I’m pressing fairly hard. I really want a nice dark line.

Now I’m going to look in the water drop itself, and look at the different shapes. There are so many different shapes of color right inside the water drop. I’m going to look inside the water drop and find, what is the darkest area of this water drop? What is the lightest area? Maybe what is the medium-toned area? I’m going to sketch in this darker area. I can start to go in the direction of the water drop. Instead of just the back-and-forth line, it can be a curved line. That will show the motion and the direction of the water drop.

As I’m drawing, I’m not so concerned with, “This drawing has to be perfect.” I’m not concerned with, “Oh, no. It doesn’t look like the perfect water drop yet.” I know that if I continue to practice these techniques, and I spend the time, that it will continue to evolve. Most importantly, I’m relaxing, I’m enjoying this experience, and I’m allowing the drawing experience to really nurture me creatively. If that’s happening, then I’m succeeding already.

Certain areas are darker. Certain areas are lighter. I’m now going to grab another pencil; this is a 2B pencil. It’s not as dark as the pencil I was just using. There are some areas, it still has shading, but it’s just not as dark. Instead of using the tip, now I’m using the side of the pencil. I’m holding it . . . the end of the pencil is really in the middle of the palm of my hand. Then I’m folding my hand over so that my pointer finger is on the pencil, and I’m grasping it with my thumb. Just very quickly finding the different movements of the water drop, and how the water is moving.

I’m going to use my finger, and I’m going to shade the pencil together. All I’m doing is making a circular motion and pressing down right on the paper and the pencil, and all of these colors start to move together and blend together. I’m now going to take my eraser, because within the water drop there’s always a very light area. I’m going to take my eraser, and I’m going to erase right into my drawing. I’m literally drawing now with the eraser. I want to just bring those highlights out. When you draw, the eraser itself is a drawing tool. One thing that makes a water drop feel like a water drop is what’s around it. We’ll quickly sketch in, or shade in, some of the areas around the water drop.

We can come back into the water drop to find the shapes of all the different shading a little bit more; always looking for shapes, always, always looking for the shapes of the lights, the lightest areas, the darkest areas, and the shape of that which you’re drawing. One thing also is when you’re drawing a water drop, there are always all these different curves, it’s almost like the letter ‘S’. You want to find all of those interesting curves, and really bring that out in your shading.

This is just the beginning stages of your water drop. Typically when you create a water drop, there could be another drop and a couple of drops in the same area. These are the beginning stages. If I were to continue this, I would continue finding the lighter areas, I would continue finding the darker areas, bringing in more shading, making changes, and most importantly, relaxing and expressing my own creativity.

Transcript

We’ll now focus on how to draw a flower. When drawing a flower, you really have the opportunity to capture the beauty and the essence of the flower, and how you connect to a flower.

Your first step is going to be to find an actual flower, whether it’s live or a photo of that flower. You can really choose something that inspires you. I’m going to be drawing this flower here. What I want to start looking at, the basic shapes of the petals of the flower. Instead of capturing the entire flower, I’m going to really break it down to each of the flower’s petals.

The first thing I’m going to do is just to choose where I’m going to place it on my paper. I’m going to make a big oval to just represent where that flower is even going to be positioned. I’m going to draw a very simple squiggly line, curved line, to represent the flower’s stem; this way I know where on my paper it’s going to be. I’m going to start by really looking at petals. I’m going to go petal, to petal, to petal. I don’t need to include every single petal, but I want to include as many petals as I need to, so that it really feels like a blossoming flower.

You can start anywhere you want. I like to start from the bottom and work my way up. The bottom petal is really just one curve, so I’m going to do it on the side here. It’s like a very, very wide U. At the tip of that petal is another curve that comes inward. Laying on top of that petal is another petal, but first, that bottom petal folds over slightly. Again, I’m going to just look at that shape and draw one line at a time. The petal comes up, it comes down, and it comes over. The next petal is almost parallel to the bottom petal, but slightly different; it comes up, it comes over, and loops around. A little bit of that bottom petal shows through right here. I’m going to move up to the next petal. Again, I’m just focusing on the shape that’s in front of me.

You can keep it as simple or as detailed as you want. There’s not one right way, you want to really find your rhythm in drawing the flower. Again, it loops up, it comes over. It’s all really starting from the center of the flower, and comes right over. There’s another petal, just sticking out back here, so I’m just going to throw that in.

I’m going to move to the other side. There is, again, this semi-U shape, and this curve that comes and meets it right there. I’m looking very, very closely. As you can see, I’m not guessing, I’m not thinking that every flower looks the same. I’m realizing every flower has its own personality, so I’m not guessing how to make the different petals. I’m constantly looking at the information in front of me. Regardless of what level you are when drawing, if you’re a total beginner, that’s fine, or more advanced, as long as you get into the habit of really looking at what is in front of you and really focusing on the different curves and the different lines of that which you’re looking at, you will do a great, great job.

I’m just continuing, again, petal-by-petal, line-by-line, shape-by-shape. Now I reach a point where the petals really start to come together. The left side of the flower and the right side of the flower are joining. As I reach the top, there are a lot of overlapping petals that are almost all the same shape. As you can tell, drawing a flower can be really, really meditative and very, very relaxing. I’m looking at something that’s visually, really beautiful. I really have nothing else that I need to take care of, other than focusing on the beauty of this flower, and expressing the beauty onto my paper.

Now that I’ve drawn the petals, I’m going to come back down. This is a simple line drawing. I could always come back in with shading, but I’m just focusing on the basic outlines. I’m coming into the stem, and again, it’s one curved line, connected to another curved line, connected to another curved line. I’m going to allow it to come all the way down the page. If I wanted to, I could shade in aspects of the flower. I’ll started off, but I won’t necessarily do the entire thing. I’m just using the tip or the side of my pencil. I would start looking through the flower, finding where are the darkest areas of this flower? I would start shading those in, accordingly. Then I would think about, “What are the medium grays?” I like to think of, if I looked at this flower through a black-and-white lens, what are all the different shades of grey that I would see? You would move through the flower, accordingly. The longer amount of time that you spend on your drawing, the more detailed it can be. Even just a simple line drawing can be very, very beautiful.

I’m just going to come through my drawing as my last step. I’m just going to make some of these lines slightly darker, just to allow some of these areas of the flower to really pop out. I’m allowing myself to be expressive with my lines, really allowing my personality, my feelings, and my own unique self-expression to come into the drawing. In a short while, I’ve created a drawing of a flower that really expresses how I see this flower.

Transcript

We’ll talk about how to draw a pumpkin. I highly suggest having a pumpkin in front of you, or a photo of a pumpkin. A lot of us think we know what something looks like, but in reality, everything has a unique personality, including you, so you want to really bring your personality and your self-expression into the drawing.

If you look at a pumpkin, you really have almost a circular form, but what happens is the top is almost like the top of a heart. Right in the middle where the stem is, it’s almost like the top of a heart, and then it loops around like a circle, a little bit wider than a circle. Then it just continues right around.

To start, you want to have this oval form with this little area that’s almost like the top of a heart, but it’s just that part. Then you have the stem right in the middle. That is almost like a circle, as well. It’s very helpful to just sketch that in. It doesn’t have to be exact; it doesn’t have to be perfect, we’re just laying out the basics for now.

The next thing is you can start to look at all of these different shapes that come from the stem. Basically all they are, are either straight lines or curved lines. They go right around 360 degrees, right around from the center of the pumpkin. Focus on one line at a time. This line, it’s basically just a straight line, curves right around. This line comes over, curves right around. This line, straight across, curves right around. Again, it comes right over, and then this one comes all the way down and over slightly. You’re going to continue doing that all the way around. You’re going to take just one part of the pumpkin at a time. This one comes over, down, and it tucks right under. It does not have to be perfect.

The most important thing is for you to experiment with the materials that you’re working with and enjoy the process. Working with charcoal is definitely helpful, because anytime you want to make a change, you can just rub the changes right out. What I’m going to do is I’m going to take my eraser, and I’m going to erase my initial guidelines. Remember that first circle that we drew? I’m going to just erase those so that all we’ll have now is the actual pumpkin. You can erase it, or you can even use your fingers to just smudge it right out.

If you want to continue, you can break your charcoal into a little piece, and you can add just a touch of shading, again, just the side of your charcoal now, rather than the tip. When you use the side of the charcoal, you’ll cover more surface area. It’s also very freeing, it’s very freeing, it’s very playful. If you ever do anything with charcoal that you’re not crazy about, you can always just wipe it away with the touch of a finger. I’m bringing in just a touch of shading. Anywhere that I look at the pumpkin that it’s a little darker, I’m just shading it right in. I’m going to use my finger and just blend it a little bit, using circular motions or back-and-forth. This will give some dimension to the pumpkin.

Last, but not least, I’m going to take my eraser. Again, this is just a regular eraser from the back of a pencil, and I am just going to redefine some of these edges of the sections of the pumpkin, just so that some of these areas can really stand out. The whole purpose of shadowing, or shading, is to create a look that makes the drawing look like it’s 3-dimensional. I’m just going to use my eraser, the same way I would use an eraser any other way, but now it’s on my drawing. I’m using it in the direction of the pumpkin so that it really does create some texture and movement. The eraser actually is one of my favorite drawing tools. I use the eraser as much as anything else.

Lastly, I’m going to come in with a charcoal one last time and just give a little bit of a pop of any area that is the darkest in the pumpkin. I’m using the tip, rather than the side, just to get it really nice and dark. Maybe I’ll redefine a couple of the lines. I’m going to come back into the stem and just darken it slightly. There you have the beginnings of a pumpkin.

If I were going to continue this, I would continue just playing with the shading, pushing out the lights and the darks, and spending more time on all of the shading. If I want, as a final touch, I could add a little bit of a shadow in the front just to show that the pumpkin is sitting on a surface. There you have the drawing of a pumpkin.

Transcript

The basics of sketching are easy and fun. Basically, you need some paper and you need a drawing material. This time, I’m going to use drawing pencils. Drawing pencils come in different shades. You have B as in boy, pencils, and you have H as in Harry, pencils. The Hs are much harder and lighter toned. The Bs are much softer and can be much darker.

When it comes to sketching, the most important thing is to really have your tools ready, and to experiment. Sketching and creating art is all about creativity; it’s all about tapping into your own sense of creativity and expressing yourself. If I’m going to explore sketching, the most important thing, really, is just to see what does this tool do? For example, how dark of a line can I make pressing really hard? If I barely press, how soft of a line can I make? Perhaps I’ll pick up another pencil and do the same thing. Immediately, I see that one pencil is much darker than the other. On the contrary, this pencil is going to draw a much finer line. You want to explore what types of lines you can make. Sketching is all about self-expression through creating a variety of lines.

My suggestion to you would be to draw a lot of different lines on a piece of sketch paper. Perhaps draw circles, draw dashes, perhaps even think of words, and draw the types of lines that come to your imagination. For example, if I say ‘exciting’, what types of lines might you draw? If I say ‘peaceful’, what type of line might that be? If I say ‘sleepy’, what type of line comes to your imagination? If I say the word ‘loud’, what kind of mark or line comes out automatically?

As you explore your sketching, I recommend this type of exercise; think of adjectives or experiences that you’ve had and come up with very quick symbols. You’ll find that you can create a wide variety of sketch marks and sketch lines, and this will be a perfect introduction to exploring the basics of sketching.

I’ll now share with you how to draw a realistic mouth. I’m going to be using drawing pencils. There are a variety of different drawing pencils that you can use. If you’d like, you can just use one pencil or you can use 3, 4, or more. The different pencils will just show different types of shading from lighter tones to darker. I’m also going to use a gum eraser, it looks like chewing gum. I like to also use a regular eraser from a pencil.

As you start, the most important thing with drawing is to just relax, to have fun, and to see that drawing or any sort of art is a mode for you to express yourself. I’m going to start with a lighter pencil, it’s an HB pencil. I’m going to start by just sketching the shape of lips. Every type of mouth is different, and no 2 mouths are the same, so this can be a base for your drawing. You can learn certainly a lot of different techniques. I definitely suggest finding a picture, a friend, or even grab a mirror and look at yourself. Whenever you look at something, it’s always very, very helpful when drawing.

We’ll start with the upper lip, and basically it’s almost like a V. You draw a V. Then the top of the lips are almost like a straight line, like a slope. I will change it slightly, but it’s very helpful to start with a very, very simple shape. The bottom lip is basically a big curve. Then you have the parting of the 2 lips. Again, you have a straight line, another straight line, and then almost a big fat U that connects them.

What we’re going to do is we’re going to give a little more detail to the shape. It’s always great to start very simple, and then you can bring a little more detail into it. In fact, the little V is going to be curved. The top here of the 2 lips are curved. I’m drawing right over the lines that I had. If you want, or if you prefer, you could always erase the lines that were underneath. It’s completely up to you. Always when you’re drawing, you want to find the way that feels right for you. These lines coming down, instead of being totally straight, they get a little thinner and there’s a little curve at the bottom.

The top lip is always a little wider than the bottom lip. I’m going to bring in the bottom lip, and again, I’m just going to bring in a little more shape. It’s best to look at someone’s actual mouth so you can really capture that shape. I’ll take my eraser and erase anything that I no longer want in the drawing.

I’m going to come back into that line that separates the top lip and the bottom lip. Actually all that is, is that when the lips are together, you see a line separating them. I’m going to bring that in. Again I have that really basic line. I’m just going to give it a little more detail, and it’s basically a long wavy line, so it does something like this. It almost looks like a couple of mountain tops. Perhaps you practice on the side or on another sheet of paper, just practicing these different shapes. You don’t always have to draw everything right on your drawing. It’s very, very helpful to practice on the side, as well.

What we’re going to do is we’re going to bring in some shading. What we want to focus on is, where is the darkest part of the lips and where is the lightest part of the lips? When we bring in shading, the whole purpose is that right now it just looks like a flat drawing with lines. When we bring in shading, the whole drawing really comes to life. I’m going to focus on the darkest areas first. The top lip tends to be darker, so I’m going to bring in some dark shading, and perhaps where the lips meet, it’s even a little bit darker. As I’m shading, all I’m doing is I’m using the tip of my pencil in a back-and-forth mode. It’s a diagonal, but you can do it in a different angle. If you prefer to even go across or up-and-down, that’s okay, too. You always want to experiment and find what feels right for you. There’s no one way to draw.

I’m going to bring in that shading to the darkest possible areas. The top lip, although darker, maybe it’s not the same exact color. Maybe some areas are a little darker and some areas are a little lighter. I’ll experiment with my pencil and experiment with my shading. This line where the lips meet tends to be pretty dark, so I’ll use the tip of my pencil to just bring in a finer, darker line.

I’m going to focus on the bottom lip and I’m going to use a lighter pencil. I’m really going to focus on how 3-dimensional the lip is. The bottom lip always comes out and has a little more life force than the top lip. I’m literally drawing curved lines, just like this, like a backward letter-C, to just show the 3-dimensional shape of the lip. On the other side, it’s going to be an actual C-shape. Right in the center, the backward C and the forward C can really meet one another. Right now, it looks like a hairy lip, but as you continue with your shading, these lines are all going to blend together. You’re focusing on, and basically just with the side or the tip of your pencil, coloring in areas of the lip. One thing to imagine is if your eyes only saw in black and white, what would you see? Because when you’re using pencil, you have all of these different shades of gray. One thing that’s helpful also is an area will look lighter especially if the background is darker. Under the lip is usually a little bit of a shadow, so I’m going to draw that shadow in. You can instantly see how that bottom lip feels more 3-dimensional.

Most importantly above all when drawing, you really want to bring your own personality and your own essence into your drawing. You want to think about what is it that you’re really wanting to express when you’re drawing. With pencil, you can always shade with your finger. I’m going to go back into that bottom lip and just shade a little bit. I’m going to make that top lip even darker, maybe not everywhere, but maybe just in some places. As I’m drawing, I’m not necessarily thinking what the finished product has to look like. I realize that I’m going to erase, I’m going to add to the drawing, the drawing is going to change. I don’t need to know what the finished product’s going to look like. For me, what’s most important is that I’m enjoying the process.

You’re going to continue bringing out areas that are darkest, areas that are lightest. I’m going to take my eraser now. On the bottom lip, usually, there are some highlights. Although I’ve shaded the bottom lip, now I’m going to erase some of the shading that I put in there. I’m going to use different types of erasers now. I’m going to use the back of a regular eraser, just to create some fine lines. I’m going to continue creating lights and darks, different shapes, different shading, making changes, most importantly enjoying myself, relaxing, expressing myself through my drawing until I get to a point where I’m really happy with my drawing.

Transcript

We’re now going to learn how to draw a leaf. I suggest you find a leaf that you really love. I absolutely love the tropics, so I’m going to focus on a really big, green, lifelike leaf.

The leaf I’m looking at is almost the shape of a heart, so I’m actually going to start by just drawing a big, long heart. Instead of the tip being pointed, I’m just going to allow it to be a little rounded. I’m going to draw in the stem. All the stem is, is a curved line; it’s almost like a big, elongated S. I’m just going to draw that in. I’m going to now start looking a little closer at the outline of the leaf.

When drawing the leaf, I’m not looking at the entire leaf. I’m going to break it down into little sections that are going to be either a straight line or a curved line. When drawing, if you can look at something as a series of straight lines and curved lines, you will absolutely succeed at drawing whatever it is you’re hoping for.

I’m going to start where the leaf meets the stem. The shape really is a big U. If you can write and create the alphabet, you can start your leaf. There’s a big U, and then it turns into, really, an upside-down U; it’s going to loop right around. The same thing happens over here, except the edge of the leaf is a little tucked over. Rather than being a perfect U, there’s a little bit of a straight edge, and then another bit of a straight edge. With a leaf, both sides are not always going to be the same.

I’m going to continue on this side, and I’m just looking at the outside; just looking at the lines to find the shape of the leaf. If you are drawing, it’s always very, very helpful to have something right in front of you, to look at. Most people do not have the type of memory where they can remember exactly what something looks like. Because every leaf is different, just because you knew how to draw a leaf last week, now you’re drawing a new leaf, so you start from scratch.

I’m looking at the leaf, and I’m really looking at these beautiful and unique curves of the outline of the leaf; again, just a series of curved lines. It does not need to be perfect, no one is ever going to look at your drawing and say, “That doesn’t look like that one leaf.” Every leaf is totally different, and there is not one correct way to draw a leaf. There are many, many possibilities.

I’ve drawn the outline, and now I want to start drawing some of the veins. There’s a line that comes right down the middle of this leaf. As I’m drawing this leaf, I’m also allowing myself to connect to the subject matter, to the leaf. I’m somewhat thinking about being on a beach in the Caribbean with these beautiful, big leaves fanning me, so that certainly inspires the experience, as well. As you’re drawing your leaf, you really want to connect to the subject matter, and you really want to bring in your own sense of self-expression. I we all drew the same leaf, all of our drawings would look totally different, as they should.

I’m going to now focus on continuing the veins. Guess what; the veins, all they are, are more curved lines. Basically, the veins will be mirror-images on both sides; however, if the leaf is turned, at an angle, or one side of the leaf is folded over, it will look different. You really just want to pay attention to that curved line. They’re all going to come right out of that center vein that cuts right through the middle of the leaf. With the leaf that I’m drawing, some of the veins are quite big, and then some of the veins are very, very small and very, very detailed.

I’m going to continue to bring those veins through, again, curving very organic lines. Then I can start to bring in even more detail. I’m not going to do the entire leaf right now, but I’ll just show you a section of what it might look like if you really got very detailed with the veins of the leaf. In between these major veins are these minor veins. Basically once again, it’s a lot of different curves connected to various straight lines; a lot of various organic shapes. As you’re drawing it, it is quite amazing to really look in detail at the construction of a leaf. Very often, we see leaves, or we see natures, but how often do we really pay close-up attention?

As you’re drawing, it can be quite enjoyable. I would continue. It’s almost like shapes of a kaleidoscope, but again, every leaf is totally different. I would continue if I wanted to throughout the whole leaf. The last thing I would probably do, since I’m drawing this in pencil, is I’d probably just darken some of these main veins, just so those pop out a little more than the ultra-detailed veins. If you want to continue to take the drawing a step further, you can bring in some shading by using the side of your pencil and coloring in areas to show where is the leaf darker and where is the leaf lighter. Even without that, you end up with a basic shape and the basic formation of a leaf.

Transcript

Now let’s talk about shading. Shading is a drawing technique that really allows your drawings to come alive. It gives it dimension, it gives it color, and it gives it movement. I’m going to show you an example of shading with a simple circle.

Here you have a flat circle, and through shading, we’re going to allow it to become more three-dimensional. I’m using charcoal. The trick to shading no matter what drawing materials you’re using, is to create an area that’s very light, area that’s very dark, and then various gradations in between. I’m going to use my charcoal and I’m going to allow this sphere to become very dark on one side. I’m pressing down quite hard with my charcoal. Then in the middle area, I’m using the side of charcoal, not the tip any longer. I’m just moving my charcoal through. Then in this white area, I’m just going to put this touch of charcoal.

Right now, it just looks like a lot of different colors thrown on the paper. Now I’m going to start to mix these shades together. This is really where shading starts to come alive. I’m going to shade and mix the charcoal together. I’m moving my finger as I’m shading it in a circular movement to capture this circular orb feeling.

Right now I just have a couple of shades of gray. What I’m going to do is I’m going to use my eraser, just a regular eraser from the back of a pencil. I’m going to bring back my circular shape here. Now I’m going to erase into this circle. I’m using my eraser almost like a pencil, but I’m erasing; I’m literally drawing with the eraser. I’m wanting to bring back the highlights, the lighter areas of this circular form. I’m going to erase an entire area and allow the white of the paper to shine through again. Then I’m going to bring in a little bit of shading again, just so that it’s not sticking out too much. Now I’m going to bring back my dark again. I’m going to really darken this one area. I want this area to really pop out and have its shadow pop out.

The last step is I’m actually going to add shading behind the light part of the circle. I want that light area of the circle to pop out, to really feel three-dimensional. You’re going to put dark, dark charcoal behind the lightest area of your circle. Then we’ll just put a touch of charcoal everywhere else. Last couple of steps: We’re going to redefine our circle, bring back that dark. Because charcoal does spread quite easily, sometimes you have to go over it a few times with a few layers. I’m going to, with my eraser, just redefine and draw the lightest area, drawing right with my eraser to pull that light area right out. Within minutes, you had a simple, simple circle that now has become a three-dimensional orb. With shading, you can really make everything come alive.

Transcript

We’re going to focus on drawing a landscape. What’s wonderful about drawing a landscape is that nature is so beautiful and so inspiring. You can find any landscape that you really, really love. I’m going to be drawing a freshwater marsh that has water and many, many, many fields of grass.

I’m going to be using color pastel; these are chalk pastels. You can use any different colors, styles, or brands that you choose. What I’m going to start with is I want to look at my landscape, and I want to look at the basic shapes and the basic forms. Basically, the front of my landscape is water, it’s the marsh, and there’s a line where the water meets the grass, so I’m going to throw that in. Then there’s grass in the front that’s very dark green. The field continues backwards into space, and that area is much lighter. I’m going to draw a simple line to show where the darker greens become lighter.

I’m going to take just 3 basic colors. Top part of my landscape is a yellowish-green. I’m going to take out yellow, green, and white as well, and I’m going to block it right in. I’m going to use the side of my pastel, and I’m going to make this whole area one color. I’m using the side of my pastel. I can move it around in whatever direction I want, and my goal is to really cover that whole area. It’s not detailed, very unspecific, but getting some color there. I’ll take my finger, and I’ll just rub it through, blending all of those colors together. It doesn’t just have to be one color; I can use multiple colors.

I’m now going to come to the middle section, and for me, the landscape I’m creating, there are a couple of shades of dark green. This time, I’m going to take out a couple of greens, and I’m going to bring this green right through with the side of my pastel, and really allowing myself to connect with the beauty of the landscape that I’m looking at.

I’m blocking in with the green. I’m going to take just a touch of light green, not everywhere, but just in a couple of spots; more along the bottom, where the grass meets the marsh, just to show a couple of shades of green. Once again . . .

I’m going to continue to shade this middle area. For me, because there are reeds and grass, I’m going to make sure that my shading is north/south; up-and-down. I want the edge of those greens to touch and even blend slightly with the top section of that yellow field, so that they really blend together. Every now and then, I just give it a quick blow, or go like this, just to get that extra pastel off of the page.

Lastly, I’m going to block in the water. It’s a very light blue, so I’m going to put some blue, a light sky blue color down, and then I’m going to put white on top of it; just blocking in the colors. You want to use your imagination. Whatever landscape you’re looking at, the whole purpose of drawing, the whole purpose of making art, is to really express yourself, to tap into your own creativity. If there’s a color you don’t see, but you want to use, or if there’s a color you do see, and you don’t want to use that, that’s okay. You make it your own. You allow the photo, or the place that you’re in, to be your inspiration, and then you take it wherever you want to take it. That’s definitely the beauty of art.

I have my water; I have my darker field, and then the lighter areas of the field. I’m going to continue blocking in and finding a little more detail. I’m going to keep this drawing pretty simple, but I just want to bring in a little bit of shadowing. I’m using a combination of blue and black, just to show that there’s a shadow where the grass meets the water. I’m just using my pastel, I’m moving it through that area where they meet, putting down black, and then I’ll put a little blue over it. Eventually what I’m going to do is I’m going to blend it. I’m just going to take my fingers, and through those darker areas, move right down the page, to show a sense of reflection, and a sense of shadow.

As I continue, I can work on this for as long or as short as I want. Right now, it’s almost like an abstract landscape. If I were going to continue, I would bring in more reflections of the white, I would bring in more of a sense of light, and more of a sense of movement. I am not concerned about making this exactly like the photo I’m looking at. I’m allowing the photo to inspire me, and then I’m taking it to a whole different place. I’m also just going to just now move into this field of green. There are some more lights and darks. To be creative, I’m going to use some hot pink, and mix that hot pink with the green, to just suggest another shade of green. You can see, I’m just making big, broad strokes. I’m just going to put a little darker blue on top of that pink. I’m just going to really, really blend right through. Lastly, I’m going to come back in with my yellow. I’m going to add some touches of yellow and allow some touches of yellow to come through, because really, all the field is in the back, is a continuation of the darker grass in the front.

I’m going to allow that yellow section to intersect a little more with the green section. As I continue, and I would plan to continue this, perhaps I’ll work on it for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, whatever I choose. I’m going to just continue to bring more and more detail, really just focusing on these blocks of color. All a pastel landscape is are lots of different blocks of color, lots of shapes of color, mixing together. Little-by-little-by-little, you start to feel a sense of movement, you start to sense a feeling of depth, and you really start to sense a feeling of the Earth. As you continue your landscape, enjoy connecting to whatever it is that’s the inspiration for you, and most importantly, relax, enjoy the experience of drawing, enjoy using the color, and your own sense of self-expression.

Transcript

We’ll now focus on how to draw a cat; these cute, snuggly little creatures that many of us love. What I have is a photo of a cat. What I’m going to suggest is that you too, find a photo that you really enjoy looking at, so that as you’re drawing it, you can feel very inspired.

I’m going to start with the shape of the head. I’m going to be using drawing pencils, and then I’m going to move into using a ballpoint, black pen. The shape of a cat face is very heart-shaped, so it’s almost a combination of a circle and a heart. I’m actually going to draw almost a lopsided circle to start. Then I’m going to draw just the bottom of a heart. Instead of it being a pointed bottom, I’m going to make it a rounded bottom. Right now, we’re just focusing on the outline of the cat’s head.

The ears of a cat, they may not be perfect triangles as some think they are, but they’re very triangular. What I’m going to suggest is drawing a triangle to start, just to get that basic shape on there. Now we can really round it out. What really happens is it comes up, and then it rounds over. This is not a perfectly straight line, it’s somewhat round. I’ll do that to the other ear, as well. In your drawing, you would be looking at a photo of whatever cat really inspires you.

I’m going to play with the shape of the face a little more. I’m going to look at little bits and pieces of the face, rather than the whole face at once. If you try to capture everything at once, it can be very, very overwhelming. What we really want to focus on is just one line at a time; almost like little dashes that connect, rather than one solid line. I’m going to continue my pencil down, finding that shape. If I want to make changes to what I have, I can always erase. I’m going to bring in my gum eraser, and I’m just going to erase some of the lines that I no longer want or need.

As I’m drawing, I know that I might make changes as I go, and that’s fine. As you’re drawing, it’s a constant, constant process. I encourage you to focus on the process, not the product. If you focus on the process, the drawing experience can be very, very peaceful, very relaxing, and most importantly, very self-expressive.

I’m going to look at the angle of the eyes. Before I even draw the eyes in, the eyes will always be on an angle on a plane. The nose and the mouth will also be on an angle. The eyes tend to be in the middle of the head. A lot of people think they’re right at the top, but they’re not; they tend to be in the middle. I’m going to look at where those eyes are. They’re really in the middle, they’re on this plane, and they’re not perfect circles, but they’re not as almond-shaped as human eyes. They’re almost something in the middle. What you really have with cat eyes is this curving form that comes and tucks down. When in doubt, make a circle, and you can always change it. I’m really making pieces of a circle, but not all of those pieces are connecting.

With the nose, you’re going to look for the connection from the eyes to the nose. From the center of the eye, again, just a little curving form, it comes in, and then comes right out. Cats have pretty wide noses. Then we’re going to find the bottom of the nose, which really makes a triangle from the inside of the eyes to the nose. We’re going to find, where do we put that nose? The nose is very heart-shaped; the top is almost like a little heart. If you want to, it all really takes place within a triangle. You can draw the triangle, and eventually, erase those guidelines. If you think of a combination of a heart and a triangle, that is pretty much the shape of a cat nose.

Then you have their cute little lips. It’s just a straight line. Depending on the cat, it’s almost an upside-down, very wide V. Here would be a wide V right-side-up. Upside-down would be something like that, and you have this little line here. I’m going to draw that upside-down V; it’s a little curved. As I’m drawing this, I’m realizing the chin is a little too high, so all I’m going to do is make it lower. There’s no such thing as a mistake in drawing. You can always make changes, and you continue to make changes until you feel good about what your drawing is looking like.

That is my basic shape of the cat’s face. I’m going to just put in a few guidelines for its body. If you really look at it, all it is, is almost a straight line coming out. Instead, I’m just making a little bit curvy. I’m making a very loose line, because also of course, the cat is very furry. I’m going to come in with a ballpoint pen, which I personally love drawing with. You get a lot of really nice dark lines and shades. My process of using the ballpoint pen is literally drawing a lot of different lines, and then you can cross over it; those are called hatch marks. I can press a little . . . I can make the lines much closer together, and those will give me a darker area of shading.

As I continue, I’m going to be using my ballpoint pen, but I’m also going to allow myself to come back in with my pencil, redrawing when I want to. I can start to erase any of the initial guidelines from the eyes to the nose, that midline of the angle of the eyes, or the angle down the middle of the face.

I’m going to use my ballpoint pen and really start to bring out some definition and some highlights. I’m going to first start with the eyes. Cats’ eyes are always really beautiful. I’m basically just tracing on top of the pencil lines that I already created. I’m really not doing anything that’s so new. Perhaps as I’m doing this, perhaps as I’m using the ballpoint pen, there are certain details that I want to add, that perhaps initially were not there. There is this little eyelid, and again, it’s just a curved line. If you really break it down, it’s not all that complicated.

I’m continuing with my ballpoint pen. At this point, I’m really coloring in with the tip of the pen. If I make a mistake with this eye, I would have wished that this line were a little higher. It may not ultimately be perfect-perfect, but as long as the drawing is expressing what I’m really wanting it to say, then I feel that it’s quite successful. I’m going to continue through the drawing, finding my pencil sketch, and just bringing in a little more definition with my ballpoint pen. Here’s the heart-shaped nose. I’m specifically looking for any areas that are very dark. Those dark cat nostrils I’m going to bring right in. I’m just going to color it right in, like a coloring book, but with the ballpoint pen.

What I’m going to really look for are some of the lights and darks within the cat. First, I’m going to bring in those incredibly intense and beautiful cat eyes. I’ll first just focus on the pupil, and just by bringing that in, it allows us to feel like the cat is looking at us. What I’m going to start doing is just more shading. I’m going to find these beautiful lines of fur, and I’m just coloring it in. I’m really moving my pen very, very freely. I’m purposely moving it very freely because I want it to feel like fur. With the ballpoint pen, I could spend hours giving this more and more detail. Instead of working on it for hours, I’m just wanting to get the basics down.

The insides of the eyes are definitely not white, but they’re not as dark as the pupil. I’m going to just do a little bit of shading inside of the eye. There’s a real sense of reflection, so I’ll allow that to shine through. Now that we have the nose area, the eyes, and the mouth, perhaps I’ll add some whiskers, and perhaps I’m going to continue bringing in some of these really beautiful shapes and forms of the fur. Each stripe is very much its own. The stripes are not the same. Although people think of this as a stripe, a stripe on an animal is not that way; it’s more of a shape.

The last thing I’m going to do is just sketch in a little bit of the chin and some of these whiskers. Cats have these little polka dots that then lead to their whiskers; one of their defining facial qualities. I’m going to allow myself to draw these very wispy lines, extending out. There are a couple more up top, near the eyebrows. The last thing I might do is just draw in some of those dark stripes of the cat.

This is just a beginning, and I would definitely continue on bringing in these dark shapes, bringing in these light shapes, bringing in more, and more, and more definition, until I get to the point where I’m really confident and happy with my drawing. All the while, even if this is not completely finished, I’m really enjoying the process, allowing myself to relax and allowing myself to really express myself.

Transcript

We’ll focus on how to draw sky. The sky is very vast, very beautiful, and very mysterious. Truly, the sky is different colors at different times of the day, and clearly, all over the world, the sky can look different. The basics are this: The bottom of your sky is always going to be lighter, and in gradations, will become darker and darker.

I’m going to use chalk pastels. I’m going to start by covering my entire area of sky with blue. You can be as creative as you want. There have been times where I’ve looked at the sky and I’ve seen every possible color other than blue; pinks, yellows, oranges, greens, purples. I’m just going to create a base with this Royal Bright Blue. I’m then going to take a lighter blue and just move right over it. You can use the side of your pastel; you can go in whatever directions you want. I love being able to move my whole arm and my whole body; it allows me the opportunity to really express myself through my art.

I’m going to rub in and blend these two blues together. I’m just taking my finger, or a couple of fingers, moving in different directions, and allowing these two blues to really become solidly blended together. Blow off the extra. I’m going to think about what colors I want to bring into the sky. For me, I love color. I’m going to bring in blues, but I’m also going to bring in some pinks and some purples, and other colors that I feel are really expressive and very uplifting.

The bottom of my sky is typically going to be a lighter shade. I’m using the side of my pastel, and I’m bringing in some white. As I move up the sky, because I love hot pink, I’m going to bring in some shades of hot pink. I’m going to put a little hot pink over the blue, but also over the white, as well. I’m going to add a touch of orange; again, using the side of the pastel, just going right on top.

At the very top of the sky, I’m adding a darker blue. I’m even going to add a touch of purple to the very top. I’m going to start shading in and mixing this darker blue area. You can go in whatever direction you choose. Then I’m going to make my way down to this bottom area where there are some pinks, whites, and oranges. I’m allowing myself to mix all of these colors together. I’ll blow off the extra.

I’m just going to take a look at what I have. I realize that I still want the bottom to be even lighter, so I’m just going to put in a little bit of white right on top. I’m going to add another layer of a light blue, and it’s going to go right over those pinks, but those different pinks and oranges are still going to shine right through. You have a little bit of those beautiful colors shining through. Then I’m going to make the top of the sky even darker, so I’m just adding little touches of a dark, dark blue. Mix that together. I’m going to put an actual blue on top of it, so that it’s not too dark. You want all of those colors to really mix right together.

I’m really going to create a motion that goes from the bottom to the top, so all of these colors, from the lightest at the bottom to the darkest at the top, can mix together. Last but not least, I’m going to take a light blue, and I’m just going to run through the whole piece with this lighter blue so that all of these colors can start to mix together and feel like one sky. I’ll allow myself to shade in the color one last time. If you ever have too much pastel on your hands, you can just wipe it off on another piece of paper. Here you have a really beautiful and very vast, colorful sky.

If I wanted to continue, I could add more color, I could add touches of sunset tones at the bottom, I could create clouds. There’s so many different things that you can do within a sky. This is really just my base for the sky, and then I can take it in any direction that I choose to. Enjoy drawing your sky.

Transcript

Charcoal is a terrific tool to use when drawing. I’m going to show you a few tips that you can learn and practice at home when using charcoal.

First of all, charcoal comes in different ways and forms. This is called vine charcoal. The top is round, it’s very, very delicate, and you can always break it into pieces. There’s something called compressed charcoal, which is more of a square shape. It’s much harder and it’s much darker.

What I suggest when you use charcoal is to just experiment with the material first. Go ahead and press down on your paper as hard as you can and keep going, pressing a little softer. Keep going, pressing a little softer, a little softer, and a little softer, until there’s barely a mark on the paper. Now we’re just going to blend it. Charcoal’s excellent for blending, excellent for any sort of dimension. We take our fingertip and we just very lightly rub right over the charcoal. You can see that you can create different gradations of tone.

Let’s do the same thing with a compressed charcoal. You can see right away how much darker it is. It also has a little bit of a different texture. You can use both types of charcoal together or you can use them separately. This also blends, and blends very beautifully. One thing that I love to do with charcoal is to use my eraser as a tool. This is called a gum eraser. It literally looks like chewing gum. You can break it apart, you can break off pieces, you can sculpt it, and you can create even sharp edges to erase right into your charcoal. I also like to use a regular eraser at the tip of a pencil, and with that, you can get finer lines. You can really sculpt right into your charcoal with the edge of your eraser.

I suggest exploring, trying as many possible things with your charcoal. Find something to draw, anything will do. Use the tip sometimes. Draw hard edges, draw soft edges, draw with the side of the charcoal. Move the charcoal around in all sorts of ways. Most importantly relax, enjoy, and see how you can best express yourself with the material of charcoal.

Transcript

I’ve prepared a landscape, which is a marsh, a freshwater in the front, and a green field of grass. I’ve basically added fields of color, and now I’m going to add these strands of grass. There are literally endless strands of grass. I’m not going draw every strand. What I’m going to do is just draw enough of them to show that it is grass.

I’m going to be using color pastels, and I’m basically making somewhat of a straight line, and I just let it go free at the top. It’s this type of motion; I’m flicking my wrist and I’m just going to do it in some areas, enough so to show that in fact, it is grass. All you really have to do is show it in certain areas; little concentrated areas. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life drawing every strand of grass.

I’m using a basic shade of green. I’m going to come in with a lighter shade of green. Because the light is hitting these blades of grass, so some of what we see is a darker shade, some of what we see is a lighter shade, and some of the grass comes straight in the water, because I’m going to add those in, as well. Again, it’s just an up-and-down movement; I want to show maybe there’s wind blowing or some motion. I can create that, as well. They’re just very, very fine lines.

With pastel, if you make a mistake or you put on a color you don’t like, you can always wipe it right out. With a marsh, there’s actual grass growing out of the water, so I’m going to add that, as well. Again, it doesn’t have to be solid, solid lines, but just these touches. I’m going to continue this, adding different shades of green along with the lighter greens. Instead of just one straight line, I’m almost making little dashes, just to show that the strands of grass, the blades of grass, growing out of the water actually have different highlights. Then if I want to show a specific area that has a concentrated color of grass, I can just use the side of my charcoal, or the tip, I’m using the tip right now, and in a fast up-and-down motion, almost scribbling right through the area to show a sense of grass.

I’m now going to use a pencil; I’m using a 6B pencil. I’m going to use the pencil and draw into the water. I want to show that the grass above is reflecting in the water; there’s a shadow being cast. You can use pastel; I’m going to use a pencil. You have all these really beautiful long lines that intersect and intertwine. It really shows that the grass is reflecting in the water. I don’t have to go everywhere with it, I don’t have to draw every single line. I’m going to draw enough of the lines so that you really get a sense that this, in fact, grass.

You can see that you can combine drawing materials; you don’t only have to stick to one. You can use as many different materials as you want, and allow them to work together. Just within this reflection, these very simple lines; I’m basically just doing this. When I do that right in the water, it gives it a feeling of grass and grass being reflected.

If I wanted to, I could continue this drawing. I would continue with some of the reflections, and I would continue drawing more and more detail. The last thing that I’m going to do is going to take a brown piece of charcoal, and in the top area, this yellow field of grass, I’m just going to hint at some little pieces of thicker, or darker, grass showing in the background, in the distance. I’m using the tip of my charcoal. I’m making just a very gentle upward line. There’s an area here where the grass is blowing in the wind, so I’ll allow it to move and have a little more motion. I can take my finger; I’m not rubbing it in, but I’m dabbing it, just so that the lines are not too, too detailed.

My last step is I’m just going to move through the drawing, because there are some areas that are much darker. Within the grass, I’m just going to use some black, and I’m going to bring that black right in. This up-and-down motion, like strands of grass, just to show that sense of dimension and depth, and then I’m going to rub it in slightly. This is how I would start. I would probably continue on with this drawing. I would continue bringing in more color, I would continue bringing in more strands of grass, I would continue bringing in an overlapping of colors and an overlapping of all of these different elements in the drawing. I’ve gotten far enough to show the sense of grass, and to show how one would draw grass.

In your own drawing, I would suggest continuing for as long as you want, and continuing, perhaps, to integrate pencil into pastel so that you can really show this movement of grass throughout your whole drawing. Most importantly, enjoy the process.

I’ll talk about how to draw a body of water. You want to find, perhaps, a photograph or an image of a body of water that really inspires you. When you’re drawing, you always want to find something of inspiration so that as you’re expressing yourself through drawing, you feel a connection to what it is that you’re drawing.

I’m going to start with color pastels on paper. These are soft chalk pastels, they come in many different colors and they come in many different brands. I’m going to basically break this drawing into 3 areas: The sand, the water, and the sky. Basically, all I’ve done is a rectangle of light blue, a triangle of turquoise, and a rectangle with a little angle of peach. I’m going to blend it in just with the tip of my finger, just in a back-and-forth movement.

Always starting very, very simple; you always want to start simple, you can always bring details in later. People think that drawing is incredibly complicated, but if you just focus on simplicity; simple shapes, simple lines, you will have much success.

I’m going to move into the water. I love color, so I’m not necessarily going to use most traditional colors. I can use whatever colors I prefer. There’s always a horizon line, the horizon line is where the water meets the sky. It’s usually a straight line, but I’m not going to just make a solid straight line, I’m going to almost connect little light dashes. I’m going to bring in just touches; I’m using black. I’m going to use touches of black just to show some movement of the waves, and again, almost like little dashes. I’m using black just to bring in those dark tones. Then there’s a dark color, always, when the ocean waves are crashing on shore. Really, they’re just these squiggly lines. You can practice just even drawing some squiggly lines.

I’m now going to bring in other colors into my water. Whatever color your sky is, it’s going to reflect into your water. Although I put down a blue, I’m actually going to make the sky more of a hot pink. You want to use colors that you absolutely love; colors that allow you to have fun, colors that allow you to express that which you’re drawing. For me, I love the water, I love the ocean, I absolutely love sunsets. When I think of a beach, I think of the beautiful pinks and oranges of the sky. I’m going to use my creativity and bring some of those colors in. I’m going to make the top of the sky a little bit darker, and I’m just going to add a touch of orange closer to that horizon line, just to show that feeling of a sunset.

As I’m adding the pastel, I’m typically not using the tip; I’m using the side of the pastel. This allows me to cover more surface area; it’s also much more expressive. Then I can always shade it in. I’m going to take that same color, and now I’m going to add that same color into the ocean waves to show that sense of reflection. This time, I’m using the tip, and then sometimes using the side. It’s always very, very excellent to experiment. Find your own method that works. There are no hard rules; the only rule is to do what works for you. I always say, “Keep the best, leave the rest.” Keep the tools that really work for you. Then if there are tools that are just not working for you, then don’t use them; it’s as easy as that.

I’m coming back in with a white just to show a little more motion in the water, some highlights. Although I’m using a photograph to inspire me, I’m not necessarily copying it. If I wanted to copy it, I should just take a photograph. Drawing is the opportunity to really express yourself, to make something quite unique.

I’m now going to move into the sand. I’m really focusing on color. What types of colors are coming through the sand? Typically, sand is not just one color, there could be strips of color, there are shadows, there are lights, there are darks. I’m really allowing myself to use my imagination. Maybe one of the purples in my hand, I decide that I want to add a little purple into the sky, or maybe even a touch of purple in the water. I never really have a specific plan. My plan is just to express myself, to express and draw the essence of what I’m looking at.

I’m going to actually take that purple now and redefine the horizon line. Instead of with black, I’m going to use purple. I’m actually going to bring more purple into the ocean, just to show some of these waves crashing ashore. All of the different lines I’m drawing tend to be, for the lack of better words, little squiggles. As I move up, I’m going to make lines, just very simple lines straight across. I’m going to add a little more sand here. I’m going to combine a number of different peach tones.

There are areas where the sand may be lighter, so I’m going to bring in some white. By using the side of the pastel, just mix all of those colors together. I’m definitely having fun making a mess. I’m not judging my drawing. As I’m looking at it I’m not saying, “This isn’t good. This should be better.” I’m basically trusting that I’ll continue working on it until I feel really good about it.

This would be my beginning stages. My next step would be to come back and really work on the water much more. We’ll do that just a little bit, just so you can get the idea. Water is typically darker by the horizon line, so I’m just going to darken that up. I’m going to use a mix of a couple of colors, adding some blue, some purple, maybe I’ll add a touch of black just to darken it up a bit. I’ll come in and mix with my finger. A darker horizon line, or a darker area in the back, will allow the water to look like its moving back. Then right above it I’m going to lighten it, and that will really create a sense of depth.

If you want to be creative, you can use touches of different color. I could even just add touches of pink to show a sense of a sunset. There does not always have to be a reason other than the color you’re using is very expressive. That’s what you want to do as an artist; you have endless, endless possibilities. I’m now going to bring in some lighter tones; maybe I’ll use some lighter blues.

My next step is with white pastel. I’m just going to lighten up where the water hit’s the sand, just to show that the water is crashing on the sand, and that that area of the sand is just a little wet. As I’m drawing this, just even drawing this, I’m feeling relaxed. I feel like I’m on a mini vacation, just thinking about the waves hitting the sand. That’s really part of what drawing is all about; it really transports you to a very peaceful, relaxed state.

Perhaps I would continue this drawing for another 20 minutes or 30 minutes. I could work on it for as long as I want or as little as I want. I would just continue adding lots of little touches until I get to the point where I really feel that the drawing is saying exactly what I want it to say. As you continue your drawing, make sure that you continue to express yourself, you continue to relax, and you continue to really enjoy your creative process.