Complete Idiot''''s Guide to Drawing- P1 pdf

201 West 103rd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46290
A Pearson Education Company
Drawing
by Lauren Jarrett and Lisa Lenard
Text Copyright © 2000 by Amaranth
Illustrations Copyright © 2000 by Lauren Jarrett
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans-
mitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without writ-
ten permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the
information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of
this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is
any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For in-
formation, address Alpha Books, 201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290.
THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO and Design are registered trademarks of Pearson Education, Inc.
International Standard Book Number: 0-02-863936-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: Available upon request.
020100 87654321
Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year
of the book’s printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the
book’s printing. For example, a printing code of 00-1 shows that the first printing occurred in
2000.
Printed in the United States of America
Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide
helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding
that the authors, book producer, and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services
in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should
be consulted.
The authors, book producer, and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability,
loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the

use and application of any of the contents of this book.
Publisher
Marie Butler-Knight
Product Manager
Phil Kitchel
Managing Editor
Cari Luna
Acquisitions Editors
Mike Sanders
Susan Zingraf
Book Producer
Lee Ann Chearney/Amaranth
Development Editor
Amy Gordon
Production Editor
Billy Fields
Copy Editor
Amy Borrelli
Illustrator
Lauren Jarrett
Cartoonist
Jody P. Schaeffer
Cover Designers
Mike Freeland
Kevin Spear
Book Designers
Scott Cook and Amy Adams of DesignLab
Indexer
Greg Pearson
Eric Schroeder

Layout/Proofreading
Angela Calvert
Mary Hunt
Contents at a Glance
Part 1. Drawing and Seeing, Seeing and Drawing 1
1 The Pleasures of Seeing and Drawing 3
Drawing is all about learning to see.
2 Toward Seeing for Drawing 15
Rediscovering seeing as a child.
3 Loosen Up 33
Right brain practice.
Part 2. Now You Are Ready to Draw 45
4 The Picture Plane 47
Drawing on plastic—and on your patio door.
5 Finding the View 59
Using the viewfinder frame.
6 Negative Space as a Positive Tool 67
Seeing what’s not there.
Part 3. Starting Out: Learning You Can See and Draw 77
7 A Room of Your Own 79
Creating a place to draw.
8 How To Get Started 91
Tips to start you on your way.
9 Step Up to a Still Life: Composition, Composition,
Composition 101
Learning to draw the still life.
10 Toward the Finish Line 115
Finishing touches.
Part 4. Developing Drawing Skills 125
11 At the Finish Line: Are You Ready for More? 127

Balancing all the elements of a drawing.
12 The Journal As a Path 141
Your drawing journal.
13 This Is a Review—There Will Be a Test 151
Putting it all together in one handy chapter.
14 All Around the House: A Few New Drawings to Try 165
Household objects as drawing subjects.
15 Into the Garden with Pencils, not Shovels 179
Botanical drawing and more.
Part 5. Out and About with Your Sketchbook 195
16 What’s Your Perspective? 197
Getting technical about perspective.
17 This Land Is Your Land 213
Landscape drawing.
18 Made by Man: Out in the Landscape 229
Drawing what you see outside.
19 Houses and Other Structures 241
Making your structures real.
Part 6. Drawing Animals and People 255
20 It’s a Jungle Out There—So Draw It! 257
A guide to animal drawing.
21 The Human Body and Its Extremities 271
Drawing the human anatomy.
22 Dress ’Em Up and Move ’Em Out 287
It’s all in the details.
Part 7. Enjoying the Artist’s Life! 299
23 Just for Children 301
Teaching your kids to draw.
24 Decorate Your World 315
Using your drawings to decorate your world.

25 Express Yourself 327
Using your drawings as vehicles of self-expression.
26 The Artist’s Life 337
Living the good life, artist’s style.
Appendixes
A Your Artist’s Materials Checklist 345
B Resources for Learning to Draw 347
C Drawing Glossary 349
Index 353
Contents
Part 1: Drawing and Seeing, Seeing and Drawing 1
1 The Pleasures of Seeing and Drawing 3
What Is Drawing? 3
Drawing is … 4
The Artist’s Answer 5
Express Yourself 6
Why You Draw, and Why Sometimes You Stop Drawing 7
Looking Through the Barriers 8
Learning How to Look 8
Open Up Your Eyes 9
The Gallery of Life 10
Seeing Your Way to Drawing 11
Techniques as Tools of Expression 12
Developing a Way of Seeing and Drawing 13
2 Toward Seeing for Drawing 15
Free Your Mind, Your Eyes Will Follow 15
The Wonders of the Human Brain 16
Are You a Lefty or a Righty? 17
From “Logical Left” to “Relational Right” 18
Right-Left-Right: Your Brain Learns to Follow Orders 18

The Art of the Child 19
Simple Materials to Begin 21
Paper 21
Pencils 22
Eraser 22
Drawing Board 22
A Few Other Things 22
Exercises to Get You on the Right Side (of the Brain) 23
Profile/Vase-Vase/Profile 23
Reviewing the Exercise 24
When the Familiar Gets Unfamiliar 26
Right Side Up/Upside Down 26
Copy a Complicated Drawing 28
Keep Up the Good Work 29
Exercising Your Right(s) 29
Your Sketchbook Page 31
3 Loosen Up 33
Now You See It 33
Warm-Up for the Eyes and Hand 34
Entering the Flow 35
To Begin 36
The Next Set—Send Off the Logical Left 36
Contour Drawing of Your Hand—Without Looking 37
Contour Drawing of Your Hand—While Looking 38
Another Set to Keep It Gone 40
Contour Drawing of an Object—Without Looking 40
Contour Drawing of an Object—While Looking 41
Farewell, Old Lefty 42
Your Sketchbook Page 43
Part 2: Now You Are Ready to Draw 45

4 The Picture Plane 47
What Is a Picture Plane? 48
How to Use a Picture Plane 48
Historical Uses of Drawing Devices 49
How a Picture Plane Works 50
Preparing a Plexiglas Picture Plane for Drawing 50
Isolate a Subject with the Picture Plane 52
Transfer the Drawing to Paper 54
Your Sketchbook Page 56
5 Finding the View 59
A Viewfinder Frame 59
Making a Viewfinder Frame 60
Using the Viewfinder Frame 63
Draw What You See in the Viewfinder 65
Your Sketchbook Page 65
6 Negative Space as a Positive Tool 67
Find Your Space 67
The Virtues of Negative Space 68
Learning How to Use Negative Space 68
Select an Object to Draw: They’re Everywhere! 69
A View Through the Viewfinder 69
Where to Start—Location, Location, Location 70
Draw the Holes, not the Thing 71
See the Object Through the Space Around It 72
Getting Negative 73
Your Sketchbook Page 74
Part 3: Starting Out: Learning You Can See and Draw 77
7 A Room of Your Own 79
Finding Space and Time 79
Setting Up Your Drawing Room or Table 80

Studio Beautiful 101 80
The Best Time to Draw 82
What About Drawing Classes? 83
Beginning Materials You’ll Need 83
On Paper 83
Drawing Instruments 84
Storing Your Materials and Work 85
Beginning Techniques to Use 85
viii
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing
The Marks That Can Make a Drawing 85
Simple Geometric Shapes to Practice 86
Your Sketchbook Page 88
8 How to Get Started 91
What Are You Going to Draw? 91
Select Your Objects and Pick Your Subject 92
Choose the Format and the Paper 92
How Will You Arrange the Objects? 92
Seeing Arrangement and Composition 93
See the View and the Distance 93
On the Page 95
Next Step: Establish Eye Level 96
Site the Image on the Paper Using the Center Lines 96
Making a Simple Contour Drawing 96
The Lightest Sketch to Begin 97
Check It Over 97
Correct It Now, Render It Later 97
Your Sketchbook Page 98
9 Step Up to a Still Life: Composition, Composition,
Composition 101

What Is a Still Life? 101
Picking Objects: Classic, Contemporary, and Out There 101
Why Artists Love to Draw Fruit and Vegetables 104
A Few Thoughts on Composition 104
Off Center Is Often Better 105
Centering on Purpose 105
Charming Diagonals 105
Other Shapes to See in the Shapes of Things 105
Composing a Still Life 106
Choosing from a Group of Possibilities 106
Filtering and Framing for the View You Want 106
Space in a Still Life 106
Vantage and View 106
More Work on Eye Level 106
Making Things Sit Down, or Roll Over, and Stay 107
Ellipses Are Your Friends 107
When a Cube Is a Cube, in Space 108
When a Cylinder Is a Rectangle, with Curves 109
Fitting Other Shapes into the Boxes They Came In 110
Drawing That Still Life 110
See Your Still Life in Space 110
Site the Arrangement on the Page 110
Start with a Light Sketch to Position 111
Check Your Spacing 111
See the Detail in Each Object and Draw What You See 111
Your Sketchbook Page 112
ix
Contents
10 Toward the Finish Line 115
Line and Shape Are in the Lead, Form Follows Close Behind 115

Weight Is in the Rear, but Coming Up Fast 119
First Things First: Shape and Space 119
Now Start Again 119
Getting to That Finish Line 122
Your Sketchbook Page 123
Part 4: Developing Drawing Skills 125
11 At the Finish Line: Are You Ready for More? 127
New Materials 127
New Papers 128
More Drawing Tools 128
More Techniques 130
Drawing in Circles Is not Going in Circles 130
Scale Is Sizing Things in Space 131
Measuring Angles in Space 131
Back to That Race to the Finish Line 132
And It’s Details in the End—by a Hair 132
Take a Closer Look and See the Detail 133
Nature’s Detail Is Unending 133
At the Finish Line Again 136
Onwards and Outwards 138
Your Sketchbook Page 139
12 The Journal As a Path 141
Why Keep a Sketchbook Journal? 141
Artists on Their Work 142
How They Feel About Their Studios and Tools 142
How They Feel About Drawing 142
Different Kinds of Journals 144
Travel Journals 144
Closer to Home 144
Your Journal Is All About You 146

Using Your Journal 146
Expressive Drawing 147
Drawing as a Form of Healing 147
Therapeutic Drawing 148
Spontaneous Drawing 148
Zen and Drawing 148
Your Sketchbook Page 149
13 This Is a Review—There Will Be a Test 151
Through the Looking Glass 151
Seeing as a Child 152
Look/Don’t Look 152
Guides Are What You Make Them 152
Plastic Picture Plane Practice 152