How to draw with david nestler

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How to Draw with Dave Nestler:
Lesson 1
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Ever since I joined the tattoo convention circuit
nearly three years ago, I¶ve made plenty of observations; none more obvious
than the number of tattooists who are equally skilled in the area of fine arts.
Weekend after weekend, from city to city, I listen to tattoo artists ask me
every question you can think of about drawing and painting. But the common thread throughout all these inquiries is one thingȸthe desire to improve their skills. The folks here at Skin&Ink have given me the opportunity
to do just that, a month-to-month column that addresses these inquiries one
at a time. In future issues, I¶ll be touching base on everything from materials
to drawing techniques, all in the desire to assist you in improving your skills.
At least, those are my intentions. Quite frankly, I can¶t teach anyone how to
draw (I believe that is something that is inherently born to us), but whatever
skills a person possesses can be directed, enhanced and steered towards the
ultimate destination of becoming a better artist.
That being said, I suck at golf. The reason is simple: I¶ve been so busy that I
hardly ever get to play anymore. This has been my biggest observation since
arriving on the convention scene. Not the fact that I can¶t control my slice,


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but the fact that it¶s hard to get better at anything when you only do it twice
a year. It¶s a repeating story: ³I spend sixty hours a week in the tattoo studio
and two or three hours here and there on my drawing and painting,´ Well,
there you have it. Practice, practice, practice. I¶d love to have a better short
iron game, but I¶ve got to make a living. You¶d be amazed what you can accomplish in a few short hours, given the right instruction. My intentions are
to help you make better use of time.

All right, enough introductions. Let¶s get started.
Your going to need pencil and paper, which most of you already have. Know
that the materials I choose to use are my personal preference, but there is a
method to my madness, which I¶ll explain in a second. Paper: Choose a big
brand name like Grumbacher, Strathmore or Caslon. A brand that will not be
going out of business anytime soon. Find a paper you like and STICK WITH
IT. Not all sketch papers are the same. Different surfaces, different reactions
to carious media, etc. Stay with one paper and get comfortable with it. When
you are trying to further the development of your technique, the last thing
you need is for your surface to constantly change.
The same thing applies to your pencil. I prefer a ³lead holder,´ which is not
to be confused with a mechanical pencil. A lead holder is exactly that, a
stationary barrel that allows varying degrees of lead sticks to be inserted and
released with pushbutton advance. These pencils incorporate the same 2mm
lead that is found in most standard drawing pencils, as opposed to the small
.03mm ȸ.09mm leads found in mechanical pencils. I prefer H and 2H leads.
All can be found under the Sanford brand name. A ³lead pointer´ is also
needed for sharpening purposes. My reasons for using this specific tool are
the same as my papers: as you use and continually sharpen a regular drawing
pencil, the size decreases. As the size decreases, so does the weight and the
balance. These two factors will always remain the same in a lead holder.
Again, the comfort factor comes into play with a tool that remains constant.
I¶ve been using the exact same materials for my drawing and painting for
over twenty-five years, so when I sit down to start a project, there is no


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mystery as to my tools and medium. I¶ve become so comfortable with them
that I can go right to my project without worry, allowing me to concentrate

on my technique and not having to guess how it will react. These little tips
may seem a bit frivolous, but remember, familiarity breeds consistency. I
don¶t have to tell you what it¶s like to pick up a brand new tattoo machine.
Different weight, different balance, etc. Taking the time to learn a new tool
takes away from the time spent on technique.
You will also need tracing paper, and another great tool to have is a graphite
brush, which eliminates you from having to dust off the lead particles from
your sketch with your hands and smudging your work.
This should get us started. Next up: choosing a proper photo reference,
tracing versus free-hand (and it¶s benefits) and different pencil techniques.

Click to Lesson 2
Remember, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry.
ȸDave


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How to Draw with Dave Nestler: Lesson 2

First, we need a subject
to draw. And we need a photo reference from which to draw. Remember that
all of my tips and techniques have a method and purpose to them. It¶s that
whole ³sum of the parts´ thing, and photo reference is just one of the parts.
When choosing a reference photo, find the highest quality
availableȸmagazines, books, etc. Stay away from low-res images
downloaded from the Internet. There¶s nothing worse than trying to figure
out ³what¶s what´ from a small, fuzzy, pixilated image. A good, clear, crisp
photo eliminates the uncertainty. Remember, you can only draw what you
can see.

Now for our subject matter. Whether it¶s a portrait or a ful-body shot, choose
a photo with good contrast. Lots of lights and darks to work with. Also
choose a photo with varying elements. What I mean by this is, when you are
still developing your technique STAY AWAY FROM NUDES. There¶s nothing
worse than trying to fill a large square area of space. Choose a photo that
breaks up space with clothing, shadows and other elements.
The next step is to get the image onto our drawing surface. And here is where
we delve into a touchy and time-honored argument: tracing versus freehand.
Is tracing cheating? Is freehand more artistic? I¶m here to tell you that there
are benefits to both. As a commercial illustration student, I was steered away
from freehanding everything and was instructed to incorporate tracing into


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my process for two key reasons: time and recognition. As I was developing
my talents in the entertainment industry as a movie-poster and magazinecover artist, there were two factors that were sought after in an artist: The
ability to capture likenesses and to meet deadlines. Tracing assured that both
criteria were met. One of my biggest influences as an art student was
celebrated movie poster and cover artist Richard Amsel. From the original
Raiders of the Lost Ark movie poster to dozens of covers for TV Guide,
Richard had an uncanny ability to capture a person¶s likeness. As an art
student, I had the pleasure of meeting Richard at a Society of Illustrators
show in New York and talked to him. Not only was he eager to talk about his
process, but he told me something I will never forget. When I asked him
about the subject of tracing, he said, ³No one will remember me for the
pencil line that goes on the board. They¶ll remember me for the paint that
goes on top.´

That said, there are many

benefits to tracing. I¶ll bet that there are plenty of tattoo artists out there that
can freehand a barbed-wire armband like nobody¶s business. Why? Because
they¶ve done it so many times. Anatomy is no different. You trace something
enough times, you start to remember and retain elements of anatomy that
stick with you.
Now you have choices to get your image on your drawing surface, either
freehand or create a tracing by rubbing graphite on the back and tracing it


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onto your surface the old-school way. But whatever way your choose, put the
entire line image on your surface first.
Here¶s a great tip. If you are still uncomfortable with the idea of tracing and
would rather freehand but you are still not getting the anatomical image
correctly on your surface, simply create a tracing first. Then use that tracing
as your reference and freehand that onto your surface. When you use
something you¶ve already drawn as your reference, that image is easier to
follow, because you¶ve already drawn it. Your brain remembers.
Blick Art Materials
Before we talk about where to start, let¶s look at techniques. Sketching or
shading, both are equally good, but with completely different results.
Shading is great for pencil and charcoal nudes. Very soft, very fine art. But
for me, I like to use the tip of my pencil as opposed to the side of it. To
achieve a level of sharp realism, while still retaining a great sense of style,
nothing beats cross-hatching. Cross hatching is a buildup of individual line
strokes with different weight and density in a crisscross pattern that allows
for the formation of shape and tone. This technique allows you to achieve all
levels of light and dark, soft and sharp, all using the same pencil lead. And
we¶ll follow this technique from start to finish as it applies from the

beginning, to the completion of our first sketch.

Click to Lesson 3
Next Lesson: The eyes are the window to the soul, and a great place to start.
Remember, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry.


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ȸDave


Lesson 3
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Enough talking; let¶s get ready to draw something. But first, let¶s talk a little
more about the lines we draw when working on a sketch. (See« there¶s always more talking.) A line is not just a line, although in its simplest form it
can be. A line can take on character, define shape, even draw attention to
certain areas of your sketch. And all this is done by varying the ³weight´ of
your line. Let¶s look at a simple form such as a circle. In Figure A the circle is
one complete single weight line. Okay, it¶s a circleȸpretty boring. But take
that same line and make it heavier on one side and lighter on the other and
that same single line now takes on much more character, as in Figure B.

Figure A

Figure B


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Figure C

Figure D

Figure E
Now let¶s look at a couple of examples of how this applies to a finished
sketch. Here¶s the beautiful Jess in Figure C. I¶ve noted four points of interest
in this sketch. As simple as some of these points are, it¶s the accumulation of
all points that adds character to your sketch. Take a look at point #1. The
outline of the nose starts very dark at the top, becomes thinner and lighter
along
the bridge and goes back to a darker, thicker line underneath. That one
stroke of the pencil, with its subtle variations in weight and tone, now desig-


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nates highlight and shadow all in the same line. A heavy dark line running
along the bridge of the nose would only call attention to it, and it¶s her eyes
and smile that I want to stand out. In points #2 through #4, the same technique applies. A thick to thin, and back to thick line has now determined
where my highlights are along the perimeter of the sketch, all with one simple line.
Okay, NOW it¶s time to draw something, and the eyes are a great place to
start. No matter whether it¶s a sketch or a painting, I always start with the
eyes, and I work them to completion. Working with recognizable models or
even portrait work on a girlfriend or family member, the eyes are the key.
You can mess up the hair, the clothing, even the overall structure of the face
can be off, but if the eyes aren¶t correct, it throws off the whole piece. That¶s
why I like to start there. To me, after the eyes are completed and I¶m satisfied
with them, the rest is gravy. There is no basic blueprint for drawing eyes.
There are way too many variations from person to person (unless, of course,

you are drawing manga figures, where the males, females and even the animals have the same eyes. Don¶t get me started here. There are books out
there on how to draw manga/anime. What do you need to know? Big eyes,
pointy chin, DONE.)
Sketch Sets
Back to the eyes. Although I¶ve told you there is no real basic design for
drawing eyes, there is one thing I can tell you. As in Figure D, these are not
eyes! These are a couple of curved lines joined at the ends with a circle in the
middle. Not only should you not start your eyes this way, but if you meet a
girl in a bar with this eye structure«RUN, because she probably has circles
for nostrils and ³Chiclets´ teeth. But we¶ll delve into more of what you are
not supposed to draw at a later date.
Now in Figure E, these are the eyes of the girl you want to meet in a bar, or
the grocery store, or the probation office. You get the idea.
All right, we¶ve got a photo reference and a place to start. Next issue I¶ll show
you some tips on the best use of your pencil point (to sharpen or not to


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sharpen), add some cross-hatching technique, and then we¶ll really get this
party started.

Click to Lesson 4
Remember, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry.
ȸDave

Lesson 4
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THE FAMOUS NESTLER PENCIL TWIRL
For the past three issues, I¶ve offered up several small tips and suggestions.

Some of you might think of these as very helpful, while others might seem
frivolous. But it is the culmination of ALL these elements that leads to a
more informed and controlled artist.


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Figure A

Figure B
Okay, let¶s get started. For my photo reference (Fig. A ) I¶m using a photo
that I shot of model Miki Black for my painting ³Miki¶s Pen & Inked Pals,´
which was my first Skin & Ink cover back in July of 2008. I chose this image
because it has a minimal range of skin tones, but good contrast in the dark
eyes and the hair. I¶ve generated a piece of line art from that photo (Fig. B )
and have reproduced it on paper. This provides me with a guideline of my
likeness and an anatomy for me to follow. One more important tip before we
get started: Let¶s talk about your pencil as it applies to the beginning of a
sketch. When we first sharpen our pencil, it provides us with the sharpest
point and the darkest tone possible. So, in the beginning (Fig. C), I start with
my sharpest, darkest lines and solid areas of dark tone. Remember, as I con-


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tinue to draw, that point deteriorates. And depending on the surface of your
paper, and the softness or hardness of your lead, the rate of deterioration will
vary. Why is this important?

Figure C

Once the point beaks down, it will no longer provide you with the sharp, dark
tone you are looking for in the beginning. You have two choices here: either
continually sharpen your pencil or press harder, but that can compromise
and destroy the surface of the material. Here¶s a tip to the wise: Get into the
habit of spinning the barrel of your pencil one hundred eighty degrees about
every fifteen seconds as you draw. As the point beaks down and becomes
beveled, spinning the pencil halfway around will allow you to work with the
sharpest edge of the bevel. It¶s kind of a ³self-sharpening´ trick, but what it
does is allow you to continue to work your dark areas without having to constantly sharpen and re-sharpen. I¶ve been doing it this way for so long, that
it¶s become like ³breathing´ for me.

Figure D
Eventuallyȸno matter how much you spin your pencil (or don¶t)ȸthe point
WILL break down. This is a good thing, because I can now move into other


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areas of the sketch where I want a softer, lighter tone. Then (Figures D, E, F)
I start laying down some tone in the lighter areas of my sketch. Now,
whether I¶m using a crosshatch

Figure E
technique, or shading or whatever, the process is the same. This is how I
build up line and tone, lights

Figure F
and darks, and put them in their proper place. I like to think of it as ³engineering´ (or ³painting´) a drawing. You wouldn¶t use a dull, soft pencil to
work your dark areas or a sharp, fine point toȸyou get the idea.
Remember, this is about developing your technique, and all these little tips

will help in that development. Once your technique is solid, it can be applied
to all areas of your drawing or painting. It¶s not just about how to draw teeth,
or noses (although we will touch on those subjects later). At this point, it¶s
about choosing subject matter and having the proper photo reference in order to see everything that¶s going on. And, of course, utilizing good, solid
technique throughout all the parts of the drawing.


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Click to Lesson 5
Remember, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry.

Lesson 5
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TEETH

Figure A
Up until now, everything I¶ve talked about has to do with developing your
technique to help you create a great sketch. And all this info applies just as


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much to tattooing as it does to drawing, because portrait tattoos are an enormous part of a tattoo artist¶s daily workload. And this month¶s column, more
than the previous ones, offers tips that will help you avoid common mistakes.
Back in column number two, I had a saying that related to photo reference:
³I can only draw what I can see.´ Well, here¶s another saying: ³Just because
you can, doesn¶t mean you should.´ This applies to important areas of the
face where I see artists having the most trouble, namely, the nose and the
mouthȸand especially TEETH! Let¶s start with the nose, a simple structure

that, depending on the angle of the face and the direction of the lighting, can
be simply stated or over-exaggerated. But let¶s get one thing straight, nostrils
are not round circles. Just because they are holes in the face, you don¶t have
to draw them as holes in the face.

Figure B
A simply stated nose needs nothing more than a hint of soft shadow to define
its shape (Fig. A). It¶s the eyes in this sketch should stand out, and that¶s
where I concentrate my work. Now look at Fig. B, a face with a three-quarter
angle that¶s heavy with shadow. The nose has a more prominent place here
because of the angle and the shadow. Looking closer at Fig. B, you see a hard
line around the right eye, defining the right side of the bridge, and also at the


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tip of the nose, defining that edge as well. But you will also notice that the
hard line disappears around the center of the nose. It is the shadow on the
right that defines its shape. A hard line traveling from top to bottom would
only call attention to an even harder, unnecessary edge. This is what I like to
call ³indicating a shape.´ Just because there is a hard line in my photo reference indicating the side of the nose doesn¶t mean I have to draw it that way.
This goes back to the beginning, where I stated, ³Just because you can,
doesn¶t mean you should.´ This is where you should take a long look at your
photo and decide what to draw and what not to draw.

Figure C
When you Google ³Worst Tattoo,´ what comes up? You¶ve all seen it; it¶s that
portrait of the girl in the white dress and tiara with the full set of ³Chiclets
teeth´ in her mouth. She looks like she could chew through a chain link
fence. I couldn¶t think of a better example of what not to draw. Take a look a

Fig. C. We know that she has a full set of teeth and there is a separation between each one, but is it necessary to draw each one? No. But with a simple
line or two and some subtle grays in the right place, we can give her a winning smile without keying in on each incisor, molar and bicuspid.


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Remember, it¶s just as effective to indicate a shape with tone and hard lines
as to outline everything. Keep your outlines and hard edges to a minimum, in
the beginning. If it¶s not enough to define a shape, add more. It¶s easier to
keep adding than taking back. Fortunately, in a sketch, if you go too far with
your line, you can erase. With a tattoo, you don¶t have that option.
A quick note: I want to thank everyone for their emails concerning not only
these articles, but for the compliments on my covers for past issues of
Skin&Ink. And for those interested in purchasing prints of those covers,
they are available through my website (davenestler.com).

Click for More Lessons
Remember, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry.

Lesson 6
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HAIR


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No matter how well I capture a likeness or how well I nail the eyes, in the
overall scheme of a sketch there¶s still one area that gives even me fits: hair.
That being said, I¶ve decided to devote an entire issue to this subject because,
frankly, it deserves it. So, where do we start? Whether it¶s blonde hair,

brunette or jet-black, the approach is the same.

First, take a real close look at your
photo reference. With blondes, there is not enough to draw. With black hair,
there¶s too much to draw. How do we find a common denominator between
the two? It¶s called exaggeration, and I¶ll explain this as we go. First, we¶re
going to have to get away from the cross-hatching technique that I¶ve talked
about so much in previous issues. We have to go more ³directional´ for our
line work. Single lines of varying weights and tones that follow the direction
of the hair. We need to define the hair. That¶s why cross-hatching won¶t work
here. And here¶s a big DON¶T: Just because you can observe every hair,


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doesn¶t mean that you should draw every hair. I¶ve seen too many examples
of other peoples¶ work where every hair is drawn with a single-weight line
and the end result looks like a plate of spaghetti.
Okay, since we¶re not cross-hatching, let¶s look at some lines that will help
define your hair. In Fig. A I¶ve got three line techniques that I use throughout. First is your basic, single line. Second, a single line with varying weight.
And third, a single line of solid tone with varying widths, gradations and
opacity. Let¶s examine how this applies to a sketch. In Fig. B, I¶ve taken a
sketch (thumbnail) and exploded the area circled in RED. If you look closely,
you¶ll see all three lines represented. I¶ve got dark, thick, single lines defining
the bottoms of her bangs. And through the center, there are lines of varying
widths, tones, and gradations, going from light to dark. But they ALL go in
the direction that the hair goes.

All right,
let¶s talk about ³exaggeration.´ This is taking what exists and, simply stated,

exaggerating itȸthe light and dark areas. Look at Fig. C, a piece from my
first sketchbook. Michelle is blonde and cute. It¶s a nice drawing, but kind of
flat. Now, jump ahead to another piece of Michelle from my second sketchbook (Fig. D), after I¶ve had some time to develop my technique. I¶ve taken
the light areas and blown them out. Then I took what little dark areas there
were and made them even darker. The result, a much more dramatic piece.


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Keep in mind that there is no rhyme or reason as to what you should exaggerate. Let¶s look at Fig. E. The original photo reference for this piece features absolutely jet-black hair. Hardly any highlights at all. But what little
highlights it had, were exaggerated. End result: a model that doesn¶t look
like she¶s wearing a lump of coal on the top of her head. Picking and choosing your spots to exaggerate can be a crap shoot. But patience and a good
photo reference can make your sketch a winner.
Remember, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry.
ȸDave
Contact Dave at
Lesson 7 coming soon! Return to Tips & Tricks page

Lesson 8
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Hills and Valleys
Like an old Mötley Crüe song on an endless loop, the past seven issues have
been nothing but Girls, Girls, Girls. Don¶t cry; we¶ll get back to the girls soon
enough. But for now let¶s take a breather and talk about drawing some
³stuff.´ After all, at some point, you are going to draw something other than
people.
Now, when I talk about drawing ³stuff, what I mean is drawing with texture.
Whether it¶s clothing, wood, stone or chrome, it¶s the texture of an object
that makes or breaks its appearance in your sketch. And, since we are working in pencil, we have a limited range of technique to adapt to that particular
texture. For example, I¶ve been pushing my cross-hatching technique when

working on skin tones and anatomy. And when working with hair, I stress
using more directional lines. That¶s all well and good, but what about chrome
or latex? Soft-layered pencil strokes just won¶t cut it. In fact, there are a lot of


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objects and textures that will need a variety of different techniques, which
we¶ll touch on later.
One of the most common items you¶ll be drawing is clothing, and one of the
biggest obstacles is folds and creases. For this exercise I¶m going to stay away
from white clothing. Unless there are real heavy shadows, there¶s not much
going on with white. So let¶s use denim as our example. It is darker so it¶s
easier for you to see what¶s going on. The easiest way to approach folds in
clothing is to break it down in three dimensions. Look at Fig. 1, it¶s a drawing
of a piece of paper with accordion-like rolls. These rolls are made up of highs
and lows (peaks and valleys). Now examine the folds in your photo reference
and break them down like the rolls in our piece of paper. As you take a close
look at the clothing, you¶ll see what I mean. It¶s these peaks and valleys that
determine your shading. Your peaks are closer to the surface, so they will be
lighter, and the valleys are farther away and darker. Remember, of course,
that on any piece of clothing these rolls will not be as uniform as our piece of
paper. Two rolls spaced evenly will have a nice, even gradation and, if the
rolls are close together, that gradation diminishes and you get a crease. You
can see these variations in Figs. A-E. To capture the subtleties, simply adjust
your shading to the variations. The most prominent high will be your brightest highlight, and your deepest valley will be your darkest. Remember to
view these as 3-D and it will be easier to break them down.
Click to enlarge

fig.1

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Fig.A

fig.B

fig.C


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fig.D

fig.E

ȸDave
Next issue: Between a rock and a harder place.
Contact Dave at


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Lesson 9
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Textures
Illustrating different kinds of textures doesn¶t have to be as difficult as it
sounds. In fact, working in a mixed media is relatively easy with all the tools
currently available. For example, an airbrush for chrome, sponges and dry

brushes for stone and palette knives for different landscape applications. But
we¶re not working in mixed media, we are working in pencil. You didn¶t think
I¶d make this easy, did you?
Okay, when we¶re talking about texture, where do we begin? Do we start with
stone? With wood? To be honest, there are too many textures to single out
one, and too many varying techniques to apply to each individual texture, so
I¶m going to sound like a broken record when I say it still comes down to
your photo reference.

Since we are working in pencil, we need to look at our reference and break
the textures down to their simplest forms. What makes chrome ³chrome?´


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What makes wood ³wood?´ There is usually a single element that will
designate the specific texture. From there we simply adjust our technique as
it applies to that one, single element. Let¶s look at Fig. 1, latex. Like chrome,
latex has one characteristic that makes it stand out« it¶s shiny! How do we
define shiny? By its highlights. And how do we illustrate shiny? By
surrounding those highlights with sharp dark areas that isolate our white
areas, making them stand out. In other words, we don¶t draw ³shiny,´ we
allow the negative space of the white areas to define it for us.
Now let¶s look at stone. There are way too many variations to be able to focus
on one certain technique that will allow you to draw stone; however, look at
Fig. 2, a distressed concrete wall. There¶s not much to draw that designates it
as concrete, so I steer my focus on the cracks in the wall. A couple of simple
lines and we now know what we¶re looking at. In Fig. 3, I wanted a block wall
behind my model, Shelli, but I also did not want it to be the main feature of
the drawing, so I indicated the block with very little detail. Even with the

mortar joints falling out as negative space, we still get the impression, with
very little effort on our part, that it¶s a block wall. Single out the most
prominent part of your texture and let it designate itself. And finally, for
something a little easier« wood. Check out Fig. 4. This is a no-brainer. You
could add grain and a couple of knots to a refrigerator door and it would
come across as wood. You get the point.