History

Drawing is as old as the human race. People drew pictures way before they started to learn to write. There are caves with drawings that date back around 8000 years ago, and over 700 drawings. These guys found ways to express themselves and used bat excrement as their medium. Ick, I know pretty gross, but hey, where there’s a will there’s a way. Like anything else, drawing has developed throughout history. There is no right or wrong way to do it. With so many styles and approaches out there it’s all a matter of finding what speaks to you as an artist.

You can get your point across with a linear sketch. But, imagine what more you can express just by adding more lights and darks to your drawings as pictured above in the cat images. Which one speaks more to you?

Here is a great example; I did this drawing a few months ago. It bothered me because it still looked flat and uninteresting. I decided to add more values and now she really pops. The figure looks much more three-dimensional. So, by adding more darks to my drawing I was able to transform her into a more realistic drawing.

"Where Do We Go From Here?"

I challenge you to go back to your sketchbooks and analyze your drawings. Do they have enough darks? Do you think they can be more realistic? What can you change to achieve this?  As always, love to hear from my followers. Please leave me a comment, or message me. Also, stay tuned for next week’s blog on shading and adding these contrasts to your drawings.

Happy Painting!