You Too Can Sketch PDF

You Too Can Sketch
Mahesh Vyoma Bhat http://kalaalog.com
Mahesh Bhat K 2007 | http://kalaalog.com | You Too Can Sketch A Guide To Sketching
Index
Introduction
A out Mahesh Bhat
!ecrets Artists "a#e Been "iding $ra%ing Basics

&orm 'ight (isuali)e +hange !omething *ractice !ecrets ,e#ealed
!ketching *rocess

&inal !ketch
Introduction
You Too Can Sketch- is a guide to sketching. It is a guide to sketching approach. I. /ou ha#e een .rustrated earlier / attempts at sketching then this ook is .or /ou. I. /ou %ant to tr/ out an/ o. the #isual arts like dra%ing or painting in an/ medium- sketching is usuall/ a prere0uisite 1 and this ook %ould e help.ul.
About Mahesh Bhat

I %as orn in India- and I had m/ education in a to%n 1 Manipal. I completed m/ graduation as an 2lectronics And +ommunications engineer 1 ut I ha#e al%a/s had interest in #isual arts. M/ note ooks %ould e .illed %ith sketches I made
%hen I should ha#e een stud/ing. I used to paint %ith %ater colors and poster colors 1 ut I shi.ted the medium to oils %hen I mo#ed to a di..erent cit/. I ha#e had no .ormal education in the arts- ut I keep e3perimenting and learning. I ha#e tried m/ hands at +omputer 4raphics and also post rather regularl/ at Kalaa'og.com. 5his ook is an outcome o. the o ser#ations and studies I ha#e had all m/ li.eand aims at creating interest in people .or #isual arts. 5his ook aims at helping those people %ho seek .ul.illment in this ho /. All the text and illustrations in this book are copyright o !ahesh "hat #$ You may not copy parts o this book and publish it else %here %ith or %ithout modi ications$ &o%e'er( you are encouraged to share this book %ith anyone$ ) you ha'e any *uestions( comments or suggestions( you may do so( using the contact orm at+ http+,,kmaheshbhat$com,contact$
Secret Artists Have Been Hiding

2#er looked at the paintings o. the masters and %ondered %hat talent the/ ha#e .or them to create those art%orks6 2#er een a%ed / looking through the %orks the/ created6 2#en the sketch ooks o. these artists lea#es the audience ama)ed / their control o. the pencil or the pen o#er paper. 7ou might ha#e e#en tried dra%ing something up and then got .rustrated / ho% grotes0ue the output %as- and a andoning it all together. 5hese artists %ho create these art%orks must ha#e something in their genes that lets them dra% %hat the/ %ant. 5here is nothing that /ou can do to dra% something o. decent 0ualit/. 8r is there6 Is there some secret that these artists ha#e een hiding and the/ ha#e not disclosed to the general pu lic6 Is there some kind o. secret %orld %ide societ/ that guards this secret %ith their li.e6 $o the/ disclose this secret to onl/ those %ho 9oin them- ut onl/ %hen the/ s%ear to not disclose it to an/one else6 It sounds preposterous. 5o imagine such a secret societ/ e3ists %ould e deemed as something .oolish. 2#er/one kno%s there is no such secret societ/ o. artists. But- i. there %ere %ould %e kno%6 I. %e kno%- then it %ould not remain a secret 1 %ould it6 I consider m/sel. an artists at the e3pense o. sounding too 9aunt/. I consider m/sel. a sel. taught artist 1 I ha#e had no .ormal training in an/ .orm o. #isual arts. I do not do great %orks o. arts /et- I am still learning 1 ut I can sa/ that %ith some e..ort and time- i. I sit do%n- I am a le to dra% or sketch almost an/thing that I can imagine. 5o do this- I ha#e o ser#ed the %orks that others create. I studied them all the /ears- and ha#e een practicing %hat I learned .rom o ser#ations- and also %hat I learned .rom .e% ooks that I could get in li raries- and %hat I learned .rom reading articles- 9ournals and logs on the Internet. At this point in time- e#en though I ma/ not e called one o. the rethren o. artists- I strongl/ elie#e there is some kind o. organi)ation that closel/ guards a ke/ to success.ul dra%ing. +ontinue reading this ook- and learn ho% to create good looking dra%ings. +ontinue reading this ook i. /ou %ant to e le.t satis.ied a.ter a session o. sketching and dra%ing.
Drawing Basics
'et us look at the approach to dra%ing an/thing. B/ the end o. this section- /ou %ill kno% the preparations /ou need to do e.ore sketching or dra%ing something. 5o dra% an/thing- /ou must .irst #isuali)e it in /our mind. 7ou must imagine %hat /ou %ant to dra%- and then /ou can proceed to dra% it. 7ou %ill need to #isuali)e t%o asic things to get a decent sketch or dra%ing.

&orm 'ight
7es- that is all /ou need to kno% regarding the su 9ect /ou are dra%ing. :nderstanding the .orm and light o. a su 9ect la/s do%n the asic .oundation /ou re0uire to dra%.
Form
&orm o. an/ su 9ect is the underl/ing shape that de.ines the su 9ect. I. /ou take a all 1 the underl/ing shape is a sphere in the three dimensional space. &or considering the .orm %ith respect to shape /ou can .orget that it e3ists in a three dimensional space- and take the asic underl/ing shape as a circle. ,emem er 1 the choice o. the asic shape ma/ not e al%a/s as simple.
;hat i. /ou %ant to dra% a tennis all at a #er/ high closeup le#el6 5hen the underl/ing shape %ould e a cur#/ line- some asic .orm o. the .urr/ la/er.
7es- it does not look like much. It looks too simple to look like a close up o. a tennis all. But that is the eaut/ o. deciding the .orm ased on the composition. $o not %orr/ a out composition initiall/ 1 it is an ad#anced techni0ue that in#ol#es the human mind. <ust choose a composition- and tr/ to decide on %hat the asic .orm o. the su 9ect is depending on ho% /ou %ant to dra% it. Almost e#er/thing has an underl/ing .orm to it. A mug o. eer6 It has a asic c/lindrical .orm. A pen6 Again a c/lindrical .orm ut much thinner and elongated. A chair6 It %ould ha#e o3/ shapes that are at di..erent angles.
7ou might naturall/ ask no%- can e#er/thing e resol#ed into simple .orms6 I mean- there are much more eauti.ul and intricate things that one can imagine 1 ho% can it possi l/ e reduced to a simple shapes and e designated as .orm6 ;hat a out a eaut/ o. nature 1 a s%an or a duck s%imming in the lake6 ;hat kind o. .orm %ould that ha#e6 I %ould sa/ that it too %ould ha#e a .orm- ut ma/ e %e cannot name all the shapes. 5he .orm though %ould e simple enough. 23amine the same sketch %ith the .orm highlighted.
7ou might ha#e guessed it / no% 1 that .orm is nothing ut simpli.ication o. the .inal art%ork. ;h/ %ould %e %ant to simpli./ an/thing to dra% it6 5he ke/ lies in the .act that our human mind cannot #isuali)e things as much as %e %ould like it to. 5he minds e/e sees things #aguel/ until it actuall/ sees it. It %ould e di..icult .or us to imagine something %e %ould like to create in the .uture 1 ecause there is nothing in .ront o. the ph/sical e/e and the minds e/e .inds it hard to imagine it. But .iguring out %hat the asic shape and thus the .orm o. the su 9ect- /ou can easil/ con9ure it up in .ront o. /our minds e/e- and it %ill help /ou in dra%ing.
ight
5o get a decent sketch- most o. the times- the asic .orm is more than enough. But to add some more details and intricacies to the art%ork- there is one more thing that /ou %ould need to #isuali)e. 'ight pla/s a ma9or role in gi#ing depth to the sketch or dra%ing. ,emem er- in the last section a out #isuali)ing the .orm o. the su 9ect- I mentioned that the su 9ect e3ists in three dimensions and that %e are representing or pro9ecting it to
the t%o dimensions. 5o add depth to the dra%ing that /ou dra% in t%o dimensions- /ou need to #isuali)e light. 7ou need to #isuali)e the position o. the light source %ith respect to the su 9ect. !tart o.. %ith a simplest o. the simple .orm o. the su 9ect and assume a light source.
8nce /ou imagine that it ecomes eas/ to imagine %here the shado%s are .ormed. In the direction o. the light- ehind the su 9ect- i. there is something then a shado% is cast. Also- the light decides %hich areas o. the o 9ect are righter and %hich o. them are dull.
(isuali)ing the .orm helps in #isuali)ing the light. !ince the .orm is simpli.iedthe pla/ o. light is much more simple %hen compared to the comple3 interactions in real li.e. ,emem er there can e multiple sources o. light- like in real li.e. 5he multiple sources o. light ma/ come due to actual multiple light sources- or ecause light re.lects o.. some sur.ace 1 in %hich case that too acts as a light source. But to egin %ith 1 choose a simple .orm- and then choose a light source and #isuali)e the %a/ the shado%s are .ormed.
!isua"i#e
It must e e#ident / no%- ut I %ould state it again. 5he ke/ to good sketch is #isuali)ation e.ore e#en /ou dra% one line on the paper. $ecide on %hat /ou need to dra% and then ased on ho% detailed /ou need to go 1 decide on %hat the asic .orms %ould e. Be read/ to #isuali)e di..erent lighting conditions and also see in the minds e/e 1 the pla/ o. light and shado%. 7ou ha#e not /et started to sketch the dra%ing. 5his process that /ou .ollo% e.ore dra%ing %ill reduce a lot o. .rustration and artist=s lock /ou ma/ .ace. Because %hen /ou ha#e the pen or pencil read/ in .ront o. /ou and sit in .ront o. the paper- the lankness %ont glare ack at /ou.
8n the paper- /ou %ill see the image /our mind=s e/e has created and dra%ing on it %ould e almost like tracing a picture. !o- is this the secret I %as talking a out6 Is this %hat all the .uss %as a out6 ;ell no. And since /ou ha#e patientl/ %aited through this chapter- I promise I %ill spill the eans in the ne3t chapter.
Sketching $rocess
!o- /ou ha#e decided on the su 9ect and #isuali)ed the .orm and light. &or sake o. illustration 1 I %ill choose the su 9ect as =A)tec */ramids=. And the asic .orm %ould e that o. a p/ramid %ith its top chopped o... >8. course- A)tec */ramids are kind o. stepped 1 ut since it is the .orm %e are deciding on 1 I simpli./ it?. And I %ill choose the light source to e the sun and it is situated ehind the #ie%er and at the top 1 a little to the right.
5ake a paper and a pen or pencil. @othing .anc/ is re0uired. 7ou do not need to spend a lot on a sketch ook or art paper or an/thing like that. 5ake an/ lank piece o. paper and start sketching. 2#en the ro%n paper /ou got as a grocer/ ag %ould do.
$o not %orr/ i. /ou make mistakes. <ust dra% the asic .orm /ou ha#e in /our mind that /ou decided upon earlier. I. an/ particular line seems to e out o. place 1 then do not touch the eraser 1 9ust dra% o#er it. :se the %rong stroke as a guide
and tr/ to edge the line to%ards the correct one. &or e3ample- in the a o#e sketch 1 I .ind that the right most slant is a it too #ertical. It should e more slanting.
I did not erase that %rong stroke. I kept it as a guide and then dre% again. 7ou might not e#en get it right %hen /ou do this 1 ut do not erase that. $ra% againand tr/ to get it right the ne3t time. 8nce I am satis.ied- %ith the asic .orm o. the su 9ect- I proceed to dra% .e% more secondar/ things 1 like trees in this case.
<ust dra% o#er the right set o. lines again- and make them a it darker and more de.ined. 5his %ill gi#e /ou practice and that is good. *roceed to dra% the shado%s and shading. 8nce /ou are done- take a step ack and %hat do /ou .eel a out it. It is mess/ 1 o. course- ut no% #isuali)e ho% it %ould look %ith all the details.
Is it %hat /ou %anted6
Change Something
7es 1 change the .orm or light source or othA 5he .orm and lighting /ou chose in the eginning must not e set in stone. @o%- tr/ and #isuali)e a di..erent setuplooking at the rough sketch /ou ha#e in .ront o. /ou and dra% again. 5ake a .resh piece o. paper- and start sketching again.
I .elt that ha#ing the perspecti#e .rom a o#e the p/ramids- %ould not make it look grand and I %anted that .eel 1 I %anted to make it look grand. !o- I changed the perspecti#e >keeping the light source same?. ;hat I got %as close to %hat I %anted.
!ince /ou ha#e not spent much e..ort on detailing the pre#ious sketch- since it is 9ust a rough sketch 1 /ou are not emotionall/ attached to complete it. 7ou can ruthlessl/ discard it i. /ou %ant to- and %ork on another rough sketch 1 al eit a etter one. But do keep the older one at hand 1 use that as a guide to the ne3t sketch. $ra% the asic .orm- and then shade it %ith light source in mind. I. /ou are not satis.ied %ith it- then stop %orking on it. +hange the .orm or the light source and dra% a ne% rough sketch. 5his c/cle o. dra%ing rough sketches again and again 1 ad9usting one aspect or another- one a.ter another is one o. the secrets to the success o. a great art%orks. :nless there is no proper composition o. .orm and lighting- no matter ho% great /ou put the detail into the .inal sketch 1 it %ill look crapp/.
!o- is that all there is to the secrets o. great art%ork6 5here is one more thing.
$ractice
7es- once /ou get a rough art%ork %ith the proper setup o. .orm and light- /ou repeat doing rough sketch %ith the same setup again and again. It gi#es con.idence
to /our strokes. 7ou start to do small e3periments to see i. there is something that %ould add to the aesthetic 0ualit/ o. the dra%ing.
7ou should dra% the same su 9ect in the same .inali)ed setting again and again. 2#er/ time /ou dra% the rough sketch- /ou should add a it more detail. 7ou can e3periment on .e% minor things- tr/ing out minor #ariations and comparing it %ith the pre#ious #ersion o. the rough sketch. It is this practice that makes these artists %hat the/ are. I. /ou ask them- is there an/ secret to their skills 1 the/ %ould sa/ that /ou need to practice. 5he/ ma/ unintentionall/ not re#eal the .act that the/ %ould ha#e spent a lot o. time practicing the same aspect or a same su 9ect again and again. 5he practice o. the same aspect lets /ou appl/ the pre#ious secret 1 #ariation or change. 5his gro%s /our innate kno%ledge o. sketching the .orm and light e..ects on the su 9ect.
Secrets %evea"ed

(ariation ,epetition
I kno%- .or those hoping .or something spectacular- .or those hoping .or a hol/ grail o. creati#it/ 1 this might turn out as a disappointment. But these secrets are nothing ut uncommon common sense. +hange or #ariations is the ke/ asic ke/ to mo#e to%ards per.ection. 2#er/ time /ou dra% a line %rongl/- it %ould e that one string o. kno%ledge o. ho% not to dra%. 5he ne3t line /ou dra% %ould e close to the proper %a/.
,epetition- or practicing the same su 9ect again and again- helps /ou gro% con.ident in the skill /ou learn. It is not / .luke that /ou get some dra%ing look good. 7ou kno%- as /ou dra% again and again- %hat makes a particular dra%ing o. a particular su 9ect look good. Because e#er/ time /ou repeat and dra% again- /ou %ill e using /our earlier dra%ing as a re.erence su consciousl/. 7ou %ould kno% %hat things /ou had dra%n %rong and /ou %ould dra% them etter this time. 7ou might e#en miss %hat /ou ha#e dra%n right- and dra% it %rongl/ no% 1 ut e#en that %ill educate /ou. ;e %ill round up this chapter %ith the .ollo%ing note. 5he secret to a good dra%ing is practice o. the same su 9ect %ith the application o. #ariation and repetition. (ar/ something that /ou think is %rong. ,epeat something that /ou think is right. 2ither o. /our 9udgment- i. /ou happen to err in it 1 /ou %ill kno%. +orrect it and dra% again. ,emem er- %e ha#e not /et started on the .inal art%ork. ;hat /ou ha#e done until no%- %as 9ust a stud/ 1 9ust a practice.
Fina" Sketch
5ake a clean sheet o. paper and sharpen /our pencils. 5his time around- take a good paper 1 /ou %ill e sketching the .inal art%ork no%. 7ou ha#e t%o options here.

!ketch / re.erence !ketch / trace
"a#e /our latest #ersions o. rough sketch hand/ and then re.er to it and start dra%ing. 7ou ma/ also dra% .aint grid lines on the lank paper and the rough sketches and start dra%ing gridB o3 / grid o3. As /ou dra%- attempt on clean lines and erase an/ un%anted lines. 5his %ill e /our .inal art%ork and /ou do not need un%anted lines like in /our rough sketches. 7ou ma/ also place the rough sketches under /ou paper and start dra%ing %ith the .aint rough sketch as /our re.erence. 7ou %ould not e a le to do this i. /ou had een dra%ing /our sketches in a smaller scale. But in an/ case- this time around- /ou do not ha#e the .ear o. going %rong. Because /ou ha#e dra%n the %rong lines a num er o. times in /our rough sketches and /ou ha#e o#er come them. 2#en i. /ou dra% a %rong line- /ou kno% %hat the
correct line is 1 /ou can erase and redra%. 5his time around /ou %ill not e .eeling
around in the dark- ut /ou %ill e dra%ing %ith con.ident strokes. $ra% the asic outline and dra% all the details. $etail it to /our hearts content. 7ou do not need to .ear o. going out o. proportions. 7our asic outlines %ould .orm a oundar/ and keeping e#er/thing in proportion. 8ne /ou are done %ith the outlines and hard shado%s- proceed to %ork on the shading %ith .iner strokes. !ince /ou ha#e practiced the lighting in /our rough sketches- /ou kno% %hich areas /ou need to lea#e untouched and %hich areas /ou need to darken / dra%ing
criss crossed .ine lines. I. /ou %ant a particular area to e dark- 9ust dra% more criss crossed lines. ;hen /ou are done- stand ack and look at /our %ork. 7ou %ill e a lot more satis.ied %ith it than i. /ou had right a%a/ dra%n it. As the/ sa/- practice makes per ect$ 5ake a reak- go sip a cup o. co..ee >or tea i. /ou are a tea drinker?- and then sho% it to all /our .riends and .amil/.

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You Too Can Sketch

Mahesh Vyoma Bhat http://kalaalog.com

A out Mahesh Bhat

!ecrets Artists "a#e Been "iding $ra%ing Basics

&orm 'ight (isuali)e +hange !omething *ractice !ecrets ,e#ealed

About Mahesh Bhat

Secret Artists Have Been Hiding

Is it %hat /ou %anted6

!ketch / re.erence !ketch / trace

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