Lesson 16

Andrea Ratcliff
l Statement- Final Draft

I would say that I’m very talented at art and drawing. I’ve practically
spent my whole life drawing. I have been improving my craft
throughout after every year; learning from others and from myself.
I’ve been working on drawing expressive emotions, backgrounds,
dynamic poses, and coloring/lighting. And I think I could develop
these techniques even more over time.

An expression is the look on someone’s face that conveys a particular

emotion or thoughts. Expression in drawing brings life to the character
you are drawing and makes them more appealing. Drawing your
character with a soul-less and emotion face alienates the people who
are viewing your drawing. It tends to leave a viewer with no emotion
conveyed or uncomfort. Especially when your intention is to convey a
certain emotion such as sadness or anger, you have to have the
character reflect that.

A background is an area or scenery behind the main object of

contemplation, especially when perceived as a framework for it. It’s
important to understand how to create a background that’s unique
and effective but also not too cluttered. Backgrounds complete the
image; they put your illustration into context, help the audience out
visually, they enhance your drawing into a composition. A background
describes the story you are telling. It gives the subject its roots; its
sense of time and place, history and meaning. It is the subject’s
environment; the air it breathes, the terra firma it stands on or water
it is suspended in. It radiates light or lurks in shadow. Each
background is its own evocative world. We should relish our
backgrounds, knowing that they are places which give our subjects
their life.

It’s important to express some kind of movement in your drawing,

especially when that’s what you are intending to convey. You can’t just
think of a basic “arms at side and that’s it” kind of pose. You’ll
eventually have to get out of your comfort zone. Just as a musician,
dancer or athlete must practice and train to maintain a level of
excellence, drawing the figure from life on a regular basis keeps an
artist in good form. Life drawing is like calisthenics for the artist.
Moreover, attending sessions regularly affords an excellent means to
develop a better work ethic. Just as one is more apt to continue an
exercise program with companions, drawing in the company of a
group provides an incentive to keep practicing. There is no overstating
the value of a regimen that keeps one in the activity of drawing,
circumventing any number of distractions at home or simply
overcoming a case of artist’s block.

Colors are more important in drawing than most people may think.
Colors can be used to convey certain types of emotions. Cool colors,
such as blue, purple, and even green, represent peace and calmness.
They’re not overpowering and tend to recede in space. Warm colors,
such as red, orange, and yellow, represent excitement or even anger.
Warm colors convey emotions from simple optimism to strong
violence. Different colors can create a different mood for artwork.
Mood means the feeling we get when we look at a work of art. We can
create the mood by selecting warm or cool colors that remind us of
emotions that we want in our artwork.

Those are only just a few elements to think about when drawing, there
are far more elements to consider when trying to understand art. I
keep on planning to understand and learn more about those said
elements as I grow and develop as a person and an artist. I still have a
long way to go as an artist. It’s not too late for you to learn the craft
behind drawing as well; just keep practicing and understanding.
Someday you will get there, someday I’ll get there.