Line: Drawing a Cup

7. CREATE FORM AND DIMENSION

With the soft 4B graphite pencil, use cross-contour and hatching lines to start creating form and dimension in the outer petals.

8. FINISH DETAILS AND CLEAN UP

Use the soft 4B graphite pencil to refine the contour lines on the outer petals. Add details and clean up with kneaded and rubber erasers.

6. REFINE THE BACKGROUND

Refine the background with a 2B charcoal pencil.

7. CREATE SHARP EDGES

Use a strip of paper to create sharp edges.

8. FINISH THE OPENING AND HIGHLIGHTS

Shift your focus to the opening of the glass. Use the 2B charcoal pencil to establish the darks, then use a rubber eraser to clean the light areas and lines along the edge of the opening. Pull out some highlights in other parts of the glass as well.

This silhouetted heron perched on a log presents some unique opportunities to build your drawing skills! In this project, you’ll practice drawing the form of the bird and capturing the subtle texture of the feathers. The reflections and ripples in the water may look challenging, but following these steps will make it less intimidating.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Smooth white drawing paper, 9” x 12” • 3H and 4B graphite pencils • Blending stump • Rubber and kneaded erasers • Paper towel or soft rag

1. BLURRED REFERENCE

Use this simplified, blurred reference to establish a quick gesture drawing in step 2.

2. GESTURE DRAWING

Use a 3H graphite pencil with an overhand grip for light, loose marks.

REFERENCE

6. MORE SHADOW DETAILS

Wipe down the drawing using a soft paper towel or rag. Use a blending stump to smooth marks and indicate more shadow details.

7. REFINE SHAPES

Refine larger shapes using a 2B charcoal pencil with rubber and kneaded erasers.

8. SHARPEN EDGES AND START TO ADD DETAILS

Use a soft 4B charcoal pencil to sharpen edges further and add details to the darks. Use an overhand grip to suggest fine details in the fur.

6. REFINE THE BACKGROUND

Refine the shape of the orange and start on the background using a 2B charcoal pencil. Use an overhand grip to create fine lines that suggest the grain of the wood surface, and refine the orange shape with an eraser.

7. RENDER SHADOWS

Render the shadows of the peel with a 2B charcoal pencil using an overhand grip. Smooth marks and add details overall using a blending stump. Then use a rubber eraser to clean up the light areas and lines along edges.

8. CONTINUE FRUIT SHADOWS

Render the shadows of the fruit using the 2B charcoal pencil with an overhand grip. Once again, smooth marks and add details using a blending stump. Then use a rubber eraser to clean up light areas and lines.

CHAPTER 4 People & Portraits

The projects in this section focus on the human form. You will draw various body parts and facial features to challenge your drawing ability. These complex and forms provide unique opportunities to further develop your skills with proportions, value relationships, shading, and edges.

Features, Faces, and Figures

People provide an endless supply of great subjects for drawing! In this chapter, you’ll build essential skills for drawing people, from studies of individual features to full portraits. After completing these projects, you might try taking on subjects like this, capturing the expressive quality of eyes, then move on to larger drawings featuring full figures.

6. REFINE THE LARGE SHAPES

Refine large shapes with an H pencil. Use an overhand grip to keep marks light. Clean up old angle-sighting, measurement lines, and gesture marks using your rubber or kneaded eraser.

7. REFINE THE PROFILE

Refine the profile by looking closely at the negative space in the darker background.

8. ESTABLISH DARKER FORMS

With an H graphite pencil, establish larger dark forms. Use an overhand grip to create broad marks and avoid getting caught up in details. Use a blending stump to smooth these areas, following the direction of the flowing hair.

6. ESTABLISH LARGE SHADOW SHAPES

With a 2B charcoal pencil and an overhand grip, establish large shadow shapes. Clean up excess angle-sighting and measurement marks with a rubber or kneaded eraser. Focus on the edge of the forehead, cheek, jaw, and left chin (to your right), along with other shadows and darks.

7. BEGIN TO REFINE DETAILS

Use the blending stump to render the details on the light side of the portrait, particularly focusing on the eyes and lips. Notice the eyes and lips are suggested as subtle shapes with just a few contour lines. Use a 4B charcoal pencil to further shade the darks, bringing depth to the darkest parts in the larger shadow shapes. Blend and smooth using a blending stump.