Drawing class

Getting your shapes down in three easy stages…

Pencil rough

We’re all going to draw differently. My method tends to fall neatly into three steps. Using my digital rough as a guide, I’ll switch back to working traditionally. I also tend to work large, usually 16x20in (40x60cm) or bigger. I lightly lay in all my shapes. I’m thinking about details here, but I’m not overly concerned with them, just keeping them in mind. I use a brown ColErase pencil for the pencil rough.

Underdrawing

Once the brown pencil rough is done, I begin my first pass at the finished drawing. I’m going back over the whole piece, bit by bit, and starting to refine it. Keep a light hand at this stage. You’ll notice that at long last I’m getting into areas of the drawing that I had left vague. Here’s where you’ll begin to make the line choices that will determine how the rest of the piece will go.

The Finished piece

After the underdrawing is finished, I go back over the whole piece for a final, detailed pass. I really get into the drawing, strengthening the line, pushing the value and rendering. I’ve experimented over the years with jumping right into the finished drawing, but I’m never quite as satisfied with the results. There’s something about the two stages working together: the lighter, more careful first pass and the stronger, bolder final drawing that achieves what I’m after.