30 Minute Sketching - Keep it Simiple

30 Minute Art - Sketching
By Alwyn Crawshaw

We've finally made it my final blog of this book, in this meeting I will look into Crawshaw's final major tip on sketching keeping it simple and quick. How he puts it into words is that "a non-painter sees everything, but an artist sees only what is important to his or her sketch" (Crawshaw 41). Using a few methods can bring up the habit of simplifying things more. For the most effective way would be too use only a long hold, as making it difficult to draw would drive you to putting in too much detail or putting any irrelevant details (Crawshaw 42). 

For this final drawing I will finally time myself to the 30 minute limit, it will be a simple small forest with a dirt road. I used a 2B pencil too put in detail and make out the drawing, while buffering it with a 6B pencil to make quick and quality shading. Coming out was this final product.

Alwyn Crawshaw's 30 Minute Art book, has probably been the most helpful tool I've gotten to improve my capabilities in drawing. To finally end off I want to know what has been the most helpful system of knowledge whether it is a book, website, or video?

30 Minute Sketching - Still life

30 Minute Art - Sketching
By Alwyn Crawshaw

Further through the book, Crawshaw recommends making quick still-life drawings in order to practice/improving your ability to make fast sketches (Crawshaw 32). He also says to be "bold and positive" avoiding outlines as it will lower the quality of your sketch making it look "weak and lifeless," (Crawshaw 32).

This is my first still life sketch I've made and it came out well, took me a little over half an hour so it wasn't truly 30 minute art but it's probably the fastest I've ever made a drawing in.

The still life was actually pretty fun and relaxing to make, I'll definitely be making more from now on mostly of flowers they are very beautiful to sketch. Now being further in I'd like to know what you've been sketching, specifically into still life's and how have you been enjoying it?

30 Minute Sketching - Using different grades effectively

30 Minute Art - Sketching
By Alwyn Crawshaw

Straight after positioning Crawshaw goes into the different gradients of pencils specifically the B grade pencils. Beginning with a 2B pencil "For this sketch I used a 2B pencil, which allowed me to draw some detail in the trees" (Crawshaw 18). In his second sketch he used a 3B pencil describing it to be much faster at making the sketch but at the cost of the quality of the sketch due to the use of a softer lead (Crawshaw 19). Replicating a drawing for the last time using a 6B pencil, "Because the 6B has a very soft lead it is not easy to draw detail, but it is easy to shade in areas quickly to create a simplified image" (Crawshaw 18). Instead of replicating a drawing three times, I opted to utilize all three of the pencil grades to effectively make a single sketch.

With the 3B pencil I was able to very effectively make a base structure with branches in slight detail.

Leading up with a 2B pencil I drew in some twigs, also fixing up the base structure to be much more detailed.

Finalizing the drawing I put some light shading on with a 6B pencil drawing in the light from the left.

I was extremely satisfied with this drawing up to now I believe this is the most improvement I have seen. Finding the difference in gradience has been probably the biggest eye opener to towards all types of drawing, as everything seems so much better using each separate pencil to improve my sketches. Coming this far I'd like to know how much you have learned not only from my posts but also in your own time from different books?

30 Minute Sketching - Styles/Techniques

30 Minute Art - Sketching
By Alwyn Crawshaw

Next I would like to talk about the different positions/styles that are available to sketch, and how to use them effectively. In order to use your pencil most effectively you're going to need to learn at least the three basic positions (Crawshaw 16). Crawshaw goes on to short detail of the three positions Short hold, Long hold, and Flat. In addition an eraser can help in the drawing process of sketching, as when shading an eraser can help lighten areas when needed (Crawshaw 16).

Testing out the techniques I started with a long hold using a 3B pencil to set out a base structure, base of the tree and the branches

After using a short hold I put a more definitive structure to the sketch, and making the twigs of the tree done with a 2B pencil.

To finish the drawing using a 6B flat hold pencil I added some shading.

I remember the times I used to sketch before this since then I would use a mechanical pencil and really only use a close short hold even for the shading. But in the last week I can say my skills in drawing have very much improved. Ending another I'd like to ask how much you've improved in skills and what has changed since then?

30 Minute Sketching - The Starter Kit

30 Minute Art - Sketching
By Alwyn Crawshaw

To start Crawshaw introduces how sketching is done which is not to really be a perfect or presentable piece. How he puts it "There is no pressure on you, because you are not painting for an exhibition or to please your friends or family; you are sketching for your own enjoyment" (Crawshaw 7). They can be done just wandering about outside finding a place to sit down for awhile and just get to drawing, or in my case a fabricated scenery or even a single object. This style of drawing is actually one of the best ways of making art, as many artist have produced beautiful pieces topping even their exhibition art. For now I would like to just be able to improve my capabilities of drawing going more into depth/perspective and scenic drawings, maybe I'll try to make a masterpiece of my own another time.

Now comes equipment, before this book I would generally make random sketches with a 0.7 mm. lead pencil. The recommended sketching kit would be a 2B, 3B, and 6B pencil and optionally a Kneaded Eraser, and a small sketchpad and really works but I had used Strathmore while Crawshaw had used Daler-Rowney sketchpads.

I tested out the pencils by making a few lines, small patches of shading and small sketches of trees to test between the three. 

Starting with the 2B pencil (middle drawing), it felt like it was very precise I could get the smaller details down but it was much harder to shade it very quickly or well due to it being lighter. Then the 3B pencil (bottom right drawing) felt like an in-between of the 2B and 6B it could get details down but not as well as the 2B and it could shade decently but worse than the 6B could. Finally the 6B pencil (bottom left drawing) had me make a more general sketch I did try to put some detail into the sketch, but the shading is probably the best way to use the 6B.

That concludes my first blog, before you leave I want to hear your opinion on supplies do you think that it is necessary to have good supplies to improve your capabilities of drawing?