by Melanie Aves

Created on: September 06, 2010   Last Updated: September 07, 2010

 Six drawing exercises to improve your skill. 

Learning to draw is possible for everyone, and yet, for many it seems to be an overwhelming challenge.  Here are several exercises that, with practice, will help you to improve your drawing skills.

1.)    Imagine that your drawing tool is touching the edge of the form you are attempting to draw.  Keeping your eyes fixed on that edge, carefully move your pencil or pen along the edge of the form until the line crosses itself  and becomes a shape. Find the edges within this shape that are essential to describe the subject and add them to complete the drawing.  This technique is called a “

contour drawing." 

2.)    This exercise is called “gesture drawing.”  Select a moving subject that is not posing for you, such as a human being or an animal.  Use a large sheet of paper (newsprint is ideal) and a piece of charcoal, a black marker, a black crayon or a thick black pencil.  You will need to support your paper on a drawing board. Allow yourself 30 seconds (an egg timer or a microwave timer works well for this) to draw the gesture of the subject in a big scribble.  If possible stand up while you draw and use your whole arm to capture the movement of the figure.  After you practice, your drawings will become more expressive and descriptive of the gestures of your subjects.  And it is fun!

3.)    Arrange two or three kitchen chairs piled together so that there are “holes” where you can see through the chair frames.  Use a large sheet of newsprint and a piece of charcoal or a drawing pencil.  Concentrate and draw the “holes” where you can look through the frames of the chairs.You will find that when you draw the “holes” the white spaces around them describe the outlines of the frames of the chairs.  You are drawing “negative” space, and you will learn that seeing this negative space is invaluable in accurately describing forms in space.   

4.)    Use a smaller piece of paper, 5” X 7” or so, and a fine tipped marking pen.  Create a design using only dots.  Notice how you can create darker areas by concentrating the dots and lighter areas when the dots are farther apart.  Use the entire piece of paper, so that any remaining white spaces are all part of your design.  This exercise

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