For those of you who have been around the drawing block before “Negative Space” is kind of like an old familiar friend. I think it was either fifth or ninth grade that I was introduced to this technique. Betty Edwards has certainly created a whole cottage industry around this technique. All the power to her.
I have used this technique forever. I remember getting my pre-college portfolio together and negative space helped me with my still life drawings. Negative space or shape also helped me back in my college days when I was clueless on how to draw the figure.
This technique of spiraling out from a simple negative space is golden. It’s simple and it works.
I usually like to start with the negative space between the models arm and torso. If the model has their hand on their hip this shape will most likely come in the form of a triangle. I then measure across the torso to the other side of the models torso drawing in two angles. I then draw a little in the middle, usually the spine.
So in essence it’s sort of like you are spiraling out from the center of the first simple negative space you see.
The other beautiful thing about this drawing technique is that it tricks your brain. Anyone can draw a funky looking negative shape, however drawing a complicated figure, that’s hard. A lot of artists always start with the head first. That’s a great place to start. However starting with an abstract negative shape gives you options. Especially if you are drawing an unconventional foreshortened pose.
So the next time you are in life drawing class or even drawing from a photo try spiraling out from a simple abstract shape. It’s super fun and easy.
It sounds so trivial, drawing shadow shapes. But the fact is a lot of artists struggle with drawing, or shading in shadow shapes. A different term for this is “blocking in”. Some artists simply just don’t see shadows. They cannot see blocks of tone.
We’re all good at one thing right? I have always had an easy time of seeing shadows shapes. Line however was really tough for me. How about you, do see more with line instead of tone?
The goal is to become balanced with the way we see. Of course you can make something really dimensional with just line. However when you can add line with tone things get a little more interesting.
For those of you who struggle with seeing the proper shadow value here are a couple of tips.
Always squint at your reference to see the simple shadow and light shapes. Squinting takes away all of the detail.
Go into every drawing, if you are trying to draw with tone, understanding there should always be a three value set up. Try to structure your drawings with a dark, middle tone and light value. This will force you be more conscious of shadow shapes.
Ask yourself the question, where is the light coming from? If you understand your light source, you will ultimately understand where the shadow shapes are.
Lastly, shade your shadow shapes with a solid tone. Don’t let patches of white paper show through, this will muddy up your lights and darks.
If you enjoyed watching the critiques I would encourage you to get your drawings looked at. Sometimes we get so close to our own artwork that we cannot see what we are struggling with. Worst yet we don’t know how to get past the roadblock.
As I relaunch the Drawing Tutorials Online Blog it felt totally appropriate to have Julia’s sketchbook be our first post.
Julia epitomizes what DTO is all about. A passion to have drawing be the center of one’s lifestyle. What do I mean? As you can see Julia loves to draw. Drawing is at the center of her lifestyle.
She is embarking on her journey as a visual artist and drawing is how she is manifesting her vision. From stop motion to jewelry creation every concept is drawn in her sketchbook first.
Julia’s Sketchbook is pretty amazing. Julia is a young multi-talented artist with a bright future ahead of her. It’s students like Julia that inspire me to teach students of all levels.
Grab your sketchbook, turn off your phone and start drawing. You will find yourself more relaxed.
