Albert Bierstadt Master Class

Albert Bierstadt Master Class

Every so often I film a Master Class lesson. What is a Master Class lesson you say? It’s where I analyze the work of an old master. In this case it’s the work of Albert Bierstadt. It’s a great way for members of DTO to hone their image making skills.

Alice’s Sketchbook Continued

Alice’s Sketchbook Continued

Thanks Alice for sharing your sketchbook with us. Alice’s improvement over the entire academic year was pretty incredible. She really is an example of what hard work and devotion can do for one’s portfolio of drawings. Improve them immensely.

Emily’s Sketchbook – Part Two – With Elmo

Emily’s Sketchbook – Part Two – With Elmo

Emily has really made some great strides with her artwork over two semesters. Her art is definitely unique to Emily. The shapes of her characters are really interesting. Emily also has this great knack for drawing really thin detailed line which I totally love.

Song’s sketchbook – Visiting Student Day

Song’s sketchbook – Visiting Student Day

I remember back in the day when song was a student in my class she was a little lost. She was completely unsure of herself. Her confidence just was not there. However she perservered and her skill set began to grow. Her confidence also started to grow.

Alice’s Two Mini Sketchbooks

Alice’s Two Mini Sketchbooks

Alice has ton of raw natural talent. She is doing a really great job of cultivating that talent with her hard work in class. Her two mini sketchbooks are a pleasure to look through. Thanks Alice so much for sharing your art.

Rough Sketches – Working Out The Details

Rough Sketches – Working Out The Details

Working on rough sketches is a great time to plan and think. You can certainly use a multitude of techniques when composing your scene. I like using a grid, I also like to use big compositional shapes. Compositional shapes are big areas of light and shade.

Background Reference – Setting The Scene

Background Reference – Setting The Scene

Finding background reference helps you to figure out all of the nitty gritty details in your scene. It helps to take the guess work out of your image making process. Even if you work only from your imagination I encourage you to use background reference.

Your Work Process

Your Work Process

Sometimes I completely forget all about my past life. I once was a full time freelance illustrator working on several book projects at one time. My life was all about creating high quality artwork under the pressure of deadlines. Sitting down to paint for eight to ten...

Emily’s Sketchbook – Italian Inspired

What I like most about Emily’s sketchbook is her originality. I like so much that she expresses how she is feeling through her drawings. I really do see a ton of improvement in Emily’s drawings midway through the sketchbook video. Her black ballpoint pen line is amazing.

Critique Of The Week – How To Draw A Cat

Critique Of The Week – How To Draw A Cat

Paul a member of Drawing Tutorials Online just recently uploaded one of his images for a critique. I really liked his drawing of this cute fury cat. The drawing was done in a combination of pencil, colored pencil, pastels (both pencil and stick), as well as charcoal.

How To Make Your Drawings Three Dimensional

How To Make Your Drawings Three Dimensional

Every Monday at Drawing Tutorials Online I film three to fours of video critiques. Members who take the time to upload their artwork definitely improve weekly. It’s pretty amazing what a different set of eyes can do to help you improve. Sometimes we get much too close to our drawings.

Rex’s Second Sketchbook

Rex’s Second Sketchbook

As you flip through her sketchbook like I said you might get a bit overwhelmed. Some self doubt might start to creep into your mind. The antidote to self doubt is focusing on what you can control right now. What you can control is working within your own sketchbook. Focus on you and your drawings.

Creating A Simple Value Structure Study

Creating A Simple Value Structure Study

Sometimes we get so caught up in the details, the textures that we forget to organize a simple value structure. I recommend creating a value structure study in your sketchbook with a soft 2B mechanical pencil. It should take you less than five minutes to complete.