The Artist Within: The Basics of Sketching

by Lauren Walker

Did you know that every painting begins with a rough sketch? A sketch is a quick, loose drawing that provides the foundation for any painting. Just like a foundation, you build upon it to create a finished product. Where do you start?

Action Lines

In my "Beginner Wildlife Painting for Older Adults" course in October, we will learn about action lines. Think of an action line as a line designed to capture your subject's movement. If you're drawing a bird in flight, you'd draw a line from head to tail and wingtip to wingtip. This provides the base for your loose sketch. All you'd have are two lines to indicate the bird's movement.

Basic Shapes

Every subject in its simplest form comes down to basic geometric shapes. The key is to narrow your subject matter down to VERY basic shapes and then connect the dots, so to speak. Look at a bird in flight. What shape does his head look like? His beak? What shape does his body take on? What about the wings?

Putting it together

Remember we are still in the sketching phase, so loosen your grip and relax! This is a practice exercise which anyone can try. Use the action line you created and build on it by adding the basic shapes of your subject on top. Add the shapes of the head, body, and wings accordingly. Then gradually connect the shapes with loose lines, like connect-the-dots. A shape will start to emerge that looks like a rough version of a bird in flight. In this stage, you can adjust the lines and make as many mistakes as you wish. Don't expect perfection on the first go round.

Practice

You can try this technique with different subjects, and it'll teach you how to see movement in anything you sketch. Learning to see your subject in very basic shapes is one of the most valuable lessons I've learned.

Beginner Wildlife Painting for Older Adults

I am teaching this and other valuable lessons in my upcoming course, "Beginner Wildlife Painting for Older Adults". I teach it at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 319 Queen St. This three-week course is $159 and runs Saturday, October 17th, 24th, and 31st from 12 to 2 p.m. All material is included in the cost.

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For more information, call 289-356-2142 or email theartistwithin86@gmail.com