Last month I started posting up some of my sketches. I didn’t want to let the month of November go by without rounding up a few more.
I don’t sketch every day, but I try to. I’m part of the Daily Drawing Challenge facebook group, which I can’t recommend enough. Even if I don’t participate every day, at the very least it reminds me that I should.
This month I have a few examples of past Daily Drawing Challenge drawings, as well as a sketch I did of a faerie when I was brainstorming ideas for my faerie paper dolls.
For anyone who might be curious, I draw almost exclusively with mechanical pencils on plain printer paper. I’ve drawn with all sorts of other pencils, pens, markers and so forth, but have always gravitated toward mechanical pencils.
My initial sketches when I’m developing a piece of art tend to be messy and underdeveloped. They are good for getting the feel of a drawing or concept of a pose, but not generally presentable enough to show to anyone else – at least, in my mind. I end up doing a second sketch with my lightbox to clean it up, then lightbox again onto the final drawing material – usually plate Bristol board or hot press watercolor paper.
When I do daily drawing challenges, I try to force myself to slow down, concentrate, and draw with a lighter hand before defining details. I think both methods have their purposes and help me develop my drawing skills.
What kind of drawing exercises work for you?
