#104 - Draw With A Thick Pencil First To Get The Big Shapes Down Before You Go Into Detail

Don’t fret the details.

Warm-Up Drawing Exercises

Quickly become better at drawing—without burning out—by using my workbook.

NOTE: I mentioned the Earthsworld website a few weeks ago: don’t go there anymore! It seems to have been hacked and appears to be infested with malware!

Last time I endorse an exernal resource! Anyway, back to the regular program. But first: some pen and ink drawings I did on matchbox-sized little cards.

When I start a new drawing meant to be a finished piece, I first draw loosely with a thick, soft (green color) pencil. Drawing with loose lines helps give the final drawing energy, and drawing with a thick, unsharpened pencil forces me to focus on the bigger picture as I can not draw details. The soft pencil allows me to erase still, easily.

This helps me solve and fix problems early: get proportions and expressiveness right.

Then I tighten the drawing, but it starts with a loose, expressive underdrawing. It will shine through the final finished piece and make it more dynamic and less stiff.

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