A short simple post answering questions about selecting an Easel or a Drawing Board. People usually have two opposing thoughts on this topic. Some feel “what is there to select? Every artist or painter needs an Easel” while others feel “it is the last thing to invest in”. There are a lot of myths about an Easel. No doubt it makes an excellent gift to give an artist, but do you know which one to select?
Easels are a one-time investment and costly. Every artist uses whatever he or she is comfortable with. Not all artists draw, sketch or paint on an inclined surface. Different painting styles can mean using or not using the Easel. What I feel is that earlier people began carving or drawing on walls and ceilings most people would draw or paint like that. Then later when the paper was discovered, our writing desks had a slight inclined table top. Now if you have noticed, our table tops are flat.
Great! So do you need an Easel or not? All photos depicting an artist will always show an artist with an Easel. It is very symbolic. However only artists painting a canvas use an Easel. We can and many artists sketching in pencil or charcoal attach their paper to a drawing board and put it on an Easel.
For my art exams and in school we did not have Easels. Drawing on our school desk during class or then most of the times sitting on the floor. It was with the drawing board in my lap sitting cross-legged on the floor. Yes, it can mean a backache after long hours of work. Whenever, I draw and paint on paper, I keep the paper on a drawing board or a flat table top. But for Acrylic Painting or Oil Painting, I need an Easel. The canvas is painted keeping it upright.
Easels are usually wooden or metal. An Easel made of metal is more versatile and is like a tripod for lights or a camera. It is suitable both outdoors and indoors and the height is adjustable. Next, we get travel Easels with a drawer for art supplies to carry on outdoor trips. Then there is the authentic symbolic wooden Easel. Yes, we do get two or three variants in them. Last but not least we get Easels used only with a display board.
WoodenMetal
Things to keep in mind while selecting an Easel are :-
The Easel is heavyweight and sturdy. It stands upright correctly balanced and doesn’t move or shiver while painting.
The Easel is suitable to draw or paint on the size of the canvas or drawing board that the artist most commonly uses.
The height of the Easel – whether the artist paints while sitting or standing and if by any chance the artist is taller or shorter than average. The comfortable height that he or she paints at.
The finish polish or coating on the Easel that is there to protect it from rusting. This is important because the canvas or paper can develop stains or mould if the Easel is damaged.
Outdoors or Indoors – some artists paint outdoors on tours or trips.
StandingSittingOutdoorsIndoorsTravel On the desk
Similarly when selecting a drawing board it is important to look at it from a similar point of view. I would say it is like selecting a cricket bat. The drawing board gets seasoned over time and the artist gets used to it. Common sense isn’t it? But a very important decision. Because it is a one-time buy and it is the highest investment compared to all the other art materials.
Some artists prefer custom-made Drawing Boards and Easels. It is a good idea to get one made if one has a source. We can put our drawing board on the Easel as well. Special clips that will not leave a mark on the paper when secured tightly to the board are easily available. Note the thickness of the drawing board while selecting the clips.
Then after years when it wares off and the artist has to buy a new one, it takes a really long while to set up with a new one. It affects the art or rather the comfort level while drawing or painting. That’s a small post on Easels and Drawing Boards this weekend. Have a great week ahead!
Did you know? The wooden pieces that come along with the canvas are actually keys used to tighten or stretch the canvas.
Yaaaaay!!! We have achieved a milestone! 50 posts! That is why I have listed links to all the 50 posts plus 3 review posts on the blog tab. Any post that you missed reading or wish to revisit you can by selecting it from the blog page. I hope you have subscribed to the blog by now, because if you haven’t done it yet, now is a good time!
A big thank you to all those who have been following and supporting the blog. I hope you are enjoying reading the posts. Any topics on Art and Craft that you want me to share about or if you wish to send us a feedback, please do so in the comments section below. I would be very happy to hear from you! Thank you! Have an Arty weekend!
Bold and expressive brushwork to convey the beauty of the mundane ordinary subjects around us is what I love to do. Hello! I am Dr Shaazia Hawai, a dentist by profession and an artist at heart.
Art, for centuries, has been a means to express individualistic creativity. To me, art is a language that I intend to speak fluently. It thrills me when I see someone who has mastered the language of art. It intrigues me when I discover someone adding new layers to its tapestry of possibilities.
Being a dentist, I was miles away from indulging in anything creative. Science and Art are very different after all. I started painting as a means to explore my creativity after a visit to an art supplies store.
I felt overwhelmed looking at gorgeous landscapes, realistic portraits and stunning abstracts. ‘Still Life Painting’ or ‘Object Drawing’ had this strange attraction for me. It was something that I felt I could dabble with. And that is how my journey as an impressionist still life artist began.
Paintings by Dr Shaazia Hawai
I enjoy painting with acrylics as the medium is versatile and allows room for experimentation. Painting still life has its advantages like the subject doesn’t get tired, doesn’t move and it’s so easy to procure ( just raid your kitchen). I suggest painting one new object daily.
For the initial few months, I used to paint only in my spare time. As time progressed I started dedicating more time to paint because I was enjoying the process. I set up a small workspace in the corner of my bedroom for painting. That really kickstarted the daily morning ritual of painting. The ritual then became a habit. It got me focused and gave me clarity with regard to what I needed to do with my art.
If you are beginning your journey as an artist my suggestion to you is to form your own daily routine. I saw massive progress in my painting style and brushwork with this system of practice. I started posting my artwork regularly on social media.
I was approached by an art supply store to conduct online workshops for them. I had not learnt painting the formal way and so teaching art or even painting in front of a live audience gave me goosebumps. Overcoming my fears and conducting the first workshop was a game changer for me.
Not only was the workshop a success, but I also had a blast interacting with fellow artists. This gave birth to my Saturday live paint-along sessions on Instagram. I still conduct them. You may drop by and check my page to join the party.
The idea of being around like-minded people enhances creativity. We challenge and help each other by supporting the artist community.
My paintbox consists of primary colours (red, blue & yellow) and white. A few flat and round brushes ( I use mostly 6,4,2 flat brushes & 6,2 round ones) a substrate on which you will paint ( paper, canvas, wood, cardboard, etc)
A great tip that I have learned is that – acrylic paints tend to dry dull if diluted with water, so I usually use a medium (gloss/matte) to increase the flow of the paint and limit the use of water to only for cleaning brushes. (Note: Wash brushes immediately while painting with acrylics)
Let’s Paint ‘A Pear’
It is best to simplify the object. A pear looks like an alphabet ‘A’ or a triangle over a circle. After establishing a loose sketch, I apply a thin wash of neutral colour. This underpainting helps eliminate the whites of the paper and creates depth in the painting. Next, I establish the dark tones in the painting and paint from dark to light. You can also paint from light to dark. It depends on your chosen medium.
Simplify the objectMark the outlineGive a background Fill the colourAdd highlights Complete the artworkStep by Step Painting with me
A loose brushwork like mine can be achieved by holding the brush at its tail end. Then I add the highlights, background and fine details to bring out the likeness of the subject. One can always add more details and finer brushwork to make the subject more realistic. But if you prefer an impressionistic style like me, leave it in a loose expressive state.
I am a firm believer in what Van Gogh said, “Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter’s soul.” An artist paints from his soul to produce magic on canvas. That’s why a true artist’s work is easily recognisable such as Van Gogh’s starry night, Monet’s lilies, Cezanne’s still life & Klandinsky’s abstracts.
My suggestion to all beginner artists is not to copy styles or trends on social media. Paint what your heart desires, and you will make mistakes but keep practising because Bob Ross said, “There are no mistakes in art, only happy accidents.” And as you embrace these happy accidents, you will evolve as an artist.
Dr Shaazia Hawai is a dentist, who spills her love for colours onto the canvas. She is also adept at Arabic Calligraphy and Paper Quilling.
Did a hand drawn artwork and now want to make copies OR drew it digitally and now want to print it? Photographs, Graphics, Vector Art, Backgrounds, Designs, Drawings and Paintings – All of us might have tried to print these at some point of time or another. It could be for a School Project, a University Submission or a Personal Art Craft Project or for Commercial use.
I see many people struggle to get good prints of their work. What went wrong? They don’t know. I often get to hear “I gave the print command and the printing device printed it.” “I took it to a professional printer and he said the art work is not done correctly. The printing service owner said the device (printer) has done it correctly.”
It’s our loss as the money is wasted and we are not happy with the output. Today’s post is about ‘Getting a good print out’. I am going try and translate the language of a printer. In other words explain it in simple terms that everyone can understand.
Here’s my hand drawn ink art and the scanned print both next to each other
Initially I sold ‘Digital Downloads’ at my Etsy Shop. It was one of my best selling products. One can ‘buy >> download >> print >> use.’ I also included a file with printing instructions and ideas for assistance. So the buyer can confidently print the art work they bought at home on a home printer or with a professional printing service of their choice.
Yes! Now a days most of the projects are only online submission and we don’t print files. I am aware of that. However there are times we want them printed. For example – A photo book or a journal or diary. A card for celebration or the final university project.
There are some basic terms one must know to be able to give the device the right commands for printing. After all it is a computer, it will do as commanded. Here’s a list of jargons we come across for this task. These are not definitions but rather explanations in a simplified form. The regular definitions are already up there on the internet.
Pixel – Think of a paper made up of small particles – numerous dots. This is a Pixel. It is square in shape. A computer screen is made up of numerous pixels. Just as we measure paper in a unit such as cms or inches, we measure a computer screen in pixels. Right click , go to ‘properties’ of the computer file to know the measurements of the image. It will be shown as length x breadth.
Some common standard monitor screen sizes
1366 x 768 pixels High Definition (HD)
1600 x 900 pixels High Definition Plus (HD+)
1920 x 1080 pixels Full High Definition (FHD)
3840 x 2160 pixels 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD)
Image Size – The length and breath of the image, just like the length and breadth of the canvas or paper. For ease we can convert this from pixels to cms and vice versa with help of converters online. Helps know the best size it will print in. The size an art work is created in is always the maximum size it will print best.
An example of the image size shown in properties
Pixelate – Fine dots give a good image. The size of the pixel is called the pixel size. When we drag the file way larger than the size it was created in, each pixel size also gets amplified and we can see the distinct square blocks making up the image. The image is said to be pixelated. Always print the file only to a maximum of the size that it was created in, so that it doesn’t pixelate.
DPI – This is the resolution of the image. Consider the detailing done while copying or scanning the file. A higher resolution means more detailing and a larger file size. This value must be set while scanning the image or art work. Anything below 150dpi is blurred while above 300dpi may be excess. Images at 300dpi print well. It is a standard. For images that are used online on websites or blogs we generally keep the resolution as 150-200dpi. DPI stands for dots per inch.
File Size – Consider this as the weight of the package. The transport service in this case is electronic but allows a limited weight only. The weight is measured in kb, Mb, Gb (Kilo bytes, Mega bytes, Giga bytes). This information can be checked in the properties tab when we right click on the file. Higher the resolution, higher the file size. Means the package weight is high. A large size file takes longer to upload. We can lower the size of a file by compressing it. However it also compromises on the quality.
Compressing a file – Making the file size smaller. This could be by reducing the image size in terms of the length width as well as the file size in terms of the bytes. In some portals or software’s it can be a hidden command. In many email services, forms collecting data and social media platforms a default setting is made. The computer is asked to compresses the file to upload/ download faster. If we want to send across a high resolution file, we must make sure we turn off this setting and manually set it.
These are technical words that are used to describe or check if the file is suitable for printing. One important point we need to understand is that there will always be a minor difference in the colour on the screen and in print. I have explained ‘why’ this happens in my post about the Colour Wheel. For those of you who missed it – It happens because of the difference in the colours of light and the colours of pigment. A computer screen uses RGB (Red Green Blue) format while the Printing devices are based on the CMYK format (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black).
As professionals, designers must order prints with the exact colour shade and can specify the number assigned to the colour or shade. There is a standardised numbering system followed world over. This way the printer just cannot go wrong. It prints the exact colour selected.
Now there are some basic printer settings which all printers have. A Printer (device) comes with a set of default settings but we can always modify them if desired. Let’s understand these.
Black and White Print Setting
Colour Printed Images – Photographs with White Border (Margin)
Black and White – It will print only the extreme colours Black or White. No shades of grey. This setting is used to print all text files to save the toner and ink.
Grayscale – The page will be printed in shades of black and white. The shades in between will be printed as tones of grey. Even a coloured image can be printed as black and white or grayscale. The output will differ.
Colour – This is the setting we want to select for printing colourful images. A thing to note here is that a scanning device also has the same settings. We need to make sure we scan it and print it with the same settings for the desired output.
Borderless Printing is now possible on some printers
Print Margins – The white borders on the printed page are margins. We can change these when we give the print command. The image size and page size will not be exactly same, even if theoretically they are the same size. It means that the page and image edges will not coincide or overlap. An Image printed will always be smaller than the actual page.
This is a technical aspect of all printers. It differs with technology and brands. We do get borderless printers to print high quality photos and large format pictures. For home printers, at least even if we keep the margins to zero, it has a ‘gutter’ which will always be there.
Fit to Page – Small and Large Image Sizes
Fit to page – This is a simple beginners setting. If the image is bigger then use the ‘fit to page’ setting to get the image to limit to the size of the page. For example the artwork is 12 inches by 18 inches which is bigger and we want to do a test print at home and the printer at home prints only A4 size, which is smaller than the art work. We can use the ‘fit to page’ setting and comfortably print it in A4. If this setting is not used the printer will use multiple pages to print the same image. It tries to print the artwork at the exact size it was created plus the white print margins. Leads to a lot of wastage in paper.
In another case, if the image is small and we use the ‘fit to page’ setting the image will be dragged to make it as large as the page. It will get pixelated.
Further we also need to ensure the aspect ratio is locked. Meaning when we change the size of the image, if the computer is decreasing the length by one inch it decreases the width also in the same proportion instead of keeping it constant. Otherwise it will change one of them and the image will not print correctly. This is the reason the white border is broad on one side and very thin on the other.
Of course we can cut and remove the white borders, join these sheets and all. However it is best to avoid such wastage by making sure the commands are in line with the output we want. Here is a simple chart explaining standard Paper Sizes used by all printing devices. They are denoted as ‘letter’ or ‘A3’ or ‘A5’. We select these from a drop down menu. The computer will edit the other settings to match it once we select from the drop down menu. The image is by Vector Stock and only for reference.
Paper Size in mm – Standard Chart only for reference
Let’s do a quick recap of the points to remember:-
1) Draw your artwork in the same size as the one you want to print. A larger art can be comfortably printed in a smaller size but not the other way around. If you are downloading and printing then check this info.
2) Scan it at 300dpi OR set the resolution of the computer drawing file at 300dpi. We can reduce this if we want to use the file only in the digital format. A printer will require it at 300dpi only. Changing this at a later stage spoils the file. It is to be done from the beginning itself.
3) Specify the colour or black and white print settings. A colour image can be printed in black white or grayscale also if that is the command selected.
4) Read the Printer Paper Sizes Chart and keep it handy. This enables us to know exactly the size we require the work in.
Last but not the least. Do this with the art that you create or art that you bought. Art work downloaded from the internet may be subjected to Copyrights. Printing or making copies of certain art work is considered illegal or a violation of the law. I did do a post on Copyrights earlier. Do take a look if it interests you. Making copies of things like currency or coloured copies of government papers is strictly illegal. Please do not engage in any such practices.
Use this information to make prints for your artwork, download files that are permitted for personal use or artwork that is officially yours and you have the rights in it. I hope this information was helpful. Now we can confidently get good prints at home as well as at professional printing services. Have an Arty Weekend!
Photo Credits : The WordPress Photo library for all the photos except one from vector stock and the other one that is mine.
How to say that? It is ‘Silu -et’. That’s right! I am not talking about a soft fabric but a technique of painting. Silhouette is also a popular method in photography. It is an object or profile in dark black against a very bright source of light, usually the Sun.
To understand it better, do a small experiment. Take a camera and try clicking pictures of any object with the Sun at Sunrise and Sunset. The object will always come dark. On the other hand if you click in the other direction where the Sun illuminates the object, we get a crisp clear photo with details of the object. That is why they say don’t click against the Sun. Unless of course you want the special effect.
A example of how the photo will be – Image from WordPress Photo Library
The reason is the immense brightness creating a contrast with the object. Thus the object appears completely black or dark with only an outline or profile. A distinct shape of the object will be seen. This is called a Silhouette. Sunrise and Sunset are the perfect backgrounds.
It is a very simple method for painting and can be done by just anyone. No need to know anything about painting. One can paint with any medium of paint. In digital it is super quick to draw one. We can even paint it using markers. Relief techniques as well.
The Knight – I painted it digitally to explain Silhouette
It is 3 simple easy steps 1) Decide the placing of the objects 2) Paint the background in colours of yellow and orange 3) Draw the object and colour it in black – as simple as that. One thing to note is the position of the Sun. White followed by lemon yellow followed by orange to red, brown and black. This is the colour blending of the Golden Sky.
Yoga Pose – Another one that I painted digitally
Drawing the object directly seems difficult? Let’s make it even easier. Download a ‘Silhouette’ of the object, print it and cut it. Place it on your drawing and mark the outline. Now paint it black. We can use a stencil also. For a first timer it is ok to use assistance. Once we understand how to paint it we will be able to do it without any assistance.
It is like the learning side wheels in a bicycle. We can let them off once we learn to ride. It helps overcome the stigma ‘I can’t paint’. A beautiful blend of colours with a distinct object highlighted. The colour on the outside and the object in single solid colour – Silhouette. The internet has ample images for inspiration. Choose something you like.
Some classic examples from the WordPress Photo Library
I paint them digitally because it is super quick. Beach scenes or by the sea shore are best drawn using this method. One of my favourites to paint would be the Knight holding the flag and the other is a famous scene from the movie ‘The Lion King’ where Mufasa roars from the top of the cliff. A woman standing at the cliff point with open arms and breeze blowing through her hair is another one I like to paint.
Painting Silhouettes is easy and hence can also be very easily replicated and copied. Hence, I don’t sell them at my shops. Decided to do a post on them for learning and understanding. One can always paint them for their learning without any worries OR If photography is your area of interest, try clicking some pictures.
What is Coffee got to do with Art? 😀 My young followers have exams coming up at schools, colleges and universities. Coffee will be their best friend keeping them up studying late nights. Just like a good coffee is all about the blend. Art is also all about blending and having the right combinations. All set? Prepared?
A coffee cup with my design available at my shops – NMartworks
I will do posts on ‘Latte Art’ and ‘Coffee Painting’ later after exams. This post is to wish them ‘All the Best’. No last minute advice or instructions before the exams. Just go out there and do your best. A sweet follower wrote to me saying she has her art exams coming up and my posts were helpful in preparing for them.
An artist sketching at a coffee table – Image from Unsplash
I am so glad the posts were helpful. I am sharing links to some of them once again as they have been pushed off the main blog page due to the space limitations. The posts might be of interest to the new readers or followers who just joined and missed the previous posts. I will put a search the website option once I do a few more posts.
Wishing everyone all the best with my coffee theme cards
I made them using Coffee theme stamps, Black Ink archival ink stamp pad, Watercolour Markers and Brush Calligraphy Pens. Here’s a very extra special tip that one must always remember :- You can paint with Coffee but you can’t drink Paint Water. Hehe..Just to lighten the mood. Have an Arty Weekend!
The first thing we usually ask or get to know about someone is their name. That is how we relate to them. We all like it when someone calls us by our name, isn’t it? That is what my next project is all about – a name. In this post, I am sharing about making a nameplate. It could be a simple door sign for your room or studio, an open or close sign for your store or a board sign for your home.
I wanted one for my creative corner. My initials are ‘NM’ and my shop name is ‘NMartworks’. Although I do various Arts and Crafts but mainly I’m into Drawing and Painting. That is why I selected a ‘Palette and Brush’ theme for myself. I wish to to make this project using the art materials that I already have and buy as little as possible. A common problem for such projects is about assessing the quantity of various materials required.
The first step to any project is to visualise. I visit art and craft shops to look for what is available. After that I design the project. Next I list the requirements and make a rough estimate considering the variance. I check my stock, meaning I check the material that I have at home and then I source the remaining. Most of the time this works out just great and other times I have to re-work it to cross the hurdles.
If there is a special price or discount on the material it is a bonus. Once in a while, that stuff you really wanted can get picked up before you get your hands on it. Certain materials are available only in large packs or you run out of it at the last minute. Also sometimes the same design is unavailable later. These hurdles are a part and parcel of the making process. Unless you are into selling and regularly stock material, these little hiccups are for everyone. Doing my homework makes me feel in control of the situation for my peace of mind.
List of Materials
MDF Board – Palette Shape
Primed Chipboard pieces – Vintage design and Floral
Old Brushes
Glue – Fevicol
Gesso
Acrylic Paints
Embellishments
Gold and Bronze Sharpie Pens
String
Acrylic Varnish
The material I have used
The quantity for all the material for this project can be the smallest size bottle or tube available in the market. It is a small one. We can use all the material for other projects too. To know more about selecting art materials check my previous posts. I have covered the topic in detail.
Let’s get started
I have made the Nameplate on the lines of a Mixed Media Project. What is Mixed Media? As the name suggests it is mixing different media or materials. Wood, Metal, Fabric and Paper are commonly used for Mixed Media Projects. We use objects made from different materials, arrange the objects and make one new object. I placed the MDF Palette, the chip board pieces and brushes together.
The objects I have used are of the same material family – wood. The best way to glue wood is using India’s most popular glue – Fevicol. If you don’t believe me? Check their advertisements. Yes! Even if we were to use fabric, metal or paper in our project we would have used Fevicol. The surfaces of the objects that I have used for the nameplate have different colours and textures. Some are polished, some unpolished.
Assembling the small objects to make one big object
Colour always sticks well on a clean rough surface. Sanding them is one option but not ideal. The other is ‘Gesso’ pronounced with a ‘J’ and not as a ‘G’. Gesso is a kind of primer. It primes the base and makes it ready for painting. Gesso is a mixture of POP (Plaster of Paris) or Chalk/ Gypsum and Glue or a binder. I have used a textured one. It is thicker than paint and is used to create textures. We get a variety of them. The cracked effect is one of them. It develops cracks as it dries. We have two colour options – Black and White.
Painting the Gesso
What is a primer? As the name suggests it is the first or prime paint applied. Think of it as the base coat. It prepares the surface for painting. A primed and painted surface will look very smooth and finished. It also lasts longer than a non primed one. Gesso is quick drying. It is always applied as a single coat. We can paint on top of the first coat only if any spot was left out. If we paint another coat it destroys the texture of the previous coat. Let’s paint it now.
Primed the Base with Gesso. Looks like one object now.
I wanted a red gold finish. I painted it using Gold, Crimson, Black and Copper colours. I added little highlights in White colour. Last but not least I used Sharpie Pens to paint the leafy texture in the background and added silver embellishments. Thereafter I tied matching Gold string to hang it. In case you bought an MDF Palette that does have the holes, make these in the very beginning itself.
Painting the Nameplate
Alternatively we can paint the pieces individually and then arrange them. Even that works. The chipboard is already primed and can be painted directly. Chalk Paints work very well on MDF pieces. About two coats is good and no need to prime it. I wanted the whole plate to look like it’s made from one single block. Hence I painted it as a single piece in the same colours.
All of this is fast drying. However it is important to let it set and dry completely before varnishing. What is varnish? It is a clear coat. A kind of resin. We get gloss or matt options. I often use gloss because I like a little shine that the acrylic colours give. We get liquid ones to apply using a brush and a spray as well. Personally, I like using the spray because it covers the whole canvas equally without any lumps. A varnish protects your work from dust and other particles and seals the paint.
It’s Ready! The Nameplate
It becomes easy to clean an artwork after varnish. To clean a varnished Art we lightly wipe off the dust using a dry paintbrush or soft cloth. No need to frame the Paintings either. Hence varnish is a good idea for a nameplate. Now it’s ready to use! Let us put it up as the door sign.
Do share your views about the project in the comments below. Have a creative weekend!
Learning to paint, this little child asked me “Ma’am why can’t I paint a green or pink sky? Yellow water or black rose? Isn’t art about the freedom to paint?” I was startled for a moment but then I tried to look at it from his eyes. Yes! The artist is free to paint whatever he wants and as he wants. Then why wasn’t I ready to accept his imagination? Did I consider it as a violation of the norms? Why does the sky have to be blue and the trees green? Has this thought crossed your mind too?
Art is about the freedom to express. We all draw and paint to express our thoughts. Worldwide, we associate colours with certain emotions. That is why when an artist paints a red rose it invokes a different reaction and when he paints a black rose it invokes a different one. Why? Because every colour has a meaning. Some meanings are accepted in general on a broader level by most people while some meanings are deeper or secondary and have more local communal interpretations.
For example, red as a colour of love is generally accepted by all. On the other hand red is also the colour of anger. Further, red as an auspicious colour is accepted only by certain communities. So you see one colour can have many meanings. How is this meaning derived? It is mainly because of our associations through our thought process. Colours which we see around in our environment and surroundings are colours we associate better with. Colours as symbols to indicate messages or mark goods in trade have been used since time immemorial.
In India, we have the white desert better known as the Rann of Kutch. Art that is traditional to this location is on a white background, just like the white desert. The locals have colourful dresses to be seen easily. They also have mirrors to reflect the sunlight. They like to use bright colours in their homes and clothing. The colour pigments are made locally by the artisans from materials in their environment. Over the years they begin to associate feelings of happiness and cheer with these bright colours like red, green and yellow. This story holds true in some way or another for art around the world.
A good piece of art is one that conveys the message well. All artworks require a good choice of colours. However, artworks like designs, patterns, abstract art and modern art tend to have a higher dependence on the colours used. Hence before choosing colours for the artwork it is always better to know about colours and their meanings. If you want to appeal to a certain audience, it is always a good idea to know their interpretation of colours.
The study of colours is a vast subject and many people have built careers on it. In this post, we will limit it to the use of selecting colours for drawing and painting – mainly to express ourselves well through our art. Almost all colours will have some meanings and emotions considered as positive and some meanings and emotions considered as negative. Depending on the emotion one wishes to invoke as an artist, one can decide the colours. Then of course there are the light and dark shades – tints, tones and shades for all colours.
There are colours clubbed as warm colours – these invoke a feeling of warmth. Shades on the colour wheel from yellow to red are warm colours. Colours that invoke a cool refreshing feeling in us are termed cool colours. These are the other portion of the colour wheel. What is this colour wheel you are talking about? I have shared it in one of my previous posts. You may want to read up a bit on it as well. It is called ‘Understanding Colours’.
Let’s discuss some colours and the emotions they invoke :
Purity, Innocence, Clean, Fresh, Simple, Good, Complete, New Beginnings.
On the negative side it is symbolic for blank, empty, cold, death or mourning. Secondary meanings include peace, calm and hope. Spiritual meanings like enlightenment or illumination, renunciation or disinterest.
Power, Authority, Strength, Seriousness. Business or Law – Black and White.
On the negative side it is symbolic for dark emotions or opposite of white, sadness, mystery, night, evil, despair. Secondary meanings of sophistication, elegance and formal dressing. It is also the colour of death and mourning in some cultures.
On the negative side red being the colour of blood it is symbolic for anger, fire, danger, hurt, violence, warfare. Secondary meanings as an auspicious colour in some cultures.
On the negative side it stands for cowardice, deceit, caution, sickness, illness, Secondary meanings in religious texts or associated with the Sun or god. Yellow is also for Gold.
As a combination of red and yellow orange has similar emotions. Joy, Warmth, Sunshine, Energy, Creativity, Health. It is also a colour of movement and change.
On the negative side sometimes considered as superficial, aggressive, overpowering, rude and frivolous. Secondary meanings include its reference to fruits, vegetables or seasons.
Growth, Nature, Earth, Environment, Health, Good Luck, Harmony, Prosperity, Fertility.
On the negative side very often used to show jealousy and greed. Secondary meanings include its association as the colour of money. Often used in symbols for the environment or natural organic products. It is considered lucky in some and unlucky in some cultures. Green is also wisdom in some cultures.
Open Space, Freedom, Imagination, Trust, Loyalty, Intelligence, Wisdom, Flowing or Journey, Serenity, Stability.
On the negative side it means frozen or cold, unfriendly, suspicious, sad and depressed. Secondary meanings : Blue being the colour of the sky and water, it is a very popular colour worldwide. Most companies have their logos in blue. Blue is the colour for boys in some cultures.
On the negative side it represents lack of will power, lack of self – worth, over emotional. Magenta is a shade of Pink. Secondary Meanings : It is considered a girly colour.
On the negative side it is associated with pride, pompousness, mystery, sadness, frustration. Different shades have different meanings. Violet and lavender are also shades of purple. Secondary meanings : it is the colour of mourning in some cultures. It is also considered spiritual and magical in some cultures.
We don’t use any single colour for a particular meaning. It is a mix of colours and the shade also matters. How it is used and what is painted influences the message. All countries have different colours that are symbolic to them. For example Green is considered unlucky and associated with infidelity in China while red is considered as protective and lucky. Indigo is referred to as Japanese Blue because it is the most used colour in Japan. Red is auspicious while black is bad luck in Japan.
If we look at flags or national symbols of a country, we will understand their colours faster. Countries use colours they consider auspicious or representative of good luck on their flags. There is no one shoe fits all situation. We need to do our own homework and read up our bit.
The next time you are drawing or painting, think about the colours you are selecting. This is not an exhaustive list. You could even make your own list. I shared this because I felt just as this knowledge helped me make my art better, it could help you too. Have an Arty Week!
July is the monsoon season for us. Grey clouds, rain and humidity make it difficult to paint by hand. That is why I usually take it slow during this time of the year. Whether it is about clicking pictures, getting new ideas or creating art: the weather doesn’t help much. Oh! Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t mean I like this season any less.
What I am trying to say is nature is asking you to take a break. Step out and enjoy the music while it plays. After all, nothing in nature blooms 365days. We, artists, cannot be doing the same thing all year round. Hence I use this time of the year to break the monotony by 1) Travelling – so that I get new ideas and inspirations 2) Upgrading – to be better at my work, learn about the trends and maybe polish or learn a skill or two.
I learnt making caricatures digitally last weekend. How to make Reels on Insta the weekend before. Animation in a software called Procreate this weekend. Video editing and photo editing with In shots before that. And sometimes an entire software like Affinity Designer. The list goes on. Earlier we used CorelDraw, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator and Flash for designing and animations.
So I prefer to do more digital artwork during this time. Fortunately I was introduced to the world of computers by my parents at a very young age. I would finish my school work on time to play the latest video game cassette. It wasn’t just me! Everyone in the family had this zeal for tech and computers. And all of us were good at it in our way. I also liked helping my friends with basic computer skills for school and college.
During those days we had to take up computer courses as additional training. Schools and colleges taught mere basics. The specialised art courses did not teach computers either. It was mainly about drawing and painting by hand. Back then, computer courses were pricey. And finding a good teacher was difficult. Many people thought it is an expense that they want to avoid.
However, our thinking was different. I took up training in Graphics and Multimedia professionally. I also had access to some tech journals and magazines that my father had subscribed to for himself. They were indeed helpful in getting started. Later I took up a job in that field for a couple of years. It was mainly to pay my expenses, gain experience and learn work discipline.
After that, I continued to work as a freelancer alongside my studies. Art was considered more as a hobby by everyone. People in India do not think of art as a career. Art is perceived more as time pass in our society because it doesn’t pay much. The race is all about becoming a doctor, engineer or manager for an intelligent child.
Art took a backseat for a while until I completed my education. I started working in the corporate world like everyone else. It was just designing logos, business cards, brochures or other material once in a while here and there. Art for commerce, business or trade is called commercial arts. I did scribble in my office memos. My office colleagues would know it is from my desk because of my art. Even though I had formal training in Graphics Designing, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Video and Sound Editing and Web Designing, it wasn’t of much use.
The time gap widened and the softwares that I used got redundant. My mom believes ‘No knowledge goes wasted.’ Later when I set up my shop for selling art I started finding all that I learnt helpful. I felt it being put to good use. Even though I use different softwares today and so much has advanced in technology, I can grasp or learn any new stuff easily because of my foundation years. That is why I say ‘Art remains, only the tools keep changing.’
Now I do digital art regularly. My art is available as instant downloads or digital downloads that are printable at my Etsy shop. Once the buyer pays, Etsy sends them the link to download the files. They can download the files and print them at home or with a printing service. The details for downloading and printing are all mentioned.
Digital Downloads at my Etsy Shop ‘NMARTWORKS’
“Nah! Give me a printed one!” If that came to your mind do not worry. You are not the only one. Many people wish to avoid the hassle of going and getting it printed. They can shop at my Redbubble and Society6 shops. All my shops are by the same name NMARTWORKS.
Art Prints of my digitally drawn Artwork
Society6 is a print on demand service. Meaning I upload my art or designs through the artist panel. Once a buyer purchases a product society6 prints it at their nearest vendor (printing hub) and ships it directly to the customer. It means as an artist I should know how it prints on different surfaces, how the colours will look and how to do the settings for each product. This is where my earlier experience makes a difference. Society6 is a preferred destination for Art Prints both framed and unframed.
My Designs on Products. Designs created digitally.
Redbubble is also a print on demand service just like Society6 but has different products. Their artist panel is very user friendly. Here one can find artistic stuff like tech products, home and living, stationery and school, travel accessories. Society6 also has products but different ones. And similarly, Redbubble also has art prints but both have a different customer base. I would suggest you visit both and pick the one you like.
Then of course I have to market them on social media. My video and sound editing knowledge helped me there. And my knowledge of web designing helped me with WordPress. Basically all the marketing material and handling my shops. I agree the new apps and upgrades have made the task much ….much easier and faster. We don’t need to put in as much effort or spend as much time anymore thanks to presets and templates. But for a novice, it is like entering a whole new world.
I get a number of queries like; How did you do it, show me! Can I make it? How come yours turned out better? Edit this picture, why can’t I? The app says anyone can do it. The lockdown made so many people digitally savvy. There are numerous resources to learn anything you want including online classes. What they seem to be missing is the foundation.
‘Rome was not built in a day. It requires the same effort, hard work, diligence, discipline, a practice that learning offline would require. Don’t jump! Most people learn a little here and there or ask for shortcuts to get the work done and move on. Best explained by saying I learn some from the first-grade book, a few pages from the fifth grade and then expect a 100% result in the tenth grade. And btw they want to be able to do it like a tenth grader in one month.
I am glad I learnt all that, even applied it at work. Now I only make improvements to get better. Digital is good. But it is not easy! There is a lot we need to know. Best to learn at least the fundamentals and then have a go at it. Have an Arty Week!
We are done with half of 2021. Here is a recap of all the posts on the blog from January 2021 to June 2021 just in case you missed out reading any of them. I will be back in July with more posts on arts and crafts.
There are different ways to add the sparkle to your artwork. One of them is ‘Gilding’. It creates a nice embossed sparkling effect. It could be a simple outline or dots or stats or more in that shiny effect. Embossing with the gilding method is best suited for greeting cards as well as art and craft projects in school. In this post, I am going to share some tips to get this process right!
Yes! That is the term used for a painting technique – ‘IMPASTO.’ Impasto technique in simple words is painting with a knife. A painting knife is different from a regular knife. The blades come in different shapes and sizes to create different textures. You could relate better if I named a famous artwork created with this technique – ‘Starry Night’ by Vincent Van Gogh.
There is a good chance that you might have noticed a very striking similarity between my artwork with henna designs. It is also a possibility that I do more Ink Artwork, Doodle Art, Mandala Art and Zentangle Art because of my fluency in Henna Art. I learnt this art from my mom. Sharing ‘My Henna Story – Henna Art or Mehendi’
Easels are a one-time investment and costly. Every artist uses whatever he or she is comfortable with. Not all artists draw, sketch or paint on an inclined surface. Different painting styles can mean using or not using the Easel.
A short simple post answering questions about selecting an Easel or a Drawing Board. People usually have two opposing thoughts on this topic. Some feel “what is there to select? Every artist or painter needs an Easel” while others feel “it is the last thing to invest in”. There are a lot of myths about an Easel. No doubt it makes an excellent gift to give an artist, but do you know which one to select?
Making a greeting card all by yourself may seem difficult for some. No one wants to be judged or mocked for their artistic skills. Besides not everyone can be a master at it. I understand. But what if I were to tell you that even with minimal artistic skills and creativity one can make beautiful professional looking greeting cards. Yes! In this post, we will be discussing a few tools and techniques for making professional looking greeting cards with ease.
Our guest blogger Dr Shaazia Hawai is a dentist, who spills her love for colours onto the canvas. Join us as she shares more about her Impressionist Style Still Life Painting using acrylic paints. She also conducts live painting sessions on Instagram.
The painting process is very simple. Two steps 1) Create the Outline and 2) Fill the colours. The skilled part is in doing it. And like they say, you have to do it to know it. The texture that you see is the original texture of the glass. We select the glass based on the type we want. The material except the glass isn’t very expensive. The colours in a set are enough to make two or three glass panels. So if you want to re-use or recycle a piece of glass from the renovation, consider ‘Stained Glass Panting’. It will give a fresh and majestic look to your decor.
Taking imagination and fantasy from the world of magic and transforming it into something beautiful in this world; is what I do every day. Does that sound interesting? Hello everyone, I am Radha, a clay artist. Doing something creative by shaping earth with your hands can be an incredibly humble, joyful and healing experience.
For arts and crafts at home, we use Clay that is available at art and craft stores. Basically for hobby crafts and crafts at home there are two types of clay : one is the air drying and the other one that needs to be baked. We can use them to make many artistic objects from the comforts of our home. I have made wall murals, decorated wooden and glass panels, mirrors, jewellery and toy models with both types of clay. Yes! I know friends who have made saleable products from these. They are now successful small businesses.
Hmm.. the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee can be so refreshing, isn’t it? Sniffing coffee beans can almost reset your sense of smell. When we sample different perfumes and a particular strong smell gets to our head, it lingers. How to clear it? Take a few coffee beans in a cup and smell them. After sometime smell another perfume.
We can creatively use coffee for many things other than just sipping a nice cup of coffee. You may have come across or tried these. In this post I am sharing three artistic creative ideas of arts and crafts with coffee. I have tried my hand at all the three and they can be wonderful creative outlets for anyone, especially coffee lovers. It is the skill and material that make this art unique.
Did a hand drawn artwork and now want to make copies OR drew it digitally and now want to print it? Photographs, Graphics, Vector Art, Backgrounds, Designs, Drawings and Paintings – All of us might have tried to print these at some point of time or another. It could be for a School Project, a University Submission or a Personal Art Craft Project or for Commercial use.
I see many people struggle to get good prints of their work. What went wrong? They don’t know. I often get to hear “I gave the print command and the printing device printed it.” “I took it to a professional printer and he said the art work is not done correctly. The printing service owner said the device (printer) has done it correctly.”
It’s our loss as the money is wasted and we are not happy with the output. Today’s post is about ‘Getting a good print out’. I am going try and translate the language of a printer. In other words explain it in simple terms that everyone can understand.
‘Silhouette’ Try saying it as ‘Silu -et’. That’s right! I am not talking about a soft fabric but a technique of painting. Silhouette is also a popular method in photography. It is an object or profile in dark black against a very bright source of light, usually the Sun.
What is Coffee got to do with Art? 😀 My young followers have exams coming up at schools, colleges and universities. Coffee will be their best friend keeping them up studying late nights. Just like a good coffee is all about the blend. Art is also all about blending and having the right combinations. All set? Prepared?
The title says it all ; this is a all you want to know kind of post and it is all about ‘The Washi Tape’. Ok! What is so special about it? Fine! It is just another tape, so use it as one. True! I think it is a door to creativity. Especially for storytellers who cannot draw well but have so much to say and share.
Click! Click! Hehe! We don’t get to hear this clicking sound anymore. The cameras are silent but we still click as many pictures or probably more. Now that our phones have a very strong camera lens, we like to capture every memory.
It is a memory, it is special. Then why let it remain in the phone. Let’s print it and put it in a nice photo frame. That is my topic for today’s post – a very simple easy DIY Photo Frame. Complete description with material details.
‘Life is the Art of Drawing without an Eraser’ I am sure you have heard this one before. But the truth is most of us cannot draw that well. We all make mistakes at some point in time. Nobody is born knowing it all. What we do after that .. how we correct it .. what we learn from it .. is important. Think! What is it that we could do differently so that the mistake is not repeated? We learn by asking questions and making mistakes. We grow as we learn. It is a part of the process.
People can be a bit too hard on themselves. They discard things with the slightest flaw or even a single mistake. In Art, we can either incorporate the mistake into the design or erase it. Then it is about how big or small the mistake is. My Art teacher always said, “It is ok to make a mistake. What you should also know is how to correct it. You cannot keep throwing away everything or stop painting altogether because of them.”
Reflecting, I realised I had made mistakes on my art journey as well. Sharing them with you could help you avoid them, rectify them or at least feel that you are not the only one. Here’s a list of the ones I could recollect.
If one uses a very sharp pencil or a hard graphite pencil on paper, it creates a dent. The pencil graphite can be erased but the dent or mark will stay.
Excessive erasing can peel off the paper. Hence it is important to select a good eraser as per our use.
Erasing when the paper is slightly wet will erode the paper. Literally!! There will be a hole. This happens if we use pencils along with watercolours. It is best not to draw with a pencil before using watercolours. If at all we do use them, make sure it is very light and will get covered in paint. We won’t have a problem if we use gouache colours because they are thick and opaque.
Drawing with a pencil on a canvas and erasing it is a big no-no. The graphite will mix with the paint and the colour will change to dull and dark. It is a good idea to draw with a paintbrush on a canvas. We can use a very light shade (almost white but visible to the naked eye) for drawing or making the markings. This will get covered up when we paint on it thereafter.
We do get ink erasers. Pencil erasers can be used for colour pencils too. I tried erasing a little pencil mark when the paper was almost dry but not completely dry and the paper peeled. This was because of the moisture in the marker. The idea is that once we paint or colour on the paper, the pencil mark goes under it. Hence it cannot be erased even after drying. Whether we use pencils, markers or paints it is best to erase all the extra markings before painting. We can always keep the outlines that will get covered with thicker outlines or enhanced after painting.
This is one of my favourites – Give a light wash in the background and then detail and then more detail. Same way in pencil shading. Do the light tone, then darker and then darker as and where necessary. Work on the whole piece simultaneously, so that the colours of the artwork mix and match well. Also, there is a complete flow in the picture. By any chance, if we make any mistake or want to make changes after doing the other portion we will be able to correct it. Once the dark or final touch is done, it becomes a lot more difficult to correct it. That is why it is always better to work in layers.
Spilled a colour and ruined the spot? Lighten the colour by removing the pigment by lightly dabbing on that portion. Let it dry completely and then paint over it. That is what I meant by it can be easily corrected in the beginning. That is why nobody paints one part of the art to the finish while the other part doesn’t even have a base wash. That’s 99% a digital edit.
Want to remove dried paint? Acetone works well to remove Acrylic paint on surfaces like glass or plastic. I have used it on canvas too. The cotton in the canvas will have to be treated with gesso once again before painting.
The paint water glass tipped and dripped water onto the paper. This happens a lot when we work in small spaces or a hurry. Especially during art exams. For many of us, it can even be a horrifying experience. Don’t worry this can also be corrected. Take a dry cloth and lightly dab on the paper to soak up the excess water. Some paint will come onto this cloth. It will be back to the light wash stage. Let it dry and repaint only that portion.
Last and very important – In the process of correcting the mistake, don’t try too hard. Sometimes people focus so much on the mistake that it ends up becoming the highlight instead of blending or fading away in the picture.
One thing I clearly understood is most of the times we are the only ones to know what the mistake is and where. The onlooker doesn’t know it unless we specifically point it out or highlight it or in any way make it very obvious. If we manage to blend it and make it flow along with the rest of the painting it can add to the beauty. Yes! Some mistakes can be beautiful. A little here or there adds to the beauty of handmade. It makes it different and unique. It makes it special.
What if none of these methods works and we have to do a re-do? Then think of what Thomas Edison said ‘I haven’t failed, I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’ We are all human. To err is human. I like to wear my bruises as my badges of honour. So if at all we make a mistake, there is nothing to worry about. It is ok to make mistakes.
Fortunately, we have erasers for art. And there are different types of erasers too. Hehe.. Yes! There are different types of erasers. And no please don’t call it rubber. It is called an eraser. We all have this one vinyl eraser or a regular soft eraser (with a brush to clean the dust) for regular use. This can be used for Art as well. A pencil eraser for erasing precise lines (this is an eraser pencil, see the picture) and a kneaded eraser (magic eraser as I call it) that absorbs graphite and charcoal is something every artist should include in their toolbox.
Different types of erasers that I use for my Art Projects
Having a good eraser and more so the right ones can be very helpful in drawing and painting. I don’t use erasers that are hard on the surface such as the sand eraser and the pink eraser. An eraser mounted on the pencil is a big no for me. It is not for drawing or sketching. One can use it for regular writing work. We also get changeable erasers and electric erasers in the market. These erasers are more pricey and better suited for specialists or professionals.
Do you also have eraser stories? Feel free to share them. We could all learn from them. Have an Arty Weekend!
Hey! Look! I managed Pencil Shading. I am confident that I can handle it well. May I try Charcoal now? Hehe…If that is your question “Sure! Why not!”. Charcoal sketching is very similar to pencil shading but in ways, it is also different. We use charcoal pencils or charcoal powder instead of graphite. In pictures, graphite looks a little greyish while charcoal gives a distinct black colour.
Would you like to join me down memory lane? In this post I am sharing my artworks I did years ago. Some while learning at the class and some afterwards. Soft Pastels (chalk) is also a similar medium. It has colours and is easier to handle. I couldn’t take formal training for Soft Pastels but I can decently manage with it. In fact, I really loved the medium once I started working with it. One can do much with it. Paintings with Pastels are quick and can look very realistic.
I started with FlowersThen tried AnimalsThese are done with Stumps and Charcoal PowderSketching Human Faces – BasicMore detailed Sketches – Portraits
Those are charcoal sticks in the picture above. They very are useful for filling darker tones in large spaces. All the pictures here above are of my artworks that I learnt and did in the class. Charcoal Sketching wasn’t exactly my strength but I enjoyed it and I think I did pretty well. Finding a good teacher is a blessing. So many can draw and paint but not all of them can teach.
Many people think pencil shading or charcoal sketching means making something exactly like that in a photograph. Please understand we are not competing against computers. Earlier when we did not have cameras people liked to have portraits and landscapes for memory. That is why artists tried to paint those pictures. That is replaced with photography. The cameras we now use are so amazing with details and precision that we need not paint the same.
I think this one turned out really well
Some people edit photos and add effects to make them look like sketches or paintings. For me, if the computer can do it better, I feel it is better to let them do it. Personally, I like sketches that have a hand-drawn touch or twist to them. For my exams at the classes, we had to draw a sketch of a student sitting around: first in a pencil and then a charcoal sketch. That was my attempt at ‘live study’. I was happy I cleared the exam with pretty a good score.
Storing Charcoal Artworks can be a little tricky. The powder continues to dust off. It can spoil the other artworks stored with it. Store it in a cello envelope or sleeve. Once it is final, spray it with a fixative to fix the powder. Not only will the Artwork stay well, it won’t dust off and spoil the other papers it is kept with.
In the making with Charcoal PencilsOne of my more recent works
Soft Pastels are more like chalk. They work very well for shading large surfaces. We can use the broader side as well as the pointed side. We also get Pastel Pencils for more precise finishing. More the shades in the colour box, the better for shading. Blending done with the finger works best.
Pastels on PaperThis is a mix of Pastels and Charcoal Powder
Nostalgia! I am all ready to paint with charcoals and pastels all over again. I would like to make a new artwork and see how it turns out. Would you like to give Charcoal Sketching and Soft Pastels a try? Have an Arty Weekend!
Pencil shading is creating artworks using pencil strokes. I did my first artwork in pencil shading during my school days, probably in the 5th or 6th grade while preparing for my art exams. Later, after the 10th grade I took up a course in Charcoal Sketching. It was a vacation batch and as a preliminary step to Charcoal Painting my teacher took a few classes in Pencil Shading first. I learnt a lot both about Pencils and Charcoals in that class.
A pencil is the most easily available drawing tool. Learning pencil shading can teach a lot about shade and light in a drawing. Pencil Shading as a subject will be a part of every curriculum – at every Art School or University or College or a Masters level study. Traditionally ‘live study’ meaning the subject to be drawn or sketched is actually in front of you and you have to draw it was the way to sketching in Art.
It would be a good idea to invest and buy a few books on Pencil Shading and Sketching. It will be helpful to observe works by different artists and study their styles. We can practice and draw from the drawings in books. One can draw from photographs or online drawings at a later stage. Beginning from a book or with a tutor guides us stepwise and covers all the subtopics. Artists who wish to take up Pencils as their main medium of Art require training of an advanced level.
Begin with simple ‘Landscapes’ to more complex ones, followed by ‘Object Drawing’ and ‘Nature Drawing’ and finally to ‘Human sketches’ and ‘Portraits’. That is how I did them. Drawing and sketching always helps and is important even if you take up any other medium. I really think everyone can draw and everyone’s drawing will look different.
Here’s how I learnt it or what I learnt about Pencil Shading:-
To start with, select a simple single subject like a flower or leaf or a pot or a pan. (Picture 5)
For the first one, try to shade using only the 2B pencil. Observe the strokes, texture and blending (Pictures 1 and 2)
Add darker tones with 4B and 6B pencils (Picture 3)
Can blend using the finger, stumps or cotton buds (Picture 4)
Use a kneaded eraser. It helps erase a clean line when pointed and used. If you just tap it on the shaded area it will absorb the graphite like a magnet making the shaded area lighter but keeping the strokes. That is why I call it a magic eraser. (See pictures 6 to 8)
Pencil Shading Explained
A beginner can start by looking at artworks and reference images in drawing books. I wouldn’t advise looking at images on the Internet because sometimes they are a bit too much for a novice. One can barely differentiate between a hand-drawn and digital artwork. Some of these are genuinely handmade artworks by professional artists, while some are computer edits. Don’t be disheartened looking at them or set the benchmark too high. That is why I suggest books or taking up formal training.
The strokes will improve with time. See bottom images and top images.
Pencil shading is the foundation to a lot of methods in drawing and painting. Once this is aced, the other methods become easier to learn. With time and practice the shading will improve. Like in this picture the leaves in the bottom images are my previous works and then with time it improved as the top two images. All the four are from my early days of learning pencil shading. Then as we feel more confident, we can take up advance levels.
I felt sharing my experience might help beginners taking up Pencil Shading. One can use Coloured Pencils for colouring as well. I have seen artists doing realistic colouring using coloured pencils. One small but important point that I would like to make here is ; with the advent of such amazing digital tools for drawing, even the best artists can get fooled as to whether the art is hand-drawn painted or digital. So please be honest with yourself and learn it without using the digital tools.
Trees done in Pencil Shading
There are some additional things one needs to know about Pencil Shading. Knowing these can sort out some problems that may pop up while learning :-
1) Create strokes or lines to shade in the direction of the object surface. Rounded for the pot. The direction shows the rounded ness of the object. (Picture 9 and10) Some people create bold strokes in pencil shading like this but they should be in the flowing direction of the object. That is how they show movement also.
2) The Paper matters. The thickness, grains and texture of the paper influences the finish. I suggest Cartridge Paper of 160-200GSM if you don’t know which one to go with. After a few trials, you will surely be able to select the paper that works best for your style. (Picture 10)
3) The graphite powder can stick to the hand ruining your work. Keep a plain paper under your hand while shading to avoid this. (Picture 11)
4) All artworks in Black and White look best with contrast. There must be a distinctly dark tone, mid-tone and a light tone in the artwork. The whole artwork could be done using only one pencil. However, there should be areas you can distinctly call dark, mid and light.
The light, mid and dark tones must be clear.
5) For a white, we either erase a portion or leave it as it is. Shade the area around that with a mid or dark tone to give a contrast. (Picture 12 and 13) The white looks whiter when there is a dark colour around.
Some additional points to note
So let us start! Make smaller objects first and then an entire picture. Think of Pencil Shading as learning the ABC to Art. We don’t need to be professionals at it but we definitely need to know it – Pencil Shading. Have an Arty Weekend!
Related Posts you may also want to take a look at :-
Two Artworks with the same sketch can look different only because of the colours, isn’t it? I have known people who cannot draw or paint that well but can colour amazingly well. In fact, their colouring is so good that they can turn it into a profession. Then how come nobody teaches us how to colour or why don’t we give much importance to it? “What is there to learn in that?” they say. I would say colouring is also an Art.
Everything from selecting the colours to the finished look has little things to understand. Once we know these, anyone can colour like a pro! Nowadays colouring is a popular hobby among both children and adults likewise. Art material brands offer free colouring pages. We can also download colouring apps or we can buy colouring pages online.
The drawing in colouring books have larger blocks to colour for younger kids and then as we progress to higher age groups, they have more intricate designs with small blocks to colour. Printed colouring books for children and adults are available at all book shops. It is a great activity for creative minds to do while waiting or travelling.
I have already done an elaborate post on selecting pens and markers before. In this post, I will share tips and tricks on colouring with them. Even today I try and learn new ways or designs to make my work better and faster.
I have worked with pens and markers by almost all popular brands. Professionals prefer using alcohol-based markers for their art and illustrations because of the finish. This includes 1) artists making greeting cards and stamping 2) illustrators making fashion illustrations 3) architects and interior designers making drawings 4) cartoonists, caricature artists, character designers and manga artists.
Watercolour artists use watercolour pens and markers for creating those effects in colouring. I like using oil-based markers for metallic colours. I also use permanent waterproof ink or archival ink pens for outlining, drawing patterns and for all my ink illustrations.
Beginners could buy a set of watercolour markers and waterproof ink pens to begin with. Then as the interest develops, it is a good idea to invest in alcohol-based markers and metallic markers. We also get acrylic markers or paint markers to draw on objects.
Explaining how to hold different Markers and Pens
It is always a good idea to test the markers before buying. See the finish after drying and check if they come on to the other side of the page. If they do then we need to use a different paper for it. I have faced this problem with colouring books that don’t use good quality thick paper. Markers work differently on papers of different textures and thickness.
Look the alcohol marker ink came onto the other side.
Whenever we use alcohol-based markers we need to place a paper or protector below our paper to avoid colouring unwanted things. I mean the drawing board or the table or surface. Watercolour markers can be washed off from surfaces but not the others. Hence washable markers are best for kids.
Here are some methods or techniques for colouring. You could have a different style as long as it suits the kind of finish you wish to achieve.
Outline in permanent ink
Colour in the direction of object
Starting to colour
Solid Colour – Colour in a single direction and use the pointed tip to fill the corners that may have been left out. Do not keep colouring the same place over and over. There will be colour blocking when the ink is wet. However once it dries, the colour automatically evens out in the case of most markers. When colouring larger blocks use the accented tip or the brush tip. If we use the round tip it will create a self texture in the fill; meaning we won’t get an even colour in the fill. Once again please note the direction is important or colour in tiny circles.
Highlights – Leave out the portion of the highlights. Do not colour it. The part where the light falls maximum is called highlight. It is a good idea to leave out a larger portion if you are not sure. The area can be coloured later. The white ink doesn’t work well to give highlights because the colour somehow shows through it. It isn’t even.
Blending Two Colours – Can we do shading with markers? Yes of course. Doesn’t matter which marker it is, watercolour and alcohol-based markers both can be used for shading. I recommend applying the light colour first and then the dark colour, so that just in case some of the colour comes on to the tip of the marker then a light colour marker may get spoilt. Many artists colour dark to light also but that is mostly with alcohol-based markers.
Single Colour Shading – The pressure applied is important here. We get colourless blenders for blending the colour. It is also a marker but the ink is colourless. Apply pressure and then lift the pen to create strokes for shading in single colour.
Darkening a Colour – If you apply another coat of the colour when the colour is wet, it will blend. So to create a dark line or make the same shade darker apply another coat after a few minutes. It will blend with the previous colour but will be darker. This works only for alcohol-based markers. For watercolour markers once dry the colour doesn’t blend. The green dot above has the dark colour done like that.
Creating Textures and Patterns – When we apply a stroke of two different colours next to each other, they blend. We can use these alternately and create fill textures. When we want the lines to stand out or want to create patterns without the colour blending. We can use a permanent ink marker before or after using the watercolour or alcohol-based marker. I use permanent ink pens for outlines during finish as well as my base sketch.
Colour Palettes – It is always better to think about the colour combinations beforehand. We get a lot of shades in the markers. Colour mixing isn’t possible. The paper can tear with excessive scribbling. This art has the yellow, orange, brown colour combination. Buying large boxes of markers is expensive, especially the professional or artist pens.
Selecting the right colour combination can make a huge difference to your artwork. If possible do a little research on the most popular colour palettes or international colour palettes frequently used before buying the markers. I recently bought a box of markers with the basic colours and then bought individual pens for the extra shades that I needed. It worked out to be cheaper than buying the larger box with colour shades that I didn’t need or wouldn’t use.
The colour combination in the artwork by artists of a particular region is influenced by the colours of their local surroundings. Further every colour conveys a meaning and emotion. For example, the colour red is considered auspicious in some cultures and it conveys love or anger as an emotion. I have done a post on understanding colours before this. You may want to take a look at it.
A close up of the artwork I recently did with watercolour brush pens
I normally draw my own sketches but you could print the colouring pages at home or with a printing service. Most of the large stores have a printing service. Do share your colouring experience with us. Have an Arty Week!
“My son draws well. Look! At five he can draw so well. I couldn’t even draw a circle at his age. Do you think I should encourage him to take up Drawing? Enrolling in classes isn’t happening any time soon. But I don’t want him to waste this time either. What should I do?”
This is a common query I received, more so in the last year. There is a possibility that the parent was not all that good at Art but the child is blessed and talented in Art. With home schooling ‘Art or Drawing’ as a subject is often neglected. The concentration is more on the other book and score subjects. But if your child is good at Art, how can you help him sharpen his skills? Even if you are not very good at it yourself!
Shaping the earthen Pot
Have you seen a potter make his earthen pots? He shapes them, bakes them and once it’s dry : the shape is fixed, it’s strong and sturdy. It is the same with any sort of training. Same with Art too! We have to ‘train the hand.’ A child’s hand at Art is exactly like that soft mud of the earthen pots that can be shaped. It then becomes important to shape it correctly. Otherwise the pot might not turn out they way you wanted it to, even if the mud was suitable and perfect for making pots. I hope you get the point. Once we learn to draw using instruments we cannot unlearn and draw without them. Most Art schools do not allow the use of scale or rulers or any instruments for that matter.
The most easy access these days is video tutorials on Art. I like them, some of them are really good. My only issue is the foundation. Online tutorials are good for additional inputs or bettering something you already know. On the other hand if you were to learn something you don’t know anything about, I’m afraid the online videos would mean learning in a haphazard manner. Skipping steps and jumping because this system of learning is about convenience and many times they don’t show all the steps.
Besides when we do something by ourselves : we do more of the stuff we like over and over again while we leave out the parts we find difficult. No! Please don’t mistake that as practice. Practice is doing anything we are learning again and again to be better at it.
If you have a good foundation and learn the basics, then learning from anywhere including video tutorials will be very quick and easy. For my calligraphy class we practiced lines and curves for a month, till I got them right. My teacher taught me how to hold the pencil while drawing by actually clasping my fingers and making me do those lines again and again for months until I could draw them fluently.
That comes naturally to me now, like it’s a part of my movement. Just like the hardened earthen pot. My hand has taken shape. No doubt it takes time and practice. And every teacher has a different method of teaching. In this post I am trying to tell you what these foundation materials are. So when your child learns to draw you can make sure they begin from step 1 and build a strong foundation. These things can be taught only in person, so it puts the onus on the parent.
It may be boring but when a drawing teacher makes the child draw lines and shapes for the first few classes, don’t be in a hurry for them to begin drawing actual meaningful stuff. It’s like running even before your learn to walk. First learn to stand, then walk and then run. In the same way draw lines, curves, shapes neatly in clear strokes. In future for anything we draw we first draw rough lines and curves and then the final shape.
Pro Tip here: Use a 2B pencil slightly blunt to draw. Use a regular pencil and not the pen-pencil or changing points fancy pencil as your first drawing pencil. Even if you use them select a 2B lead. HB lead is for writing dark and legible- not for drawing. Strokes drawn with a 2B pencil are light and can be erased easily.
Pic 1 : Holding the Pencil and Drawing linesPic 2: This is to write. Wrong way to hold for Drawing
Consciously make a note and see how you hold the pencil when you draw. Holding it like shown in the second picture will give hard dark lines that are difficult to erase and restrict movement for large strokes. Try it! While in the first one you will be able to move the pencil freely, drawing long lines in a single stroke without lifting the pencil. We can also see what we are drawing. Can draw by lightly touching the paper and strokes can be erased without leaving any marks.
Pic 3: Drawing different Shapes
Practice drawing different shapes. Here in one of the pictures I have drawn the axis and then the circle showing a glimpse of how we use reference lines for drawing. Next to that is circles directly drawn. The axis have to be straight because the rest of the drawing depends on it. Further most drawings are combinations of basic shapes. Practising these ensures training the hand for free movements to draw.
Pic 4 : Drawing a straight line with help of edge
I am holding the pencil differently to draw this border without the use of a scale. It measures to about half inch border on all sides. I take the help of my drawing board or book edge to lock my fingers and steadily draw a line parallel to it. Warning!! Please be careful the edge of a new paper is sharp enough to cut your hand. Try this only under supervision of an expert.
This is about drawing lines without using a ruler or a scale. Below I am showing ‘How to measure and draw symmetrical drawings without using a ruler or scale’ or any other measuring instrument.
Pic 5 : Drawing Symmetrical Objects
I am using the drawing pencil to measure and make markings to draw a symmetrical object. Here one half side is drawn and I have to match the other side to complete the object. Following the steps :-
Half side is drawn and I have made axis at major turning points.
Measuring the distance of the intersection point on drawn side with the pencil.
Making the same intersection markings on the other side.
See all the marked points. Can make points for the length and width as required.
Join all the points to match the drawn half.
Erase or add markings and corrections till they look visually same.
This method of measuring is also used while drawing live in person. That is when the subject you are drawing is in front on you. When we draw from a picture we make a similar grid and then match points to draw alike. They say the measuring tools are in the eyes of the artist. However not everyone is so good at it and so these other methods can be helpful.
Drawing this vase also demonstrates how we use lines and curves while drawing. These are basics and the foundation to drawing. Once you learn to draw like this, I am sure you will be able to draw most of the things. Have an Arty Weekend!
Clear lines, strokes and dots of Black Ink that make beautiful works of Art – Ink Work or Pen and Ink Drawings have been my forte. Original hand drawn Ink Art and Illustrations as well as Art Prints of my Pen and Ink Drawings are available at my Shops. I like to draw and paint Birds and Flowers the most. Sometimes I use Ink Pens along with Watercolour and Gouache colours for my Artworks. In this post I am going to share all about my favourite medium – Ink. Because it is Black Ink on White Paper usually, the Art works are also called Black and White Illustrations.
We have explored Zentangle Art, Doodle Art and Mandala Art in my previous posts. These Arts are mostly done in Ink. I have also shared about selecting Pens and Markers for your Art in another post. It is the main material for Ink Art. Ink and Paper are the only two materials required for Ink Art. For some techniques we may draw the initial sketch in pencil. Please refer to these posts for detailed information on these topics. It would be additional helpful information on Pen and Ink Drawings.
This time let’s take it a level higher. Explaining in simple words we can say – creating Drawings, Illustrations and Sketches using Ink Pens and/or Ink with bamboo sticks or brushes is called Pen and Ink Drawings. Very good quality Ink Pens with a variety of nibs are easily available. We don’t have to use brushes or Inks from bottles anymore. This has led to a lot of people taking up many of these Art styles.
Tattoo Designs, Ink Illustrations, Stippling Art, Mandala Art, Doodle Art and Zentangle Art are all very popular on Social Media. We have many artists sharing these works made with Ink. Botanical Illustrations in Ink are loved by many.
Mandala Art
Floral Ink Illustration
Zentangle & Doodle Art
Stippling & Doodle Art
Mandala & Stippling Art
Floral Ink Drawing
Hand Drawn Ink Art by #artistniralimehta
Click here to view my virtual Art Gallery and see more of my Artworks. You may also visit my shops (links on the homepage) to buy my Art. My works of Art would make suitable Wall Art for contemporary spaces both Residential and Commercial.
Artist Pens have Inks that are fade-proof, water-proof and permanent and are available in all major colours. ‘Archival Inks’ as they are referred to are also fade-proof, water-proof and permanent Inks.
Earlier Ink artworks would be made using brushes or bamboo sticks dipped in Inks, just like Calligraphy. If it interests you, do read my earlier post on the Art of Calligraphy. Painting with those would have surely been more difficult. Pens that are available now make it much much easier to draw and paint. These Pens have become so much a part of our Artworks that we use them even for something like just giving an outline or darkening a pattern.
These Pens are available in a set as well as loose Pens. The ink, nibs and grip of Pens of all brands have a minor difference. I have used pens by almost all the major brands and have liked all of them. I use Micron Pens (Archival Inks) most often. I also use Pitt Artist Pens by Faber Castell for brush nibs and accented tips.
My other favourites would include Uni Pens and Winsor Newton Markers for a more Watercolour like finish. These are more like Artist choice Pens. It would be absolutely ok for students to do the same kind of Artwork with the other Pens or Markers that they regularly use. No problem at all. Permanent Ink is also available in bottles. We can still use the traditional method of writing or painting using Ink from bottles with brushes or bamboo sticks.
The Paper you select must be thick to absorb the Ink. Handmade Paper gives the authentic olden days look. If the Paper is thin the Ink bleeds or may move on the back side of the Paper too! The Pens should move smoothly and give a good finish to your bold and confident strokes.
A closer look at the making of one of my Ink Illustrations
Black and White does not mean just a dark black tone. It is important to shade and show dark light areas even in Ink drawings. For this we can use any one of the following techniques or we can create one of our own. The shading adds depth and makes it look 3D and more realistic. Sometimes people use a black colour pencil and shade the colour, it is an easier way out though. Like me you can also do a combination of two or more of these Ink Art techniques if you want. Here are some of the techniques :-
Ink Art Techniques
I am completely in awe of the Japanese Art of Ink Wash Painting. Also known as ‘Sumi-e’ Painting. It is typically monochrome, meaning it uses shades of black on handmade white paper. I was told that the Ink and brush and/or bamboo sticks used for this Painting are same as those that were used for the Art of Calligraphy in China in earlier days. ‘Ink Wash Painting’ as they called it is said to have began during the Tang Dynasty in China.
It was introduced to Japan by the Zen Buddhist Monks. Sumi-e Artists paint Nature, People and Places. Their brushes are special and different from regular brushes and it is all about these clear black strokes. I have been wanting to learn this Art since a long time. Let’s hope I get a chance soon, may be sometime in the future!
If you have any questions on how to use this medium, feel free to ask them in the comments below. Have an Arty Week!
Ever looked at your finished Art and thought something is missing. Somehow I am not completely happy with it. There could be something to improve but I just don’t know what? Further sometimes we don’t even know where to look, which part of it needs to be fine tuned. If we work on one portion, something else looks out of place. I know this feeling, it happens.
So do you know how to get it right? That is the question I am going to try and answer in this post. In this article when I say Artwork: it means Drawing, Painting and Sketching. And when I say object- it refers to whatever we are drawing, painting or sketching. I don’t have a checklist of any kind but I can definitely tell you the five ways to fine tune your Artwork in order to improve and make it better based on my learnings and experience.
These are also the observations we need to make when doing Art. If you observe these and are able to check them right, not only would you be good at Art but also find it easy to understand and learn different Art styles. This is more or less an exhaustive list. It does have sub topics or points. In a way it is also 5 mistakes to avoid while making Art.
It is like a grade meter, how much fine tuning is required for each of the parameters will have to be determined by you. That is because it is to your taste. Over a period of time with observation and experience you will be able to decide your own parameters for each of these. Perfection isn’t when all of it is present, it is when all of it is in the right quantities. So let’s begin listing them.
1. Shapes and Patterns
Everything has a main outer shape and maybe more smaller shapes. It is important to observe this. First we draw this main shape and then do the details. Consider it as rough work to your final answer. This also helps decide the placement for various objects in the Picture. You can also take them as a marking of the space each object can take on the canvas. It is important to place things evenly or rather correctly space them out on the canvas. Most people make the mistake of skipping this step and begin to draw directly.
Let’s consider drawing something like ‘My House’. If you are drawing this landscape, make the large main shapes of the tree, the fence, the house, the sun or sky, the human with his pet, the ground and so on. Then add the details. Erase the rough work. It is the correct method to draw.
Some videos on the Internet will show super awesome Artists who complete one particular corner of the art with full finished details while the rest of the canvas is blank. Wow! They are super humans but we are normal humans and this is how we draw. It is mostly a digitally edited video, very rarely can anyone draw like that. They need to get into the book of records for such exemplary skill if they really can. For the rest of the normal people this is the first step for drawing anything.
Everything in nature has a pattern. So for example when you draw a flower. Look for this main shape of a circle or an ellipse. See the pattern of the petals are they – above or below, in odd numbers or even. See the shape of the petals – pointed or round, long or circular. Further see the centre of the flower and look for a shape there. The pollens will have a pattern – are all of them in the same direction, how many turn right or left. These things we need to observe and then when we draw, we match it with our reference.
2. Proportions and Scale
Many people confuse these terms. So in another words it is the size and ratio of the objects drawn. So in your landscape a bird cannot look bigger than the tree, that is scale. Now how much space of the tree is the branches and how much the leaves – that is proportion. That is what we need to observe. How the object looks in context with the other objects in the picture and what are the proportions of its own parts. When drawing a human face you would note the proportion of the eyes to the eyebrows, the nose and lips. The scale would be the size of the actual face. They are connected and not used in isolation.
3. Perspectives and Backgrounds
Which angle or point are you looking at it from? Top or bottom, right or extreme right. The distance- up close or far away. The objects which are closer are detailed, while the objects farther away at a distance in the background may not have all the details. If you draw details of all the objects in a picture, it is like keeping everyone in the front row. It will look like everyone is shouting for attention. The focus is always on some objects in the front and less on those in the background. Artworks with backgrounds look complete.
Perspective adds depth. The third dimension or 3D. This makes the object look natural as against flat image. 3D means 3 axis – X axis, Y axis and Z axis. Length, width and depth or thickness. The most common example is if you draw a rectangle. Now try imagining this as a box, as that of the wall of a house or this wall Humpty is sitting on.
Your position while looking at the object determines how it is visible to you. For example four different people looking at a car from four different spots – the top, from the right, the left and the bottom will all draw it differently based on what they see. Correct? What your view is, is your perspective. This brings about a balance in the picture.
4. Light, Shadows and Highlights
In one picture there can be one source or two sources of light. Two when there is one natural source like the Sun and two when there is a light fitted or the created source. The light coming from any point does not fall equally on all the objects. The rays fall in a straight line and not in curves. So the whole picture has be in sync with it. The Shadow of an object is determined by the direction of the light and also falls straight. Depending on the position, the size of the shadow will change. There could be a situation where the shadow of one object also falls on another.
There is something called highlight – when a significant portion of the light falls at a spot and it almost looks white. We colour or shade from light to dark or dark to light and then add the shadows and highlights. This adds depth to the painting. Also observe how an object reflects the light. The texture and surface of the object determines that.
It really looks funny when all objects have different sources of light and random shadows. There has to be a flow in the picture.
5. Colours, Shades and Tones
Tones is Dark, medium and light. This is determined by the source of light in your picture. When you do an artwork in black and white it will still have these. The gradient is smooth and blending it is important. Where we want to show it as blocks, we make sure the edges are crisp. When we colour the objects, we can try as much as possible to match the exact colour to the real object. Mixing of colours to make various tints, tones and shades can be understood with the help of the colour wheel.
There should be a contrast between the dark, medium and light tones otherwise the image will look flat. Meaning how dark the colour looks against the medium tone colour. Whether the difference is significant or very little. Sometimes all you need to do is make the dark shade a bit darker. A pro tip here is not all colours can be made lighter by adding white or darker by adding black. When you observe an object see the dark colour, does it have traces of other shades. For example the dark colour could be brown with little of green and not always necessarily black.
These topics need to be studied in detail. The only way to understand these is to observe and try it out practically. Now that you have basic information about these, the next time you are drawing, sketching or painting look and observe these things in your Artwork. Whatever you are drawing – be it a portrait, a landscape, an object, nature or design. Check for these and mark the difference with your Art as against your reference. Your artwork will show significant improvements.
If possible, take an object like a flower or a vase or a pen or a bottle or a landscape picture, keep in it front of you and then read this article once again while observing these and mentally making a marking of each. Then begin to draw. It isn’t a one time exercise, you keep going back and forth. I am sure you will be pleased with the outcome. There is a possibility that after years of practice some artists can do a mental calculation of these. After all Art is about being able to imagine that object on your canvas, so that you can draw and paint it.
In the Holiday mood, I am also going to take a break next week. Most people have already signed off till New Years. As a shop owners, we are busy making products, posting on social media, settling accounts, packing, shipping and making new and the cycle continues year round. That makes us use our phones for long hours at work. A little digital detox to spend time with yourself, family and nature can rejuvenate us.
My Desk! It’s Christmas 🎄
And we can come back in the New Year refreshed and charged up for another year ahead. Many people also use this time to upgrade their skills, read up on books they always wanted to. I started my Blog this year in September 2020. I have 17 Posts by now. The response to the Blog has been overwhelming. It’s been a good journey with your love, support and encouragement.
So I thought I would do this year in a review post. Helps me connect with the new followers too! Here is a list of the posts I have done on Arts and Crafts so far. You may click on the title to go to the post. All these are listed on my Blog page – ‘The Art Life’
How to select Art Material for Charcoal and Pastels Painting? Explaining the technical names along with their similarities and differences with other Pencils used in Art.
Dr. Wilona Annunciation, a practising Psychiatrist is our Guest Blogger this week. She shares her experience and thoughts on Mental Health and healing with Art – Art Therapy.
As the title says I’m sharing three Arts I feel everyone can try. It requires no prior experience or knowledge in Art. One can begin any time. Easy to learn and there is no right or wrong here. I’m talking about Doodle Art, Zentangle Art and Mandala Art.
Sharing what I learnt when I studied the Copyright Law in simple language for everyone to understand. Tried to keep it to our daily language of conversation while introducing the main topics to read up on.
Learning this beautiful unique visual art related to writing. Answering your questions on Calligraphy- What is it? Where to start? What materials to buy? And more
Four Books I can recommend for Arts and Crafts Lovers. You may want to buy these and learn a new skill – Sewing, Candle Making, Gift Wrapping and Napkin Folding.
Learn about the Art of Paper Quilling and it’s world of infinite possibilities. A Step-by-Step tutorial to making two basic types of beads with explanations to the other varieties. We make a Christmas Tree Ornament using the crafting methods we learn.
A list of all the Posts on the Blog so far. Easy links to the posts in case you missed out on any.
So just in case you missed out on reading any of them, you still can. Please note the Blog page shows only the last 10posts and so to see the previous ones you may use the links above or scroll to previous posts.
If you like reading my posts and wish to continue our association, you may click follow or subscribe to the Blog. This will make the posts come to your Email Inbox and you may read them at your convenience.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
December Calendar with a Christmas Wreath that I created Digitally
This is an Instant Digital Download (JPEG) File that can be purchased at my Etsy Shop NMARTWORKS Picture Format opens with any Photo Editing Software. Once you pay, you can instantly download and use.
Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Jingle all the way! Yay! Christmas is coming! And with Christmas comes creativity. I see such amazing Art and Craft ideas on social media. There is so much one can make and do. It is also the time for Gifts. What is the best gift for an Artist? Yes! Art Material. I did a post on Pencils and Pastels earlier. Based on that many friends asked me to do one on Pens and Markers.
We usually refer to Pens and Markers by the name of the brand. That makes it difficult to do a post without mentioning any of the names. In every country there is a particular brand that is popular and widely used by all Artists from that Country. Ink Artists, Illustrators, Manga Artists, Architects, Interior Designers, Fashion Designers, Calligraphers, Students, Crafters and maybe more – All of them use Pens and Markers for their rendering.
If you have read my previous post you would know that this is an all you want to know information post and not a product review or an endorsement post. I was thinking about how to do this post without sounding repetitive? So I thought it would be best to do this in a Q&A format. I have tried my best to answer all the questions that I think can pop up while buying Pens and Markers. In case you have more questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments.
The different nibs of Pens and Markers
These are some of my Pens and Markers I arranged to click a picture.
1. Are Pens and Markers different? Hmm, well actually not. They are called Pens or Felt Pens or Sketch Pens or Markers – different names in different countries. They are all Pens available in colours, black, white, glitter and neon shades. The terms are used interchangeably. Like I said we usually call them by the brand name and not as Pens or Markers.
2. Do we get Artist Quality and Student Quality? Technically Yes! But they aren’t really labelled as such. Pens positioned as Artist Pens are Artist quality while the regular ones are Student quality. The pigment, colour and finish for an Artist Pen is better. We also get Industrial Grade Markers. This determines the price points.
3. What mediums are used? We get Oil Based, Water Based, Alcohol Based Pens and Markers. There are Gel Pens, Permanent Ink Pens, Waterproof Ink Pens, Washable Ink and Water Soluble Ink Pens and Markers. The Ink Technology and Ink is different in all of these. That is why two Pens of different brands – both with Waterproof Inks will give different results.
4. Individual or Set? If you are trying a new brand for the first time, it is best to buy different pens individually and try them out. They have testers kept with papers to try them at all stores. I even try the fresh pack Pen before buying to check the nib and ink. The manufacturing dates, import dates and other details are not clearly visible on single pieces. This makes it better to buy them in a set. The drawback is we are not allowed to open a set and try it out. It makes complete sense to buy individual pens to try and once you short list and select which brand you want, it is better to buy them in a set.
5. Which brands are good? I have tried Pens by almost all the well known brands. All of them are good. Brand Loyalty is very strong for Pens and Markers. I have understood that each Pen has Ink that works very well for a purpose. Depending on your use and Artwork you would have to select Pens that suit you by the Trial and Error method. The Art store usually stocks more of the popular ones and of course you know why. Further your location will play a big factor in your selection. Not all brands are available in all countries. Sometimes the Pens that are being imported regularly go out of stock or are priced too high.
6. What do they mean by the numbers on the Pens? The numbers indicate the nib size: for example 01 means a nib for drawing a 1mm thick line while 03 means a nib with 3mm thick line. We also get accented nibs, brush nibs, round nibs and felt nibs. As mentioned above the construction material of the nib and the ink is different in all pens. Further some brands use the numbers for colour coding. We also get dual tip Markers – meaning two different usable nibs on both sides top and bottom.
All in all, it is best to try different Pens on the Paper, carry your own page if you like where you have tried various Pens and buy the ones you think will work best for your work. I have already explained where and how to use each of the mediums in the previous post. Like, if you want the colours to blend: use the watercolour ones while if you don’t want the ink running, best to use the permanent waterproof ink Pens. Even in a simple brush nib Pen we get a lot of variety.
My scribbles trying out Pens in rough
The sponge of a brush tip Pen is different by all brands. I usually select a Pen with a medium hardness brush nib. I would like it to turn with pressure but not fray resulting the sponge in tatters. Constantly applying too much pressure on the Pens with very hard nibs can result in sore hands. That is what I meant when I said select Pens that one feels is most comfortable using.
Another important thing to see and note is how the Ink spreads on different papers. Do we get a smooth finish line or a dented one? Does the Ink bleed and spread or create blots and spots? When we apply two strokes next to each other – does the Ink mix or create patches? Does the Ink dry fast when applied or takes hours to dry? Artists would note all this. It makes a difference to their Artwork.
These are all small points but important to check before buying. Many times Art stores mix old and new pens when stocked in the individual Pens section. These pens are expensive and nobody wants to waste money buying a damaged nib or dried up ink Pen or Marker. It takes me at least 15-20mins selecting my Pens even when I know the brands. Last but not the least I compare prices and check for discounts if I buy more pieces. I run out of pens in about three to six months depending on how many Artworks I made. The Inks dry up after about three to five years, if kept lying around.
That lists about all the points I can think of that will help you make an informed purchase decision for the Pens and Markers. Ah! That’s too much. Give me one name and one set – if that is your buying style, I suggest pick any standard well known brand with other Stationery or Art Supplies and buy a set of their Markers. You can’t go wrong. It’s the same for students. However if Art and Craft is your passion, hobby or profession – the choice is yours! Have an Arty Weekend!
Special Tip: Always check the Cap is tightly closed before you put away your Pens and Markers after Use.
It’s an Art, a Visual Art but it looks like handwriting – Calligraphy. In simple words humans made markings with available tools as symbols. Later as characters and scripts developed they began to write using tools available to them. As our writing tools developed, the tools for Calligraphy also changed. Calligraphy is practiced in many countries. The tools they use, the writing styles and scripts differ. I find this art quite fascinating. This one is all about practice, practice and more practice.
I learnt the European Gothic Style of Calligraphy during my school days. Did it help me in any way? My handwriting was decently good and legible. My teacher insisted I use Ink Pens till 5th Grade, after which I was permitted to use ball point pens for writing my notes. I also used Ink Pens for Calligraphy. So it seemed like more fancy writing, just additional handwriting practice in the beginning. I could use it for my school projects. My mom insisted I use my fancy writing skills on Greeting Cards, Gift Tags and Envelopes exchanged on occasions. Gained some love and appreciation there!
Different Styles, Different Nib Sizes
Today, I don’t remember writing an entire page by hand in a long time. Fonts – Typography, Logos and Signatures – Lettering and Graphic Designing. Learning Calligraphy helped me here! I agree, we now use digital tools for these but the basic knowledge remains the same. It gave me finesse in holding the pen, the brush and now the digital pencil. The digital sensors correct the breaks in the strokes and make it look flawless. Even I prefer using the digital tools. I don’t think it is easy to compete against a computer opponent in this case. The computer would win! It has made Typography and Graphics much much simpler and faster. This makes a handmade version – handwritten Calligraphy by a Calligraphy Artist a rare find – unique and beautiful; just watching a Calligraphy Artist paint can be a visual treat by itself.
Now even schools are online, we don’t even use the pen for signatures. We are almost forgetting what it is like to hold a pen. Calligraphy is now mostly used to write names on wedding cards. Even for those we now use digital fonts and print them. So why should I learn it? If that is your argument, then I have to say “Learning this Art has helped me improve my creativity and artistic skills. I don’t think I could have done it any other way. I’m glad I learnt it.”
Brush Pens – Ruffed Brush Tip
Brush Calligraphy is quite popular. Brush Calligraphy and Modern Calligraphy are different. Calligraphy is mostly referred to when using a Pen to write, while you use the brush or brush tip pens to write in Brush Calligraphy. I don’t want to get into the terms and definitions but say that learning one will be different from learning the other. So try your hand at Traditional and Modern Calligraphy as well as Brush Calligraphy. You could be better at one than the other.
Where to start and how to learn this? What material would I require? Is it very expensive to pursue this Art? Do you teach? Wait! Wait! I shall try and answer all these questions. They say ‘Teaching is the best way to learn’. That is why I taught some of my close friends whatever I knew about Calligraphy. It was my first ever experience in teaching. It is always better if you can find someone to teach you this Art but if you cannot then the next best thing is to buy a Book. This Art is all about practising. A teacher would also need just one or two sessions – to show you how to hold the pen, how to make the strokes, show you one or two writing styles. The rest depends on your interest and practice. A book will do that and may be show you more writing styles to practice.
Calligraphy Art – My Desk
A Calligraphy Set would have one Ink Pen, changeable Nibs of different sizes and Ink Tubes. This is the smallest set. Larger sets with additional tools are also available. A ready set is most likely to include a book with at least one writing style. This will be a very basic one. Then you can download practice sheets available online. We used regular Ink Pens. We bought Calligraphy (4-6 different size) Nibs. See the loose nibs in the picture, I still have them. The Ink was permanent Blue or Black Ink (regular Ink Pot). We even got nib cutters to cut the nib. Unfortunately loose or only Calligraphy Nibs are not available anymore. So you could buy the most basic Calligraphy Set and a good book with different writing styles and practice sheets.
Wow! Why are these Ink Pens expensive? The nib of a Calligraphy Pen is accented. It gives a thin upstroke and a thick downstroke. For larger font size one needs a broader or larger nib size. To begin with nib sizes 1& 2 are good to write in regular handwriting books. The red blue ruled books we use when we learn handwriting are perfect to learn Calligraphy too. Then of course you would just need a single line ruled book or no lines as you progress. This part is similar to our handwriting practice books.
Calligraphy with Markers
We get sketch pens or markers with accented tips too. These are used for Calligraphy. The difference is the tip is much softer and so the pressure to be applied is different. The pressure applied to write with a writing instrument that has a metal tip, wooden tip or fibre tip will always be different. Similarly brushes are used for Brush Calligraphy. We get Brush tip markers too. It is cheaper to get markers and we can always use them for other Arts and Crafts. One of the reasons Brush Calligraphy is popular. If Calligraphy really interests you and you wish to take it to another level, you may want to invest in a Traditional Calligraphy Pen and perhaps get trained with a professional Calligraphy Artist.
One special tip here : All these pens will be labelled as Calligraphy Pens on their pack at the Art Store. So the onus is on us to select what we are looking for. We definitely don’t need all of them. Best to buy a book and then the Pens if that makes more sense. Choose the writing instrument you are most comfortable using.
The Ink, the Paper, the Writing Instrument and most importantly your Style of Writing. All of this matters in Calligraphy. Even if I write the same thing, with the same pen on a different paper or with different ink or by applying different pressure, the result will be different each time. Hence only with practice and experience an Artist will be able to create those amazing works.
All said and done. This amazing Art seems to be dying out and getting replaced with digital forms. It may be difficult to find a tutor but don’t give up. In the end it will all be worth it – an enriched learning experience. Have an Arty Weekend!
Looking up something! Type in your query in the search bar and within seconds, a million responses to your query will pop up. During my school days my teacher would collect drawings and paintings from various places to show me and ask me to practice. As they say ‘No one is born knowing it all. We have to see, learn or experience it to know better.’ That task in today’s world can be done from the comfort of our homes with just a click of the button. Very little effort or almost nil compared to earlier days. Then again there is a universal truth that no one likes to be copied – not even someone who themselves copied. I have read the ‘Do not Copy’ disclaimer on pages of Artists who have otherwise copied Artworks of other Artists.
Well then, is it possible for everyone to draw from their mind? Are they really inventing and innovating something totally new each time? All these arguments happen. They ask me ‘So are you really for or against Copyrights?’ I would say both. And the Copyright Law was also works like that. It means a person who has put in their hard work, time and money into creating something must receive their due credits for it. Nevertheless people must be encouraged to learn from one another to build on something existing for the development of the society as well. Hence certain permitted use of copyrighted works.
The Berne Convention is the International Agreement governing Copyrights and 179 nations are Parties to it. It formally mandates the details of the Copyright Law. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act intended as anti-piracy law also needs to be read alongside the Copyright Laws. If I continue talking in the formal tone or legal language, not many people will understand. I wanted to simplify it so that even a person who is not from the field can easily understand.
Here is what I learnt studying The Copyright Law :
So if you like someone’s Artwork, appreciate it and like it. Do not call it yours! That is stealing. Of course like any other kind of stealing it is a wrong doing. The law is to protect the creators from such theft. Every Artist has the right to be called the creator for their work and no matter what rights they license or surrender, this right stays with them.
If you imitate an artist, dedicate it to them, credit your references. Always remember you will be known as an imitation and an original is always worth more. The only time it is ok to imitate is when you are learning. That comes under Fair Use. However if your account states ‘artwork for sale’ or ‘open to collaborations’ or ‘artist – do not copy’ then your intentions are clear. It is not considered Fair Use. If it is fan art or a parody, it has to be mentioned clearly. The purpose, nature, amount and the monetary effect are all considered to know the intention.
Copycat- Mindless Act of Copying
If you were inspired by someone’s Art. And you used your creativity to create something different but similar. This is determined by substantial similarity test. So if the work looks very similar to be mistaken as one for another it might be considered copied. The new image search technology is so good that works with substantial copying are shown in the ‘works similar to yours’ search results right away.
One important thing to understand is Copyrights is about protecting the right of the creator so that he earns his rightful due from his work – in monetary terms. So if you are selling and making money by copying other people’s work, it may land you in trouble. I really don’t know if you wish to put your business at stake by doing something like that.
Social Media have a ‘Report Copyright Infringement Button’ where one can report if they feel their rights have been infringed. You would have to prove your rights in the Artwork. Digital image scanning with technology like Google Lens makes it easy to spot copied artworks. There are apps and softwares for these kind of searches. Companies have full time professionals dedicated to each of these tasks. The Media and Entertainment Industry is one of the major Industries across the Globe. Their works are protected under Copyrights. I think among all the other Acts of Intellectual Property Rights the Copyright Act is very well drafted and very adaptive to the changes.
Always repost with credits. If an Artwork has a watermark or a logo, it means it was to discourage from copying. That doesn’t mean works without watermarks do not have Copyrights. Copyrights are valid up to 70yrs after the death of the author, after which artworks fall into the public domain. After extensive lobbying by Disney ‘The Mickey Mouse Protection Act’ came into effect thereby protecting works of corporate authorship till 120yrs of creation or 95yrs of publication whichever is earlier.
Last but not the least, there is a school of thought that believes in sharing their works by giving some access and rights, so that others can use their works. Creative Commons let users use their works for free to build other new works. I think these have helped many creations and innovations. Some really amazing ones.
There is also something called Open Licenses where a standardised license with pre-determined conditions is used to license Artworks. By clicking the ‘I agree button’ we agree to their Terms & Conditions. Whether the Copyrights Model works or not, whether such protection is necessary or not – I don’t know. All I know is there is something called Copyrights. So be creative and do not copy!
It’s been tiring juggling work from home alongside family and home responsibilities. The last few months have been difficult for all of us. We need activities to do individually or as a family. Something to refresh and take a break. In the process if we get to learn and grow, it would be a bonus – right! Stepping out is a big No-No. That leaves us with very little to do apart from the mundane daily tasks. In this article I am sharing three Arts that I feel everyone can give a try! Doesn’t need any prior training or experience and are very popular.
These are my top three because; Materials required for these would be easily available at home. In case you wish to purchase the material locally or online, it is standard and easily available. The selection is quite simple and specific. Another reason I like these is because there is no right or wrong here, just beautiful Artworks. They don’t have to look like anything or have any logical sense. Loads and loads of free online tutorials and reference material is available. Further all of them help de-stress, develop creativity, improve skills and most importantly give a sense of accomplishment – a feeling of having created something. It builds confidence, develops brain power and directly or indirectly keeps one more joyful and happy.
So here is my list :-
1) Doodle Art : All of us would have tried drawing something at some point of time. Whether it was good or bad doesn’t matter. Without making a conscious effort or scribbling while your mind is pre occupied with something else is called ‘Doodling’. The Art is called ‘Doodles’ or ‘Doodle Art’. It can help express emotions. I scribble cute animals, flowers, hearts, stars and anything else that comes to my mind in my notebooks. These were my school, then university and even office notes and not drawing books. I memorised the data with the help of those diagrams. Making doodles on otherwise boring black white pages helped me do a recap of the matter on that page. In the exam we can draw these on the rough page or if it is a fair diagram, representing it graphically gained me extra marks for the answers.
Leaves Doodle Art – My scribbles
Even today when I do brainstorming for ideas, I scribble it in my notepad. I do post my midnight scribbles on social media. Emojis, Infographics and Designs are some of the applications that come to my mind. It is continuously drawing whatever comes to your mind without a logical explanation or making sense out of it. Many people often mistake it with hand drawn Art. It requires only a pen and paper. For the first time we can search the Internet to make a beginning somewhere. Draw anything you like or connect with. It will not look the same. Big ears, small eyes everything is allowed. It is your art and you decide how you want it. It is all good as long as you like it.
Zentangle and Doodle Artworks that I have done
3) Zentangle Art : Patterns or Designs made by repetitive lines or curves. These are used to fill objects. We don’t need to know shapes, shade and light, perspective or any other information about drawing. For the first one,draw small equal squares using a ruler and pencil or pen on your paper. Keep a constant white border between these squares. Then draw any combination of dots, lines and squares to create patterns or designs. A simple challenge to make it interesting would be to make sure no two patterns on this page are exactly the same. They can be similar. Here again these are designs and fills. There is no need for it to look correct or real. Each piece is a work of Art. I once did these patterns on a sheet of paper, removed photocopies or prints of the Art, laminated it and used them as placemats for my home. I have made bookmarks with these too.
My Mandala Art
4) Mandala Art : Mandala Art has religious significance and origin. However often people just refer to a circular pattern when they say Mandala Art. One can try this Art without any connection to the religious beliefs – just as a random circular geometric pattern. To draw this we would need a pencil, a pen, paper and measuring tools to make a grid. If you wish to make it colourful you can use colour pencils and coloured pens of your choice. We need to prepare a grid using a compass, protractor, ruler and pencil. After this there are a million permutation combinations or possibilities resulting by connecting the intersection points of the grid using lines and curves through repetitive patterns. There are patterns and designs and represent nothing otherwise. I draw a lot of these both by hand and digitally. They are considered therapeutic. Can be used to decorate different things as well.
Mandala Art with white pens on black paper – Reverse
If we look carefully we will find so many patterns by Mother Nature. The number of possible combinations in patterns and designs are so vast that one can definitely find a few strokes that are easy and manageable. The Artwork can be a combination of these. There isn’t any need to follow any specific rules to classify the Art as just one of them. Many people use the terms interchangeably also. I have a lot of practice and training in these but I am sure even beginners will be able to do a pretty good job. There is nothing like right or wrong here. I understand it is difficult to know where and how to begin with when it is the first time. As we do more, our hand or our strokes develop and we grow. Keep your first piece next to something you made after a few months of practice and you will notice your growth.
DIY Zentangle Bookmark PatternDIY Mandala Art with grid making
Apart from the above, the one important thing that you will definitely need is your zeal and enthusiasm for Art. The idea was to introduce these and develop your interest in them. I hope I managed to interest you enough, so that you look up and give the Arts a try. These Arts require focus and patience. So to begin with I would suggest selecting simple projects. I have shared two DIY projects you could try. I have purposely kept them naturally imperfect to show that it doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is : You enjoy! Have an Arty Weekend!
In early times, people did Art to decorate their homes and objects of everyday living. It could be an individual or a group of people collectively working on something. It was mainly Designs and Patterns that could be done by more and more people. Then we came to know of better ways and did more realistic Paintings that conveyed stories. Sculpting, Photography and now Digital Art ; there is always something new and trending. Art is a way of expression. People express their feelings and experiences. Arts and Culture influence each other to a great extent. It is like they are interwoven. Internet and Globalisation made it a boundary less world. This opened up infinite opportunities in Art as well. For a creative person it is like a vast ocean. There is always so much too learn and do. I like to read up, see, learn and better my skills everyday. We are truly blessed to be able to have easy access to so many resources now.
“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly is a way to make your soul grow. So do it” – Kurt Vonnegut
Art is my passion, it’s Life. Your reason could be different : a stress buster, a hobby, a way to be social, helping your child with art at school, being a professional artist or having a part time or full time career. However if you are serious about Art, it is always better to take up formalised training. You have the talent, that’s super. Now all you need is the wisdom. I see many people write ‘Self Taught’ in their bio. It’s great! But just imagine! if you are so good when you learnt only by looking, how awesome will you be if you have a mentor, a guide or a teacher formally teach you!
I would say it is like a Tree. I was born with a liking, aesthetic sense, creativity and a good hand for Art – that would be the seed. I have to water it everyday – that would be practice. I have to add manure, fertilisers or food – that is knowledge. What I gain from this journey or growth over the years is wisdom. That makes me a full grown Tree. Don’t be in a hurry to monetise your work. Learn whatever you can, try your hand at different Art Styles. My friend told me ‘My daughter is really good at doing a flower, she keeps doing it.’ I think that’s absolutely ok but at least try the other things. How do you know if this is your best work or if you can do better unless you try?
By all means make as many mistakes as you can in the learning phase. You know what they say right ‘I didn’t make a mistake, I learnt a 100ways it could go wrong.’ It is True. Besides, being an Artist is also about letting go of the fear of being wrong. For an Artist, what makes him or her different from another Artist is himself. It is difficult to separate an Artist from his work. I could put it as ‘that one special move that you are so good at, makes your work different from the others’. That is why I feel if you are serious about Art, you would invest in yourself.
My artworks during school days
Most Art Schools and Universities have a system of grading and examinations. The format is similar for most Art Institutes. Knowing this early on can help prepare for the way ahead. Broadly these are five subjects. We can’t be selective and be very good at just one of them. Need to be relatively good at all of them. The subjects are:-
1) Nature Drawing – Drawing and Painting Flowers or Nature. They give flowers in the exams because they have to give something easily available, as there to so many students. It is about actually seeing these flowers in real and painting them. Use Watercolour. The more realistic it is with shadows and highlights, the more points you can score.
Preparing for the Art Exams
2) Object Drawing – Painting daily life Objects. Each material has a texture. Example the skin of an orange vs that of a coconut. Note and observe these details to make it look more realistic. Another way to score better is getting the right perspective. Were you looking at the objects from the front, right side, left side or extreme corner – your artwork should reflect that.
Memory Drawing – Fishermen
3) Memory Drawing – Drawing People and Places. It is called memory drawing because we are expected to draw what we saw by recollecting the memory. Select a topic which is something you have experienced or seen in real life. Obviously it becomes easier to draw that rather than something you just saw someone else draw. It will make your work more real and different. Creatively highlight your strengths by drawing what you draw best. Complete the background. A complete picture always makes a better impression.
4) Design – The combinations and possibilities in Patterns and Designs are endless. Showing usability of a design or object you are designing scores a brownie point. Commercialisation and mass production of a Design is something most people look out for. For ‘Freehand Drawing’ you are given a design and asked to recreate it. Matching the colours, lines and curves becomes important. Basically the examiner wants to know how well you can replicate the design given to you.
Designs and Lettering
5) Geometry and Lettering – Geometry is about precise measurements. How well can you convey the meaning of the word, keeping it easy to read while having a unique font style? Lettering and Good Type done by hand requires a lot of handwriting practice. Commercialised version we all know as ‘Logos’. This is different from Calligraphy.
Designs and Lettering now most often are done digitally in the Industry for precision. However they will teach you to do these by hand first. It is always better to learn both methods – doing it by hand and digital.
Information is readily available on these subjects. So I thought I would share some additional tips which can help you score a few brownie points in these subjects. Use Gouache Colours for a nice neat look. Make sure you can complete your artwork in the given duration. Last but not the least practice. Try to do better than yourself each time. Taking up work that challenges you makes the learning interesting.
One request, please don’t use help from the digital tools – they will only get you followers on social media, nothing else. During my school days we were not allowed to use any measuring tools like ruler or compass except for Geometry and Lettering. We learnt how to draw without using these. There are methods how artists keep a scale with their eyes, which your teacher should be able to teach you.
I cleared my Intermediate Grade Exams in Art scoring a ‘Grade A’ and merit rank. Intermediate Grade Exams are senior level Art Exams conducted by the Maharashtra State Board and lakhs of students appear for it every year. You may or may not appear for the same exams but training in all these subjects surely helps. I scored ‘Grade B’ in the Elementary Exams (Junior). Then I had my teacher train me. The results you can see.
I also feel this system of training is holistic which creates a good base for taking up any specialisations in Visual Arts and Allied Arts. Once we know these, it becomes easier to pick up any new trends in Art. Further even to get into a good Art Institute we have to submit an Art portfolio on these lines or appear for entrance exams on these lines. So if you are serious about your Art, this is the way ahead! Have an Arty Weekend!
Please Note: All the artwork shared is my actual artwork I had done during my school days when I took these exams. Our references were books and previous years question papers.
Ever since I can recollect my Art kit goes with me wherever I go. It evolved over the years, a few tools got added, a few subtracted but till date I have a pouch that has my pencils, pens and colours that go with me even if I am on a holiday trip. I don’t know how that sounds but it is like packing toothbrush and essentials for me. I guess that is what it is when you are passionate about Art.
A sketchbook or some paper sheets and some Art Tools is what my portable Art Kit includes. Initially the Art kit would include pencils in 2B, 4B and 6B lead tips and an eraser. This much is enough for making Art using the pencil shading technique.
Then I added a box of watercolour cakes with primary colours and two round brushes – one in size 2 and another in 6 or 8, a black Ink brush pen or any outliner pen that you would like to use. This much is enough for making Watercolour Art. I understand you know that a pencil and eraser to draw or make some marking before colouring are already there.
The Art kit that I now carry along with me is a combination of the two above. It includes the three pencils, a magic eraser, Ink pens for Artists in three nib sizes along with my sketchbook. Sometimes I also take along the watercolour box and a brush. All this fits in a pouch or zipper pencil case. It does not contain water or any liquids so it is suitable to carry easily in the handbag while travelling. Something like a makeup kit. Pointed objects like compass or rounder and sharpeners are not allowed when you travel by air, so make sure you don’t carry them along if you are travelling by air.
There are trips planned for artists now a days and many artists do Art on the go. So the next time you see a beautiful scenery and want to put it on paper or just want to pass time at a waiting lounge you know your Art kit will come handy.
Sharing a some pictures from my A5 sketchbook done on the go!
NMartworks 