Drawing Fire and Flame
Monday December 24, 2007
Here in Australia, summer isn't quite in full swing, we've had a little rain and the pitch is going to be bouncy for the Boxing Day cricket. It's hard to imagine the chilly Northern hemisphere, but some of my favorite bloggers are sharing photos of their snowbound homes or frost-spangled gardens, so I thought I'd revisit this tutorial on drawing fire and flame. Just the thing when you're keeping cozy indoors! It includes tips for simple line-drawing of flames, some points to remember when drawing fire, and a step-by-step drawing of a candle in colored pencil. If you are making a greeting card, use a heavy, hot-pressed watercolor paper. Give it a few light coats of fixative so that the colors don't rub off in the recipient's hands.
Comments
The candle is a fine example of coloured pencil work I have seen. It inspires me. Thanks for all the work Helen and a Merry Christmas.
Oh, thank you, Pete, you’re very kind to say so. A Merry Christmas to you and yours, too.
Oh, I am so excited. I’ve been away from drawing for a while and, this, this, I think I can do, at least some semblance of it.
I’ve got a new digital camera and can get some great reference photos, too.
Thanks for using colored pencils, as I cannot use pastels as they are too toxic.
Thanks ever so.
M Lyn
Your drawing is lovely as is your photo.
Hi! My name is chelsea and i’m doing this project in my art class and i want to learn how to draw hands upwards like it’s holding something. Do u think u could help me?
Hi Lyn, that’s terrific! When taking your reference photos, you might need to try bracketing the exposures, as the intensity of a candle light can trick the camera into underexposing the shot. This is why I used a shot taken by an expert photographer, Tellgraf, at sxc.hu (stock exchange), as I wasn’t happy with my own attempts.
Why not post your drawing in the forum for us to see?
Chelsea, sure. The first thing you need is a good reference shot. Can you take a photo of hands in the position you want, or find a link on the web? Try sxc.hu for copyright-free photos, and send me the link. drawsketch.guide@about.com
Crazzy!