Articles Index
Art, Drawing and the Tyranny of the Medium
Are you being defined by your medium? Limited by your art major? Perhaps you define yourself as a painter, pastellist, cartoonist or digital artist? Many of us focus on a single medium, and can find ourselves subconciously defined by it, discarding ideas before they are even fully formed, because they don't fit our usual way of working.
Shawn Encarnacion
Biographical note for guest artist, cartoonist Shawn Encarnacion
Susan Tschantz
A short biography of guest author and Drawing/Sketching forum host, Susan Tschantz
How to Keep a Sketchbook
Keeping a sketchbook is something most artists do. A sketchbook fills various functions, and you'll find your own way of using it. But where do you start, when you bring home that beautiful sketchbook with crisp, empty white pages. How do you fill them? Try some of these creative ideas for getting your sketchbook started
Doodle Analysis - Page 1
doodle interpretation - discover the meaning and symbolism of doodles. Why people doodle, what the shapes mean and how to interpret doodle drawings and scribbles.
Creative Mise en Place
'Mise en place' is a french term used by chefs to refer to the process of preparing and laying out ingredients before cooking. Just as mise en place helps the cooking process go smoothly, so preparing to draw by gathering and organizing your materials ahead of time allows you to create without interruptions.
Colored Pencil Tips
Colored Pencil Tips - improve your colored pencil drawing technique with these quick and easy colored pencil drawing tips and techniques from your guide.
Charcoal Drawing FAQ
Charcoal Drawing FAQ - frequently asked questions about how to draw with charcoal and conte. Get tips about improving your charcoal drawing technique with these questions and answers.
Drawing Shiny Metal in Colored Pencil
How to Draw Shiny Metal in Colored Pencil - this tutorial shows you how to create the look of shiny metal in your drawings. Colored pencil is demonstrated, but you can also apply the basic principles to drawing shiny metal in graphite pencil.
Learn How to Draw in Pen and Ink
Pen and Ink drawing for beginners - what you need to get started. Choosing basic equipment for pen and ink drawing.
Drawing Exercise - Get to Know Your Medium
Get to Know Your Medium - before you start work on a finished drawing, do some creative, purposeful scribbles to get to know your drawing materials - pencils, charcoal, pens or other mediums.
Drawing Glossary Index
The Drawing Glossary - Alphabetical Index. Find the drawing term you're looking for and check spelling and pronunciation in this index of drawing terminology and jargon.
Vitruvius Pollio - On the Proportions of Man
An excerpt from Vitruvius Pollio's Ten Books of Architecture discussing the proportions of man. This text inspired Da Vinci's famous 'Vitruvian Man' drawing
First Drawing Lessons for Children
Encouraging children to think about the world around them is the first step in teaching them to draw. This article offers some tips on teaching children to draw and drawing lesson ideas for kids.
Drawing Tips - Top 10 Mistakes Beginners Make
Drawing Tips - Top 10 Mistakes Beginners Make - find out the common mistakes beginners make when they learn to draw, and how to fix them.
Sketchbook Ideas - Still Life Drawing
sketchbook ideas - tips and ideas on what to draw and how to keep a sketchbook. Find out what do do with the blank page or start a project.
Preston Stone
Preston Stone is a talented young artist and designer from Colorado. Preston's early interest in art was supported by his parents, who provided supplies to their budding artist and enrolled him in art classes.
Drawing Value - Shading Tonal Values with Graphite Pencil
Value Drawing - Seeing values and using tonal values in pencil drawing. This illustrated tutorial on value drawing or shading highlights the difference between seeing lines and seeing values.
Pencil Sketching Lesson - Structure and Form
Sketching in the basic structure using simple shapes can help you to create a more convincing three-dimensional drawing. This article shows you how to go about sketching structure.
Bet Borgeson - Interview
Bet Borgeson Interview - exclusive interview with renowned color pencil artist Bet Borgeson, on the art of colored pencil drawing, her approach to the medium including tips on colored pencil technique.
Nibs for Dip Pens
Ink Pen Nibs for Drawing - tips on selecting and maintaining dip pens for ink drawing and sketching.
Copyright for Artists
copyright - a brief guide to copyright for artists with links to resource sites
Drawing Gallery Submissions
Submissions to the Drawing/Sketching gallery are temporarily closed, but you can still post your drawings to the forum.
Attending a Figure Drawing Class
your first life drawing class - what to expect. Don't be put off attending figure drawing classes - theses tips will help you get the most out of it and conquer first-time nerves.
Giclee Fine Art Printing FAQ
Fine Art Giclee printing - about fine art giclee printing, incuding paper type and size, scanning your drawings, edition size and costs.