In online forums we often get into the trap of using reference photos all the time to draw from. Now there is nothing wrong with using photos, providing we're not trying to replicate them exactly all the time. However, once you get into drawing from life, the process of putting images down on paper becomes different. You have challenges of lighting that changes, a different perspective so you have to know your view point, and sometimes people eating your reference!

I would like to make this an open thread to encourage people to take a half and hour a day and sketch something from the world around them. Every day items take on a new look when you draw them and become wonderful works of art.

A sketch is an unfinished, loose drawing. It shouldn't be a smooth, finished drawing, it should be a quick representation of what you see and capture light and form. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes.

I'll start off with a quick sketch I did of my daughter the other evening while she was snoozing after an afternoon on the water. This took about 15 minutes to sketch. The more you sketch, the faster you become.

So now the gauntlet is down. Who's going to take up the challenge and sketch something from life today? Lost for ideas? Look around you. I'll bet you have shoes on, draw them. Toast or bagel for breakfast? Draw it. What's out your window right now? Another view to draw. There are no excuses. Just opportunities. Take advantage of every one of them.

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A ten minute quicky.
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Ten minutes.

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I really like this Jeanette! and like your sketch....did she go on the boat tour....lol....

My try.... and this took me about 6 minutes ...my transistor radio...I hope to try more and improve...thanks, Brian.

Excellent sketch Paulette, its lovely to capture someone on paper in a moment.

Ernest, nice stamps. Everyday things become something new when you draw them.

Brian, great sketch of your radio. The more you sketch, the better your drawing skills become. And the more you draw from life, the better your ability to judge proportion and values.

I like this idea!

The 4 minute toe.

I like to draw with my feet up.

By the way my favorite graphite for sketching is F. I like the way it holds its point. Very easy to use in a chisel format and is great for getting some quick values in the hatching.

Thanks Jeanette, some times when I judge proportion and perspective I am way off....this practise really does help me....


Interesting RJ, I am trying F pencils now for sketching and I really like them...also like 2H.....


Curious what your preference is Jeanette?

Great sketch RJ. Nice to relax while you draw.

I don't have a preference Brian. I usually use what's handy, often that's my .5mm mechanical pencil with a 2B lead or a .3mm, same softness. I also use my rapidograph pen to sketch as well.

An F pencil is quite hard and makes a very light mark on the paper. I find it a little too light for sketching and use it more as a pencil to draw an initial outline on paper so that its not a dark line and easy to erase later.

Interesting Jeanette, thanks I just looked up rapidograph pens as I am not too familiar with them....they sure look like a great technical and precision drawing tool...so are they specifically ink? or can you get graphite or liquid graphite? for them.

They are great professional quality pens, sometimes a little fiddly as you have to refill them with liquid ink. Some hate them, I love them.

I've never heard of graphite versions, I guess that's where mechanical pencils come into play.

Thanks Jeanette, they sure look like great quality pens.....

I tried another quick sketch....this time I tried my mouse...I really am enjoying this.

Small candle lamp that my son made in his workshop class.

Just a remark on removing graphite from a drawing or sketch.

It is important to remember when making marks on paper that will later be erased that the softer the graphite, like 2B or 4B, the easier it is to erase. A 4B graphite with a light touch will sit on top of the fibers and will not use much of the tooth. Using a kneadable eraser will remove the graphite without damaging the tooth. I personally use Blu-Tack by Bostik to remove graphite and lighten areas of a drawng. You can see an example of lightening an area with Blu-Tack in the mountains of my gallery drawing "Chateau Chillion".

A demain,

Lovely lantern sketch RJ.

Some do like Blu-Tack to lift graphite, though most any poster putty will work, however kneaded erasers are the most common. I know Mike Sibley highly recommends Blu-Tack. I find it (or a similar brand) very useful for removing coloured pencil, but rarely use it for graphite drawings. It is all down to personal preference I believe.

I think a good point to make too. is that it is a dabbing motion, not a back and forth, erasing that we're talking about here. If you rub hard on your paper you will likely only drive the graphite further into the fibres and leave a grey ragged surface.

Studie of horse. Done as quickly as possible, because they keep moving! They have no sense of being models whatsoever.

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Siksnosparnyte is coming back!

Here's my sketch... I'm not happy with it, but it's my first sketch from life. So, I think, it can't be perfect.

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I used 2B graphite pencil and printer paper.

Marie, I really like your horse sketch. You've captured the lines of the animal beautifully.

Siks, I think you're getting pretty close to perfection on this.

Maybe if I commit to this, it will remind me to practice sketching--time flys by and I forget about it for days! Here are a couple I did last week. I really do need to get to some sewing and I really don't need the ice cream!!

10 minutes each.
I noticed both on tv and did them as 'action' pics.

Hi all! Good drawings everyone. Shadowatcher try not to make your drawing so "robotic" be a bit more loose . You should study some anatomy I´m really not sure if this helps but every art forum i go they all say study anatomy so it´s probably a good idea for everyone to do!!! Oh and brian david on your mouse on that little white circular part on the end i think it what be better if you erase the outline of the circle so it looks more realistic. Well anyways great drawings guys!!!!

i was drawing an apple but hunger won over and i ate it before i got done. :/

I just couldn't concentrate today...

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Hi sparkyy, thanks for the tip. Believe it or not my career forced me to memorize anatomy I just haven't found a way to incorporate the two. I am a catscan tech so I see bodies all day. I bet if I dug out my old college books, they may help me get there. It's tough getting what is in my head onto paper.

I did the toast thing as you suggested, it didn't come out very well, so im not going to post it, but i would like to point out that you should be carefull sketching toast because if you take too long it goes cold (and there's nothing worse than cold toast!). i think ill go back to model cars!

Hey, Just thought i would add this, its a sketch of a tube of savlon which was on the table where i was drawing. I didnt do the lettering, i just wanted to try and get the shape, what do you think??

I think that this thread this a brilliant idea, and i am trying to now draw more things from real life
Katie

Hi Katie,

I think you're right this is a great idea.

Is the tube lying flat or standing on end. It looks like it is standing on end to me. The form looks good.

Here is my input for the day, a tissue box.
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I really like this thread - it's a place to put up the doodles of the day, so they don't go completely to waste. And it's fun to see what others come up with as a subject. I have some more horses and some lambs/sheeps as well - still living in the country, and making the most of it! Made with graphite F

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Hey
RJ Blanchette, yes the tube was standing on end, so im glad it looks like that

Fab work everyone else, i love the horses and sheep, Hrymfaxe, your so lucky to be living on a farm at the moment

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idk if negative space drawing counts but i did a life drawing of a lantern (i have the actual lantern in my gallery)

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Hi every one, you guys are doing some great pictures.
Hrymfaxe, I love your horse drawings. If it took you 10 minutes or 5 days it don't matter, that looks like art to me.

I really don't know how long this took to draw because lately I haven't been able to draw for more than a few mintutes at a time. But it is a life drawing, hope you all like it.

there was a peice of paper, a cartrige pen and a bottle of ink on my table, so i reached for my pencil

Wow, thank you! And thank you to everybody for the nice words. I'm pleased with the sketches myself, and I'm happy you agree! Pencilnhand, those shoes look so real that I can almost smell them! Great work everyone, it's great to see all this art being created from everyday objects.

Greetings and Salutations etc
Here is my first life drawing. Quick sketch that doesn't need much explanation. A golf ball with this very slow growing tree encapsulating it. The good part is the long story I can make telling about it. It is in the center of my little woods. 500 ft from my neighbors, who is a golfer. It has been there somewhere between 10 and 15 YEARS. Well, I'll stop the story. By the way, very short time sketch.
Have a good day.
Slim

Moving this up

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I drew a couple things while I was gone this week-end. Just a quick sketch.


My feet and a friends feet.. And my coat.

Here is a life sketch drawing that I almost forgot about. It is the very first drawing I did. Back in "95 (1995-not 1895 he he) My granddaughter was 14 and taking art in school. I looked at her book and decided I would try her front yard. It isn't much but it got me started.
Slim

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This Leaf i did last night from an old leaf I found out side. I did it in color pencil , size is 3 / 5 inch . Took my about 1 1/2 hours to do

The shading is really good; the 3D curves of the surface really come out!

Danielle was watching TV today and so sat still long enough for me to do this, about 10 minutes:
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Ernest, I can't believe how much detail you managed to give her hair, and still have time to draw her focused expression in 10 minuted! Good job.

Meow, that is a well done life drawing. It looks like the leaf might just fly away any moment.

My watch.
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Nice job on the watch Ernest. You motivated me to give a personal affect a try so I did my glasses. But for some unknown reason the drawing looks blurry

Hi everyone..,

I've a more philosophical point to put to you all.

I've attached a weak image but it's to help illustrate my point, i'd attach a copy scanned, actually drawn version but no scanner.

What i want to put to you.., after looking at the diagram.., you can draw a line between points A and B and take 2 seconds.

You then draw another line, on the same size paper but taken half an hour to do so.., is there a better line?

When i can, i'll post a half hour line and a seconds line for you all to see.

You might be asking why bother, it's a half hour of nothing but it's not.., my drawing from life is drawing of the passage of time.

Very deep concept. I see there is a wrinkle in time. :-) Love it!

Hi,

I'm new here. I find it refreshing to see your drawings from life. I've been painting for 20 years, working from photos, imagination, life. Recently I noticed that the original poster has a very good point--that the process of working from life vs photos is quite different. With life, you often grab the essentials more quickly, partly because it is less convenient/comfortable to work from life, so you work faster. This is a good thing however! Your work becomes more genuine, bracing, and real--even if it may be a bit out of proportion and "sketchy". After a couple years working from photos, I began to lose my motivation as an artist, and I think the reason may be because I had no "direct" connection with my subject. My subject could be people I've never met,or places I've never been. Then, I'm just copying some "image".

Here's a sketch I did on the metro the other day.

George

Ha! 'attached thumbnail' - well it made me smile

Hello !

I've done this sketch during my last holidays (everybody else were taking a nap ):

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Almost an hour of drawing

[attachmentid=7169]my back garden, about 10mins

Two sketches done at my daughter's soccer practice yesterday. The first one is the assistant coach, who stood still for a long time The second one is purely from my imagination (no one was playing basketball at soccer practice!) What do you think, Marie?

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