Daily drawing is an essential to help you grow and learn as an artist. If you draw something daily, you will find over a period of time that your ability to see shapes and translate them onto paper will have dramatically increased. You will draw more quickly and more efficiently and will render what you see much better.

The traditional drawing class uses real objects to draw from, not references. To study an object in front of you shows you a 3 dimensional image whereas in a reference photo it is one dimensional. The benefits to drawing from life are enormous and so rewarding.

This weekly sketching challenge is designed to encourage people to sketch more quickly, to sketch outside and to sketch in public.

Now here is the meat of the thread. This is a list of objects that you may choose to draw from.

You can choose one thing or 10 things.
They must be sketched from life, not imagination or photographs.
You can use any medium that you like.
When you've drawn your image, then post it here.
You have 7 days to draw items from this list.
There will be no commenting on sketches.

We didn't have a volunteer list this week, so I'm making one up with a Christmas theme If anyone would like to offer a list for the following week, please let me know.

Christmas tree ornament
candy cane
gifts under the tree
glass of wine
wreath on a door
chocolates
relative or friend asleep in the chair or sofa
fireplace
milk and cookies for Santa
Santa hat
A pet
Child's toy
Your Christmas dinner
Christmas cake
Table decoration
Filled Christmas stocking

As a special Christmas challenge you can do one or all of the following:

1. Draw one of the items all in blue
2. Draw the same item in 3 different mediums
3. Draw a contour drawing of one of the items

Great list, Jeanette, as always.

What is a contour drawing? Is that an outline or outer shape, maybe a contour, with some shading or something? Okay, art language is new to me. It's a good thing you're patient because I ask a lot of questions and even when I try to figure something out myself, it's sometimes wrong. LOL

Cyn...contour drawing is when you just look at the object or subject you are drawing with lifting your pencil from the paper or looking at your drawing while you are doing it. A good way to accomplish this is to turn away from your paper you are drawing on and listen to some good music to trick your mind into not wanting to look at the paper.
If you read the book Drawing on the Right Side of the brain they have multiple exercises for doing contour drawings and it helps train your eyes and mind and basically suppost to help you become a better artist. I hope that helped explain.

Wonderful! That was great Venus. Now I understand. That's a great way to trick the brain. I would love to be right brained for a change.. One of my sons is left handed and he gives me a terrible time about me being left brained and he is the only one in the family that is in his right brain..

Ok so let me get this straight ... is it like the old party game for the bride to be to have the paper plate on your head and draw the bride without looking at the plate ....? I am lost .. do we like draw from looking at something but not looking at the paper ?
good list jeanette .
If you need amnother list please let me know i will think up something .

Yes Cyn, Venus has it right. Don't look at your object and draw it. You get quite interesting results...

Kim, look at your object, not the paper. Tape the paper to your drawing board and draw without looking at the paper. Its very difficult but very interesting.

Sure, provide another list if you'd like, that would be great.

Here's another easy way to draw without looking. Cut a piece of sturdy paper (construction paper) find the center of the paper by drawing a diagonal line from corner to corner. (a big X) Poke a pencil through the center and put your hand underneath the paper and draw. This way you cannot see the paper you are drawing on so you can't cheat.

Its a practice lesson and you will not come out with a very good drawing of the object you are trying to draw but it makes your brain slow down and "See" the outline of what you are drawing. So don't be disappointed when you are done and see a really stupid looking picture. Having a really nice picture is not the object of the exercise. But if you do this on a regular basis, you will become better at it.

Well, today is the first day I've really had a chance to play so chose the ornament from the list & added some holly leaves from our yard. This was done in Prismas but didn't scan well. The colors are richer irl.



Hope to do more plus the drawing challenge but go back to work tomorrow so don't know what will get done!

Painter, what a cool idea! Maybe I can try that one next!

J

While I was at my sister on Christmas Eve, I had the opportunity to do a couple of drawings.

The first one happened to be an open box ... It was a gift for my nephew
I drew it all in blue.


The second is Santa's hat. It was hanging on the back of the rocking chair...It had a coiled like tail with a pompon at the end. It was kinda difficult to draw; but I thought it had so much character that I went ahead, and on Christmas day i was the Santa ..handing out gift and wore it


The third is me with the Santa's hat on Christmas day:D

A quickie at work.

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Here's mine. It covers the Christmas tree ornament, the item all in blue and the three different mediums.which are graphite, ink and cheap water color pencil.

love the list-- and the twist, sounds like fun
cyn you did a great job so far
j-lynn awesome. love the ornaments.

Lori

J love your candy cane ....and Cyn your bulbs are really cool looking .. look vintage .

J-Lynn..Nice ornament, holly and candy cane. Don't work too hard this week!!

Chloe....Wonderful box and hat - very nice to meet you in person too.

Cyn... Smartie pants with your 3 mediums - lovely ornament though.

Kim...Yummy!!! Terrific job on all that food.

Mine is a Christmas ornament about 16 inches high that I might put on top of a tree - that is if I had a tree. This year it sits in my bookcase looking jolly. His beard and fur are crocheted in white wool.

[attachmentid=1510]

Cheers.....Maire

Well I made 4 so far.

Well I made 4 so far.