When you're looking at an object, it's natural to want to draw it. But how can you make sure your drawing is accurate? Any student will want to expand their art education by learning observational drawing. Here’s a solid guide to starting a still-life drawing for kids or any growing artist.
Start by drawing a 3 dimensional object while looking at the physical object. This helps the process. Your brain make connections about what the eyes are seeing. Artists slow down to record what they see instead of drawing what they think something looks like. Touching an object helps understand why a shadow or highlight may appear in a specific area. You can also find an art box for kids and teens to help guide you. I Create Art has several, and at the bottom of this article you will find some links.
Where To Begin Observational Drawing for Kids and Teens
When beginning, it’s important to choose simple objects to draw. This will help you build your skills and confidence. A guitar is an easy object to because it has a lot of intricate details, but it’s still relatively simple.
Look at the guitar and observe all of its details, like strings, tuning pegs and the body itself.
Now that we have the outline of our guitar, let's add some of the details. With paper and pencil, use a technique you know to create your image.
Strings are typically made of metal, and they come in a variety of thicknesses and materials. There are six on our guitar, and we can make them out of any type of metal we want.
Next, the tuning pegs. They allow us to change the pitch of the strings, which is necessary to tune the guitar. There are six tuning pegs, one for each string. Continue to other parts of the guitar. When you are happy with your drawing, erase any mistakes and refine your drawing as needed.
Once you feel comfortable with drawing guitars, you can move on to more complex objects. Just be sure to take your time and practice regularly. The more you practice, the better you’ll get!
The benefits of observational drawing
There are many benefits to this type of drawing. When you learn how to draw what you see, you are opening up a whole new world of possibilities for your art. The experience is a great way to improve on a different way of painting and drawing.
Benefits include:
-Sharpening your powers of concentration
-Teaching you to see the world around you more clearly
-Understand form, perspective and shading
-Gaining a better understanding of light and shadow
-Developing your ability to create illusions of depth and volume
Subjects To Use
Choose an object that interests you. Food is a subject that people like because it's easier than a pet. Nature too. Trees, clouds or your home. Once you have chosen your object, the next step is to gather some reference material. This can be photos, videos, or even real life objects. It’s important to get as much information as possible so that your drawing is accurate.
Take your time and be patient. Don’t try to rush through the process.
Tips for observational drawing
When you observe an object, you should take in all of its details. This includes its shape, size, color, and texture. You should also consider how the object is made and what it is made of. By taking in all of these details, you can create a more accurate mental picture of the object.
What Did We Learn?
This article has outlined the steps you need to take to draw an object. Begin by sketching its outline, then add details. Finish by shading in the object. Read article or watch a video to guide you. You can also start with these art boxes from I Create Art:
If you have any questions, please contact us!