The importance of iterative development

At the start of this tutorial series, we mentioned lots of practice is needed to become much better at making good looking art. So, how do we go about completing this "lots of practice?"

We complete lots of practice quickly through iterative improvement loops. How do these improvement loops work?

Let's use the example of trees we saw in the video above. Before this lesson, you may have had something like this:

An attempt at drawing a tree

If you couldn't make the drawing at all in the previous lesson, you are now equipped with knowledge of basic shapes. Now you can start with any of the basic shapes. For example, this could be your first iteration of a tree.

A different attempt at drawing a tree

Does this attempt look much like a tree? Probably not. Why not? Well, trees have tree trunks, and this circle does not. In a new drawing, we can add a tree trunk.

A new iteration of a tree

To me, this looks more like a tree now. What if we try using different shapes instead? I'm happy with a rectangle to represent a tree trunk, but maybe a circle is not always the best way to present the clusters of leaves.

A new attempt with different shapes

This version looks more like a pine tree. By experimenting, we can learn new things about how to draw different subjects. In the future, if I want to vary the types of trees in my drawing, I can use a mix of different shapes for the tree tops.

Where do I see room for more improvement? Well, many trees have multiple branches, they don't look quite as simple as what we have been drawing so far.

A tree with branches

Now, what if we want our trees to look, more tree-like, and less like a bunch of shapes added together? This is where we build on the basic shapes. The shapes are only the guidelines on top of which we make our drawings. How do we know how to add textures and finishing touches that make the basic shapes look like our subject? By observation. Observe the world around you. Observe from references on the internet. There's a bit more about references a bit later.

Converting basic shapes into trees

I tend not to erase my guiding lines, mostly because I do not focus on polished artworks. If you use a pencil and paper (and an eraser) you might want to erase the guiding lines (the basic shapes) once you are done. However, that's up to you.

With the subject your chose, you can go through the same process that we went through above with the trees.

Throughout these examples, and in the videos, you would have seen me add notes next to my different drawings. I also tend to number them in the order I drew them in. For me, this is how I document my process and my learnings. As mentioned in the previous lesson, these notes are how you will communicate across time, how you will communicate with your future self.

This way, if you have an amazing idea that you just can't seem to get right even after several tries, you can write lots of notes and leave it to a future version of you to come back and do the idea justice. In my 1000 paintings I do this all the time:

Number 1, 50, 100 of the 1000 paintings: Elf girl

That's why it's really important to keep your old drawings if you can. Try not to erase them completely if you are using a pencil. Keeping these drawings will also help you see your improvement over the months and years.

Drawing with different tools

Speaking of erasers and pencils, you don't have to use these tools to follow these tutorials.

There are many tools you can use while following this tutorial series.

Examples of different tools you could use

As we break things down into basic shapes, let’s talk about sketching and pen pressure. When I first sketch the basic shapes, I use as little pressure as possible, with a few pen, pencil, or brush strokes. I want to keep the basic shapes as light as possible because I will build upon them.

For a pencil, it’s a lot easier to control pressure, but it is also possible with a pen and other tools as well. How I calibrate my arm when sketching is by running the pencil slightly above the page several times, with each time bringing the pencil slightly lower, until it barely touches the page. The aim is to leave a mark on the page that is very light, so it’s easy to get rid of (or not, if you prefer how it looks when you leave it). These lighter marks will be easy to ignore after you have thrown down the darker lines as you start to turn the basic shapes into the thing you are trying to draw.

Video demonstration with a pencil

For a pen, pressure is a bit trickier to manage. If it’s the first time I’m using the pen for a while, I will draw scribbles on the side of a page to make sure the ink is flowing smoothly. 

Video demonstration with a pen

The process of moving the pen above the page is the same as with the pencil, but requires a lot more sensitivity. It will likely take more practice before you get used to the feeling. I recommend practicing a few more basic pen strokes somewhere on the side of the page away from where you actually want to draw.

For a digital tablet, I am currently considering making a beginner's video tutorial on how to use different drawing software. If you are using a digital tablet and want to see this tutorial, please leave a comment below.

More on references

There are different types of references you can use. Traditionally the advice I've seen is that you should reference from real life if you can. If that's not possible, then high quality photos. And if that's not possible, photos, and finally other artists' artwork.

Why that order?

1. The real world is in 3D (and 4D when you are more advanced and trying to capture movement, or a moment in time). Photos are 2D and it's difficult to learn the full shape of the subject in detail from photos (you can't walk around a photo of a tree, but you can walk around a real tree)

2. High quality photos are better than low quality ones because they have more detail in them.

3. Typically we avoid referencing other artists' art to learn what a subject looks like. This is because, especially as beginners, it's very easy to also learn that artist's mistakes or bad habits when depicting the subject. We can reference an artist's artwork when we are learning how to emulate part of their style, eg if you like their composition, their choice of colour, etc. However, that is not quite something for level 0 beginners

References are important because they help you understand how things actually are, not how you remember them to be without studying them. We have a habit of simplifying the information we receive or see; a tree becomes a few symbols, a simple outline.

A simplified version of a tree

By comparing with references, we can understand our subject better.

Reference photos from a Google search

In this case I noticed that tree tops tend to be less like circles and more like semi-circles. This is something I realised after looking at many photos of trees.

Here, I picked a photo I wanted to use as my main reference and tried to copy it. I noticed there were many clumps of semi-circular shapes for the leaves, and followed the overall shape of the tree in the reference photo. It's not a perfect replica of the photo and that's ok, I just wanted to learn to draw the features of trees more accurately, not this particular tree perfectly.

Reference photo vs drawing based on reference

A brief introduction into shape language

Different shapes naturally evoke different types feelings from us. For example, circles tend to be soft, squares are strong, and triangles are aggressive. There is more to shape language than that, but here we only introduce the concept to reinforce the idea of storytelling with our art.

What types of shapes should you choose for your subject?

A drawing of a cat made up of different basic shapes

Well, it depends on the story you want to tell.

Exercise: combine basic shapes with storytelling

As an exercise, think of what story you could tell with your subject, something a bit different or more interesting than what you’ve been drawing up to now:

• Think about what interesting way you could tell a story with your subject

• Plan your drawing

• Draw your subject starting with basic shapes

• Build on those basic shapes with details of your subject

• Use references when you get stuck on the details (or on the foundation basic shapes)

You can always go back to your list of things you want to learn to draw, and combine a few subjects together to tell a story.

A person finding their cat stuck in a tree

You can have a lot of fun and do a lot with just the basic shapes.

When you have made lots of drawings and are tired of only using basic shapes, then it might be time to move on to the next lesson.