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Drawing - Back to Basics

© Suzanne Hill

Illustration, while perhaps difficult to differentiate from fine art, seeks to convey a message or illuminate an idea with as much clarity as possible. It's been said that the difference between fine art and commercial art is that fine art sells itself and commercial art sells something else. Indeed, many practicing illustrators follow a traditional fine art training and then decide they want work with a practical function. Whatever the path chosen (traditional or modern), whatever the project (ad or website), all illustrators base their work on freehand drawing abilities. In fact, as stated on the ArtLex site, "drawing is the basis of all pictorial representation." The challenge in drawing is to depict a three dimensional object on a two dimensional surface. While the art of painting relies on depiction of mass or area to convey its pictures, drawing uses lines. They can be as simple as those in a rock petroglyph or rock carving: though simple, the object or symbol and the idea conveyed by the picture are obvious. (For a superb site on the Lascaux cave paintings visit www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en when you have a moment to explore!)

After choosing the medium (pencil, charcoal, wash, conté, pen & ink) and surface (type of paper or board), the artist enhances a drawing with shading, texture, and an apparent light source. These things will make a drawing come alive. Of course there are endless ways to enhance a drawing -- it's difficult to know where to begin describing the process. Most representational drawing training begins with a study of basic forms. Remember the cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones that you practiced in Drawing 101? Your teacher undoubtedly put a strong light source upon them to enhance their shadows and highlights. These are the essential basic shapes that artists practice often. They can then readily reduce their subjects or areas of interest into these basic forms. They learn to see these planes and shapes in still life objects, landscapes, drapery, and the human form. (For an exemplary rendition of light, shadow, figure, perspective, see Honore Daumier's Third-Class Carriage - click on the link to The Third-Class Carriage.)

Using a strong light source to bring out shadows and highlights is very helpful for drawing shape and form. That's why your art teacher says, "Draw what you see." Sketch in the dark areas first. I remember the first time I was given the task of drawing my eye up close - it was the first time I had really LOOKED at my eye, noticed its spherical shape, noticed how it reflected light but also cast shadows, noticed the tiny flat plane along the edge of each eyelid, noticed exactly where the lashes extended. Or sketched my mouth - is there a "line" at the edge of a lip?

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