People often ask: Why do I need to draw before I can paint? Why can’t I just start painting?
The answer lies in the fact that whatever marks we make with a pencil, we also make with a brush. Color hides mistakes. The best way to learn to paint is to first produce those painting methods in grey scale (black and white)
Starting to paint without understanding what types of marks or strokes you have available to you, will always leave you at a disadvantage. You will get frustrated with yourself not knowing and understanding why some techniques work and some don’t.
There are specific marks used for drawing which also applies to painting.
Formal Line
Formal line is known as Formal line in Painting technique
A line is an identifiable path created by a point moving in space. It is one-dimensional and can vary in width, direction, and length.
Lines often define the edges of a form. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin. They lead your eye around the composition and can communicate information through their character and direction.
- It is a single line with a definite beginning and end.
- Basically it means anything that is man-made with straight lines (like a house) is a formal line.
- The line is of equal width and strength from beginning to end
Organic Line
Organic line is known as Organic line in Painting technique
A mark with length and direction that forms an irregular shape or one that might be found in nature, rather than a regular, mechanical shape.
Value is the lightness or darkness a color or hue. Believe it or not,value is more important than color to the design and success of a painting. Here’s why: Value is used to create a focal point within a painting or drawing.
A mark with length and direction that forms an irregular shape or one that might be found in nature, rather than a regular, mechanical shape.
- Anything in nature or not man-made like a leaf or animal, is organic
- An organic line is normally irregular, with hard and soft, fat and thin areas
Hatching
Hatching is known as Blending in Painting technique
Hatching is the use of fine, parallel lines drawn closely together, often rapidly drawn, to create the illusion of shade or texture (value) in a drawing. Distance between strokes may be varied to allow more or less white space between the lines, or line weight varied to thicken the darkness of the lines.
Depending on the shading effects you want, you can make the individual lines in hatching sets far apart or close together. The main concept is that the quantity, thickness and spacing of the lines will affect the brightness of the overall image and emphasize forms creating the illusion of volume.
The closer the lines are to each other, the darker the value appears. The more white space that is in-between the lines, the lighter the value appear.
Hatching lines should always follow (i.e. wrap around) the form.
By increasing quantity, thickness and closeness, a darker area will result.
Value is the lightness or darkness a color or hue. Believe it or not,value is more important than color to the design and success of a painting. Here’s why: Value is used to create a focal point within a painting or drawing.
- Place the pen on the paper
- Draw from top to bottom lifting the pencil up from the paper after each stroke.
- Draw the next line in the same direction.
- The line has a definite beginning and is normally thicker its starting point, tapering off to a lighter line ending in a point.
- In other words, each line is a separate entity, disconnected from the next line.
- You should clearly see each individual line
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| Hatching value scale from light to dark |
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| Free hatching position 2 |
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| Hatching position 1 |
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| Hatching position 1 and 2 |
Cross Hatching
Cross Hatching is known as Cross Blending in Painting technique
Cross-hatching is a shading technique in which one set of lines crosses over (overlaps) another set. You can cross-hatch in many different directions over each other.
The more layers you cross over, the darker and smoother it will become.
It work in the same way as Hatching (see above) except that the technique gets repeated in layers over each other.
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| Cross-hatching value scale from light to dark |
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| Cross-hatching should go into many different directions |
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| Cross-hatching in position 1+ 2 |
Contour Hatching
Contour Hatching is known as Contour Blending in Painting technique
- Contour-hatching follows the contour or go around the object on the paper.
- It emphasizes roundness.
- By following the shape or contour of the object being drawn you will define its shape.
- Imagine a loaf of sliced bread
- Each slice represents the contours of the shape of the bread
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| Example of contour hatching |
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| Example of very formal contour hatching in position 1 |
Scribbling/Scumbling or Random Hatching Hatching
Cross-Hatching is known as Cross Blending in Painting technique
The Scumbling method involves tiny, random, squiggly marks that resemble the texture of a brillo pad.
It is a organic drawing method., good for highly textured areas.
- Think of a tennis ball of twine or string.
- Random hatching is a less-methodical approach to regular hatching.
- This technique uses varying lengths, widths, amounts, and directions of hatching.
- Creates an interesting texture in your drawing.
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| Scribbling + hatching + cross hatching in all positions |
Scumbling involves making continuous circular marks on your paper, without lifting your pencil. This is good way to fill in different areas with lots of colour.
Stippling
Stippling is known as Pointillism in Painting technique
Stippling uses multiple dots in order to create value.
- Closer dots create darker value, since less white paper shows through.
- Dots that are farther apart create lighter value, since the white paper more strongly overpowers the ink.
- The denser the dots, the darker the apparent shade—or lighter, if the pigment is lighter than the surface.
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| Stippling |
Smooth Shading
Smooth Shading is known as Glazing in Painting technique
- Apply continuous tone, varying your pressure gradually to create smooth shade.
- Create a ‘wash’ with your pencil and make the transition from light to dark in one continuous stroke, not lifting up the pencil
- Start with your lightest pencil.
- To blend pencil, you will need either a Blending Stump or a Tortillon.
Again, another debate within pencil drawing is whether or not to use your finger to blend. I say NEVER!
Your finger is rich in natural skin oils, and every time you touch the paper with your bare skin you are transmitting these oils to the surface of the paper and these oils will not let go of the lead, almost acting like a glue. That’s not a good idea, because adding or taking away lead to these areas then becomes a little tricky, and can compromise the whole piece!
It is for the same reason I suggest you use a piece of tissue to rest your wrist on whilst drawing in pencil. This will also minimise smudging.
- Using a small circular motion like scumbling with your blending tool helps to keep the blending nice and tight.
- Holding your blending tool lower down and minimising pressure exerted on the tool can help gain a good control of this technique.
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| Smooth Shading in position 1 |
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| Smooth Shading in position 1 |
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