Friday 26 August 2022

The Fundamentals of Drawing

I just finished a summer art course called "The Fundamentals of Drawing." Each week in class, we drew and shaded a freehand rendition of a black-and-white photo using graphite pencils (2B, 4B, and 6B were the ones I chose).

I'm very pleased with how mine turned out, all things considered. They help to overcome the memory of my attempt at watercolour balloons, LOL! My bruised ego has been soothed.




My Jack Russell terrier looks more like a fox 
because I made its muzzle too long and narrow. D'oh!


This is a leafy bush in long wild grass,
in case it's not immediately apparent what it is
(and it might not be, LOL!)


In my defence, the kid's toque (knit cap/beanie/bobble hat)
was ridiculously large in the photo too but,
on reflection, I think I overdid it in the drawing.



52 comments:

  1. Love them!
    Pencil drawing always brings (to my untrained eye, of course) a level of depth and detail to drawings that you don't see with other tools.

    XOXO

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  2. Toque - such a fine Canadian word. Nicely done. Your drawing skills are primo.

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  3. I have liked all your artwork Debs....buy must say I think you found your niche with the pencil!!!! These are all spook good!!!! My favorites. I'd gladly hang any of these.

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  4. Great drawings, Debra. You have talent!

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  5. Very nice. You are so talented. The seagull is looking at me. Cute dog.

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  6. Nice shading there. You must be pleased. What's the size?

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  7. Not only do I like your work, I like the fact that you challenge yourself, something a lot of us might not do.

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  8. Love all of them Debra - keep it up.

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  9. @ Boud == These were all done on 12" x 16" paper.

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  10. I felt stunned and speechless when I saw this flawlessly awesome and fascinating art of your's.
    Proud of you and hats off to you dear Debra you proved once again you Rock!

    Each pencil art is really beautiful. You are truly an inspiration. I loved them so much

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  11. Those are all great! Such talent you have.

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  12. Wow! Very well done my friend. These are all excellent and what a great idea to take a black and white photo. Have a great weekend.

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  13. I didn't think your balloons were that bad, Debra, and I like your courage in sharing them. It's too easy to imagine artists making beautiful creations that just pour out with little effort, perfectly executed. I think that idea discourages people from attempting art. Your seagull is amazing! And I really like your bush in the grass. I knew exactly what it was, because I've taken too many photos of bushes in grass. lol! You captured it well. Have a great weekend!

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  14. I can see you with your pencils trying to decide on the last finishing touch. "Hmmmmm, 2B or not 2B".

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  15. They all look great to me! I loved the gull and the rose ~

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  16. Yay! More Debra art!

    Why is that gull giving us the side-eye?

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  17. I wish your activities could inspire me to get back into drawing. You do such beautiful work.

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  18. @ Old Lurker -- It's eyeing those French fries you're eating and trying not to look too obvious about it before swooping in and stealing some.

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  19. You did a terrific job with these!

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  20. These are wonderful. And frameable. I love pencil drawings.

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  21. You really have a great talent for drawing animals -- your sea gull is perfect and witty at the same time! And I prefer to think of your dog as a Fox Terrier, LOL!

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  22. Those are great! Thank you for sharing them. Each drawing tells a story. I don't know how to do this, but it is very cool.

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  23. these are wonderful. i love to do pencil sketches.

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  24. I really like the rose. Maybe I'll try drawing someday.

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  25. These drawings are very good! I used to paint nudes in the younger years. Again, pencil sketches are similar to black and white photography in a way emphasising on texture and shades.

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  26. I think they’re perfect.
    I’ve been watching YouTube’s and learning to draw can help with painting
    So maybe I’ll add that to the list of new things to learn
    One day I’m going to very clever lol

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  27. What's not big enough in the sketch of the kid in the toque is the puddle he's stomping in.

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  28. "In my defence, the kid's toque (knit cap/beanie/bobble hat)
    was ridiculously large in the photo too but,
    on reflection, I think I overdid it in the drawing."

    Or does it only SEEM as if you're overdoing it? Just as truth is stranger than fiction, so too, a photo can be stranger than a drawing.

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  29. Oh WOW, your drawings are just gorgeous! Of course, I also immediately recognized the bush in the grass. As for the Jack Russell Terrier's muzzle, it may be longer than on the photo, but it has personality. And besides, as a viewer, I tend to look at the beautiful eyes.
    Happy weekend and all the best from Austria
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/08/mallorca-reisebericht-teil-5-tag-9-bis.html

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  30. These are wonderful! Such a talent you have! Thank you for sharing them with us. Maybe the kid has a lot of hair and it's all stuffed into the toque... :^)
    E

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  31. Lovely work. I'm looking to be more creative when I retire.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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  32. Thanks for sharing wonderful drawings. You expressed the feel of materials fully.

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  33. Your description of the leafy bush in long wild grass, made me laugh. I really like your pencil work. Excellent!

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  34. You have a very keen eye! I very much enjoyed them all, but especially liked the pepper, your sweet-looking pooch, and the bush in tall grass.

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  35. I am beyond impressed with your artistic skills!

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  36. all are great but I like the young child about to jump off the glacier the best. Hey while I'm attempting a joke, I wondered about toque. Back in the 60's were there lots of jokes about offering/asking for a toque vs. toke?

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  37. oh Debra...........you are really good...

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  38. @ Bill Lisleman -- Good guess but actually, no, there weren't a lot of jokes because "toque" is not pronounced anything like "toke." Despite its spelling, it's pronounced like the word "too" with a soft "kuh" on the end. There are variant spellings of "toque" that might make this clearer, such as "touque" and "tuque." There, you've had your first lesson in Canadian-speak, LOL!

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  39. Thanks for the lesson. I was saying something that sounds like "toke" and it sounded wrong. I even tried it in Spanish and that sounded even more wrong. Touque it is, or even tuuk would work. We are communicating in English, so all rules are arbitrary.

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  40. Absolutely phenomenal detail

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  41. These are fabulous, Debra! Way to go you!

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  42. yes yes yes
    pencil remains my favorite way to make art.
    good for you!

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  43. I liked the one with the kid with the brain swelling. His bravery in the face of his medical crisis is inspiring.

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  44. @ Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness -- I can always count on you, Cal. LOL!

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  45. oh my! i LOVE your drawings! they are wonderful!!
    love & magicks
    ~*~

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  46. Wow, wow, wow. I love that rose - it captivated me.
    Roses are a favorite subject of my art, which can't compare to yours. Yours is exquisite.

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