Purpose: This article is to emphasize the impact a quick drawn line can be as opposed to a slowly drawn line. Depending on which style you are using, quick lines may give you better results and improve production time, hence cutting down costs. This IS NOT a tutorial on how to draw, but a tutorial emphasizing quick strokes.
“I can’t draw a straight line!” I’ve heard this one many times before, and the truth is neither can I. I’ve had so many people tell me, they used to draw when they were little but now want to learn again, only to say “but I can’t draw a straight line.”
In art, especially in the field of cartoons, illustrations, line is vital to making something look like a million bucks or foobar. Lucky for you, I’m going to show you a neat little trick to making your line look like a million bucks. Truth be told, applying the correct line weight can vastly improve the overall look of any piece of art.
1. When drawing, always use an anchor point. Rest your hand/palm on the drawing area itself, or use your pinky. True, some artists, actually many trained artist do not need and anchor point, and I will explain in a bit, but for now, if you’re still learning, you must anchor yourself!
2. Use fast strokes, forget about going slowly and getting all the detail. When making the base of your drawing there is no need in drawing slowly; I actually tell you to do otherwise. Use quick strokes, you’ll be surprised how much straighter a line will be. I know this sounds counter-intuitive but it’s true. Use quick strokes to build your base foundation of a drawing. If you’re just starting out drawing, go crazy. Don’t hold back, let your imagination flow. Don’t get caught up in trying to make everything perfect the first time around. I think speed drawing has been neglected in drawing all together, and is a subject that should be taught. If you’re a freelance illustrator, this can mean sleeping regular hours or busting your butt til’ the crack of dawn, trying to get something to look right. I’ll write a blurb about this in the future, but for now lets make those lines look sexy!
"1 minute" Start out by drawing your foundation. Go crazy, cross over other lines, overlap your lines, just keep your hand moving. Use fast strokes, that's the key, don't worry about detail at this point. Just don't draw too dark because it is only your foundation.
"2 minutes" If you started out correctly you should have a bunch of lines, now choose the lines you want to use and make them a tad darker. I usually go over the same area a couple of times to make the lines darker. Be careful not to press down into the paper because you don't want the line to get "etched" in.
3. Draw in the details. After you have the foundation of your drawing down, go back and fill in the details. Pay attention. It’s as simple as that.
"6 minutes" At this point you should have the lines you chose darkened. Now go back and start filling in the shadowed areas. Again, be sure not to press down too hard on the paper.
"11 minutes" Remember, fast, deliberate strokes. We're working on speed!
"16 minutes" Fill in the shadow areas. Don't worry about crossing over other lines. If you don't press down hard to the point the graphite becomes "etched" into the paper, you can still erase, no problem.
"21 minutes" Now go back and erase areas that need erasing. If you didn't etch the graphite in, you're OKAY!
4. Add line weight and thickness. Adding those different strokes to give some character to what your drawing. If you look at DaVinci’s drawings or Michaelangelo’s sketches, you’ll notice that they vary their own line thicknesses dramatically. This is a detail that most beginning artist don’t realize. Varying line weight and thickness also adds depth to a drawing. Use it, and use it well.
"24 minutes" After 24 minutes, I've been able to produce a mockup for a client, or just the foundation for some art. This piece is no where near done, but if you are required to produce something more visually appealing for creatively impaired, this helps. I found sitting down with clients, and speed drawing is the best remedy for coming up with a design that will work the quickest--both for the client and me. Remember, speed is key to cut down cost, so draw fast--worry about the details later, this is a rough draft!
5. Remember, the most important thing is to practice your speed, which means your strokes you use to draw a line. Don’t worry about not getting it to look right the first time through. After a while you’ll get the hang of it. Even if you’re drawing level isn’t where you want it to be, just keep on practicing fast strokes.
mentor! i hope all is going well!