We’ll begin with the absolute essentials like how to set up your workspace. This will not only make it easier and fun for you to practice, but it’ll also help you avoid postural problems as well as make your artworks better.

Next, you’ll learn how to properly hold and control your pencil.

These things might seem really simple, but many of the most common problems plaguing new artists stem from not knowing these basics.

By mastering these aspects from the beginning, you’ll be able to improve much more quickly.

Accompanying the lessons are fun exercises with printable worksheets that will help you put the concepts into practice.

Once your hand dexterity has improved, you’ll learn the measuring skills that every artist needs. You’ll discover how to measure angles and distances to make your drawings accurate and proportional.

Then we’ll go through step-by-step exercises that will help you master these concepts. We’ll begin by drawing simple 2D shapes and gradually progress to more complex subjects.

For this, we’ll be working with the classical drawings of Charles Bargue. These famous Bargue drawings have been used to train artists for hundreds of years.

And in this course, we’ll be using them to learn skills like accurate measurement, shape design, and simplification.

By the end of this section, you’ll have a firm grasp of how to measure what you see in order to draw anything accurately.

Being able to draw from your imagination is one of the most important and sought-after skills an artist could have. Although it might seem difficult or even impossible, any beginner can learn to draw from imagination if they understand the right concepts and techniques.

In this section, you’re going to learn the foundational skills and perspective principles that will allow you to do just that.

We’ll begin by learning the basics of perspective drawing. You’ll learn concepts like the horizon line, vanishing points, line convergence, and how to use them to create 3D objects and scenes.

We’ll cover how one and two-point perspective works… and then we’ll go through step-by-step exercises where you can practice drawing simple boxes and modify them to create a variety of shapes.

Once you’re comfortable with constructing boxes, we’ll apply this knowledge to drawing actual 3D objects from your imagination. We’ll do this from both one and two-point perspectives.

Now that you have a good understanding of how to draw boxy objects, next, we’ll cover curved objects. You’ll learn the simple rules that explain how ellipse and circle perspective works and how to use them to draw cylinders at various angles.

Then we’ll go through a bunch of different exercises where you’ll learn how to combine boxes and cylinders to create all sorts of everyday objects.

Lastly, we’ll dive into drawing spherical forms. Again, you’ll learn how to use perspective to create three-dimensional spheres.

And we’ll go through lots of examples of how to use this knowledge to draw even more complex subjects.

By the end of this section, you’ll have a good understanding of how to draw boxes, cylinders, and spheres and how to use them to construct more complex objects from your imagination.

To most people, the ability to put line and tone on a flat page and create a realistic drawing can seem almost like magic.

In this section, we’re going to demystify the shading process and show you exactly how it’s done, step-by-step.

We’ll begin by breaking down the different elements of a drawing and how they come together to create the illusion of form. You’ll learn about the value scale and how to manipulate it to create different effects in your art.

Then you’ll learn about the different types of edges and how to use them in a drawing.

We’ll analyze master artworks as well as go through hands-on exercises so you can see how to apply these concepts to your art.

Next, you’ll learn all about how light works and how to use this knowledge to create dynamic drawings. We’ll use diagrams and animations to help illustrate the concepts and you’ll come away from this section with a deep understanding of the theories behind realistic shading.

Then, we’ll put all the principles and concepts into practice with step-by-step exercises. We’ll begin by drawing and shading basic forms like the box, cylinder, and sphere.

Once you’re comfortable with the basic forms, we’ll move on to drawing more complex still-life objects like a book, a cup, and an apple.

Don’t worry if these projects look intimidating, I’ll carefully walk you through the entire process of constructing the lay-in all the way through to a rendered finish.

Now that you’re comfortable with the basics of shading on white paper, the next section will build on this to take your rendering skills to the next level.

We’ll learn how to work with toned paper where you’ll use a white pencil to create the highlights.

Toned paper is my favorite method of drawing because it allows you to shade more quickly and with less work while still achieving the same level of realism as regular white paper.

And it also results in really high contrast dynamic drawings.

In this section, you’re going to learn the different ways to use toned paper to make your artworks more exciting.

We’ll begin by going over the materials you’ll need as well as some basic shading exercises to get you comfortable with this medium.

You’ll learn how to create a toned value scale and how to shade a basic 3D form.

Then we’ll progress to drawing a variety of still life and organic subjects. We’ll start with a simple wooden figure, then a porcelain teapot, and then a human eye.

You’ll be able to see the entire process laid out in a step-by-step way, from the initial lay-in to applying all the shadows and highlights.

Once you’re comfortable with shading on grey toned paper, I’ll introduce you to drawing on black paper.

Here, we’ll only use the white pencil to create the highlights and allow the black of the paper to stand in for the shadows.

This style of drawing can create very high contrast and dynamic drawings (even more so than regular toned paper).

And by learning to shade on black paper, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the principles of rendering.

Once again, we’ll learn through a series of easy-to-follow step by step exercises.

We’ll start with a simple drawing of a candle. Then we’ll move on to drawing a glass cup. And finally, we’ll end with a bird.

By the end of this course, you’ll know how to use toned paper to create awesome artworks and be well on your way to become a well-rounded and knowledgeable artist.

Key Things You’ll Learn in This Course

• The most common mistakes beginning artists make and how to avoid them
• How to spot proportional errors in your drawing and fix them
• How to use a variety of lines and marks to create dynamic drawings
• How to draw the boxes, cylinders, and spheres & combine them to create any objects you want
• How to analyze objects so you can understand their structure and draw them with ease
• Understand how light works and use this knowledge to create realistic drawings
• How to use hard and soft edges to make your drawings more three-dimensional even without using any shading
• The ONE most important rule to remember whenever you are shading a drawing
• What to look for when selecting photo references in order to make your drawing 10 times easier
• How to apply atmospheric perspective to add depths to your drawings
• How to design backgrounds that will make your subject leap from the page
• How to use cross-hatching to make your shading more exciting
• And a whole lot more!