I love birds. I love brids' pretty feathers, plump bodies and quick, jerky movements. At my parents' house I have a little
budgie named Zoe. Her cage is by the computer and she chirps and sings and throws seed at you until you pay attention to her. And a few years ago I found a little pink newborn bird in our parking lot. I took it in and fed it cat food dissolved in water (ironic, eh?) and it grew into a beautiful
house sparrow named Kevin.
Though I love birds, I've never drawn them before. I can do a cartoon penguin OK, but as far as a
serious painting, not really. One of my aunts LOVES
titmice (titmouses?) so I thought I'd start with that particular species. Here's how I did it:
How To Draw Something You've No Idea How To Draw Using Your Favorite Music
You will need:
sketch paper
pencil
eraser
computer with internet
a large selection of your favorite music
perseverance
bravery/lack of artistic inhibition/courage
enthusiasm
1. Go online and
google what you are trying to draw. Use the "Image" search page for better reults. Right click and save any and every
photograph that has a
clear representation of your desired subject. I say go only for photographs and not artwork because you want to develop your own interpretation of the real thing, not imitate another artist's style. Other sites to try are
Deviant Art and
Flickr.
NOTE:
This isn't violating copyrights if you do not keep or use the images beyond this little exercise. Your sketches will be basic enough that they will not be in violation of the photographers' artistic rights.
2. Make sure that you have saved all the photos into a folder devoted just to them. Open the first image in an image browsing software that will allow you to skip to the next photo with one click or one press of a keyboard button (I use Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, for example, and can scroll through the photos using an arrow key).
3. Gather up your paper, pencil and eraser. Get comfortable and have your computer at arm's reach.
4. Press play for your first song. Begin sketching the first image up on your screen. Guess what? You have only until the end of the song to finish your sketch! So think overall picture and don't immediately focus on the details. I try to establish a general outline, and then go over the entire sketch pruning and refining, and then if I still have time left I zone in on details.
5. As soon as the next song begins to play bring the next image up on your screen. Sketch until the next song. Repeat until your run out of images or songs or patience. :)
You should notice that as you sketch, you will begin to get a feel for whatever it is you're sketching. For example, with my titmouses (titmice?!) I noticed that the wings are attached to the sides of the bird--for some reason I always thought the wings would be on top of the body. And I noticed that their knees bend backwards! Didn't predict that one. Also, you should find that though your first sketch will most likely be comical, your last few sketches should be quite an improvement.
What do you think of this method? I'd be interested in what other sketching games are out there that you play to help improve your skills. :)
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