Using an electric sharpener is a fast and easy way to get your pencils to pointy perfection. Art isn’t about fast and easy though. Are we actually hurting our colored pencils by using an electric sharpener with them? You can sharpen colored pencils in an electric sharpener, but be sure to be very gentle with …
Drawing
Guest Post by Leah Harris What is Form Drawing? Form drawing is the study and repetition of drawing symbols, shapes, or figures. When practicing form drawing, you can practice drawing shapes like blocks, triangles or trapezoids, or patterns like zig zags, Zentangles, and swirls. Form drawing can also mean the repetition of drawing the human …
There’s nothing worse than spending money on nice art supplies only to find that they’ve dried out, gone bad, and expired once you sit down to use them. This is definitely something you have to worry about with paints, but what about colored pencils? Do colored pencils go bad? Colored pencils do not go bad …
Drawing from reference falls into a sticky territory. Is it bad? Is it cheating? Is it actually helpful? There’s a common misconception that drawing from reference is the same as copying, but it’s not. In fact, you could end up with a very original and unique piece, even after using a reference photo. Drawing from …
We’ve all dreamed of being great artists; pulling out our pencils and quickly drawing a masterpiece that we can be proud of. But, anyone who has tried to draw a perfect picture on a whim knows that it isn’t easy. Can it be learned though? How hard is it to learn to draw? It is …
There’s nothing like opening up a new blending stump, tortillon, or kneaded eraser. Mainly because they are so clean! But, even if you have old blending tools and erasers, there’s still hope. You can clean them and get them back to new. To clean a blending stump or tortillion, rub the tip of it with …
You pull out your brush pens, ready for a great session of lettering or drawing, only to find that your brush pens are all dried up. What gives? Brush pens are amazing tools, but sometimes they can be a bit fragile. You leave them alone for a bit and they simply shrivel up. Luckily, there’s …
Colored pencils and crayons are classic art mediums. We all have memories of both of them dating back to our youngest art years. In a lot of ways, they seem really similar, yet, they have some really important differences well. In the debate between colored pencils and crayons, which one wins? Which one is better? …
There’s a huge difference between light and grainy colored pencil drawings, and dark and vibrant colored pencil drawings. We all want the dark and vibrant option, but it can seem really hard to do. Is there some secret trick to achieving this professional-grade colored pencil technique? To darken colored pencils, focus on putting down multiple …
Learning to draw can feel like a long and slow process. But, it doesn’t have to be. With concentration and effort, there are ways to improve your drawing skills, fast. A lot of times, it’s just about practicing your drawing skills in the right way instead of the wrong way. To be clear, there isn’t …