The mountains of Santa Cruz are a great place to practice drawing fast. While on a mountain bike ride, I completed the ink study shown above in just a few minutes. Being able to draw anything, anywhere—fast or slow—is how I like to roll. Continue reading Fast & Furious or Slow & Curious?
All posts by Rob Court
It’s Okay to Copy the Other Guy’s Drawing
From our earliest days in school we learned that copying other students’ work could result in serious consequences, sometimes even a failing grade. But if you are a drawing artist, copying the other guy is a necessary virtue for improving your skills. Continue reading It’s Okay to Copy the Other Guy’s Drawing
There’s More to Drawing Than Meets the Eye
Much is written about the obvious connection between seeing and drawing. A lot of my time spent with students concerns training their sense of sight. Consistency in vision is an essential component in learning to draw. But what if there is another sense that is equally important in guiding you while drawing from observation? Continue reading There’s More to Drawing Than Meets the Eye
Are You Chicken?
“Yes,” answered the rooster, a stoic creature of few words, precariously balanced on the studio pedestal. But Thursday’s Drawing Lab students had a different answer. Continue reading Are You Chicken?
Drawing Humans: Our Fascination & Fear
My students often tell me their scariest challenges are drawing realistic human figures, faces, and hands. When I tell them drawing human beings can scare me too, they seem surprised. We all need to spend more time building our skills to overcome our fears.
Carrying a sketchbook can help you log practice time. Every sketch you do helps you overcome the fear of figure drawing. A single vantage point, while sitting on a bench in a nearby park, provided many figures to practice in my sketchbook, as shown above.
Learning to draw the human form can be intimidating. But at the same time we are easily captivated by its complex anatomical structure, movement, and beauty. Continue reading Drawing Humans: Our Fascination & Fear
Aren’t You Glad You Have Your Sketchbook With You?
Lucy and her mom, Jamey, are students in our Draw With Your Kids program. While vacationing, they sent us the above photo in an email last week.
That unexpected bolt of inspiration can strike anytime, anywhere. It could be the sight of a colorful flower, a folded jacket left on a chair, the movement of an orchestra conductor’s baton, or an arrangement of umbrellas on a beach. Continue reading Aren’t You Glad You Have Your Sketchbook With You?
The Key to Successful Drawing: Looking for the Basic Structure of Things
Whether sketching buildings or humans, Drawing Lab students learn to attack their studies with the same key strategy: Find the basic structure of your subject before going to a finished drawing. Continue reading The Key to Successful Drawing: Looking for the Basic Structure of Things
At The Drawing Table
Sometimes, after a hectic day, you look forward to going there just to hide out and sketch. Other times it is waiting for you, before the sun comes up—a cozy place to set a warm cup of coffee, open your favorite sketchbook, and draw to your heart’s content. Having a table set aside in your home for drawing is essential for gathering your thoughts and doing deep creative work. Continue reading At The Drawing Table