Week One: Lines & Shapes

It was great meeting all of you last Friday! Everyone jumped right in and started drawing-- there was paper all over the place! Overall, everyone caught on quickly to holding the pencil on its side (overhand grip), and moving your whole arm and shoulder while drawing. You also got the hang of drawing light lines (guidelines) before drawing darker outlines to finish. This Friday, we'll be drawing again with lines and shapes and we'll explore overlapping. Your lessons are shown below. Be sure to click on your drawing to view it larger. --Rob

Shaylah

Excellent job of trying lots of sketches using guidelines for basic shapes. I really like how you sketched lots of shapes for the puffer fish until you got one that you liked. I can see that each drawing shows improvement of your final, darker outlines. Stay with practicing your curved and angled outlines, you'll be amazed at what happens. Overall shape of crab, angle of legs and position of eyes is very good. Check the size of the crab's claws compared to its body. Should they be smaller or bigger? For info on outlines click here. Info on lines and shapes.

Gage

I like how you started with the basic shapes of the crab and fish, then added your own details such as the chipped teeth in the crab's smile. What makes your puffer fish interesting to look at are the angled lines you've drawn for the pointy spines. Excellent job of adding curved lines for the fins. The way you've used curved and angle lines, it's easy to see the round form of the fish's body. I'd like you to try some other lessons to challenge you a bit. For intermediate lessons click here. Also, here's a link to info on light and shadows.

Jared

Great job of making a lot of study sketches with guidelines before drawing your final outlines. I like the facial expression of the crab you drew. As you sketched the puffer fish more times, the overall shape of the body began to improve. You've got a good eye for drawing what you're looking at (excellent shape of the fish's body), you just need to take more time and practice drawing the edges of the shapes you're looking at. For info on outlines click here.

Craig

Cool crab! I like how you used basic shapes to draw the crab, then added features like the huge eyes. You used powerful bold lines to create an interesting drawing style. You did a good job of drawing guidelines for the shape of the crab. Practice using your outlines to show the accurate edges of things you're drawing. For info on outlines click here.

Lief

Great job of making lots of sketches with guidelines and darker outlines. I like your various study sketches of the puffer fish... you tried a lot of ways to show the fish's facial expression, and each one improved. You also improved with each new drawing of the crab. I'd like you to keep practicing sketching lighter guidelines for the shapes of things you draw. Take your time and keep comparing your drawing to the picture you're looking at. For info on outlines click here.

Jaime

You did a wonderful job of drawing the details of the puffer fish such as the overall shape of the fish's body. The curved lines you made for the mouth help to make the form of the fish look round. I like how you added angled lines to show the fish's spines. You've got a good start on looking at things and drawing them. Practice making darker outlines to finish your drawings. For info on outlines click here.

Ricky

Good job of sketching guidelines before making your final bold outlines. Cool expression on the crab's face. You included all the details of the puffer fish, including the puffed cheek and curved mouth in your drawing. Nice job of adding the shading, too! Compare your drawing to the picture of the puffer fish. Is it the same? Practice taking your time when making your guidelines and final outlines. For info on outlines click here.

Elvis

I really like the expression you've given the puffer fish. The curved line of the fish's mouth makes its mouth look round. Also the curved line for the edge of it's fin makes it look natural. You did an great job of using bold lines for the fish and the crab. Good use of light guidelines then drawing darker outlines. Check the size of the crab's claws compared to its body. Should they be larger or smaller? Keep practicing sketching guidelines and comparing your the shapes in your drawing to the picture you're looking at. For info on outlines click here.

Michael

Alright, you were able to get the hang of drawing while holding your pencil on its side! Good job of sketching the light guidelines of the crab and puffer fish. Also, nice job of drawing the position of the crab's eyes and angles of the legs. Check the size of the crab's legs compared to its body. Should they be bigger or smaller? You've got an excellent start with drawing darker, final outlines... try making them more and more accurate as you draw the edges of things. For info on outlines click here.