Today’s assignment is to make a very small 3-5 minute sketch of this owl (or bird, or creature, or whatever you think it is).

Materials
– pencil
– index card (or paper cut down to about 3″x5″)

Instructions

  1. Spend a moment or two just looking at the above image.
  2. Now start drawing in a loose, sketchy manner. You can draw lightly at first as you make your first marks, placing the head, body and tail on the paper.
  3. Try to place the bird in the center of the paper like the photo above. However, don’t worry if  your creature is too big for the page…. Rather than erase or start over, just continue the drawing “off the page.” (In other words, don’t try to “squish” the entire bird on the page, but keep the proportions as true as possible and let the tail, or whatever, just go to the edge — and off — of the page.)
  4. How does your hand feel right now? If it feels tense, take a moment to shake it out, take a deep breath, and continue with a lighter touch.
  5. Don’t erase on this one… if you make an errant line, just go back to where you went astray and redraw it.
  6. Keep building your drawing, adding more and more detailing (button eyes, fabric creases, etc.). You should look at the photo reference about 60% of the time and your paper about 40% of the time.
  7. In this photo it’s unclear how the top of the creature’s head is shaped… make your best guess!
  8. Scribble in shading in the darker areas (if you have trouble, try squinting your eyes).
  9. Stop when you feel finished, or after no more than five minutes.
  10. Try not to judge your results, especially if you are new to drawing.

Extra credit: Ask yourself if you were comfortable working at such a small scale. If you have time, try drawing it again twice as large and see if it’s easier for you.

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    ART GIVEAWAY: Drawing from page 45 (Lab 13: Eyedropper Faces)

    I’m giving the above drawing away, but you have to DO THE ABOVE ASSIGNMENT before you can leave your comment! (However, you don’t need to upload it or show it to me… I will believe you!)

    You have over the weekend to draw your creature and leave a comment… I will pick the winner on Monday, July 12th at noon Pacific Time! Happy, happy drawing!