Rebecca Zdybel - Myrtle Beach Artist and Art Instructor: Elegant writer calligraphy pen

Saturday, May 16, 2015

30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 16- Drawing Your Drink

30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 16- Draw Your Drink

Can it be that we are on the second half of our 30 Days of drawing? Here we go...we're on a roll now!

Drawing food or drink is an easy way to find a ready subject to draw. Try drawing while waiting for a friend who's late for a lunch date. When traveling, create an art journal and record the restaurants or meals you eat. I'm sure at this point in the challenge you've found that drawing is just plain fun! So let's continue with today's challenge will be to Draw Your Drink. I have a lot of instructions, so let's get right to it.

Highlights are created by painting around them Treat highlights as shapes. Look closely...they are there and will glint brightly with big jumps of value if you're drawing glass. For this sketch, I used the Elegant Writer Black marker and watercolor for the yellow tones.

Materials to use for this Challenge:
Elegant writer marker
water container
brush (small/medium round is fine)
Watercolor or watercolor pencil, acrylic ink, or watersoluble crayon for color

Step 1: Get out something to drink...it's getting hotter and you've got to stay hydrated ;-)
Step 2: Note where your drink is located and mark it's location on the table (in case you move it or you get thirsty and take a sip)
Step 3: If you have a camera, iPad, or a cell phone, take a photo before you get started. This is important: Take the photo from your viewpoint in the chair you plan to sit in. This is because your perspective matters and will change the entire drawing if it changes. This photo will be your back-up in case the drink moves or in case you move. It will also be a way to "check your drawing". (I use this technique all the time when drawing on location.)
Step 4: Now draw your drink. Note any highlights on the glass or shiny surface. Draw that highlight as a shape...oval, square, rectangle, cone.
Step 5: Note the top of the drink container is usually round. However, if you view something round from an angle it becomes an oval or an elipse. The top of the drink will generally be the same as the bottom, so you may be able to make two of the same ovals once your get the correct shape. If the container isn't transparent or the shape of the container is different from top to bottom, then the top and the bottom will be different. Remember this hint: The bottom of glasses are not flat so don't draw a straight line! There are no straight lines on a curved surface.
Step 6: Once you draw your drink, note any shadows your drink is casting...either on the surface of the table or within if the glass is transparent.
Step 7: Once you finish the drawing, you can add color to it with whatever you choose.
Step 8: Take a photo of your drawing and send it to me...text or email is fine.

If journaling and traveling are something you enjoy doing, or would like to do, you should join me October 3-10, 2015 for my Eat Paint Cook Tour of Tuscany! There is still room if you hurry...

Click this link Now! Rebecca's Eat Paint Cook Tour of Tuscany

Here are a few drawings from Fellow 30 Day Challengers...

I think this is drawing a rounded form from Day 11- but nice formatting!

Day 14- Elegant writer makes these simple studies so easy!

Day 14

Nicely done again everyone! I can't wait to see your drawings and share your favorite tools and see what you're drinking ;-)

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor

Art Lessons in all media

Myrtle Beach, SC

rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

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Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC. Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

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Thursday, May 14, 2015

30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 14- Pen and Wash with Elegant Writer Calligraphy Marker

Cool Tool for Pen and Wash- Elegant Writer Calligraphy Marker

Drawing is not what one sees but what one can make others see. 

Edgar Degas

The day has arrived to officially try the Elegant Writer brand marker! If you haven't already experimented with this little gem, then you're in for a pleasant surprise. I love sketching with this marker...it lays down values and gradations of value very quickly, and is archival and permanent once it's set with water.

My sketches using black Elegant writer calligraphy pen animated with water and brush.
Additional Black water soluble Stabilo Woody crayon was washed into the background of the wine glass.
To get the highlight on the rim and along the stem, I painted around that area of paper to leave it white.
This is a classic watercolor technique called negative painting...

Materials for today's Challenge:

If you haven't purchased your black Elegant Writer pen yet, then run out and get one.
Here's a link to Amazon.com: Elegant writer- Black extra fine point

Elegant writer calligraphy marker in Black (Extra Fine Nib) or other water soluble writing tool (Staedtler Mars Graphic 3000 marker in black is also good for this exercise)

Paper that can withstand water application- watercolor paper or multimedia paper

brush (small/medium with a pointed tip will do)

paper towel or kleenex

water container

something you'd like to draw from around your house...something from your shelf or an item which you think looks interesting (you can try something you did before using this pen, or draw something new)

Step 1- Do a contour drawing of your item with elegant writer pen. If you are very nervous about this, you have permission to use a pencil and then trace the lines with elegant writer.
You don't need much ink for this challenge, so be sparing with the amount you put on the paper
Step 2- Look for shadows. If you have light edges around the outside of your subject, then think about making up a shadow outside the edge to make the edge appear lighter.
Step 3- Gather a brush and container of clean water and a kleenex or paper towel. Bring the wet brush to the ink and watch it move! Use your kleenex to control the flow. Wherever there is water, the ink will be able to spread, so if you don't want it to be darker, keep it dry!
Step 4- Once finished, take a photo and send it to me before the end of this challenge and I will try to include it in a future Drawing Challenge blog.

It's so fun to get these photos from all of you! Just so you know you're not alone...Here are a few of your fellow challenger's sketches:

Day 11

Day 12

Keep up the good work...we are almost half way through our 30 days of Drawing! I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge. If you're enjoying this challenge, please share it with your friends =)

Rebecca Zdybel