Bugsy's New Improved Spread

Bugsy's New wallpaper(pencil, black fine liner, watercolor)

Wallpaper(black fine liner)

This is a page I drew one night while watching TV. The spread looked a bit empty with just the bug so I decided to draw something simple on the other page. I started to draw with a black fine liner and tried not to be too strict with symmetry. First I meant to do just a small pattern but didn't know how to stop drawing until I reached the edges.

I think that the spread looks much better now. It almost looks like Bugsy went shopping for a nice wallpaper and chose this one to look at.

Sudden Sketches

Some Guy I Saw on TV(black fine liner, watercolor)

I was watching TV one day and saw this guy being interviewed. He looked so cool I had to start drawing him. I was afraid that the interview could end in any minute and took some photos to be sure I could also finish my sketch. I drew these two sketches pretty fast and added some watercolor to make the page look more interesting.

Pencils and Prejudice

Lemons and Oranges(colored pencils, black fine liner)

I have never been a big fan of colored pencils, because I like to use a lot of color and with colored pencils the result is often a bit dull. One day I decided that I don't want to be so prejudiced and as a teacher I want to encourage my students to try out as many different techniques as possible. In order to do so I had to get to know these pencils better myself. That is why I ended up ordering a nice, brand new package of colored pencils.

I happened to have some fruits in a basket and chose to draw those. I think this sketch took me for about 20-30 minutes. The colors seem a bit dirty because I didn't want to stop coloring when I should have. I noticed that I can create powerful colors with colored pencils if I want to. Maybe it was about time to give these pencils a change.

The Key Element

Faces(colored pencil, pencil)

Planes(ballpoint pen)

When I had practiced to draw the different parts of a face, I decided to sketch some complete faces. I drew some from pictures and then started to draw from my imagination. This turned out to be quite difficult, because it was hard for me to draw the "empty space" between these awesome body parts I had studied before. I managed to give my faces some shape, but I was hesitating and feeling a bit lost all the time. I realized that now I had found the key element of learning to draw the human face. This "empty space" between all the "important" parts is what connects it all together. Of course it is difficult to draw the parts that you usually don't even notice, but all the different planes on a face makes it recognizable as much as eyes or noses.

I had to take a step backwards and learn to draw the planes on a face. I drew them on pictures I found on magazines until I started to find some repetitive patterns. After that I started to sketch some faces, but now I did't think about the noses and lips or eyes and ears so much. I didn't want them to distract me. I made some mistakes, but I think I made some progress too.

I still need a lot of practice, but it's fine with me. Actually I'm really happy about it. I don't remember when I have been this excited about drawing. Maybe when I was four years old.

So Many Stories

So Many Stories 1(pencil, watercolor)

So Many Stories 2(pencil, watercolor)

My fourth lesson was all about eyes. I have often wondered why so many of my students like to draw eyes. Drawing eyes has always seemed so complicated to me. Well, now that I've tried it, it seems that it's not any more complicated or more difficult than drawing noses or ears or lips. They all have their own set of rules and when you understand them, it gets easier.

I started my eye lesson same way I start every other lesson; by finding models and looking pictures of the day's topic. I used my own eye as a model and looked out some old photos. When I had sketched enough eyes from a model, I started to design my own eyes. The first sketch without a model is always the hardest, but then it gets easier. You just need some courage and patience.

Backgrounds for these sketches were made with water mister and watercolor once again. It's a really quick way to add some color to your sketchbook pages.

Lots of Lips

Lips(pencil, watercolor, water mister)

After drawing noses and ears, it was time for my third lesson, mouths. I took some photos of my own mouth and found some pictures that had somehow interesting looking mouths in them. Then I used these pictures as a model and started to practice. After drawing a few, I understood some basic rules and started to draw without a model.

Drawing mouths is different from drawing ears and noses, because you can move your lips and also show some teeth. Therefore there are so many different possible combinations that I just decided to draw a few different shapes and sizes.

The background was made earlier with a water mister and some watercolors. I think it was suitable for this lesson as it was pink and not too dominant for my pencil sketches.