Học vẽ cơ bản

Học vẽ cơ bản

observe imagine

Sketcher Spotlight: Juan Arroyo

DRAWING

LEAGUE

Draw Your Future

DRAWING LEAGUE

w w w d r a w i n g l e a g u e b l o g s p o t c o m

see what our students are drawing

observe imagine

lessons, I put Drawing League students to the task of sketching accurately from observation Many start out by saying they don’t know how to draw–like Miranda from the San Lorenzo Valley in Santa Cruz, California (See her ink drawing of

an eye shown above to see otherwise.) It gives me great pleasure to help students see the world from a different perspective and make their ideas visible through drawing As the weeks progress, it’s a joy to see students become confident, observant sketchers and to see them unleash their imaginations in creating powerful, artistic compositions Take a look at the drawings on the following pages, and perhaps you will agree that these students appear to take their work seriously too

–Rob Court, drawing coach, founder of the Scribbles Institute www.robcourt.com

Please visit www.drawingleague.blogspot.com to view work by all Drawing League students

Special thanks go to Sandy Mast, Gary Vincent, and Kevin McClelland for making

it possible to bring the Scribbles Institute Draw to Learn program to their Central Coast school districts I’d also like to thank the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center for providing their wonderful facilities for my adult Draw the Moment classes

And, of course, thanks to all the students and teachers I had the privilege of working with during the year

On the cover: photo: Juan Arroyo, Rancho Cielo Youth Campus; apple study sketch by Matt, Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center; abstract drawing by Zach, Highlands Community School Printed and downloadable versions of Drawing League magazine are available online at

www.drawingleague.blogspot.com or www.scribblesinstitute.com

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Welcome to the premier issue

of Drawing League, published by the

Scribbles Institute The purpose of

this periodical is to exhibit student

work and to serve as a forum for their

thoughts about the world of drawing

As our community of sketchers grows

and evolves, so too will this magazine

In this issue you’ll find student work

from Fall 2009 through Spring 2010

The work shown on the following pages

is by high school students in our Draw

to Learn program Participating schools

are in Santa Cruz County, Monterey

County, and the Monterey Pennisula

school district Work by adult sketchers

in our Draw the Moment classes and

workshops is also featured

Drawing League Goals

• Help students to realize their innate

drawing abilities

• Develop each student’s drawing

skills based on his or her

particular interests

• Help students to transfer their

drawing skills to school and/or

work projects

• Guide students in exploring careers

that utilize drawing skills

left page:

1 Skull study by Juan Arroyo, Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, Salinas

2 Aztec god, Tonatiuh by Marcial, Success Academy, Watsonville

right page:

3 Pencil warmup by Emily, Highlands Community School, Santa Cruz

Photos:

Students at Highlands Community School cut loose with woodless graphite pencils while learning about contour edges and tones

Observe, Imagine

The lessons in our programs are designed to build strong observa-tional skills and develop the power

of imagination–essential tools for students of all ages This issue of Drawing League is devoted to works from observation and imagination

As our students learn basic drawing skills and techniques, they also learn about the elements of visual art:

lines, shapes, patterns, form, texture, space, light, and color We’re proud

to exhibit student work from the lessons Enjoy!

“It is not enough to believe what you see, you must also understand what you see.”

–Leonardo da Vinci

photo: Adult sketchers at Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center (SCM Art Center) learning to layer Prismacolor pencils

1 Contour study of flowers

by Michele, SCM Art Center

2 Impressionistic sketch of the form and color

of an apple by Allison, SCM Art Center

3 Contour, tonal sketch of squash

by Matt, SCM Art Center

4 Contour, texture, tonal study of artichoke

by Allison, SCM Art Center

5 Contour, texture study of pumpkin

by Miranda, Highlands Community School

6 Contour, tonal study of sea shell

by Lizette, Salinas Community School

Observation

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4 5

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3 Impression of a lily by Shaylah, Highlands Community School

right page: 4 Helen, from SCM Art Center, snaps pics of her

contour study sketches of an artichoke and squash

5 Contour line and tonal value drawing of an aloe plant

by Lorenzo, Monterey Community Day School

above photos: Sketchers at Star Community School

Developing strong observational skills is a primary

focus of Drawing League students On the first day

of class everyone draws with lines and shapes while

learning to measure proportions Students progress

quickly as they learn about form, contours, and

tonal values They draw from photos, real life, and

artwork by masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Van

Gogh, Degas, and Kandinsky

From Tentative Beginners to Confident Sketchers

Compare lessons done by Drawing League students on their first day of class, to their more advanced work shown on pages 4 and 5 Shown above, clockwise, starting at top:

puffer fish by Helen, SCM Art Center; toucan by Lorenzo, Monterey Community Day School; crab by Shaylah, Highlands Community School; dinosaur and frog (lesson

on overlapping) by Leydi, Salinas Community School;

crab studies by Raquel, Star Community School

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1-3 Study sketches and final drawing of a

dragonfly by Sharon, SCM Art Center She

‘blocked in’ basic shapes for the dragonfly’s

wings and body in her studies; then made

corrections for the position of wings and angle

of body before finishing with contour lines.

4 Drawing by Sharon, SCM Art Center, shows

negative space around the egret with contour

edges and tonal values

5, 6 Study and final drawing of an egret by

Allison, SCM Art Center Her study shows

how she used the negative space around the

bird to find accurate proportions Allison’s final

drawing shows contour edges and how she

used tonal shading and erasing highlights to

show the form of the egret

Realistic drawing can be a challenge for beginners

as well as advanced sketchers Learning about negative space and contour edges are pivotal lessons in perceiving realistic, accurate proportions Drawing League students learn to

‘think’ on their paper as they sketch basic shapes before finishing with contour lines Drawing on top of, or through, mistakes in measuring proportions is emphasized

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photos: objects await the observant eyes and diligent sketching hands of students from Salinas Community School (top, right) and High- lands Community School

7 Stapler by Arianna, Highlands Community School

8 Canine skull by Pedro, Salinas Community School

9 Antique iron by Thalia, Monterey Community Day School

10 Lantern by Jamee, HighlandsCommunity School

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Stipple Effect With Ink

Technique

Sketching Like Vincent Van Gogh Working from drawings by Van Gogh, students studied perspective, composition, and textures.

White Pencil on Gray Paper by Matt G., Highlands Community School

By Nathaniel, Success Academy

By Shaylah, Highlands

Community School

By Val, SCM Art Center By Elvis, Highlands Community School By Nathaniel, Success Academy

By Hilda, Highlands Community School

3D Perspective

By Miranda, Highlands Community School

By Brianna, Star Community School

1 Classroom ceiling by Zach, Highlands Community School

2 Classroom by Emily, Highlands Community School

3 2-point perspective by Matt, SCM Art Center

4 Classroom bookshelf by Patty, Highlands

Community School

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Imagination is more important than knowledge.

–Albert Einstein

“

”

Spontaneous drawing by Emily, Highlands Community School

Einstein by Keeley (left) and Hilda (right),

Highlands Community School

1 2-point perspective by Natalie, Highlands Community School

2 By Natalie, Highlands Community School

3 By Patty, Highlands Community School

4 By Zach, Highlands Community School

5 Inspired by the artist Mondrian, by Bryan, Salinas Community School

6 Inspired by the artist Kandinsky, by Darrian, Success Academy

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2 By Zach, Highlands Community School

3 Abstract drawing by Brian, Monterey Community Day School

4 By Wells, Rancho Cielo Youth Campus

5 By Zach, Highlands Community School

right page:

6 Abstract by Zach, Highlands Community School

7 Abstract by Lizzy, Star Community School

8 By Matt G., Highlands Community School

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Although he doesn’t consider himself an artist, if you ask his classmates who the ‘artist’ at school is, they’d probably name Juan Arroyo Juan attends Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in Salinas, California and is passionate about drawing “Drawing is important for me because I love to draw what I have inside of me and what I imagine,” says the soft-spoken senior.

Whenever Juan wants to pass some time in school

or at home he picks up a pencil and draws, and draws, and draws His consistency all year long in drawing class is amazing After finishing his daily lesson he effortlessly jumps into a drawing of his own, often straight from his imagination or from reference pictures When asked what inspires him

he simply replies, “Silence is the inspiration for

me, sometimes music.”

Juan Arroyo

Age: 17

School: Rancho Cielo Youth

Campus, Salinas, California

Hometown: Salinas, California

City of Birth: Michoacan, Mexico

Favorite Music: Mexican

Pets: Dog

or from his imagination, his pictures depict

historical scenes, symbolic stories, or surrealist

compositions One can see the strong influences

of his Mexican heritage and the local street art

scene in his work As a sketcher, Juan is largely

self-taught and enjoys experimenting with a

variety of drawing media His latest work with

4B and 6B graphite pencils on large-format

paper captures the viewer with bold strokes and

powerfully-shaded tones

Juan Arroyo is planning to study criminal

investigation after graduating from Rancho

Cielo But we can rest assured that his enjoyment

of drawing will be a part of his future Before

getting back to the elaborate drawing on his

desk he quietly says, “I just draw for fun and

because I like it.”

The size of Juan Arroyo’s pencil and graphite drawings shown range from 8.5 x 11 to 18 x 24 inches

Imagine yourself playing your favorite sport

Forgetting all limitations, you perform flawlessly

and are unstoppable as you tally up point after point

You’re in a state of mind where time is suspended

and movement flows without having to think of

fundamental skills This is called being in the Zone,

and it is the state of mind you want to strive for

while drawing

Being in the Zone is when the intense concentration

on what you’re drawing gives way to effortless

zen-like pencil strokes It’s as if your drawing hand takes

on a mind of its own, while lines and shapes flow from

your pencil tip For beginning and advanced sketchers

alike, finding this blissful state of transcendental

drawing can prove to be elusive and challenging

Highlands Community School sketchers show that doodling is

a great way to drop into the Zone.

Baseball legend Yogi Berra famously said, “Ninety

percent of hitting is mental, the other half is physical.”

And so it also goes in drawing: much of the process

is mental, even before pencil meets paper Letting go

of preconceived notions about drawing and training

yourself to see like an artist will help you start

mental conditioning Taking your drawing skills into

the Zone–and staying there for extended periods of

time–takes a special mindset indeed

3 Ways to Draw Yourself Into the Zone:

Be the Pencil: Visualize Drawing

Like an athlete in training, envision yourself with

pencil in hand, poised and confident, your arm

gliding effortlessly through long, graceful arcs

Picture yourself laying down guidelines and accurate

construction lines, making corrections, and finishing

your drawing with artistic flair The artist Andrew

Wyeth once said, “I dream a lot I do more painting

when I’m not painting It’s in the subconscious.”

Eliminate Distraction

Music can help you focus and get deeper into your drawing Maybe the sounds of ocean waves or wind rustling through trees will trigger your mood for inspired sketching For Juan Arroyo, a high school student in Salinas, California, silence is his preferred mode for getting in the Zone It’s important to find a special place where you can focus on matters at hand, silence your inner critic, and draw out your

inner artist

Be Spontaneous

Random acts of doodling are excellent for prying open the doors of creativity and stepping into the Zone Experiment Loosen up your line work Draw

on top of mistakes: let errors and corrections add to your composition Embracing mistakes, then getting past them, gives way to the spirit of discovery And then the real fun begins!

Drawing can be a very productive meditation

Whether drawing from observation or imagination,

it takes effort to find the Zone, just like when you’re playing sports But with practice it gets easier and easier to naturally drop into it Keep pencil to paper, push your drawing abilities into uncharted waters Suddenly, unexpectedly, you’ll feel the cerebral shift

as the gravity of the Zone pulls you into its orbit

Once there, each pencil stroke will feel like it’s being channeled from a fearless, profound place where anything is possible –Rob Court

Star Community Sketchers in Santa Cruz, California, share an iPod

as they work through a challenging observational drawing lesson.

In the Zone: Becoming One With Your Pencil

DRAWING LEAGUE

w w w d r a w i n g l e a g u e b l o g s p o t c o m

If you’re a Drawing League student and want to submit work for our ‘Live 2 Draw,

Draw 2 Live issue, talk with Rob after drawing class

Learn Basic Drawing Skills for Work, School, and Enjoyment

For info about our books and classes for Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Jose, Counties go to www scribbles institute.com

for parents, teachers, students, business owners, artists, designers, engineers, corporate executives, retirees

—anyone with the desire to learn basic drawing skills and apply them to everyday life

What Do You Want to Draw Today?

drawing Printed and eBook editions are available Our publications

and videos are devoted to serious fun in drawing

From acncient pictures on cave walls,

to Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific renderings,

to present-day sketches on an iPhone,

drawing remains an essential tool used by

cultures the world over

Whether you’re interested in drawing as a

hobby or on the job, the Scribbles Institute

is here to help you get started Learn to use

drawing for expressing ideas, taking notes,

organizing information, solving problems,

and creating visual art

Draw to Learn lessons are designed for

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