How Collage Fodder can put a SPARKLE into your Life - Painting & Drawing Tips

Art has Secrets!!

Secrets that only 'MEMBERS' know.  

Collage Fodder Stickers can Make anything BETTER

It is like playing a game on the internet with one of your grandkids.  You follow the rules and they have all these key strokes that you don't know about. 

"Tag that box, Grandma," my grandson will say, "you will get 2000 more points." How does he know this stuff?  There are no signs, notes, nothing.  But when I tag the box, I get 2000 points.  Doesn't help though.  He will beat me anyway.  He knows ALL the SECRETS.  

I have a Secret for you - Collage Fodder.  

It has great wealth and power in the Mixed Media World of Art but it can also how great power in Your Life.  What is it? you ask.  The simple definition is 'anything that can be used for a collage'.  That means collected things like wrappers, memorabilia, patterned papers OR more importantly, handmade things like prints, patterns, pictures.  

But Collage Fodder does not have to stay in the Studio. . . .

Collage Fodder can put a SPARKLE into your LIFE. All those pretty patterns and papers can be introduced to your Daily Life.  

*** Check out my Collage Fodder Pages (see Menu above) Collage Fodder Secrets 

***My YouTube video: Collage Fodder Can put a SPARKLE into your LIFE   has further discussion 

Let me show you how it SPARKLES in mine.  

Really - Which book Invites you to Sketch??!!

I like to journal, note take and sketch, so I have looooooooots of books.  This little book is 4 x 5 inches.  Great to slip in a bag and pull out anywhere.  Very inexpensive, but very drab.  This is one of my Collage stickers, adds a Sparkle, right?

Special Memories from my Trip to Italy 

Stickers are not just for covers.  I like to decorate the corners of my pages long before I use them.  Definitely brings a smile to your face when you open a blank page and find a little "Sparkle" in the corners.  For my Italy sketchbook, I put symbols of Italian life in the corners. 

Let me help you Get Sparkling . . . .

You can try some of my Instant Downloadable PDFs or draw your own. 

 

Working on my Mushroom Twosomes Page

I love to take a theme and run with it.  I went through my mushroom book and founds some interesting shapes to draw.  Had lots of fun setting up these little guys with their partner.  

Poppies, Daises & Flowery Labels Make for Great Sticker Fun

Once your page is full, scan and print on full size sticker paper.  I was colouring mine with felts but I found the Avery sticker paper will take a light wash of watercolour too.  Want to get Coloured Stickers, I am working on that for you too!! Poppies are done but others coming soon!!. 

Why should Kids have all the fun, Get SPARKLING your day with stickers.  Even the grocery list looks more inviting!!!

*** Check out my Collage Fodder Pages (see Menu above) Collage Fodder Secrets 

***My YouTube video: Collage Fodder Can put a SPARKLE into your LIFE   has further discussion 

 Want to Draw with Confidence?  

Contact Me for:

 Private Drawing Lesson: (3 Sessions 2.5 hr each $250)  North Langley, BC (Walnut Grove) 

Do you want your animals to breath, your flowers to sparkle or your people to walk?  Whatever subject your like to paint or draw I can build a drawing program for you.  Private Lessons allow you to focus on the skills you wish to develop.  Wendy is a experienced teacher, providing a calm, relaxing experience as you learn how to use the principles of drawing.  Beginner to Advanced are welcome.  Special rates for younger students.  Contact Wendy for More info

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Watercolour- Really?? Wet by Wet? - Painting by Drawing Tips

No, Not a Misprint - Wet by Wet, is a Watercolour Technique

POPPIES, FULL OF LIFE - watercolour mounted on wood cradle, 14 x 22 inches, $850

Painting watercolour wet into wet is the norm and certainly a technique most watercolourist employ at some point in their work.  I certainly struggled with this method many times as I learned to paint.  And yes, it is now something I do in my work.  But the more I painted the more I realized it doesn't tell the whole story.  Working with my latest picture, Poppies, Full of Life, I realized I really wasn't working wet into wet. . .

I was working wet by wet.

In the true sense of the wet into wet technique, you mix the colours on your paper.  Adding one colour to the other when they are wet.  The colours will mix, or not, depending on the pigments as they move about the space.  They will certainly give an array of  colour you can not get with a simple brush strokes.  Definitely, one of the reasons why watercolour is such a special medium.

So what is Wet by Wet?

Paper is wet, a colour is down but the new colour is added beside the other colour, not into it.  Sounds easy enough but as you know, when it comes to matching water and pigment, nothing is that simple in watercolour.  

Wet by Wet - notice the space between the colours and the bleeding of colour into the neighbouring one.
Close up from - Poppies, Full of Life

In my Close Up from Poppies, Full of Life, you can see how the new darker green pigment is being added to the area around and into the lighter green and but only close to the red poppy suggested in the background. Notice how the pigments bleed together making a soft edge but still keeping their own areas of colour.  This is the big difference between Wet into Wet and Wet by Wet.  With Wet by Wet, the two neighbouring colours are not changed only their edges are affected.  (See more on the painting of the background of Poppies, Full of Life on my last post, here)

This 'softness' is the key . . . . 

Poppies Full of Life - WIP - notice how the edges within the poppies are soft (middle flower) and the edges in the background are all soft

Why the soft edge?

A soft blended edge is needed in many places within a painting.  Looking at Poppies, Full of Life - WIP you can see it:
1.  In the background to suggest leaves, branches, other blossoms
2.  Within the blossoms to suggest petals, shadows, highlights
3. Within the leaves and buds to give a gradual colour change rather than a sharp one.

Special Note: In this particular painting, I particularly liked the loose, plush look of my flowers which is a different look to one that is created through layers of glazing.  I did some glazing later to add the deep shadows and define the markings.  

Close up of blossom BEFORE final glazing for shadows - Note the loose, plus look the blossom has.  Only needed to add the shadows with a bit of glazing. 

How to do Wet by Wet . . .

Okay, now you are not going to be very happy.  This technique is a balance of water, pigment and doing a single stroke.  This is a no 'fiddle around' technique.  (You know,  you touch the brush again and again to an area, rather then one stroke and leave it - Fiddle Around) You will need to practice this technique a lot,  to get the balance of water and pigment correct.  Also, when using new colours, I would suggest doing a little test first.  You never know when your pigments might have their own idea when they touch.  

Things to note:
1. Works best on good watercolour paper. I use Arches 140 taped down
2.  Paper is wet but not sopping and warped.  
3.  Brush is wet but not dripping
4.  When you touch the paper with the brush the pigment moves out slowly not spreading quickly
5.  Let things dry naturally, no blow dryer.
6.  The amount of pigment on your brush is determined by what you are painting.  You only get one swipe so make it a bit darker than you think as your paint dries lighter.
7. Work quickly as your paper/paint dry quickly
8.  To wet your paper if too dry, use a fine mist over a larger area than what you need. 
9.  Apply paint with as few strokes as possible (no Fiddling) 

Lots to think about I know, but worth the practice.  I find I use this technique in some form all the time in my work.  Keep at it.  You will be happy when you have it.  

Other things you might be interested in:

Using Glazes to Finish the Background

The Secrets of Watercolour Paper

Painting those Pesky Backgrounds

Looking to move your Drawing Skills to the Next Level?

Contact Me to Register ↓↓↓↓

Upcoming Drawing Classes: 

Sunday, September 22 & 29, Beecher Place, Crescent Beach, S Surrey. 1-3pm. $40 ea.
Part 1: Get that Line Drawing Right - Sept 22
Part 2: Values, Light & Shadows - Sept 29
Beginners to Advanced Welcome.  Come to one or both.      

Drop-In and Draw
Monday, September 30, 1-4pm Beecher Place, Cres. Beach $20.  Get tips on old projects or new. 

Contact Wendy to Register and for more information.  

OR Book a 3 Pack of Private Lessons with Me - 3 Lessons 2.5 hr each $225
Based on your Schedule at my Studio, N. Surrey. 

September 19-30 I will be at Beecher Place with Art Theo featuring Art by myself, Doris Biddle and Donna Schipfel.  During our stay we will be offering classes and showing/selling our work. I have Drawing Classes on the Sundays (Sept 22 & 29)  and a Drop-In Session (Sept 30)  for those that want to practice more from the classes or would like help in their own projects or starting new ones.

Doris will be offering a 2 Day class working with Acrylics $80 and a Ceramic Painting class $45.  Donna will be offering 2 classes on Watercolour on Rice paper $40 ea.

FYI

I am scheduled for a Demo at Opus this fall: 

 Drawing: Values, Light & Shadows - Saturday, Oct 19, 11-12:30 or 2-3:30 Free 

Contact Langley Opus to Register  604.533.0601

My Etsy Store is always OPEN: Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Originals, Prints, Commission Work and Instant Printable Cards for all Seasons available.

Be sure to like and share my posts to keep me coming into your box, 

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

How Many Planes does your Painting Have? - Painting & Drawing Tip

Background, Mid-ground, Foreground

Do you struggle in the planning stage?
How Much? How Little? What Colour? What size? . . . .?

POPPIES FULL OF LIFE - WIP - 14 x 22, Vanished Watercolour on Wood Cradle

As a wildlife artist I find planning is a big part of my work.  Whether it is a bird or animal, it rarely sits/stands/looks exactly how I want, in the place I want.  I have to create an environment for my wildlife.  

This means building Backgrounds, Mid-grounds, Foregrounds . . .

Ok, you might say, there is a bit of reprieve.  When I look at my work, it seems I put my wildlife in the mid-ground.  I think that comes from my strong belief that my wildlife must be 'in' my environment.  Foreground placement strikes me as having it 'on top of' the setting.  And putting my birds and animals in the background seems to make them small and unimportant. So yes, the Mid-ground does plan itself.  

DEER ON THE BEACH - 11 x 14 matted unframed $225 - I like my Subject in the Mid-ground.  Log and sand in the Foreground and Sky and sand (suggested) in the Background.  

So, my modus operandi is:  Background - subject - Foreground

Now the question is What should they look like?  

Foreground 
This is an easy one.  I don't want to cover up my subject so there is usually a branch, leaf or rock suggested here.  Not a lot of things, just something to suggest Foreground: Placement 'inside' the setting.  

Background
This is the big one.  I have struggled with it over the years and tried various things.  From Abstract to Realistic to the Big White Space.  (See Post Have you De-Cluttered Your Painting for a discussion on no Background)

After working with "The Big White Space" I found my picture "Poppies Full of Life" an interesting contrast for my study on Backgrounds.  (Strangely enough, it isn't based on wildlife.  I love the poppies in my garden, what more can I say) In order to paint the picture I first needed to paint the background.  

Things I noted as I worked:

1.  My poppies were very complex so I needed a background that was both realistic and had depth but didn't detract from poppies.  

The black and white version gives a better view of the complexity of the Background.  There are many layers suggested but few specifics.  

2.  There needed to be a strong Powers of Suggestion - several layers - to give complexity.  I was trying for 3 or 4 layers.  I think I achieved it, in the middle and lower potion.  Closer to my focal point. 

All of the colours in the background are present in the other planes.  Not always the same value but certainly the same family.  

3.  It was important to include all the colours in the Mid & Foreground in every plane, in order to tie everything together. An isolate colour will look out of place and draw unwanted attention. 

4.  Seeing the background filled in with my subject area open, gives me a good check on my composition.  I felt that I had arranged my poppies in a pleasing, interesting way.  

5.  Planning the values for each plane needed a lot of thought.  Where the focus point was, the lowest bloom, I needed the darker values in the background for a strong contrast.  The other blooms needed to be interesting and not compete with the focal point.  So their background value needed to be lighter to allow for less contract between the planes.  

Once I was satisfied that my background was basically set I moved on to the flowers.  I will leave that to my next post.  I did a lot of mixing wet into wet that made a very lush look for my poppies.  I was very excited about it and thought you would want a more lengthy explanation as to how that worked. I feel that I really nailed it.  I hope you do too. 

Painting Backgrounds is a subject that has interested me a lot.  I have talked about it many times.  Here are a few posts on the subject, you might find interesting.  If you put 'painting backgrounds' into my search box on my blog you will get even more articles.  (Yes,  I have struggled with it and talked about it a lot.)

Backgrounds that Paint Themselves 
What's Going on Back There
Painting Those Pesky Backgrounds

Looking to move your Drawing Skills to the Next Level?

Contact Me to Register ↓↓↓↓

Upcoming Drawing Classes: 

Sunday, September 22 & 29, Beecher Place, Crescent Beach, S Surrey. 1-3pm. $40 ea.
Part 1: Get that Line Drawing Right - Sept 22
Part 2: Values, Light & Shadows - Sept 29
Beginners to Advanced Welcome.  Come to one or both.      

Drop-In and Draw
Monday, September 30, 1-4pm Beecher Place, Cres. Beach $20.  Get tips on old projects or new. 

Contact Wendy to Register and for more information.  

OR Book a 3 Pack of Private Lessons with Me - 3 Lessons 2.5 hr each $225
Based on your Schedule at my Studio, N. Surrey. 

September 19-30 I will be at Beecher Place with Art Theo featuring Art by myself, Doris Biddle and Donna Schipfel.  During our stay we will be offering classes and showing/selling our work. I have Drawing Classes on the Sundays (Sept 22 & 29)  and a Drop-In Session (Sept 30)  for those that want to practice more from the classes or would like help in their own projects or starting new ones.

Doris will be offering a 2 Day class working with Acrylics $80 and a Ceramic Painting class $45.  Donna will be offering 2 classes on Watercolour on Rice paper $40 ea.

FYI

I am scheduled for a Demo at Opus this fall: 

 Drawing: Values, Light & Shadows - Saturday, Oct 19, 11-12:30 or 2-3:30 Free 

Contact Langley Opus to Register  604.533.0601

My Etsy Store is always OPEN: Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Originals, Prints, Commission Work and Instant Printable Cards for all Seasons available.

Be sure to like and share my posts to keep me coming into your box, 

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Art Battle - A Full Report - Painting & Drawing Tips

OMG!!!

Was that FUN!!

Scary. Challenging. Overwhelming. Surprising. Rewarding.

Ready to BATTLE - 25 minutes to Create

It was awesome to feel so supported and encouraged.  A special thanks to the many readers who came out to the event.  It was truly wonderful to have you at my back, your comments, smiles and attention really filled my evening.  I felt like a ‘celebrity’!!  (Not to worry, I am back to normal now. 😜)

Art Battle Report

What!! I am in the first Round! . . .

That was the start of this event.  No chance to see how others handled this medium, I was in the first group.  I tried to settle my nerves and organized my materials.  3. . 2. . 1 . .  Start! 

Thank goodness I had practiced.  I found I was able to blank out my surroundings and just settle into my painting.  Practicing with the pastels was a good idea. There was a lot of similarities in terms of blending colour and blocking in colour.  In the end, being in the first round was good.  I was able to relax and watch the other rounds and not worry about my performance. (What did I practise, you ask, see last post  Art Battle Here I come)

Some of the Competition - Every style was there

Being under the spotlight was Awesome! . . .

What a Rush, when they introduced me.  Felt so special.  While we painted people walking around the circle and watched.  Actually it wasn't that bad having someone look over your shoulder.  Only a few spoke to me, which was good as I really needed to focus to paint.  But for the most part I was in my zone and really didn't notice them.  I was shocked when I looked up at the end and saw how many were there.  

When I finished it was Unbelievable. So many people wanted to take my picture and to have pictures taken with me and my picture.  I felt like a winner.  

My Struggle was REAL. 

I'm in What? - The Championship Round! . . .

OMG!  I had practiced a few pictures for a second round but not that carefully.  I think I was afraid I would jinks myself.

Championship Round Underway - Lights, Camera, Action! (Thanks to Diane for this great picture)

Suddenly I was wishing I spent a little more time on that second idea.  I needed something different and so I went to my poppies.  I love drawing them and I thought that the soft creamy oil paint would give me a great flower petal.  

Working on my Poppy, nearly done

What a Thrill. . .

Finished my picture, people were cheering and clapping.  Again, lots of pictures and congratulations.  Wow.  Definitely a Moment in the SUN for Me. 

Had to show you this one, thanks to CJ for sending me the Picture

The Winners (Thanks to Diane for this great picture)

The awards were made, Fiona Tang - 1st, Sarah Power - 2nd and Myself 3rd.  (Right to Left)

My Takeaways. . .

If you decide to go into Battle, I have 2 pieces of advice.  One, practice your image ahead of time.  With all the things happening and emotions flying, you will find it very hard to 'wing it'.  And practice a second image, for the finals.  (You never know.)   Two, set some goals.  Mine were to relax and enjoy myself and paint good pictures.  I achieved my goals and more, getting into the Championship Round was a wonderful bonus.  

A Super Night - Thanks Everyone!! 

A Special Thanks to Melissa Burgher and Joanne Dennis for all their work in putting this event together.  And Super Special Thanks to my daughter, Cathy, who came and took LOTS of pictures of the whole Event.  

Have you gone into battle before?  What are you thoughts?  Takeaways?

Well Spring is coming fast, my trip to Italy will soon be here.  So you know what time it is for me - Sketchbook Time.  Next post, Let's Get Those Sketchbooks Humming!!

My Etsy Store is always OPEN: Etsy - WendyMouldsArt

Originals, prints and Instant Printable Cards for all Seasons available.

Time to Register

May 1 - Workshop Day for Spring Show - South Burnaby

Want to experience the joy of watercolour?  Learn about the supplies? See paint in action as you create your first Masterpiece?  - Join Audrey and Myself on May 1, 10-12pm for a Beginner Watercolour Class - $40 all supplies incld. 

Itching to create but want some direction? Want to make exciting cards and notes for the special people in your life? Add design to your sketchbooks and journals? - Join Myself and Audrey on May 1, 1-3pm for a Creative Card Class - $40 all supplies incld.  This year's theme: Flowers and Ladybugs.  

Audrey Bakewell and Myself include this Workshop Day as part of our Spring and Fall Shows at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby.  Both classes are very popular and fill up very quickly.  

REGISTER NOW

SPRING SHOW:     Paints'n Bloom Workshops & Art Show & Sale

 in Support of the Alzheimer's Society of BC

 Thursday, May 2  to Saturday,  May 4 

Gardenworks at Mandeville Gardens, 4746 Marine Dr, Burnaby

Workshop Day: Wednesday, May 1 

10-12pm - Beginner Watercolour Class

1-3pm Spring Card Making Class

$40 ea. All supplies incl. Beginner to Advanced Welcome

Registration Happening Now Contact Wendy 

 Be sure to like and share my posts.

You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page.

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy

Get those Values Working for You -Painting & Drawing Tips

Have you ever finished a painting and felt it just looked flat?

There is no life to it.  Yet, you planned, worked hard and tried everything.  

Where did you go wrong?

Bright Bold Poppies - One of my favourite things to draw.  Especially in Ink.

Take your painting, photograph it and then turn it into a gray scale picture.  (You can do this easily with the Edit feature in Photos on your phone or Ipad.  It's a great little feature.)  When you see the picture in gray scales, without the distraction of colour you have a much better feel for the values that are in your work.  This is where the Magic happens.  It is the strength of the values that can turn that flat shape into a Dense, 3 Dimensional Mass that really seems to come to life. 

Seeing Values in Action - The MAGIC Element of Art

Here is a drawing of the poppies from the last post (see here)

Take a look at the poppies you worked with in my last drawing post.  In that post you completed the line drawing.  The drawing gives a sense of Depth and Mass because of the layering; petals in the back, the center, petals in the front, stems and little leaves and flowers layered on the page. I love the look of ink but adding graphite (values) can make it even more interesting.

Add some values - I used a pencil but you painters can use paint.

Here is one of the poppy with one value on it.

Yes, this poppy looks pretty 3 Dimensional, but not because of the shading.  It is more the work of the stem and the little leaves that gives it Volume.  The graphite almost flattens it. It is all one value.   Cover up the stem area as you look at it and you will see what I mean.

Here is my Poppy Reference. If you want to try the drawing, Contact me if you would like a better reference file to work with.  I would be happy to send it to you.

Now study the picture reference and add the values.  (I used a 6B pencil for the darker areas and 2B for the lighter areas.) Work by layering your graphite.  Using circular strokes build up your darker areas, always blending them into the lighter areas.  Yes, you can use just a 2B pencil to put in your values and use lots of pressure to get the darks.  I prefer to use a variety of pencils to get my darks as it requires less pressure and I get more texture on my paper.  I am not flattening the tooth of my paper with lots of pressure.

Some things to note: 

You have a value scale of 1 to 10.  1 is white and 10 is your darkest dark.  There are no 1's or  10's on the petals.  You need to keep your values inside of that range.  The white (no. 1) needs to be saved for the main poppy on the right.

When shading the light petals: the petal on the far left is the lightest, the one on the far right is next and the light petal off the center at the back is next. 

When shading the dark petals: the front petal has the darkest areas and the back petal is not as dark. None of the petals has a full Value of 10. 

The only 10 is just where the flower, leaves and stem meet.  Notice how that really grounds the flower and gives it that sense of life you are looking for.  You can see the same affect on the lower poppy where the darks have been done in ink.

Poppy with full Values

Now this is a POPPY.  The darks and lights of the graphite really give that Poppy mass.  It definietly looks alive, open to the sunlight. 

As you work with your drawings and paintings you need to always be comparing the values; who is lighter, who is darker and who is the same.  Go back to that gray scale picture of your painting/drawing.  How do those values compare? Punch some of them up and drop some of them back.  You have a scale of 1-10, make sure you use all of it.  Working on pencil drawings really helps to sharpen your sense of values. 

 Working in colour really doesn't change anything.  There is still values to be modulated only now it is done with your colour choices rather than graphite.  Often artists comment that it is really not the colour that is important it is the value.  As you can see from the two painted pictures I have included their volume is developed with the values of the colour.  I even played around with colours with my gull to emphasis that.

READY FOR MISCHIEF - 5 x 7 - $135 (Matted, unframed)
Note how the dark values create his Mass, your eye totally accepts the strange colours (green, orange, purple) When the value is right the colour is not important

Looking for other drawing information, See the previous drawing posts:

How to Find Your Starting Point in a Drawing
  4 Ways to Grow the Sketchbook Habit
Time to Meet Your Drawing Friends
Ready to Start Drawing - Get Your Materials Together

Next up: Working with Blenders - the secret to the soft touch of Graphite.   See you next week.

 Etsy Shop now Open: WendyMouldsArt  Come on In!! 

Special Offer: Free Shipping with your order of 5 or more  Christmas Doodle Cards or buy the Digital Down Load Cards and print as many as you wish.

Great DIY Christmas Project:  Make Your Own Christmas Cards 

Christmas Card Doodle Classes Happening in November

Kitten and Puppy are happy to be featured on Your Special Cards

You will make some Great Christmas Cards for those Special People using my friendly little kitten and pup.  We should make a least 2 cards and you will feel confident to make more.  $35 all supplies included.
Classes: 

Sat Nov 18, 10:30-12:30 or 2:00-4:00  Art by Wendy Studio, North SurreyThurs Nov 16, 2:00-4:00 or 6:00-8:00   Art Expression Gallery, Maple Ridge.Wed, Nov. 22, 3:30-5:30 Gardenworks at  Mandeville,  South Burnaby 

 Contact Wendy Here to register. 

Time to Move Inside and Draw
Drop-In & Draw: Tues, Nov. 7 10-12pm & 1-3pm
January Dates: Tues, January 9 & January 23, 2018
Expressions Art Gallery, 227 & Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge.  
Choose a morning or afternoon session. Bring your sketchbook or your project and come draw.  I will be happy to give you a few pointers as you work on your drawing.  $15 Pre-Register Required. Contact Wendy Here

Be sure to like and share my posts.
 You won't miss a single one if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar on my blog)

 Have a great artful day,
Wendy

How to Find Your Starting Point in a Drawing - Painting & Drawing Tips

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

THE FIRE DANCE - Ink & Watercolour - Purchase Info

Your Ready to DRAW. . .

But HOW DO you START?

As an artist you are attracted to many things: light falling on a rose; an eagle soaring in the sky; the profile of a young child.  You know what you want to draw but how to get started is a big problem.

Many books and tutorials say, start with a basic shape.  I certainly can see that with a child's face. An oval would be a good starting point. But sometimes I find the shape does not work for me.  I like to have something that will give me Reference Points to move out from.  The large oval or rectangle gives me the size but no help in locating key elements within the subject.

A 'Line of Action' gives me more information.

Poppies are so much fun to draw, I love their flowing lines

When you study the poppy on the right, you can see some very strong lines that define the shape.  For me the strongest line with lots of information is the line of the petal coming forward.

This line gives a sense of size and shape.  It acts as a reference point to other important lines.

Once this first strong line is placed on your paper you now have a point of comparison.  All other lines will be longer or shorter than this one. It also gives you a reference for the the angles of the other lines.

The 2 secondary lines

Drawing in the two secondary lines defines the whole structure of the flower.  Each element builds from them.  By comparing the length and angle of line you draw to your structural lines, you can complete the drawing of each petal.

Hard to believe this is the SKELETON of the poppy!

Once you are happy with the length and angles of your 3 lines you are ready to roll.

Drawing the first petal

Drawing that first petal gives the structural lines meaning.  Once the petal is in place, it is possible to place the stem.  (I have included the other flower in the reference picture so you can also add the little flower pod leaves.  Those little things give your drawing character.)

As each petal is drawn it gives you a reference point for the next one

After the first petal is drawn, you can now see where the one to the right fits in.  Move around the flower drawing each as you go.  Hint: I found it better to draw the area on the left side before drawing the area at the back.  Once your layout is finished, you can go back and refine areas and add your shadows and directional lines.  You can see my finished line drawing here. 

Using Strong Lines is not the only way to start a drawing but it is a GREAT Tool to keep in your Bag of Tricks.  Here is another example:

This strong line gives the shape, the size of the flower and a reference point for placement of the two main petals.

If you would like to have a larger file of these reference pictures to draw with, drop me a line and I will be happy to send them along.

Do you have another way of starting a drawing?  Do you see other strong lines to work with?  Lines and shapes attract us in different ways, there is no one right way to see.  I would love to know what you 'see' when you draw these flowers.

DRAW this POPPY LIVE - Saturday, Oct 21, 2017 
 Opus Arts Supplies, Langley, BC. 
  Registration Information Here
 2 Hands-On Drawing Sessions 11am and 2pm. 

I will be drawing this Poppy for the demo. As you draw with me the focus will be on relationships within a drawing and lines and edges to bring your poppy to life. Throughout the process you will learn how to fine tune your observation skills so that you will begin to see more structural and spatial relationships in your subject. This improves your overall drawing skills.

Register early as these Demos will fill up fast.
$15 Includes a small Starter Kit

If you are just starting your journey into drawing see my first post in this series: Ready to Start Drawing for ideas on basic materials, Time to Meet your Drawing Friends to learn more about your pencils and 4 Ways to Grow the Sketchbook Habit to really get that drawing happening.

Special Note: I will not be posting next week as I am off on a very EXCITING Art Adventure. I will be spending 6 Days with Robert Bateman!! I will report back on my next Post.

 Etsy Shop now Open: WendyMouldsArt  Come on In!! 

Special Offer: Free Shipping with your order of 4 or more  Christmas Doodle Cards or buy the Digital Down Load Card and print as many as you wish.

Special Event:
Artswest Fall Art Show Oct 2-30
Reception: October 14, 1-3pm
Newton Cultural Centre, 13530 72nd Ave, Surrey, BC

Viewing Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:30-3:30

Looking to meet and see works by local artists?  Wild abstracts to take you into new places, a crow pensively perched on a log, or mist slowly raising off the water, this is the show for you.
My picture: Crow: The Giver of Light, will be part of the show
To learn more about Artswest see here

Time to Move Inside and Draw
Drop-In & Draw starting: Tues Oct 10, Tues, Oct 24, Tues, Nov. 7 10-12pm & 1-3pm
Expressions Art Gallery, 227 & Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge.  

Come for 1 or all 3, choose the morning or afternoon session. Bring your sketchbook or your project and come draw.  I will be happy to give you a few pointers as you work on your drawing.  $15 Pre-Register Required. Contact Wendy Here

 Be sure to like and share my posts.
 You won't miss a single one if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar on my blog)

 Have a great artful day,
Wendy