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YOU’VE probably done and seen many examples of drawings – a form of two-dimensional visual arts made by applying a medium to create an image form orshape on a surface to represent something. Some drawings are of things you seein real life while others are abstract. Artists and draftsmen can use different

techniques and various pieces of equipment. Just like anything you learn, drawinginvolves applying some basic principles and techniques and practising them toimprove. Let’s find out more so you can learn how to draw it.

◗ LIFE: drawings from direct observa-tions of what is seen. This showssomething that resembles actual truelife, real concrete objects you comeacross in daily life. Examples are stilllife and portraits.◗ EMOTIVE: drawings that expressfeelings, emotions or ideas. Cartoonsare examples of this.◗ ANALYTIC: drawings used as a wayto represent, dissect and understandsubjects. often used in science.◗ SKETCHES: drawings that are usual-

ly rough and rapidly executed.These freehand drawings are notintended as a finished work but areused toexplain or think through a problem.◗ TECHNICAL: drawings or plansthat communicate how somethingfunctions or is to be constructed.◗ PERSPECTIVE: drawings that givethe illusion of space and dis-tance by showing volume,space, light, horizon, surfaceand scale.

WHEN considering the overall composition of adrawing you need to understand the differentelements that should be used.◗ Focal point: A primary centre of interest (orfocus) in a drawing.◗ Overlapping: The visual separation of a draw-ing into foreground, middle ground, and distantspace by overlapping (or layering) objects.◗ Negative space: The space within your draw-ing not occupied by a focal point, importantsubject, or area of interest.◗ Lines: The tools used to guide the viewerthrough the different elements of a drawing.◗ Balance: A stable arrangement of subjects

within a composition.◗ Contrast: Extremes of light and darkvalues that create shapes and pat-terns in your composition.◗ Proportion: The amount of spaceallocated to the various components.

PRACTISE the “Upside Down’’ drawing techniqueto awaken the right side of your brain. When

you turn an image upside down you aremaking it abstract or unrecognisable.This forces you todraw what you see.

◗ Blending: Fusing two or more lines.◗ Draftsman: A person skilled indrawing/drafting.◗ Line: The most basic drawing tool.A line has length, width, tone andtexture.

◗ Texture: Describes the quality of anobject.◗ Tone: Refers to lightness ordarkness of an area.

FEELING artistic? Drawing can be a great wayto express your creativity. It’s a powerful tool.With only a few materials and some basicskills you can make marks on a piece of paperand the artist inside you will emerge.To help organise, arrange and combine

objects within a drawing space, try usingsome of these techniques.◗ Hatching: Use parallel lines drawn closelytogether to create tone◗ Cross hatching: Use hatching in two or moredifferent directions one across the other◗ Stippling: Dots produce tone or texture◗ Shapes: Use basic shapes like cubes,spheres, cylinders, cones to represent objects◗ Lines: Use different lines like circles, scrib-bles and contours to add effect◗ Shading: Vary the tones for light and dark◗ Blending: Soften or spread drawing strokes.

MaterialsAnything that can make a mark can be used.The most commonly used are: graphite pen-cils; pens, ink, coloured pencils,crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels,sanguine and felt tip markers. Draw onpaper, cardboard, plastic, leather,canvas, stone and wood.

NIE ONLINEGO TO your newspaper’s website(the address on thefront page). Lookfor the NiE logo.Our NiE webpagehas informationabout APN’s New-spapers in Educa-tion.

User: Paul.Stuart Time: 07-08-2011 16:50 Product: SCN PubDate: .Bank Zone: All Edition: Main Page: nie draw Color: CMYK