More and more drawings are driving us to question the simplicity of this art form and its function of representation. But this artistic technique has become one which challenges us as observers. Drawing remains central, even if many other precise tools and techniques have been developed - such as photography. However, no need to rush out to buy a complete drawing set as most artists use what is available.Ī simple first step for a beginner artist, but drawing is rightfully an art form in itself. If you want to experiment you can put colour on paper with a variety of premium graphite pencils. Today, for an amateur artist the essential tools are a sketch pad and a couple of pencils. But nowadays this form of expression is respected by artists and experts as a technique in its own right – central and fundamental to many artists. Robert Hooke, Illustration of flee in Micrographia, 1665, Courtesy of UCL Library Services.įor Renaissance artists preparatory pencil sketches have always been considered only an initial step, used to study the subject, muscular positions, facial expressions and objectual compositions. Leonardo Da Vinci's sketches meticulously depict the construction of military, hydraulic, or flight machines and human body parts, muscles and skeletons – they are an example of how drawing can be painstakingly studious. However, it can also be an incredibly challenging skill to master. It answers our need to observe, communicate and construct. Although beautiful sketches and artworks on paper may seem like something impossible to master, drawing is not at all complex – it just involves a pencil and perhaps a rubber, a piece of chalk or a stick of charcoal. It is an intuitive technique, which comes naturally to humankind. Apparently a simple technique, it relies on the association between what is depicted and the visual composition - lines, signs and textures. It is the first essential skill for many artists. Related articles: Top 11 most iconic and famous sketches ever made - 20 modern artists you should know - Drawing Room 2020ĭrawing is one of the first ways we capture our surroundings. However, for some it is the main medium of their work, the tool to create more than a simple copy of the real world. One important aspect of my work is that the artwork I produce should be lightfast and permanent and as a result all the materials I use are of high, archival quality.Learning how to draw the objects which surround us is a basic skill for artists. In the last few years I have also started exploring a love of still life drawing and have had several of these selected for the annual Royal Ulster Academy exhibitions. Opportunities to photograph wildlife subjects for reference material are something I really enjoy. Over the years I have done many private commissions of animals and other subject matter but in recent years have concentrated more on subjects I choose myself - mostly wildlife art. I work mainly in dry media such as pastels, colour pencils and especially enjoy graphite pencil but sometimes also combine these media with watercolour. This kind of recording is no longer necessary but I really enjoy studying and learning about the subject matter and the natural world is something people never tire of. The works of artists such as Audubon and Maria Sibylla Merian who depicted and recorded the natural world before the advent of the camera are a source of great inspiration. I think detail is a key element of my work - trying to observe and accurately capture the subject matter and light, whether it is an animal, landscape or a still life. The main inspiration for my artwork is the natural world and animals in particular. I took a great interest in what he did and was always learning from him throughout my life. As a child, art was always a central part of life at home as my Father was a graphic designer and artist. I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where I currently live and gained a degree in Design from the University of Ulster in 1994.
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