Loosen Up Your Mind With Contour Drawing!

What is a contour drawing? Well, it is a drawing that focuses on the outline of an object or subject! Think of technical drawings or cartoons as you will have an idea of what it looks like!

To start off, when you see people draw things without a reference, know that they are using their imagination.

Even you have done some sketches in class while the teacher is talking!

But where does this imagination comes from? The simple answer is that it comes from experience; your own experiences to be exact!

Contour drawings are simple sketches that help you develop the ability to link your senses, with your motor skills, using your eyes as a medium. The results look like the outline of an object.

1. The benefits of the five senses

You already know what they are: smell, touch, hearing, taste, and most important of all for drawing, sight. When combined together, you get a sense of what the object is and how it relates to you in space.

When drawing, you are merely translating your experiences through your eyes and on to paper.

But not everyone has the ability to coordinate their senses with the paper right away. This is why you need to practice through contour drawings!

However, as we're dealing with the digital medium, we are not using paper. Therefore, I want you to fire up the graphics program that you have decided on using and bring out your mouse or stylus.

2. How to begin

A contour drawing can be easily done with a pencil and a piece of paper! From there, just draw something that interests you!

On the other hand, if you are using your computer, then you need to open up a new file with a white background. First, select a digital canvas size that you feel comfortable using, the the resolution, and finally a digital brush.

But make sure it's a thin brush type and a dark color! You want to see all the lines clearly. The object of the exercise is to translate your perception on to the digital canvas.

Now, pick an object on your desk like a study lamp or any object that is simple to draw and let's get started on your first lesson!

3. Let's do a contour drawing!

You are going to do two kinds of contour drawings. The first will require you to not look at your computer screen.

In other words, I want you to trace the object without looking at your computer screen! The only thing that your eyes are focusing on is the actual real life object.

I want you to imagine that you are feeling the object with all your senses! For example, when drawing the lamp, imagine how it feels like and let your hand guide you around it's outlines!

As you can see from the picture, without looking at the computer screen, this is what my lamp looks like. It doesn't look perfect as that's not the point at all.

The second drawing will require you to carefully take your time and imagine all the outlines of the lamp (yes, you can look at your computer screen for this!). See how much different or similar it is to your first drawing when you are not looking at the computer screen!

Once again, the point of the exercise is to develop your sense of perception through translating real-life objects from 3d space to 2d space.

Plus, it helps your hands move in a natural manner so that you can focus on bettering your skills as an artist. Keep that in mind.

4. Benefits achieved

Perhaps the main goal achieved is that it sets you into the artist mind set of studying your subject! When you were doing your a contour drawing, how much concentration did it take?

A lot!

You had to make sure that the lines connected properly without looking at the computer screen. You had to focus on coordinating your hands to do exactly what your mind is telling you!

Not only that, but it achieves the second goal of getting you familiar with your subject. The more you do, the more you recognize the objects you have drawn for future references.

You will see more benefits when you do more of them. For example, cartoon drawings will use a lot of simplified and exaggerated contour lines.

For now, keep at it! Don't worry about getting it perfect or getting it done. Do them slowly!

If you only have time to do a few, then do a few. If you can finish only half of one, then do only half of one! There is no time limit as it is a learning process to get your level of artistic perception up.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson on the benefits of creating a contour drawing! I look forward to any artworks you came up with in this session. Don't forget to upload it to the site's gallery!

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