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Loosen Up Your Mind With Contour Drawings!What are contour drawings? Before I explain, I need to dive into the basics of drawing naturally. 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 sensesYou 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. Despite the importance of having sight, artistry is made up of your experiences, which are made up from your senses. 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 2d digital art, 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 beginFirst, open up a new file with a white background. Select a digital canvas size that you feel comfortable using. I recommend standard wallpaper size of about 800x600 pixels. After you have done that, select your 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. And I will do the same as well! Now, I’m going to pick an object on my desk. I have chosen my study lamp. You may want to choose an object that is close to you or bring an object that you are very familiar with. Once you have done that, we will start your first lesson! 3. Let’s do some digital contour drawings!I want you to pick a point where you think the drawing tool touches the actual object. For example, as I am drawing a lamp, I chose my point at the very top of the lamp near the back of the lamp head.After you are sure they are meeting each other in 3d space and 2d space, 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 use your senses. Of course, depending on the object that you picked, you may not use them all. But try anyways! For example, I want you to imagine that you are feeling the object with your hands if it’s tangible. If it’s food, imagine that it has a smell and a taste to it. What would it translate to on your screen? As well, if you can hear it, what would it look like? When I was drawing the lamp, I imagined that felt the outside of it. As a result, I saw it in my mind guided my hands to draw the contour of the object.
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. 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. Goals achieved from contour drawingsPerhaps the main goal achieved from contour drawings is that it sets you into the artist mindset of studying your subject. When you were doing your contour drawings, 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 contour drawings you do, the more you recognize the objects you have drawn for future references. I only drew one quick contour drawing to illustrate the benefits. But you will see more benefits when you do more of them. 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. Like always, keep motivated to do more and you will reap the benefits as practice does make it (almost) perfect!
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