The process of drawing

For a long time, I have been especially intrigued by the process of drawing:

-What is the natural order of progression for learning how to draw and paint well?
-In what order do you put your marks on paper?

Over the past few weeks, I have been scanning a few books on drawing for answers, while writing a short review about each book. Below, you can find the results of my investigation – including a few additional books too good to leave out!

Bayles, David and Orland, Ted. Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. Santa Barbara, CA: Capra Press, 1993.
This eminent little book is a must on every artist’s bookshelf, applicable to anyone working in the artistic fields, as well as those pursuing art on the side. Not easily categorized, it deals with the difficulties and fears involved in making art, addressing issues such as how art actually is done, why it often is not done, and the nature of the difficulties that prevent art from being done. Under various headings, fear is discussed in a matter-of-fact way, addressing fears prior to making art as well as once art has been made.
For me personally, some of the most interesting sections in the book deal with the lack of a destination for one’s art as a main reason for art not getting done, and the importance of finding themes, referred to as canons, for one’s art in order to return to the drawing board and keep making art. Also appealing is the down-to-earth way in which art is discussed, as a skill that can be learned by ordinary people, not just channeled by creative geniuses.

Ching, Francis D.K. Drawing: A Creative Process. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990.
The nestor of beautifully illustrated and handwritten books for architectural students is outlining his process of drawing in this book, using the following groupings:

1. Line – contour lines, expressive lines, regulating lines
2. Shape – negative space, sighting, values
3. Depth – size, overlapping, vertical position, aerial perspective, texture, linear perspective

There are also sections on envisioning (drawing from imagination) and speculation (selection, analyzing, and reasoning).
This is a great reference book with many short sections illustrating various drawing techniques.

Cooper, Douglas. Drawing and Perceiving: Life Drawing for Students of Architecture and Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992.
Drawing and Perceiving is based on a drawing course taught to architecture students at Carnegie Mellon University. The first few exercises are adapted from Kimon Nicholaides’ book The Natural Way to Draw. Like Nicholaides, Cooper sees drawing as an act of making more so than an act of seeing, connecting it with the tactile and kinesthetic senses as he argues that vision alone is an insufficient basis for drawing. His process begins with figure drawing, then proceeds to drawing buildings.

Part 1.

1. Contour – blind contour drawing, contour drawing, wrapping, half-wrapping
2. Gesture – drawing the “activity” of the model
3. Massing and modeling – building up the sketch from the core out, deepening the values as the body moves back
4. Volume – negative space, toning based on perspective depth

Part 2.

1. Surface texture
2. Depth – based on vertical position, overlapping, shade/shadow, size perspective, aerial perspective, linear perspective
3. Freehand perspective
4. Light and dark

There is also a section briefly discussing drawing from memory as well as a comprehensive section on perspective construction.
I especially appreciate how depth is considered from the very beginning, illustrated using many different mediums (crayon, charcoal, pen, watercolor).

Edwards, Betty. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1979.
Based on her 5-day drawing workshop, Dr. Betty Edwards, professor emeritus of art at California State University, has written a classic in drawing instruction. According to Dr. Edwards, the natural progression of learning to draw begins with line, followed by value, color, and eventually painting. This book primarily deals with line and value, with one chapter concerning color theory and its applications. The exercises are focused on drawing portraits. After defining five basic skills of perception, she recommends drawing exercises in order to develop each of these skills:

1. Perceiving edges – contour drawing, upside-down drawing
2. Perceiving spaces – negative space
3. Perceiving relationships – sighting, proportion, and perspective
4. Perceiving light and shadows – shading, using 12 value steps
5. Perceiving the whole

This book provided my first instruction in how to draw realistic drawings. I would recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in learning to draw realistically as well as learning about the science behind perception.

Franck, Frederick. Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing: Meditation in Action. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
Franck’s main tenet is that seeing/drawing can be seen as a spiritual concentration discipline of contemplating life. Through drawing, he expresses his reverence for life. This book mixes drawing instruction with zen contemplation. His process is focused on strengthening the eye-hand coordination:

1. Blind contour drawing
2. Contour drawing
3. Expressive contour drawing varying the pressure of the pencil on the paper

Franck’s first book on drawing, The Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation from 1973, is a handwritten classic albeit with less drawing instruction than Zen Seeing Zen Drawing. However, it is beautifully illustrated with much contemplation about various subjects, from rocks and horses to landscapes and crowds. In Life Drawing Life: On Seeing/Drawing the Human, Franck explains the art of figure drawing, with instructions including the dry run and the scribble. I was introduced to Franck’s books a few years ago, and find them all very inspirational with beautiful line drawings in pen and pencil.

Gregory, Danny. The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are. New York: Hyperion, 2006.
Danny Gregory, of the weblog Everyday Matters, has distilled his message of everyday creativity through illustrated journaling into a book. He begins by explaining the basic skills of line drawing:

1. Contour drawing
2. Negative space
3. Perspectives and sighting

Then he goes on to cover illustrated journaling, ideas on what to draw, resistance, judgment, identity, and where to go next. This is an inspiring book with everything you need to begin drawing, including quite a few musings on the psychological end of things, such as judgment and inner resistance. All the sketches and different topics make it possible to open up the book to any page and begin to read. This is a formidable source of both information AND inspiration!

Laseau, Paul. Freehand Sketching: an introduction. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2004.
A quick introduction to freehand sketching of building and built environments, Freehand Sketching begins by introducing basic skills such as contour drawing and negative space. Laseau, a former professor at Ball State University, recommends using the following drawing process:

1. Construction lines. Begin by drawing the main perspective lines and significant vertical and horizontal edges.
2. Tone (value). Laseau explains how value can be influenced by texture, color, as well as shade and shadow. He demonstrates many different types of crosshatching, using 4 value steps.
3. Detail.

This is a good book for beginners interested in drawing buildings, with much information in a small format.

White, Edward T. Travel Drawing: Engaging the Spirit of Place. Tallahassee: Architectural Media, 2004.
Filled to the brim with drawings of notable buildings and cityscapes, primarily from Europe, Travel Drawing is written by a professor of architecture at Florida A&M. In his book, White addresses not only the drawing process and techniques, but also the ritual of conveying the spirit of a place. White’s drawing process consists of the following steps, each of which could also be seen as a stopping point:

1. Gazing. Seeing the subject and its organizing principles, such as overall form, profile, main shapes, sub-shapes, linear datums, repetitive organizing systems, etc.
2. Framing. Constructing a line sketch that establishes perspective, then layering detail and texture.
3. Relating. Incorporating context; background, foreground, sideground; lost and found edges. This includes environment, sky, weather, trees, and people, indicating time of day, how place is used, and the general mood of the place.
4. Toning. Applying values in order to emphasize center of interest. The toning steps are: 1. Modeling (applying values (1-5) to every surface); 2. Nuancing (applying tonal gradation to the previous values); 3. Texturing (expressing the material texture, including reflections – optional); 4. Lighting/shading/shadowing; 5. Focusing (emphasizing the center of interest); 6. Adjusting (evaluating the completed toning work). (Optional)
5. Profiling. Outlining subject in a thicker lineweight. (Optional)
6. Tuning. Making final adjustments.

White recommends the following three drawing orders:

1. Inside-out. This approach works well for buildings with a complex shape. Beginning with a reference detail and building out the drawing from there, constantly referring back to what was previously drawn.
2. Outside-in. This approach works best for buildings with a simple, geometric shape. Beginning with the subject outline and main shapes, subdividing into smaller sub-shapes until entire subject is drawn.
3. A combination. This approach works best for interiors and piazzas. Beginning with the back wall, moving forward until the five enclosing surfaces are drawn. Then, details are added.

This is a beautifully illustrated, information rich book where each page holds at least one main illustration and also several conceptual sketches showing the author’s thinking process or focus; it is very interesting to catch a glimpse of the process leading to the finished drawing.