TWO FIGURE DRAWING ACTIVITIES TO PRACTICE

FAST SKETCHING PROJECTS TO

HONE YOUR SKILLS

 The first is done with a peeled crayon, used broadside, although you could use stick charcoal, pastel, or any other medium in stick form.

You know how school kids love to be the one posing instead of drawing someone else? At home you can enlist someone to be your model, too. Mass in the figure from the center outward, working on the form but keeping an eye on the proportions, too.

Work in a size that's comfortable for you.

Scribble outward until you reach the outer edges of the form. When you have the entire mass built up, go back and press harder in the bulkier areas to give visual weight.

 Our second art activity is contour drawing, looking at the outer edge in contrast to the massed-in figure above. A felt-tip or rollerball pen works good for this. You must concentrate on the figure's boundaries! Do more than one pose, and work quickly.
 

These are not strictly continuous contour examples.

Continuous contour drawings are done without lifting the pen from the paper. Blind contour drawings are done without even looking at the paper! Regular continuous contour drawings allow you to peek and to lift the pen sometimes!