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Collins 30-Minute Painting
Alwyn Crawshaw
Aimed at the practised beginner, this inspirational guide will show how to achieve successful sketches using pencil and watercolour in just 30 minutes – ideal for the busy amateur artist.Many people think they don't have enough time to sketch, but in this attractive guide Alwyn Crawshaw encourages quick and simple learning. By working with just a few materials, including both pencil and watercolour, and focusing on just the key techniques it is possible to make successful sketches in no more than half an hour. And for those artists who already have a little sketching experience, learning to work more quickly enables them to free up their style and sketch more spontaneously.With clear, easy-to-follow advice and ideas presented in a simple approachable way, this ebook provides a perfect introduction to sketching quickly and easily. Key features include, quick tips, handy checklists, practical projects, step-by-step exercises and half-hour demonstrations.
▲ From My Studio, 21 x 28 cm (8/½ x 11 in)
Sketching
Alwyn Crawshaw
Copyright (#ulink_ec83f3c1-97db-5b90-aefd-044b0c198a28)
First published in 2008 by
Collins, an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)
Collins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers Limited.
© Alwyn Crawshaw 2008
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Editor: Diana Vowles
Designer: Kathryn Gammon
Alwyn Crawshaw asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Source ISBN 9780007259380
Ebook Edition © OCTOBER 2018 ISBN: 9780008325794
Version: 2018-12-05
HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.
Dedication (#ulink_c8a7c387-40d6-5d2e-80d7-c42e3b2c3f18)
I would like to dedicate this book to June, my wife, for her continual support with all my artistic endeavours.
Contents
Cover (#u3b46be79-3cb8-55fd-9605-3696611c7312)
Title Page (#u7e027349-8aac-57fa-b467-a9be98ccc680)
Copyright (#ulink_491434f4-1d60-543c-a850-3383e3b8e785)
Dedication (#ulink_df478f79-391c-5ffc-b2ad-1bb3f00bc6fc)
Introduction (#ulink_71245058-d62c-5598-8593-f579a58e9276)
Essential equipment (#ulink_0c9022ce-8003-5542-af0e-375cf9846726)
Pencil techniques (#ulink_fb1b959d-d6d2-529e-89ec-00cbde5e288e)
Watercolour techniques (#ulink_4aa3c3a6-f40b-557c-880c-1454f529f508)
Sketching indoors (#litres_trial_promo)
Simplifying your subject (#litres_trial_promo)
Sketching outdoors (#litres_trial_promo)
Holiday sketching (#litres_trial_promo)
Using holiday photos (#litres_trial_promo)
Further information (#litres_trial_promo)
Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
INTRODUCTION (#ulink_5ee08925-35a3-5b26-81b3-ef338a336667)
▲ Thurne Dyke
(detail, actual size in the print edition only.)
The most important part of this location sketch was the drawing, as it is a complicated scene with lots of activity.
Sketching is the most uplifting and enjoyable way to paint and it is a great teacher, whether you are working with pencil or paint, outdoors or indoors. There is no pressure on you, as you are not painting for an exhibition or to please your friends or family; you are sketching for your own enjoyment. Nevertheless, you can go on to show your sketches in exhibitions.
Because of the relaxed way in which they are done, sketches can often have more energy and dynamism than a highly finished work, and indeed some of the Old Masters’ sketches are actually preferred to their exhibition paintings.
What is a sketch?
There are three different types of sketches: an information sketch, done solely to collect information or detail; an atmosphere sketch, where the aim is to record the atmosphere and mood for a finished painting; and an enjoyment sketch, done usually on location simply to enjoy the experience. It is the enjoyment sketch that I will concentrate on in this book – the information and atmosphere sketches will develop as you gain experience.
▲ Spanish Truck
This information sketch was done with a 2B pencil so that I could quickly put in shading to make the truck look three-dimensional and also add some detail.
30-minute sketches
Why a limit of 30 minutes? First, it will stop you fiddling and looking for something extra to do in your sketch, which can lose the spontaneity of it – a good sketch can be spoilt by overworking. Secondly, it will teach you how to observe your subject.
Many of the sketches I have done in the book have taken about 30 minutes, though some have taken a little less. Practise the techniques I describe for as long as you need and use the clock only when you have the confidence to start sketching. It is very important to take your time and carefully observe your subject, deciding how you are going to draw or paint it, before you start the sketch or, of course, the clock.
▲ Beach Deckchair
I used a 2B pencil to make a quick sketch of a deckchair on a beach while I was on holiday. It was done purely for enjoyment.
The aim of this book
In this book I will take you by the hand and show you how to enjoy your sketching without too much historical and technical information to complicate things. When you were at primary school you would draw or paint without any thoughts of whether it was good or bad – you had no inhibitions, you did it just for your own enjoyment. This is how I want you to approach sketching.
Remember that the 30-minute time limit is a guide only. We all have our own natural speed of working, but in all my 50 years of painting and teaching I have found working to a limited time one of the most inspiring and exciting exercises to do and some of my students’ best work has been done this way. So have a go – I know the 30-minute clock will help you.
▲ Valletta, Malta
20 x 28 cm (8 x 11 in)
This watercolour enjoyment sketch may look more time-consuming, but notice how the distant buildings are done very freely.
ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT (#ulink_5493c39a-810c-50f6-8731-0f070c30b479)
▲ Morston Quay, Norfolk
20 x 28 cm (8 x 11 in)
I painted this on location, using the minimum equipment needed for sketching outdoors.
For a beginner, going into an art materials shop must be very confusing. There are hundreds of brushes, many different papers and a bewildering choice of sketchbooks, pencils and paints, all invitingly displayed.
However, help is here: on the next two pages I will show you the basic simple materials you should buy. You don’t need a large range of equipment for sketching, and for working on location you certainly won’t want to carry a lot with you. Keep things simple with your materials at first and get used to them – if you want to try different ones, experience will guide you as you progress.
Pencils
▲ A basic pencil sketching kit: 2B, 3B and 6B pencils, a putty eraser and sketchpads.
Pencils are available in a range of grades. The most familiar one, which you will find in any stationery shop, is HB. The letter ‘H’ stands for hard lead, and the range covers 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H and 6H. The hardest pencil is the 6H. On the other side of HB are the ‘B’ (soft lead) grades – 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B. The softest pencil is the 6B.
I use a 2B pencil for most of my sketching, but there are occasions when I turn to a 3B or a 6B. These are the three pencils you need for the exercises in this book. You will also require a putty eraser for rubbing out your pencil marks. It is impossible to get everything correct the first time, so an eraser is as important to you as your pencil.
Paper
Unless otherwise specified, all the sketches in this book are on cartridge drawing paper; the remainder are on Bockingford Not watercolour paper. Both can be bought in pads. There are a number of other watercolour papers available, in different weights and surfaces. When I am working outdoors, most of my sketching is done in a Daler-Rowney A4 or A3 cartridge sketchbook.
QUICK TIP
To stop your sketchpad pages flapping when you are working outdoors, just slip an elastic band round the outer edge of the pad.
Watercolours
▲ A basic watercolour sketching kit: a water jar, a paintbox, three brushes, a 2B pencil, a putty eraser and sketchpads.
Watercolours come in pans or tubes. I recommend that you don’t use tubes, as you can control the amount of paint you put on your brush much more easily from a pan, and a paintbox of pans is much more convenient for sketching outdoors. There are two qualities of paint: students’ and artists’. I use artists’ quality, but Daler-Rowney Students’ Aquafine are very good and less expensive. The seven colours I use are discussed here (#ulink_763df331-408d-5926-ac6f-ea76ce1ceff1).
Brushes
The best watercolour brushes are manufactured from sable hair, and they are the most expensive that you can buy. However, there are excellent synthetic brushes on the market that cost much less than sable, and they are used by many professional artists (Daler-Rowney Dalon is one example). I use a No. 10 round brush as my big brush, a No. 6 round as my small brush and a Daler-Rowney Dalon D99 Rigger No. 2 for thin lines. The higher the number, the larger the brush.
PENCIL TECHNIQUES (#ulink_0c7ae270-53a8-5004-998f-6b73a842b911)
▲ From Donna and Andrew’s Garden
20 x 28 cm (8 x 11 in)
For this sketch I used a 2B pencil, which allowed me to draw thin branches on the trees.
The most versatile and convenient sketching tool is the pencil, and it is ideal for making quick 30-minute sketches. Pencil sketching has been done for centuries by world-famous artists; John Constable, England’s most renowned landscape artist, took sketchbooks as small as 5 x 10 cm (2½ x 4 in) on his travels.
The best thing about pencil sketching is that if you haven’t got any equipment with you, it is always possible to get a pencil and some paper to work on no matter where you are. I have sketched on the back of envelopes and even a long till receipt! In this chapter I will show you how to get the most out of your pencils.
Using pencils
To get the most variety of line and shading from a pencil when you are sketching there are a few simple things to learn, the most important of which is how to hold your pencil. With the three methods of holding it shown below, your pencil will do whatever you want on your sketch. However, your pencil must be sharpened with a sharp knife to give you a long point, not with a pencil sharpener.
Following the simple exercises shown here will help you to use your pencil effectively. As you do them, practise varying the pressure you put on the pencil to give stronger or lighter lines.
You can also use your eraser as a drawing tool, creating lighter areas in your pencil shading.
▲ The short hold position that you use when writing gives you most control.
▲ The long hold drawing position allows more freedom over a large area.
▲ The flat hold position allows you to work large shaded areas with fast, free, broad strokes by using the long edge of the lead.
▲ These exercises show definite strokes, made with a 2B pencil. When you can control these, practise more irregular strokes such as the ones in the sketch opposite. Scribble away and enjoy what a pencil can do.
▲ These lines and shading were done with a 6B pencil. Compare the effect with the exercises done with a 2B pencil opposite.
▲ A plastic eraser can be used to rub out a thick line from shading made with any pencil. An eraser can be as important when sketching as a pencil.
▲ I made this sketch of a windmill with my 6B pencil, which allowed me to work quickly when shading areas but was not suitable for putting in any detail.
