Are you ready for drawing exercise #3? Get your tools ready. I want you to take your keys and place it in front of you. This is more like a challenge because I don’t want you to draw another subject. Keys only.

Observe the key and draw the important shapes first. You put in the details later. Never mind if the ring is not round. One thing that is great about art is you don’t have to be perfect. The imperfectness makes the art.

Draw any keys you can find. Observe the details and put it down. Trace with pen and erase the pencil sketch. Write down anything you like; bold being your first impression or thoughts on keys. Why do you need to write when all you want is draw? It’s a way of keeping track of your thought about things you draw and the emotion you are having that time. It can be, “I love this key so much because it is the key of my very first car which now resides in a big junkyard waiting its turn to be demolished. Sob, Sob. – 31 Jan 2012” <– put the date as well.

Yeah, this can be a sketch journal as well.

Have fun! Don’t forget to show me your drawings!

If you follow the first drawing exercise, that means you are very interested in improving your drawing skill. Drawing exercise can also increase your creativity because it uses both your left and right brain. Skill can be improved if you really have the passion in doing it. Forget about those who were born creative, as far as I know they also learn how to draw from scratch. Nobody can draw at the age of 1 day. ;P

This tutorial is quite easy because you draw from what you see. I’ll cover the imaginative part after I finish with this one. I think I will have about maybe 20 to 25 entries before I reach to that part.

So are you ready for the second drawing exercise? Ok get your tools ready.

Now look in front of you. What do you see? A wall? haha, don’t la stare at the wall. Go to your working/writing-table. As for me, I spend most of my time here. I see my laptop, I see the mouse, I see the brushes/pencils, I see wall also, I see wall hook, I see my memo board with magnets, I see books, I see many things. My table is not that organise. Unkempt is the word. So many things on my table. But two things I wanna draw are the mouse and a mug (treated as pencil stand) that holds my brushes, ruler, pen and pencil.

Now start drawing. If you only have wall in front of you, draw the above. I use mechanical pencil first and use pen later. I use calligraphy pen for the notes. Don’t you love using calligraphy pen? It brings out the best in your writing.

Do you have a blog? If you do, post what you draw on your blog and let me know the link. I’ll link to this page. I am excited to see what you draw.

So do you really want to see my table?

I told you it’s unkempt.

You watch others draw and they inspire you to draw but you have no clue how to start.

So I am going to tell you how to start. My way.

You need:

1. Sketchbook. Buy cheap one for a start.
2. Mechanical pencil with eraser tip (preferably refillable). The lead width is up to you. It can be 0.5mm or 0.7mm 2b leaded. Buy 2 for your stock.
3. Pen with 0.3mm (or 0.4mm) line width. You can also buy 0.1mm if you have smaller sketchbook.
4. Calligraphy pen with at least 1.0mm line width. This is for title or bold caption writing.

So what do you draw on your very first page? Your title page, of course! Be creative in creating your own title. If you have no idea, just copy mine below. I use 0.3mm pen for the first one and calligraphy 1.0mm for the second one. But please don’t draw the watermark, haha. I have to put it there because I had previous issues with image thieves.

For the first title option, draw with pencil first. I am not the confident type to just draw with pen so I draw with pencil first, so it is okay for you to do the same. After you think it’s good enough, draw with pen. Then erase the pencil line. You can color the title with color pencil. Don’t use watercolor as cheap sketchbook usually comes in 70gsm paper. Quite thin. But let it just be pen for the time being.

For the second title option, I just write it not using pencil. Do not feel afraid that you will make a mistake, nobody is going to judge you. Anything you draw or write is good enough. Cacing kerawit or cakar ayam ke, its okay.

Then on the next page, your first exercise is to draw your tools. How to draw the pencil when you are going to draw with the pencil? You, silly. Didn’t I say, buy 2? So how to draw the sketchbook when you are going to draw in it. Ok, since you have only one sketch book, take any book from your bookshelf. Compose all in front of you and start drawing. If not, just copy what I draw below.

Yeah, do it many times over until you like what draw. Learning to draw is like that. You draw and you erase. You draw and you erase. We are not professionals here, we just want to learn how to draw. Practise makes perfect. So get going, no excuse.

Good luck and have fun! Til exercise 2!

P/s Do leave me a comment or two. I am beginning to think I am talking to myself.