Drawing Fundamentals: The Definitive Guide (2024)

Hey dear readerI’m glad you clicked on this article!

It’s a 5000+ word beast on the fundamentals of drawingpacked with drawingslearning tipsexercisesand more.

Use the table of contents below to jump to sections that most interest you.

Why an article on drawing fundamentals?

I’m Felixthe author of this blogand self-taught in drawing and painting.

When I started drawingI’d get sucked into one way of drawinge.g. measuringand completely miss other crucial skills like value drawingmark makingdesignmaterials & perspective.

All in allI would have progressed fasterwith less bad drawing days along the wayif there was a clear overview of the key fundamentals of drawing.

What you’ll learn

Most drawing problems don’t come from lack of effort — they come from missing or weak fundamentals.

Flat drawingsmuddy valuesstiff posesbroken anatomyand “something feels off” sketches are all symptoms of the same issue: the core skills aren’t working together.

When your fundamentals are soliddrawing becomes clearer and more enjoyable. You know how to start a drawinghow to build it step by stepand how to fix problems instead of guessing.

By the end of this guideyou’ll understand which fundamentals actually create realismhow they support each otherand where most artists go wrong when learning them.

Common Beginner Mistakes That Stall Progress

If you’ve been practicing for a while but still feel stuckyou’re not alone. Most artists struggle because they unknowingly make the same mistakes:

• Practicing skills in the wrong order

• Drawing too dark too early

• Relying only on measuring instead of seeing shapes

• Copying references without understanding form

• Avoiding perspective because it feels intimidating

• Never training confident mark making

• Jumping into rendering before the structure works

All of these problems come from missing fundamentals — and this article shows you how to fix them.

Alrightlet’s get into it!

• Linear Drawing Fundamentals

  • Linear Drawing Skill #1: Mark Making

  • Linear Drawing Skill #2: Measurement

  • Linear Drawing Skill #3: Shapes

  • Linear Drawing Skill #4: Gesture

• Tonal Drawing Fundamentals

  • Tonal Drawing Skill #1: Mark Making

  • Tonal Drawing Skill #2: Perceiving Value

• Form Drawing Fundamentals

  • Form Drawing Skill #1: Basic Forms in Perspective

  • Form Drawing Skill #2: Shading Basic Forms in Perspective

  • Form Drawing Skill #3: Edges

• Picture Making Fundamentals

  • Picture Making Skill #1: Subject Knowledge

  • Picture Making Skill #2: Materials

  • Picture Making Skill #3: Composition

  • Picture Making Skill #4: Design

How to Use This Guide to Improve Faster

If you’re a beginnerread this guide from top to bottom to understand how realistic drawing skills fit together before diving into details.

If you’re intermediatescan each section and focus on the fundamentals where your drawings feel weakest — those are your biggest leverage points.

Try 1–2 exercises per sectionnot everything at once. Improvement comes from focused practicenot volume.

Most people start drawing linearlygiven it’s how we are taught to write and most issues in realism start here.

Artists struggle with shaky linesstiff gesturesweak shape designand outlines that feel dead instead of descriptive. This section teaches you how to avoid those pitfalls.

Key Epiphanies:

• Linear drawing can be taken to much higher levels than just measuring & matching lines.

• If linear drawing is the “Ying”tonal drawing is the “Yang. You need to learn bothas they complement each other.

Notice in the master drawings above that beautifulintelligent and finished drawings are possible just by using lines.

Let’s get into the linear fundamentals of drawing.

A drawing is a collection of marks you make on paper.

Every mark either makes the drawing more impactful and takes it closer to the finished product you envisionor moves it further away from it.

At a basic levelyou have an idea of what mark you want to put on paper. A line that starts somewhere and ends somewhere. And then your hand has to coordinate with your eye and mind to put down that mark.

Mark making is drawing at it’s coreso it’s important to practice it directly.

Chris Legaspi is the teacher who really made me realize how important mark making is.

I was lucky to learn from him in person for 3 days in Thailand (more on that in another article)and we spent a good chunk of it on mark making.

Epiphanies on Mark Making:

• Beautiful & confident marks equal beautiful & confident drawings. Scratchytimid marks equal scratchytimid drawings.

• Each mark you make either takes your drawing closer to the end productor moves it away from it. It’s one of the reasons why drawing is hard.

• Mark making has to be practicedin the beginning regularlylater as part of warm upslike a motor skill or a sport.

The difference between a master and a beginner is how many concepts go into each mark.

A master considers perspectivedesignlightingvaluescomposition and many other concepts while putting down one mark. A beginner might just think “Is the angle of my line right”.

Mark making practice is about training your hand in the ability to execute what your mind envisions on paper. It’s the physical skill side of drawing. Think of it like a sport.

The great thing isyou can practice mark making quite easily in your sketchbook.

A few minutes a day and your mark quality will improve dramaticallywithin a short period of time.

Over time you’ll build a higher baseline of quality mark making habitsand need fewer warm ups.

At that pointyou can revisit them whenever you feel your hand loses that precision.

Posture and Positioning

Great mark making starts before you even make a mark - with your posture.

3 Elements of Good Posture For Drawing:

1. Head position

   • Make sure you always look at the subject from the same point of view.

   • Keep your head in a position where it can see the subject and the drawing straight onwithout much movement.

2. Distance between your eyes and the drawing

   • Don’t hunch over and get too close.

   • Keep the drawing at roughly an arms length. It’s easier to draw from the elbow and shoulder that way and to see mistakes.

3. Rules are there to be broken

   • If you can only get a specific mark by turning the page to get into a specific position that’s ok. Just return to your basic posture afterward.

Overall make sure you have a high standard for the physical movement side of drawingand pay attention to it.

How you sitbreathehold your pencilat what distance and angle you sit to the drawing and subject - it all matters. A little mindfulness already goes a long way.

Alrightlet’s get to the exercises:

Linear Mark Making Exercises

Linear Mark Making Exercise 1: Straight Lines

• Create 2 dotsconnect them with a straight line

• Practice these horizontalvertical & diagonal

• Practice these in shortmediumand long length

• Practice lightmiddleand dark value lines

• Combine straight lines into rectangles & triangles (Experiment with mix of curved and straight lines for more dynamic shapes)

Why?

Confidently drawn straight lines of different lengthsanglesand values are a fundamental mark you will make all the time. Being able to draw them accurately and confidently is key.

Linear Mark Making Exercise 2: Curved Lines

• Create 2 dotsconnect them with a curved line

• Practice these horizontalverticaland diagonal

• Practice these in shortmediumand long length

• Practice these in lightmiddleand dark value lines

• Practice circles and ovalsin different sizes

Why?

Curved lines are another fundamental mark you will make all the time. They can be a bit trickier to draw well at varying lengthsso make sure you practice them. Circles and ovals are also fundamental shapes you’ll use a lot.

Linear Mark Making Exercise 3: S - Lines

• Create a few dotsconnect them with an S line in one stroke

• Practice going over that S line several timeswithout losing it’s track

• Practice it in lightmiddle and dark values

Why?

Some drawings call for complex marks with unique curves to themfor example when drawing the contour of a human figure or a portrait. Practicing S lines will prepare you to execute them confidently in one stroke when needed.

Linear Mark Making Exercise 4: Linear Rendering

• Practice rendering boxes in 5 values with:

• Straight lines: horizontaldiagonalvertical

• Curved lines: horizontaldiagonalvertical

Why?

Shading your drawing involves hatching lines close next to each otherto get a field of value. Practicing clean value scales trains your mind to render evenlybut also to see valueswhich prepares you for tonal drawing later.

Hidden Benefits of Mark Making Exercises

Beyond improving the quality of your marks (how they look)the above exercises prepare you for better design and process while drawing.

Mark Making Improves Design

• While drawing you simplify what you see into basic linesshapesand variations of them. It’s the beginning of design.

• Beautifully designed and executed lines and shapes equal (among other things) a beautiful and well-designed drawing.

Mark Making Improves Process

• Learning to draw marks from light to dark valuesat willdirectly applies to your drawing process. You start drawing lightlyand then go darker as you build up the drawing.

• Beginners often draw too heavy-handed in the beginningmaking bad marks from the early stage shine through in the end. You’ll avoid that mistake by practicing your marks.

To draw realisticallyyou need to be able to measure.

Meaningthe relationships between the lines you put down should closely match those of your subject.

Key Epiphanies:

• Learning to measure and put marks in the right places will dramatically improve your ability to draw realistically.

• Measuring is not the end all be all of drawing. You want to get good enough at it to get to the fun stuff like designgesturerenderingetc.

• Free hand measuring is tough at first but becomes second nature with a few tricksand is way more freeing and fun than sight-size (in my opinion).

If you read one book on measurementit’s Betty Edwards “Drawing on the Right Side of The Brain” (Using this affiliate link supports the site and future articles). It’s a well-written classicthat will teach you basic observation skills.

Here are the basics of measurement:

The Lay-in Process Step 1: First Lay-in

Start by laying in the big shapes and lines at a very light value.

The light value is importantso you can correct yourself later. Your mark making practice should come in handy here.

For each line you drawdecide: Is it a straightcurved or S line.

For each major shape you lay indecide: Is it circularovalsquare or triangular? Congratsyou are designing!

The first lay-in will never be perfect. Butthe more is on paperthe easier it is to judge if your marks are correct.

Once you’re donetake a breakand a step backlook at the drawing and compare it with your subject.

The Lay-in Process Step 2: Check Angles

An easy tool to start seeing angles is the compass.

To illustrate the ideaI put a transparent paper on the drawing and drew a compass on it.

Simply pick a line on your drawinge.g. the angle of the noseand then draw it on the compass. This will give you a clear sense of the angle of the line.

From therecompare it to the angle of the line on the reference photoand adjust if it doesn’t match.

With that methodcheck the critical lines of your drawing:

• The angle of the forehead

• The angle of the hairline

• The angle of the ear tilt

• The angle of the chin

• Etc.

Over time you will do this intuitively with each mark you make.

The Lay-in Process Step 3: Triangulation

Another measurement trickand one I regularly use while I’m drawingis triangulation.

You pick a major landmarke.g. the insertion of the earand then check the distance & angle to 2 other landmarkse.g. the top of the foreheadand the turn of the eyebrow.

From there a triangle emergeswhich you can compare to the reference.

What matters most is the relationship between the triangle’s partsrather than the size. Thinking in these triangulations will help you spot measurement mistakes quickly.

Apply this to several major landmarks of the drawingcompare them to the subjectand adjust.

The Lay-in Process Step 4: Plum Lines

Plum lines are simply lightly drawn or imagined lines you use to check if your drawing is correct.

Pick a point on your drawinggo vertically down and see what it hits. Then check the same plum line on the reference. Does it hit the same spotsor not?

Adjust accordingly.

The Lay-in Process Step 4: Negative Space

This is an effective and often-used measurement trick. Instead of measuring your subjectlook at the negative space that surrounds it.

Thencompare the shape of that negative space to the negative space on the subject. Do they match? If notadjust.

Summary of The Lay-In Process

1. Lay-in major shapes and lines

2. Step backand check using anglestriangulationplum linesand negative space

3. Adjust

4. Lay in smaller shapes and lines

5. Step backadjust

6. Lay in smallest shapes and lines

7. Wash-rinse repeat

How often you step back and correct depends on:

• How good you are at getting it right the first time (you’ll improve over time)

• How much you care about a realistic look

You’ll collect more measurement tricks over timebut the above should be a great start.

If you want to go even deeper into how to achieve accuracy in your workusing design and other advanced conceptsmake sure to check out my accuracy guide.

Shapes are the natural evolution of line. By connecting lines you create shapes.

Just like any line can be simplified to a straightcurved or S-lineevery shape can be simplified to a circlerectangletriangle or oval.

The mark making section should already have prepared your hand for drawing basic shapes.

Now it’s time to understand why shapes are key for great design.

Shape Drawing Exercise: Study Shapes from the Old Masters

To practice shape designpick a drawing or painting from a masterand simplify it into major shapes.

You can draw them freehandor use transparent paper at first to get a feel for the exercise.

Here is an example shape study I did with transparent paper on a Giovanni Boldini painting.

As you can seethe simple shapes of the drawing read very clearly. The shapes alone already communicate the figure.

To get better at shape designstudy the shapes of old master paintings. Then apply that thinking to your own drawings.

If you want to go much deeper into shape drawingcheck out my definitive guide on drawing with shapes.

I list gestures as a linear skillsas that’s how most get started with gesture drawing.

Similar to perspectiveit’s a skill that informs any mark you makeeven the tonal ones you’ll learn about later.

Here is an example of a 3min gesture drawing I did recently:

Gesture drawing is about capturing whatever you draw in as few lines and shapes as possible.

There are no rules to gesture drawingand there are many different ways to approach them.

You can use any type of mark you want and experiment.

How To Practice Gesture Drawing:

• Go to a reference site like “Line of Action” or “Sketchdaily”

• Set the timer to 30seconds1 minute or 2 minutes

• Do a bunch of drawings in a row and try to capture the whole subject within that time frame

Tip: Try and stay loose in your wristelbowand shoulderand keep a relaxed posture. Don’t rush. Gesture drawing is about good decision-making.

Key Epiphanies:

• Gesture drawings improve your longer drawingsand your longer drawings improve your gestures.

• The better you know a subjectthe more you have drawn itthe easier it will be to simplify it into a few strokes and capture its gesture.

• Gesture drawing teaches you to make a few good decisions instead of many bad ones. That increases your drawing speed.

Gesture drawing in many ways is like sketching on location.

Try sketching people when you are at a cafeat the airportor on the train. Given the time pressureyou are forced to make a few good decisions about what lines and shapes to draw.

Alrightthis was the linear drawing section.

Tonal drawing is a step towards painting and a way of thinking visually.

If you know nothing about tonal drawingyour drawings might look flat or muddy.

You can think of mediums on a continuum from linear to tonal:

Why Practice Tonal Drawing?

• It’s faster to lay in masses of value compared to cross hatching with a linear medium.

• It’s easier to create and practice soft edges and transitions compared to pen.

• It teaches you lessons you can later apply to your linear media and vice versa.

To transition into tonal drawing I suggest using a pencil or colored pencil.

As you get more practice you can play with charcoal or contéwhich tend to be even softer and allow you to lay in large masses of tone quicklygiven the bigger lead size.

Once you reach a base level of skill with tonal drawingyou can experiment with painting. It teaches you lessons that improve your drawings.

Alrightlet’s get to the basics of tonal mark making.

With tonal medialike pencilconté/charcoalor paintyou can lay in an area of tone with just one mark.

Compared to linear markstonal marks have varying degrees of “broadness” to it.

To understand thisyou have to learn the overhand grip and how to sharpen your pencil correctly.

The Overhand Grip

The overhand grip only works with the linear/tonal transition mediums like pencilscolored pencilsconté and charcoal.

Essentially you hold the pencil like a brushand as a result can make broad marks.

Sharpening the Pencil for Overhand Grip Use

Use a long-lead manual pencil sharpener (e.g. Blackwing) and sharpen to a long point

Round the tip into a “bullet shape”by rubbing all sides equally on a piece of paper.

Why I Prefer Graphite Over Charcoal Pencils

You might have seen some artists laboriously sharpen their charcoal pencils with a knife to get a very long tip.

While this definitely gives you the most dexterityI prefer using graphite pencils because:

• They are less messy than charcoal pencils (the powder goes everywhere)

• Long-lead graphite pencil sharpeners are easier to carry than sharp exacto knives

• Long-tip charcoal pencils are hard to carry and break easily

-> That’s why graphite is a great tonal transition medium for beginners moving from linear to tonal drawing.

Let’s get to the exercises.

Overhand Grip Exercises

Surprise:

All the linear mark making exercises apply to tonal mark marking in the overhand grip.

Simply refer to the linear mark making exercisesand do them with tonal marks instead.

Practice making tonal marks as straight linescurved linesS lines. Learn to draw shapes with tonal marks and varying gradations of tone.

At firstthe overhand grip will feel awkwardbut with practiceit’ll feel as natural as your usual writing gripwhich you can still use as needed.

Other Tonal Materials

You can learn to draw tonally just with a bullet-shaped pencil and the overhand grip.

But be aware that other materials are out there to experiment with.

Paper stumpsblending tissuesand makeup brushes - they are all tools to soften your marks.

Perceiving values is about translating the real world values into a value scale that you define before you start drawing.

Here an example of a Sargent study I did:

You can see the value scale next to it. The face primarily has white and half tones. The hair has 2 darker values.

For most purposes somewhere between 3-5 values already will give your drawing a lot of “pop”meaning a sense of three dimensionally.

How to Practice Perceiving Values

• Squint at your subject. It helps simplify what you see into value shapes.

• Practice reducing subjects into 2-Value3-Value. Experiment with different materials (See materials section).

Here are a few 2 & 3-value landscape studies I did. You can also apply this technique to portrait & figure drawing as well as any other subject.

As you can seethese value studies simultaneously help you practice shape designso they are a double-whammy.

If lines are 1Dshapes are 2Dthen form is 3D.

Form is about making your drawings feel three dimensional and real. It’s where your linear and your tonal skills meet.

Form has several elements to it:

1. Perspective: Where does the mark you make start in 3D space and where does it end in 3D space. Perspective is like the linear skeleton of form (Cross contour drawing is a great entry into perspective).

2. Light & shadow: How the light hits the form determines the value of the different surface planes of your formand how you model it.

3. Edges: Sharp or soft value gradations that communicate how the surface planes of your form are shaped.

If you can get a basic understanding of perspectivelight & shadowand edgesyou’ll be well on your way to draw realistic looking form.

Perspective is a linear grid that describes the structure of reality.

Drawings that use perspective give you that “This looks like the real world!” feeling.

How To Study Perspective

Like any fundamental drawing skillperspective is a complex subject.

A basic knowledge will already take you a long waybut you can go as deep into the rabbit hole as you want.

The best free resource to learn about perspective by far is www.drawabox.com.

I also recommend “Perspective Made Easy” by Ernest Norlingfor a great introand Scott Robertsons “How to Draw” as a life-long perspective guide to refer back to.

Steps to Study Perspective:

1. Learn to draw basic forms (boxcylinderspherecone) in 1-2- and 3-point perspective

2. Learn to draw form combinations in perspective with grids

3. Learn to draw form combinations in perspective free-hand

Step 3 is what will allow you to apply perspective to portraitsfigure drawingand more.

Perspective Exercise: Study Form from the Old Masters

Once you can draw basic forms in perspectivestart studying how masters simplified their subjects into basic forms in perspective.

Simply pick an old master painting you loveand simplify it into basic forms. You can either draw free-hand or trace over transparent paper.

Here is an example of a Joaquín Sorolla form study using transparent paper.

As you can seemasters simplify what they see into simple forms that read clearly.

Clear form design is just as important as clear line and shape design. It also makes shading your forms much easier later on.

By doing master studiesyou will build a visual catalog in your mind of how to simplify complex subjects into basic forms sketched in perspective.

Over time it will become an intuitive skill that greatly increases the realism of your drawings.

Once you can draw basic forms in perspectiveshading is the next step.

Here an example of a shaded sphere:

Areas of study to shade forms in perspective:

• Lighting scenario:

  • Is it frontformrim or back lighting?

  • How many light sources are there & where are they?

  • Is the light directed or diffuse (soft)?

• Modeling form theory

  • Highlight

  • Halftone

  • Core shadow

  • Reflected light

  • Cast shadow

Modeling form is a big subject that goes beyond this articlebut a great book that covers all of the concepts listed above is Scott Robertson’s “How to Render” (affiliate link - supports the site and future articles).

In drawing figures or portraitsyou will often use form-lightas it gives the most “pop”so start studying that. It’s what you see on the sphere above.

From there you can move on to drawing more complex lighting scenariosand eventually even change the lighting scenario of a drawing.

Edges took me a while to seeand a while to learn how to draw. I’m still working on it today.

In essenceedges communicate the transition between two surface planes.

2 Hacks to See Edges

1. Check the value difference between shapes. The wider the differencethe harder the edgeThe narrower the differencethe softer the edge.

2. Check the gradation between shapes: The slower the gradation turnsthe softer the edgethe faster the gradation turnsthe harder the edge.

Once you understand value differences and gradationsI recommend copying drawings by masters with these concepts in mind.

I learned a lot from studying drawings by Henry Yanas he very clearly designs edges and value in his charcoal drawings.

Here’s a recent drawing I did of a Marylin Monroe vintage photo.

Compare the value difference of the forehead to the hairline to that of the chin to the neck. You can see subtle differences in the edges.

A little bit of edge design already goes a long way.

Once you understand lineshape and form fundamentalsit’s time to learn about picture making.

Some might consider this more advancedbut really it’s a fundamental drawing skill.

The better you know a subjectthe easier it will be to draw it.

Key Epiphanies:

• To draw portraits and the human figurelearning anatomy is key.

• To draw animalslearning animal anatomy is key.

• To draw landscapes it’s important to study textures and patterns of plantsstonesand other objects in nature.

In this sectionwe’ll focus on human anatomy as an examplebut you can apply it to other subjects equally.

How To Study Anatomy

The easiest way to study anatomy is to get a few great anatomy books for artists. I recommend those to start with:

• Classic Human Anatomy: The Artist’s Guide to FormFunction and Movement

• Atlas of Human Antomy for The Artist

• Figure Drawing: Design and Invention

(support this site by using the affiliate links above)

From there you pick an area of the body that you struggle drawingfind a couple of anatomy referencesand draw them free-hand.

Don’t forget your other drawing skillsdon’t mindlessly copy. Insteadmake sure to design.

Tips for studying Anatomy:

• It’s critical to pay attention to muscle insertions. Where do muscles start and end? How they insert is pretty universal.

• Pay attention to the simplified form of each muscle. Of course this varies by personbut a bicep has a very typical shape that’s different from the leg musclesand so on.

• Learn about the function of the muscle as well. It will help you draw expressions on the face and the figure in action.

Here are two exercises I use to study anatomy myself with sample drawings.

Anatomy Exercise 1: Linear Anatomy Studies in Pen

I’ve found quick pen studies of anatomy book references help internalize muscle insertionsas well as understand where beautiful gesture lines are on the body.

Here is a recent study of mine:

Pen studies are fastso you can study many body parts in one session.

It’s as simple as getting a few anatomy booksand drawing the body part references you find interesting.

Feel free to add notes next to it to name the musclesor to list it’s function.

Tips:

• Don’t just copyalso design. Simplify lines into straightcurved and S linesand use basic shapes.

• Draw from the wrist for small linesfrom the elbow for medium linesand from the shoulder for long lines.

Anatomy Exercise 2: Tonal Anatomy Studies in Colored Pencil

Muscles and bones are formswith varying degrees of soft and hard edgesround and flat surface planes.

Tonal anatomy studies are a great way to study an area of the body in detailto really understand how light & shadeedgesand form apply to that body part.

For the study above I used a Strathmore toned grey sketchbookPrismacolor Verithin & Premier for the darksand Prismacolor Colerase & Premier for the whites.

Check the material section for more details.

The Prismacolor Premier line tends to give darker darks and whiter whites and is great for that complete tonal range.

Anatomy Exercise 3: Study Proven Visual Models

Many great artists created simplified versions of the head or figure to teach students key visual aspects of them. I call them visual models.

By studying those visual models you understand how the artist designed and thought while drawing.

You will also pick up a few shortcuts you can apply to your own drawings.

I can’t go into all of them in this articlebut here is the list of the most well-known modelsthat are worth studying:

Famous visual models:

1. Azaro head & figure sculptures

   • Great for studying surface planes

2. Andrew Loomis head and figure models

   • Great for figure proportions and simple portrait construction

3. Reilly rhythms

   • Rythmic lines that move through the head and figure

4. Burne Hogarth Figure and head models

   • Figure and head construction models that favor a sphericalround design

Simply draw themand you’ll find they stay with you next time you do a drawing of your own.

From there do as Bruce Lee said:

"Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own." -Bruce Lee

Different media teach you different lessons more easily:

• I learned a lot about perspectiveand cross-contour mark making using penwhich then helped me with modeling edges in my tonal drawings.

• I learned a lot about value scales from paintingwhich improved my linear pen drawings.

• Each medium has it’s strengthsand weaknessesand as a result teaches you different lessons.

• Paper also matters a lot. Smooth paper makes it easier to draw smooth edges. Grainy paper gives your drawings a grainy look.

All in all the main lesson is you have to experiment.

Get a few papersfrom smooth to roughthen do your mark making exercises in different media on them.

My Materials & Home set up:

Top left:

• Pencil case for travelling. I regularly checkclean and rearrange what materials I takedepending on what I’m focused on practicing.

Top right:

• A bunch of markers (greys and black)brush and Micron pens. The markers are great for value studiesthe brush & Micron pens for inking and vignettes.

Bottom left:

• Sketchbook with smooth white paper from Leuchtturm. You have to try papers until you find one you like. Smooth paper creates smoother effects when drawing.

• Faber Castell graphite pencil B. I usually have a few different strengths.

• Mechanical pencil for finer details. Again you can get them in different diameters and strengths.

• Wollfs Carbon charcoal pencil: I don’t use it as muchbut always got it with me. Out of all charcoal options this and the Conté de Paris are the least messy.

Bottom right:

• Strathmore toned grey sketchbook. Helps play with white and black colored pencils to get full value range faster.

• Ruler for frames.

• Prismacolor Verithin Black for darksPrismacolor Premier Black for darkest darks.

• Prismacolor Colerase White for halftones and lightsPrismacolor Premier White for highlights.

• Long-lead pencil sharpener by Blackwing: Great for sharpening pencil to a long-lead while on the go.

• Different erasers for details.

While I use the sketchbooks on the gomy home setup looks like this:

• Screen connects to Macbook via HDMI cable. Allows me to pull up drawing references on the screen.

• Easel was a cheap one from Amazonaround 30€ if I remember correctly.

• Simple plastic pencil organizer from Muji.

• And lots of art books you can’t see here all over the apartment.

Tips for Choosing Materials

• A smooth white paper sketchbooka pencil and a pena long-lead pencil sharpener and an eraser is all you need in the beginning.

• Over time you’ll want to experiment with markersfine linersbrush penscolored pencils and toned paper. You can get some nice effects with different materials.

• You have to experiment yourself to find what you like.

That’s it on materials!

Composition is the arrangement of linesshapes and masses of value into a unified whole.

Practicallyit’s about taking a breath before you start drawingand asking yourself some of these question below.

• What’s the frame of the drawingis it squarecircularor rectangular?

• How does the subject relate to it’s frame?

• What’s the focal point of my drawingwhat is the focus? Where do I want viewers to look?

• How can I arrange shapestones and lines to guide the viewers eyes to the focal pointfor maximum impact?

These are just some basic questions. Over time you will develop better compositional questions of your own.

Two GREAT books I recommend reading on composition:

• Edgar Payne’s “Composition of Outdoor Painting”

• “Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting” by Ian Roberts

(affiliate links - support the site and more articles by using them)

For nowremember:

Most beginners jump into the drawing.

Composition is about taking a second to plan out the visual pattern of your drawing before you startthen keeping it shine through as you build out the drawing.

If composition is an arrangement of linesshapesforms and values on a macro levelthen design is about the visual decisions you make with every mark of the drawing.

Before starting a drawingask yourself:

• What do you like about this image/subject?

• Why would you enjoy drawing it?

• What do you want to communicate with your drawingand how can you maximize that with each decision you make?

• Should your lines be smoothlongand fluidor zig zaggy and full of tensionlike the Van Gogh drawing below?

• Should your shapes be balancedharmoniousrelatively neutrallike the ones below by Paul César Helleu? Or pushed to their extremedynamicand exaggerated?

• Should you model edges to perfectionor simply indicate them (like in ink drawings)?

• Which medium is best suited for this? Should you mix media?

• Should you use color or not?

• Should you keep the original lighting and value patternor should you invent new lighting?

• And manymany more…

Design is the result of visual decision-making like this. Of courseyou can and should come up with your own questions.

Most beginners just don’t consider these decisionsor make them unconsciously.

The better you get at making conscious design decisionsthe clearer you can communicate your vision to other people.

Closing Thoughts

That’s itI hope you learned something!

You can already apply what you’ve learned in this guide to your next drawings.

If you’d like help turning these fundamentals into a clearrepeatable practice — with demonstrationsexercisesand feedback — that’s exactly what Foundations of Realism is designed for. It builds directly on the ideas in this article and shows you how to train them as one connected system.

Check it out below!

Until next time.