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Develop a longer project

Once you have some experience in drawing you may want to take it further and develop a longer project

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Choose a theme

Here are some themes you might conisder:

  • Memory - think of a time you felt safe and happy. Think back to the images, sounds, smells and textures.

  • Order and chaos. The world is messy, we try to bring order. Think of how this works for you. What images, sounds, smells and textures does this idea bring up? 

  • Self-portrait with clues. If you had to choose 5 objects to represent you, what would they be? Make a self-portrait with objects to give clues about who you are. 

Step 1 mood board

  • Start sketching.

  • Explore your theme through mark-making. 

  • Capture the image, smells,  sounds and textures from this memory. 

  • Make a series of drawings to explore without a plan.

  • Experiment with a range of different materials and styles

STEP 2

Start drawing out a composition. This is like a map of how your picture will look.

  • What story do you want to tell?

  • Abstract or figurative?

  • What feeling do you want to evoke?

  • What Materials will best express your message?

  • You can make several thumbnails to try out different compositions.

Pablo Picasso 'Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon' 1907 with preliminary sketches

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Some ideas on composition:

  • Base your composition around a strong, simple shape such as a triangle. 

  • Use 'the Golden Section' or 'the Golden Ratio'- the exact measurement is 1.618, which is roughly the same as having a strong marker one third or two thirds across the page. 

  • Think about how your eye moves around the image. What draws you to look at it first? Where is your eye drawn next?

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More tips for composition

  • Think about perspective.

  • You can draw rough lines of perspective to work out how big things should be, the angles of your lines.

  • As a general rule, things in the foreground are darker and things in the background are lighter and tend to be more blue in hue. 

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STEP 3

  • Using your composition and preliminary sketches as a foundation and inspiration to complete your work.

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