Develop a longer project
Once you have some experience in drawing you may want to take it further and develop a longer project.
Choose a theme
Here are some themes you might conisder:
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Memory - think of a time you felt safe and happy. Think back to the images, sounds, smells and textures.
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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?
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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
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Start sketching.
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Explore your theme through mark-making.
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Capture the image, smells, sounds and textures from this memory.
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Make a series of drawings to explore without a plan.
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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.
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What story do you want to tell?
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Abstract or figurative?
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What feeling do you want to evoke?
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What Materials will best express your message?
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You can make several thumbnails to try out different compositions.
Pablo Picasso 'Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon' 1907 with preliminary sketches
Some ideas on composition:
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Base your composition around a strong, simple shape such as a triangle.
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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.
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Think about how your eye moves around the image. What draws you to look at it first? Where is your eye drawn next?
More tips for composition
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Think about perspective.
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You can draw rough lines of perspective to work out how big things should be, the angles of your lines.
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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.
STEP 3
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Using your composition and preliminary sketches as a foundation and inspiration to complete your work.