How to lay out a drawing
Of all of the the thousands of requests I’ve received for new tutorials in the last couple months, this is probably the most requested subject.
This is the method I teach in my classes for how to begin your drawing. There are many ways to approach the layout of your drawing but I’ve found this way to be one of the best for being able to get accurate results and correct issues even as your drawing develops.
Part 2 of the video is below so be sure to scroll down and watch it once you’ve watched the first part.
Enjoy!
PART 1
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yes derrel i was just wondering is there any stores that you can recomond for me……..also is micheals a good store to go to thanks for your help,
derek
Hi Derek,
Michael’s has many of the things, but not everything. Don’t let anyone talk you into substituting. This is an unconventional technique, and they would not know the reasoning for some of what I suggest for materials. We have links on this site to acquire the materials online from other art suppliers, or you can order from us at: http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/store/
You may have a good art store in your area, and it is always fun to get your supplies in person.
I hope you are having a good time with the tutorials and learning things that you can really use to your advantage!
Darrel
Hey Darrel I had skipped to the eye tutorial when I just started cause I’m waiting for my second lesson and haven’t even had gotten to the drawing part yet. I tried it out and it turned out really bad. Is that cause I don’t have much experience yet? Please help
~ Kaylynn
Hi Kaylynn,
I hope you have an opportunity to start from the beginning and build on each lesson. I can’t see what you have done, so it is hard to give you an answer to your question. But, it isn’t magic, and you have to put a lot of practice in if you want to perfect what you are doing. Be very patient and follow closely each element and exercise so you will know what you are trying to achieve and how to go about it. Then your practice will start to pay off, as you develop new habits, coordination and confidence. I hope you can have fun as you draw and learn. Look for even small successes and celebrate those achievements.
If you can be more specific after watching the tutorials and practicing, let me know how you are doing!
Darrel
Hi Darrel,
Firstly, I’d like to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart…for your wonderful step-by-step instruction (I am truly a detail person, I love the fact that you tell us the “why’s” behind everything) and your selfless generosity in sharing your knowledge and experience with all of us. If you have a look at my web page (and I’d love some feedback if possible too please) you’ll see how far I’ve come in a VERY short space of time and all thanks to you! I have purchased all your DVD’s and love them. I’ve had a really tough time finding an equivilent paper to the Strathmore here in Australia. I think the closest would be the reverse side of Arches (Cotton) Watercolour Smooth 300gsm, which also has the down-side of only coming in standarised “A” sizes or a full sheet(which is too big). After now having done a couple of pieces I can see what you mean about having that extra room to expand the drawing if you need to. So I gave up and ordered the Strathmore through your store! Gosh Debbie is wonderful! Service is second-to-none!! I only wish that I didn’t live on the other side of the planet and could come to your classes and meet with you in person.
Anyway I think I’ve rambled enough, this was mostly to say a BIG “Thank You” to you.
Warmest Regards
Michelle
Hi michelle,
You are so welcome. I am very thankful for the opportunity to share with you on the other side of the planet. I hope you don’t feel too “down under”!
I’l bet you are on the top of your part of the world!
Thank you so much for sharing what you have found out about the paper. It is a huge problem in much of the world. Will it stand up to erasing? I am glad that Debbie was able to help you.
We will keep tweaking things so we can make this as interactive as possible even thought we do this in person. It would be fun at some point to travel to australia and have our own convention and seminar, so everybody could show what they have done and we could have a time for help and personal critiquing. There are quite a few students in Australia.
You are so welcome!
Darrel
Hi Darrel,
I am 13, new to pencil portraits. I have some understanding but not too much so I saw your demo videos and signed up for more videos to be sent to my email. But I always was struggling in this one area. Whenever I draw a portrait of a person I find it really hard to shade the face. I use a paint brush angular to blend in the skin. But it is very hard to do areas like the forehead, and cheeks. It is because they are open spaces with not much light or depth and it is hard to find the perfect blending without leaving strokes. How do you draw texture in the skin? Do you cross-hatch then blend? Just blend? Use lines? Or is it just magic? Help me!
~Amanda~
Hi Amanda,
This is all explained in the 5-part free drawing tutorial series available on this website.
Just go to http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/free-video-drawing-tutorials/ and sign up and you will receive each of the tutorials via email.
Have fun drawing!
Darrel
Hi Darrel!
I love to draw, and I’m pretty artistically gifted. Everybody says I’m really good at drawing, but I really would like to be better.
Mostly I draw horses, wolves, dogs, and the odd cat, among other animals; I can draw people fairly well. Since I’m quite a perfectionist, I’m scared of drawing a person and getting it wrong.
I use Kimberly graphite pencils and Strathmore paper, just not the Bristol Vellum. I’m amazed that you don’t use a tortillion or your fingers to blend the pencils — the smoothness of the value is amazing!
I’d love to learn how to draw that well, and I aspire to be like you, a great artist, one day.
Madi
Thanks Derek!
even though i am just 15, i didn;t have a hard time understanding your lessons ’cause it is on a slow paced and very understandable way of teaching. i know that i will be learning from you so many things. thank you!
i will be sharing my progress with you, just to let you know how much help you are giving me:)
Hi Derek,
I am glad that I can share with you! I hope you have fun drawing and learn a lot of valuable information!
Darrel
Hello! Your Artistic skills are absolutly amazing!I’m in awe! I would love to have the ability to put that magic touch onto my artwork! I’m a self tought artist from a young age. I get lots of positive reenforcment from friends and family,But I would really like to upgrade my skills to the next level.I’m really glad I found your website,for I’ve never seen artwork of such quality on any other Art teaching website! I’m also really impressed that you are capable of taking your students up to such a polished level! I wanted to ask you a few questions about your Course:
1. Are Your Dvd’s all the instruction I need?Or are you adding more volumes to your DVD’s?
3. Where could I purchase a good art clipboard?
Thank you so much for your time,giving such great lessons, and sharing your knowledge with the public. May G-d bless you!
Hi Vivie,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope that I can help you achieve a whole new level to your artwork.
1. We are introducing the DVDs as we get them produced. They will be ongoing.
3. It would be nice for you to get your art clipboard locally, but we have also have provided some links for online suppliers, including ordering the supplies from us!
http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/store/
Thanks for letting me share with you! Have fun drawing!
Darrel
Hi Darrel,
I had signed up, and the only tutorials I got was hair. No eyes, or anything. Just hair. Have you made them yet, or have I done something wrong?
-Mike
Hi Michael,
I am sorry that you are running into trouble! You should be receiving more. I will forward this to Debbie, but don’t hesitate to contact her for help.
debbie@fivepencilmethod.com
I am sure she will take care of you!
Darrel
I love the feel of your portraits and I also love the fact that you show the mechanics of drawing, such as hand placement and stroke. My question is, does your technique lend itself well to animal portraits?
Though I will practice what I’m told to, I am drawn toward nature more than people.
Thanks!
Hi Phil,
Thank you for your kind words. The technique combined with good principles, lends itself very well to animals and almost any other subject as well. I concentrate on the human portrait because of the challenge and the fact much of what I am teaching you can be perfectly demonstrated there. I will be addressing animals later down the line, but for now, I will be showing you how the technique and principles apply to the portrait. I hope that eventually, you will feel confident in drawing any subject that you would like to in the future!
Have fun drawing!
Darrel
im amazed at how real your portraits look and your students, they look like photographs, very , very, impressive, im watching your latest video,s , hope to get course soon, ive been drawing on my own, part time for 13 years, learned a lot already, thanks
Hi Richard,
Thank you for the compliment! I am glad that you have found the tutorials helpful. You are so welcome! Enjoy!!
Darrel
im sorry i used another email on previous comment, either is fine,i was going to say i have used charcoal in all my drawings to date and just got hold of graphite, i started with number 4 charcoal and number 6, 6 being smoother for tones and 4 for filling in and of course i used tortillion, its like im starting over again, iv got some pretty good ones in charcoal and graphite, but nothing to equal the reality of your style, cant wait to get home and get out graphite and try what ive learned from video,s, im at work and had time to look at video,s also have mechanical pencils, they have helped with eyes, thanks again,
Hi Richard,
Thanks for sharing that. I am excited that you are going to see what you can do with my technique. I hope it works well for you!
Thank you for your kind words and have fun!
Darrel
Hello sir, I like your work and learn from your videos a lot. Your tips and techniques are very useful. Thank you so much for sharing!
Regards’
Abdul Malik Channa, Pakistan.
Hi Abdul,
I feel very thankful that I can share this with you! Thank you for letting me!
I am so glad that you have found the tutorials helpful! Enjoy!
Darrel
Hey Derrel. First off I wanted to say thank you because you vids have helped me alot^_^
But I also have a few questions that I want to ask you, first how would you best recomend to set up my paper if I was drawing a full body of someone?
Also if I wanted to draw an animal would you say the same technique aplies when it comes to drawing the fur or hair?
Thank you again for your help.
Mackenzie Schlueter, Minnesota
Hi Mackenzie,
You are welcome!
You can use the same procedure, but the head would be a much smaller ratio that with a bust portrait. But you would still locate your major angles and build from that. “The Layout” video gives more detail and options for starting a drawing.
Yes, the technique lends itself very well to fur or animal hair. Much of the time the animal hair is shorter, but the Tapered Stroke, clean edges, and how light works (even between hairs) all apply. Paying attention to the flow and direction of the hair, keeping the texture and avoiding a solid tone from representing the fur is important.
Much more is coming and I hope you enjoy what I have to share with you!
Darrel
Hi Mr. Tank,
Another great video. I definitely struggle with proportions the most and have a question for you. I find this method interesting, but I was wondering how many other ways there are. I know about the grid method, but this is annoying and damages the reference photo (at least the way I know of).
How do you feel about holding the paper and photo up to the light so that the photo shows through slightly, and then sketching a few lines to at least establish the position and basic proportions? I think a lot of people object to this way of doing it, but I don’t see how it’s much different than the grid method, and I was curious what you thought of it.
Proportions are so important because if the silhouette doesn’t match even by a little bit, the resulting drawing won’t resemble the photo and people will note that it’s off.
Your drawings are always perfectly proportioned and I was hoping you might have some farther tips or ideas on how to get accurate proportions.
Thanks for any response!
- Alex
Hi Alex,
I agree that the grid so often damages your paper or continues to show through your drawing. It is also more work that I like to put into the setup. The straight edge and divider method trains you to start recognizing the angles and shapes and makes you a much better at drawing and is so important to create good proportion. The DVD “The Layout” covers it extensively. I think it is good to learn that method even though you can gradually use less and less of it as you become more experienced, because it helps you find, verify, or correct areas in your drawing as you go.
Even though some may know or even teach a good technique and principles for starting a freehand drawing. They will only be as good as their ability to see their subject and break it down into the basic elements.
There is much more to come and I hope you have fun!
Darrel
Darrel, I am very impressed with your drawing tutorials. Do you have an in-depth DVD of “How To Lay Out a Drawing?” I think I need to see more than just the one you have posted. I want to apply the technique to an type of drawing, not just a portrait.
I have a photo of my Chihuahua, Lord Wellington II, and I would like to draw him using the layout method. Since the drawing will be larger than the photo, do I have to make proportional calculations to see the relationship between points on the photo and then transfer the increment onto my drawing?
I hope you have a DVD or video I can purchase that will go into the subject more fully with other illustrations.
Thank you.
Hi Debra,
“The Layout” is in far more depth. It is the first DVD in a portrait series that we are working on to complete as soon as we can.
You will see how to decide the size ratio of your drawings with the “Straight Edge and Divider Method”. I have demonstrated this method in detail and I think if you can learn it, you can use elements of it to correct or verify areas in your drawing all the way through the process.
Thanks for your interest and I hope that you will find it useful!
Darrel
Hi Darrel,
Thank you for your response. I assume the DVD is not ready at this time? Will you let me know when it will be available?
Thank you.
Hi Debra,
If you are on the email notification list, you will know immediately when it is available! Sorry for the wait, but I hope it will be well worth it.
Darrel
Hi, Darrel;
I really enjoyed watching this video on your layout approach of drawing. While the results are truely stunning, your approach is so detailed and meticulous. You use a ruler to make sure all the angles and shapes are perfectly right and proptional. It did remine me of drawing with a pantograph when I was about 10 years old. Here is a question for you: Why don’t we just use a pantograph to come up with a perfect layout, then apply tones to it. Is that considering to be cheating? How would you use this approach to draw a real model (instead of a picture)?
Another question for you: I am in my later 40s. Although I was very interested in learning drawing all my life, but never really have had chance to do it. Is drawing a skill to be acquired when is young, like playing piano? How good I can become given that I am starting this late?
Thank you very much for your help!!
Regards!
Robert
Hi Robert,
I am glad that you enjoyed the video.
The reason that I showed this layout method in such detail, is that once a person learns it, all or any part of it can be used throughout your drawing process regardless of how you prefer to layout the drawing. Another advantage is, that it continues to teach you to see the angles, connections, and shapes that are so important for a good proportional portrait. The more you get used to recognizing and seeing these important elements in your subject and your drawing, the better you will be at drawing what you see at any level. You can gradually use the method less an less for the the construction of your drawing and if you choose, draw freehand with a much better eye. Some see these things naturally, but many have to be made aware of what to look for! I don’t think the Pantogragh would help build the skills that I want my students to learn. But, if some find it is right for them personally and it is a catalyst for using my Technique to create the realism and detail, then I think they should use it.
Whatever method a person uses, I encourage anyone to continue challenging themselves and if they do, they may find that they have far more ability and talent than they would have ever thought possible.
I think that most can learn to draw at some stage and at any age. But, the younger you start the better, because you are less apt to experience anxiety and you can have that much more time to experience art and have it become a part of how you express yourself or see the things around you. How good you can become compared to what you would have been if you started at a younger age, is really an unknown. I think how much practice and work you are willing to put into it is a more important factor.
Be patient with yourself and don’t go into it with the idea that you may fail!
Above all, have fun drawing!
Darrel
Darrel,
I have been watching your videos and completed most of the exercises. I am looking forward to the possibility of actually drawing a portrait someday soon! Somehow I missed where and how you use the dry cleaner eraser that is part of the materials for this course. I thought I watched all of the videos, but did not see this eraser used. Can you please let me know which video covers this?
Thank you,
Luba
Hi Luba,
Besides the initial introduction to it, I haven’t used it in an actual drawing demo yet, but that will come. It isn’t used very often, but it is excellent to have for special purposes. You will be glad to have it at some point and you will see it’s advantage. I will try to demonstrate it in a demo soon. Thank you for the inquiry and for letting me share with you.
The first series on drawing a portrait from start to finish will be finished soon. I am working on the next series right now and we have several other series planned and the material I will need is being assembled.
Sorry for the late reply, but I am working on more video demonstrations. I hope you are making progress and having fun!
Darrel
Hello Darrel, first i would like to say that i thought i seen the best out there when it comes to drawing until i found you ! You are an incredible artist one of a kind and rare in every good sense of the word,MIND BLOWING !!!!. I have been saying for the longest how i want to touch back into my artistic ability that i left alone for some years now. I am into graphic designing and know that sketching is the forefront of good ideas and is where it all starts. I would like to know do you think it that important to better my sketching skills, when digital programs like Illustrator is the standard in the designing field ?
Hi Derek,
That is great! I will look forward to it!
Darrel