Technical Directives

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A Rough Sketch

Technical Directive 17 October 2004 A Rough Sketch A ROUGH SKETCH CAN BE A ROUGH PLAN UPON WHICH TO BUILD AN ACCURATE DRAWING. It’s easier to fit parts together on a plan than it is on blank paper. For a rough sketch at Mission: Renaissance, we rapidly sketch an overall impression of the subject, then [...]

Ovals

Technical Directive 16 October 2004 Ovals Ovals help us depict circular objects like cups or vases. The proportions of ovals can vary. The easiest way to make an oval symmetrical (the same on both sides) is to flow it in. Continue circling it until you draw it exactly. Improve its curves and proportions each time [...]

Overall Proportions

Technical Directive 15 October 2004 Overall Proportions A subject has its overall proportions (its highest point compared to its widest). Regardless of the size, the proportions remain the same. Before begining a drawing, notice the overall proportions and decide on a size. Keep them in mind as you draw, or indicate them on your paper. [...]

Preparing to Sketch

Technical Directive 14 October 2004 Preparing to Sketch Seeing to Sketch One day in 1975, I was instructing a young man who, to put it mildly, had minimum drawing skills. But, he desperately wanted to learn. Rick was totally frustrated. Nothing I did helped. Then I asked myself this question: “When I draw, what do [...]

Parts of Line Drawing

Technical Directive 13 October 2004 Parts of Line Drawing A line drawing has the following elements: • Its SPACE is the blank paper. • Its DIMENSIONS (sizes or measurements) are distances between any two points. • Its LINES represent edges—the boundaries where parts of objects end and the space begins. A line can be straight [...]

What to Draw

Technical Directive 12 October 2004 What to Draw We use still life (objects, fruit and plants) as subjects to draw. Each separate thing is a prop. The props are arranged on a backdrop cloth draped over a stand. We call a complete arrangement a setup. Working from setups is the fastest way for students to [...]

The Infinity Drill

Technical Directive 11 October 2004 The Infinity Drill I’ve created a drill that focuses on the mechanics of sketching—from the way to sit to how you hold a pencil. The idea is to be COMPLETELY RELAXED and sketch as LIGHTLY AND LOOSELY as possible. This makes it much easier to see and fit parts together. [...]

Basic Building Blocks of Art

Technical Directive 10 October 2004 Basic Building Blocks of Art If you’ve ever built a sand castle, you know that the broader the base, the higher it can go. The same is true of ART. The broadest base for Art is contained in the tiny root word, ar, from the ten-thousand-year-old language of Sanskrit. It [...]

Fitting It All Together

Technical Directive 31 October 2004 Fitting It All Together The Basic Line Drawing Course contains a myriad of ways to draw accurately with certainty and control. Listed below are all the rules given on the course. Some are more important than others. I’ve separated them into groups and arranged each rule generally in the order [...]

Keep ‘Em Moving

Technical Directive 6 November 2004 Keep 'Em Moving Everyone has an OPTIMUM RATE of learning: every step being done successfully, as rapidly and easily as possible. So your marching orders are simple: TO DIRECT EVERY STUDENT SUCCESSFULLY THROUGH THE METHOD WITH A MINIMUM WASTE OF TIME AND EFFORT. There is no medal in the Arts [...]