Drawing with your arm to get cleaner lines- tips?

[Nordlund63]

Hi CA,
I try to do a lot of figure drawing, but while my figures are not bad in form, the lines themselves are pretty sketch. I've heard that this problem can be reminded by using your arm more while drawing. I've been trying it out but it feels awkward. Anyone have some tips on drawing with your arm, especially on sketchbook sized paper?

[Nezumi Works]

Draw large. As large as you can, especially when drawing from life. Get yourself some nice big pads to practice on.

Get used to being messy as hell for the first little while, and realize there's no problem with that. Eventually you'll learn more control (draw circles and ellipses a lot when warming up), but it's a good thing to be loose and messy at the thumbnail and rough stage anyway.

[Andrew Sonea]

Lock your wrist and fingers (but don't have a death grip on your pencil, stay loose). Then draw.

If you still have problems, try putting your drawing up on an easel so it is vertical and you are forced to use your shoulder/elbow more.

[arenhaus]

It will feel awkward at first. Anything that goes against an ingrained habit feels awkward.

Draw some freehand lines, to get the feel of it. Then try straight lines at all angles. Parallel lines. Ovals. Circles. Spirals. S-shapes. Draw a line, then trace precisely along that line. Draw a line, then refine it into a more beautiful line.

Using a large piece of paper helps, but you can draw from the shoulder on an A4 page without any problem. Bigger size just helps you to feel the motion.

Also, use the proper pencil grips. Don't choke the pencil, and don't hold it too tightly. Use the fingertips, and don't press down: just touch the paper with the side of the lead.

[arenhaus]

Oh, and yes, having the paper vertical or at a high angle helps a lot. Use a drawing board on your knees or on an easel.

A few minutes of warm-up exercises before drawing (the same routine: freehand lines, parallels, ovals, etc.) to remind your system of the proper mechanics of pencil work is a good idea.

[JeffX99]

In addition to what has been said (and all replies pointing this direction), the main tip is this: if you want to learn how to draw well you need to approach it in a traditional manner with a traditional setup. There are reasons people have been doing it this way for the last 600 years or so. Look at the way any figure class, studio or workshop is set up - take classes or attend figure drawing sessions in your community. Sketchbooks are not the format in which to learn how to draw.

[tribe]

2 things I heard from 2 different teachers:

1. Random line and spots (? don;t know the english word for this, like an area of color) exercise - get cheapo paper, large, and fill it with random lines and spots. Make many of these, several every day, different sizes, textures, in pencil, charcoal etc. Try to make the lines and spots as varied and different as possible.

When you have several, like 10-20+ place them all on the floor and see if you're finding new lines or just doing the same things. Then try to make the next sheets unlike the first ones, challenge yourself to explore new dots, lines and spots.

2. Straight lines, ellipses, stars - Get practice paper, and draw vertical lines, draw horizontal lines, as long as possible. Draw circle and ellipses, the kind you use for making bottles, vases etc.

Draw long straight lines, that make a star. So 2 lines crossing each other, and from then on make many long straight lines, going straight through the center. This is for accuracy, ability to make straight lines etc. Ideally one should be able to also control the "weight" of the line while doing this.

I for one was amazed at how the accuracy for those stars can drop in about 2 weeks

[bustthewave]

Hi CA,
I try to do a lot of figure drawing, but while my figures are not bad in form, the lines themselves are pretty sketch. I've heard that this problem can be reminded by using your arm more while drawing. I've been trying it out but it feels awkward. Anyone have some tips on drawing with your arm, especially on sketchbook sized paper?

One thing that has been helping me is getting a tablet .

Useing a tablet is forcing me to not pet my lines which I have a nasty habit of. I find that whenever I try to draw from something, my line is never exactly what I want it to be, so what do I do instead of practicing good form? I pet my lines, turning one line into a million, so at least a few of those lines go in the right direction .

I'm in the same boat. I know anatomy and construction and form pretty well... I just have terrible drawing habbits. Fixing those habbits I'm finding is like learning to walk all over again. It's messy, it's painful, tedius, and somewhat scary. But interestingly, walking is a series of falling and catching yourself. So is art.

[Xeon_OND]

In addition to what has been said (and all replies pointing this direction), the main tip is this: if you want to learn how to draw well you need to approach it in a traditional manner with a traditional setup. There are reasons people have been doing it this way for the last 600 years or so. Look at the way any figure class, studio or workshop is set up - take classes or attend figure drawing sessions in your community. Sketchbooks are not the format in which to learn how to draw.

I agree. One should always swear by the Masters of the Renaissance.

[dpaint]

What really helped me was becoming conscious of the mark I make. A line has a beginning, a path it travels and an end. If you force yourself to decide those things before you make the mark your lines become more deliberate and more accurate. You can always correct a line afterwards by making another mark on top of it. This seems like it will slow you down when drawing but really it speeds up the the drawing process and makes it more effecient.

[AndreasM]

If you want to be able to put down confident strokes, make sure there is confident reasoning behind each stroke. <----oops, just saw dpaint's post..

In addition to having good technical habits related to application, I think it's just as important to understand and study the visual appearance of things in order to give variety to your lines.

In this study, it's okay to labour over your lines with a kneaded eraser in order to get the specific qualities you are looking for.

Variety in line value is something I believe relates most accurately to direct observation, while variety in line thickness relates more to aestetchic considerations and aren't always best employed in contour drawing (the exeption being when the edge of a mass is turning in to shadow).

Here are some examples of what I mean 1 23

[JeffX99]

One thing that has been helping me is getting a tablet .

Bad advice (I'm assuming you mean a digital tablet?) - unless you meant a tablet as in an 18x24 tablet/pad. You'll only develop sensitivity and skill with line quality through good, traditional drawing habits and practice.

I'm in the same boat. I know anatomy and construction and form pretty well... I just have terrible drawing habbits.

I'm a bit skeptical of this statement (not really meaning to call you on this personally...I just see a lot of people claim they "know the fundamentals pretty well"...but really don't have a handle on them yet). Usually by the time one "knows" these basics "pretty well" they have developed good drawing habits and their own style of expression with line. If you had a link to your work it would help others gauge the value of your advice.

Fixing those habbits I'm finding is like learning to walk all over again. It's messy, it's painful, tedius, and somewhat scary. But interestingly, walking is a series of falling and catching yourself. So is art.

This is very true...which is why it is so important to approach drawing/visual art in a traditional manner (if you are interested in representational art).

[zx52hg]

I'm not sure if this is a stupid question or not, but as someone who has fallen into the habit of drawing from the wrist or elbow for years and years, can you draw precisely, as opposed to the big free natural lines, if working from the shoulder?

[arenhaus]

It is a stupid question, but it's all right.

Yes, you can draw precisely from the shoulder. In case you need to draw smaller you can apply more elbow and wrist. But the shoulder needs not be locked, ever.

This way you can get short flowing-and-natural lines, too.

[JeffX99]

Nah...not really a stupid question at all. But Arenhaus is right...when you need to tighten up in places that hold a lot of detail (eyes, hands, ears) you generally shift back to more precise control - including shifting your grip back to a "writing" grip (but not always).

[joannaswan]

thank you all so much for the helpful advice; as a young artist with woefully scant knowledge of technique, this is oh so helpful.

[iambanana]

Lately, to improve my line quality, I've been forcing myself to use fineline markers as much as possible. They're big, black and beautiful (Sounds like a porn site) and if you mess up a line, it's gonna stand out like a skinny person in America. It forces you to carefully consider each stroke.
Another thing I do is I "ghost" important strokes. Like a golfer ghosts his swing a few times before commiting. You're essentially just going through the physical motions before you actually touch the paper.
Also I usually fill up an A4 or two with straight lines and ellipses before I begin sketching. It helps me to warm up.

[JeffX99]

it's gonna stand out like a skinny person in America.

Ouch - I wish that wasn't true!

[Whirly]

Sketchbooks are not the format in which to learn how to draw.

Animators like Milt Kahl or people doing amazing drawing in the animation industry like Sheldon Borenstein and Matessi might disagree with that little bit but I'm sure you don't mean it as hard line as that. Its not a point of disagreement just one of clarification for anyone reading that, who just might be a bit scared if they are someone who gets so much joy from taking their sketchbook everywhere and trying to capture life.

I'm thinking you mean sketchbooks are not sufficient on their own and it is required to ALSO learn art in the manner you are suggesting. Let me know if I am right in this?