Drawings by cells is a modern art form, distinguished by the ease of the process and the beauty of the result. Such drawing will allow you to spend time with interest, while creating entire masterpieces.
Features of "pixel" images
Drawing on cells has now become not only a hobby, but also a part of modern art. This style came from the 80s of the last century from computer games of 8-bit resolution.
The features of drawing in the pixel art style are:
- simplicity;
- availability;
- no requirements for artistic talent;
- mobility;
- clear lines and rectangular shapes.
Drawing by cells is not only a pleasant pastime, but also a method of developing intelligence. This technique differs from other methods in its sedative effect on the emotional state of the person drawing.
What tools do you need for drawing in a grid notebook?
Drawings on cells are easy and beautiful, they do not require a lot of materials. To create masterpieces of pixel drawing, you will need standard writing utensils.
A ballpoint pen will allow you to fill the cell with an even, dense layer. Ballpoint pen ink is more pigmented and thick, so it won't smear when touched. Gel or capillary inks can be used as an alternative, but they will soak through the paper and smear when moved carelessly. Each type of pen is available in a wide range of colors.
The ideal option for drawing with pens is oil ink.
Felt-tip pens have a wide variety of colors, shapes and thicknesses, so they make the drawing bright, clear and attractive. The thin tip leaves clear, even lines that form the basis of the drawing on the cells.
Felt-tip pens are divided into 2 types – water-based and alcohol-based. The latter have a specific smell and are filled exclusively with alcohol-containing materials. The water-based felt-tip pen has no smell, but is less durable, is not refillable and easily soaks paper.
Drawing pencils are available in a wide range of colors and materials.
Pencils are differentiated by:
- hardness – soft (6B – B), medium (HB), hard (H-9H);
- type of pencil - wax, dry and oil pastels, graphite, watercolors;
- body – wooden, plastic, cabinet, wax, pastel.
At the first stages of the drawing, when the outline is drawn with a simple pencil, it may be necessary to erase erroneous lines. For this, erasers are used.
The eraser is divided into 3 types, depending on the material:
- Natural rubber – an eraser of medium hardness, with more pronounced abrasiveness. Used to erase colored pencils and ink.
- Artificial rubber – the softest type of eraser. Designed to remove lines from a simple graphite pencil.
- Plastic rubber bands and vinyl – are intended for various purposes. They have a longer service life.
Methods of drawing by cells
Drawings on cells, easy and beautiful, are created and colored in two ways: line by line and sequential.
Line-by-line method – the picture is painted line by line, filling the cells with different colors. Alternate method – the painting process varies by color. First, the main background is painted, then other shades are added.
Where grid drawings are appropriate
Pixel art is used both for decorative purposes and to relieve stress and have a good time.
Often the cellular method of drawing is used for:
- decoration of personal notebooks and diaries;
- application basics;
- preparing patterns for embroidery with beads or floss;
- home and office interior design;
- creation of building cladding models;
- decorating crafts;
- decorating the margins of notebooks on creative subjects;
- creating collages.
Why is drawing by cells useful for children?
Drawings on cells, easy and beautiful, do not require much effort. And the technology of drawing on cells is an indispensable method for the development of children.
A wide range of drawing techniques develops:
- Attention child - graphic dictations allow the child to memorize and concentrate on the drawing with interest, thereby training the ability to concentrate on the result of creativity.
- Perseverance – the drawing process takes a long time, but the children are interested in the result of their work and will stay until the end of the lesson to see the final picture.
- Coordination when writing – the child hones the skills of writing letters and numbers, while his handwriting is formed. If necessary, it can be corrected during the drawing.
- Fine motor skills – tracing the outline and coloring small cells will only work with methodical, fine work. In the process of constructing the image, the child tries to hold the writing instrument firmly and draw a straight line.
- Sense of orientation in space - symmetrical drawing helps the child get used to the concepts of top, bottom, right, left more quickly. Thus, the child learns about space with interest and can easily move around in it both on a plane and in life.
- Stress resistance. Creating an image in bright colors promotes positive thinking.
- Memorizing colors and shades – the variety of images and their color filling will introduce the child not only to the basic colors, but also to their shades and compatibility. In the game process of drawing, children remember the names of colors faster.
- Aesthetic sense. Independent selection of design, drawing method and colors for painting the image will teach the child to correctly perceive the world around him, instill in him a sense of beauty and allow him to develop his imagination.
- Imagination and creative thinking. Developing the ability to think creatively will help a person find non-standard solutions to problems.
How to learn to draw by cells for a beginner or a child
Drawings on cells, easy and beautiful, do not require artistic talent and special education. Everyone can learn this technique.
The following tips will help you learn how to create pixel images yourself:
- For the first drawing, choose the simplest scheme, on which you can try out the methods of line-by-line and alternate drawing. This will help you decide on the most convenient technique for creating the drawing.
- In the first classes, notebooks or sheets of paper with large and medium-sized squares are used. As drawing skills are acquired, the size of the squares is reduced, and their number and color range are increased;
- At the initial stage, a monochrome type of coloring is used, consisting of 1 or 2 colors. The number of shades is increased gradually.
- There is no generally accepted drawing tactic; each artist chooses the most convenient method for him. Pixel art professionals advise starting the drawing from left to right, then from top to bottom. When drawing circles, it is worth moving from the central point to the sides.
- To teach a child pixel art, one should teach him to navigate in a flat space. This is facilitated by graphic dictations of varying complexity, in which the child, under the dictation of an adult, draws a continuous line in different directions.
- To master the art of creating a pixel image, one initially uses familiar materials and writing instruments, and also copies the drawing from the original or a diagram.
- As you master the technique of drawing on cells, you complicate the image and its color resolution. True masters of pixel art draw without a reference image.
Easy drawings for girls 6-7 years old
Drawings on cells, which depict light and beautiful elements, will be interesting for girls in the preparatory group or first grade age.
Examples of such may be:
- Hearts 19 by 18 cells in size, the colors can be very different - from monochrome to rainbow;
- Butterflies brightly colored with different patterns, the area of which is 17 by 19 cells;
- Favorites cartoon characters.
Beautiful black and white and color drawings for experienced
Pixel schemes and the way of their coloring are determined by the level of experience of the person drawing. The subject of the drawings is presented for every taste and color.
The main directions of pixel art schemes in black and white and color variations:
- Animals
The canvas size is 55 by 55 cells, the writing instrument color is black.
The area is 69 by 77 squares, the colors are black, pink, blue. The color of the eyes and background can be changed if desired.
- Birds
Size: 39 by 77 cells, color: black.
The area is 77 by 77 cells, the colors are green, light green, dark green, black, red, yellow, pink, light blue or blue, purple or lilac.
- Landscapes
Dimensions: 281 by 150 squares, color: black.
The area is 96 by 67 cells, the color spectrum is shades of yellow, brown, gray and red.
- Silhouettes of people
Area – 66 by 74 squares, color – black.
Dimensions 140 by 75 cells, colors – blue, red, emerald, flesh, brown.
How to create your own drawing without a diagram
A person with drawing experience can create a drawing by cells without a diagram.
To do this, you will need tracing paper lined in a grid, a white sheet of paper, and a black felt-tip pen or pen.
The drawing process is divided into several stages:
- On a white sheet of paper, draw the outline of the image you like, copying it from a photograph or picture.
- Tracing paper is placed on the drawing and a pixel version of the outline is created using cells.
- Fill the cells with the required colors.
Video instructions on how to draw by cells for beginners:
A simpler version of the drawing can be created using computer programs such as Microsoft Paint, Photoshop or Corel. By enlarging the image, the drawing is filled in immediately in the form of pixel cells. The filling method is used for coloring.
Notebook Drawing Ideas
Pixel art can be not only a pleasant pastime, but also a kind of cipher. Such cipher can be used in correspondence with friends.
Examples of encryption can be images:
- 1 heart - secret love;
- 2 hearts – mutual feeling of love;
- Heart with an arrow - unrequited love;
- Flower - joy;
- Smiley - emotions;
- Dog - loyalty, friend;
- Birdie - freedom;
- The guitar is the soul;
- Fox - cunning;
- The gift is a secret;
- The cross is a reminder.
Drawing ideas for personal diary
Secret drawings, understandable only to the owner of the diary, will allow her thoughts to be kept secret from other people.
Examples of drawings can be:
- Emoji expressing a girl's feelings;
- Animals that the child cares about or dreams about;
- Flowers with their own meaning. For example, rose - love, narcissus - self-esteem, clover - luck;
- Landscapes. Images of places the girl would like to visit – a beach, a castle, the sea, a river, a forest.
Drawings on cells are a favorite hobby of people of all ages, and the results are easy to make and beautiful when finished. In the process of drawing, the talents and creativity of the artist are revealed, and fine motor skills and abstract thinking are also developed. These abilities help a person to brilliantly get out of any life situations.
Article formatting: Natalie Podolskaya
Video about drawing by cells in a notebook
Video about drawings by cells - easy and beautiful:
My son tried to draw by cells using the above schemes - it really turned out great! Of course, we didn’t move on to complex drawings, but we enjoyed drawing simple ones.