Sketches are used by artists and designers. They help quickly depict scenes, objects and thoughts with a pencil. Some draw what they see in front of them, others - ideas that come to mind. Such images can become the basis for a complete work of art.
What is sketching
Sketching is an art quick drawing. It takes a minimum of time and effort to create images, and the tools used are not complicated. Often, a small piece of paper and a simple pencil are enough.
Sketches are simple drawings that can be done:
- several lines;
- simple geometric shapes;
- text.
Sketch is the fastest drawing, which is accessible even to those who have lost the habit of holding a pencil. Such images, in addition to beauty, also perform practical functions.
They are used for:
- making plans;
- taking notes on lectures;
- writing down recipes;
- recording emotions from a film you've watched, a book you've read, or another work of art.
Tools and materials
Sketches can be created in various places:
- Houses;
- on the street;
- in public catering establishments;
- at conferences;
- in educational institutions.
They are often drawn on the go, so the tools for creating them should be simple and accessible at any time.
To develop the necessary sketching skills, it will be enough:
- simple pencils;
- plain paper;
- ballpoint pen.
It is not always necessary to buy an expensive canvas: paper bought for a lot of money will have a negative psychological effect on the artist. His imagination will be constrained, which is associated with the emerging fear of ruining an expensive sheet of paper. As a result, you will have to draw in such a way as not to allow the slightest blot, but it is better to learn from mistakes.
There are several techniques for creating sketches and the availability of certain materials and tools. Markers and watercolors go well with thick paper, and pencils are best used on smooth canvas.
Sketches for copying with a pencil require the following tools:
| Material | Description |
| Paper | A small notebook called a sketchbook is recommended. It is made of good paper and has a thick cover. Its size is ideal for taking with you and using it at the right time. |
| Simple pencils | You should choose tools with a soft lead, having a value of 2B or 3B. Colored and mechanical pencils are acceptable for work. |
| Felt-tip pens and markers | They can be children's or office markers. They can also be special water-based water-washable markers. |
| Watercolor paint | It allows you to fill in some areas of the drawing and emphasize certain elements. It is often used to create full-fledged, colored sketch paintings. |
| Eraser | It is designed to remove unnecessary lines drawn with a simple pencil. However, beginners do not need it, because the main thing in a sketch is not the beauty of the drawing and not how correctly it is drawn, but the speed of its creation. The faster the sketches are created, the better, so an eraser is not needed here. |
Sketching techniques
Previously, sketching took little time, and the resulting drawing conveyed the general idea. Then, many directions appeared in sketching, used in various fields. For example, a sketch illustration is a full-fledged picture, which takes 2-3 hours to draw.
Sketches for copying with a pencil can be made in the following genre:
| Genre | Description |
| Travel | These are sketches on the road, presented by sketches and maps. The main feature of sketches of this genre is that they convey the atmosphere of travel well. |
| Industrial sketching | This includes drawings of various equipment and surrounding objects, as well as bright ideas in the field of industrial design. For example, this could be a drawing of a mobile phone. |
| Interior sketching | It is often used in the work of designers. To do this, they sketch out the interior design in a simplified way in a notebook, which helps them create decor and think it through better. |
| Floral sketching | Suitable for decorators and florists. An image of one flower or a whole composition of several flowers is a floral sketch. |
| Urban sketches | Such sketches will include sketches of architectural structures and streets. |
| Fashion illustrations | These are sketches of wardrobe items, shoes and makeup. They will also include sketches of model images. |
| Sketch portrait | To create it, you can quickly draw a person's face in a notebook. Afterwards, leave the drawing as it is or refine it and turn it into a full-fledged portrait. |
| Sketchnoting | This technique is often used by university students. The idea is that students mark the most important moments of lectures and speeches in a notebook. |
The main elements of sketches are:
- lines;
- points;
- the simplest geometric figures.
To complicate the drawings and improve their quality, you can apply the following rules:
- The image of objects must comply with the laws of perspective. For example, a tree located further from the viewer should be smaller than a tree located closer. The background often disappears in a light fog. Professional artists also know that objects acquire a bluish tint as they move away.
- To better convey the shape of an object, it is necessary to use techniques based on chiaroscuro in your work. There is light on the paper before the artist begins his work. The task is to remove the light and create a shadow. The shadow determines not only the shape of the object, but also the space.
- To fill the drawing, hatching and shading techniques are used. When shading, lines of different thickness are applied. They are located at a distance from each other.
The shape of the lines can be different: they do not all have to be straight. Moreover, they can intersect or overlap. To achieve a softer color transition, the applied strokes can simply be shaded over the surface.
Easy and beautiful sketches for copying in a sketchbook step by step for beginners
You should learn to draw sketches from the simplest objects. These can be rectangles, circles, triangles. It is important to monitor the quality of the lines. You also need to carefully look at the objects that you decided to draw.
It is necessary to try to transfer them onto paper as they look in reality.
When it comes time to draw complex objects, they need to be broken down into simpler components. For example, a car is easier to draw if you imagine it as an object made up of several rectangles and ovals.
You should always carry a notebook and pencil with you. This way you can practice at any convenient time.
Products
Sketches united by the theme of "products" are quite popular today. If the artist is a beginner, it is better to start with drawing fruits and vegetables. The main advantage of these products is that they have simple shapes and it is easier to trace the location of light and shadow on them.
To begin with, it is better to choose 1-2 objects, for example, 2 apples or 2 different fruits. When you gain confidence in your abilities, you can make drawings more diverse and create dishes on paper consisting of many ingredients.
The stages of creating such drawings are as follows:
| Stage | Description |
| Selecting a recipe | This is where drawing a culinary masterpiece begins. Some dishes look better cooked, and some at the ingredient stage.
Also, in some cases, it is necessary to think about the plate on which the dish will be served. |
| Color selection | Usually the effect of the drawing is based on the relationship of 2 or 3 colors. For example, for ratatouille you need to choose green, purple and red. |
| Selecting a Title | 
In this topic, it is important because the meaning of the painting is brought to a new level. It becomes applied and functional. |
Household items
Often, drawing enthusiasts prefer to depict on paper some of the household objects around them. One of the simple ones is a spoon.
To draw a wooden version you need:
- Make a sketch. The lines should be light, you don't need to press hard on the pencil.
- Draw the shape of the spoon. Here you will need to outline the shape of the shadow. It depends on the direction of the light and how far the object is from the source.
- Add tone to the drawing. The vertical edge of the spoon is shaded, so it should be made darker.
- Add contrast. Remember: the spoon is wooden, so there should be no glare on it.
To draw a plate you should:
- Draw 2 intersecting lines. The horizontal line is the diameter of the dish, and the vertical line is its opening.
- Draw the bottom in the same way.
- Outline the shape of the dish.
- Proceed to drawing the wavy edge, while marking the shadows.
Landscapes
Landscape sketches are usually used in Travel sketches. The main task of the artist is to quickly capture the picture that opens to the eye.
When drawing a landscape, the emphasis should be on the overall composition, and there is no need to specify the elements. The main thing is that they are recognizable, but it is not necessary to draw them.
In drawing, as a rule, all the basic techniques are used:
- hatching;
- shadow casting;
- halftones.
A simple pencil is best suited for the job. The result will be a finished picture.
Anime
The main feature of the anime style is small lips and big eyes.
To depict a cute girl you should:
- Start with a sketch. To do this, draw 1 vertical line and 2 horizontal ones. The head will be here.
- Outline the lines with an oval, narrowing it at the bottom.
- Draw several thin stripes on the right side. This will be the hair.
- Draw the neck from the outline of the head. At the same time, you can outline the neck of the T-shirt, as well as the outline of the shoulders and the arms coming out of the sleeves.
- Go to the details of the hairstyle. Using elongated triangles, draw the bangs. It is better to try to place the strands closer to each other. You can add a decoration in the form of a bow, the shape of which can be very simple.
- Proceed to the face design. There should be large ovals at the top. These will be the eyes. The upper area should be highlighted by pressing hard on the pencil. These will be the eyelashes.
- Add pupils, leaving highlights in them.
- The nose can be marked with a dot, and the mouth can be represented by a pair of short lines.
Bodies and poses
Sketches for pencil copying, based on human poses, are distinguished by the fact that the artist must clearly see all the details and limbs.
The work of drawing a human figure is carried out in the following stages:
| Stage | Description |
| Selecting a position | It is important to study the human body carefully so that there are no problems with proportions. Common angles are used for training. This can be a full face, profile, and half-turn. First, use images for copying, and then move on to drawing from memory. Do not stop at just one pose. |
| Determining proportions | One should always remember the "rule of 7 heads" familiar to artists. Its essence is that the height of a person is always equal to his 7 heads. |
| Drawing the head | It is important to remember that its shape should resemble an egg. Beginners are better off drawing a regular oval. For symmetrical distribution of facial elements, a vertical line should be drawn in the middle. Then a horizontal line will be needed. It is needed to determine the location of the eyes.
|
| Neck sketch | It must be done correctly. The thing is that in different poses it turns differently.
The main rule to remember is that the neck should not be thicker than the head. If you are drawing a man, the neck should be more muscular. |
| Drawing the shoulders | They should have a rounded shape. Here, the gender of the main character of the drawing should also be taken into account. Male shoulders should be wider than the pelvis. Female shoulders should be the same size as the hips. |
| Drawing the torso and pelvis | It is better to start learning from the female body. The female pelvis, as a rule, has a rounded shape. The hips should be highlighted to emphasize femininity.
The man's body resembles a rectangle that tapers towards the hips. |
| Drawing hands | It is important to remember the size of the palms and that they have relief. In proportion, the size of the palm should match the size of the face. |
| Drawing legs | You should start with the hip. If the drawing is in profile, then you should highlight the buttocks. A woman's hips are more rounded than a man's. |
People in different clothes
Drawing a person in clothes is easier than without them, but there are difficulties here too. It is important to convey the folds and textures of things. Models who participate in fashion shows can be a good help in depicting clothes on a person. They know how to pose well.
For sketching clothes, it is recommended to use a hard pencil. In some cases, when it comes to a stylized sketch, it can be useful to transform the "7-head rule" into the "8-head rule". The 8th head in this case can be used to increase the length of the legs.
It is important to pay attention to the details of clothing, for example, if the model is wearing a checkered shirt, it is necessary to draw the checks. The same applies to various accessories: they need to be depicted so that the image does not lose its charm.
Tattoo
Sketches for copying with a pencil can be in the form of sketches of tattoos. Sketches and ideas can be drawn with a pencil on a sheet of paper. One of the simple examples is a sword with a snake.
To display it you need:
- Draw the basic shapes of the bladed weapon. This can be done with a few simple lines.
- Proceed to detailed drawing of the handle. It can be represented by several rounded lines and decorated with a skull.
- Depict how a snake wraps around a sword. To draw a reptile, you first need to mark its location. This is done with a simple line wrapping around the sword. Then you can draw an outline along the line. The head will be at the top.
- Draw the snake's body in detail.
The swallow tattoo style is done in the following steps:
- Draw an arc that will become both the shape of the head and the belly of the bird.
- Draw the beak as a triangle.
- Draw the wings. Each of them should be represented by a rounded line at the top and a number of arced lines at the bottom.
- Draw the tail. To do this, just draw a few smoothly curved lines.
- Draw the eye as a dot. Around it, several decorative lines. There should also be decorative lines on the wings and tail.
Pencil sketching is a skill that will be useful to specialists in any field. Sketches help to display feelings, various ideas and impressions on paper. Architects record sketches of future buildings, university students visualize the main ideas of a lecture, and managers can use sketches as a tool when working with subordinates.
Video about sketching
Sketches for copying: