Sketching from Scratch

Have you ever had trouble getting started on a sketch? Have you ever told yourself, “I don’t know how to draw?” (That’s not true, by the way.) Our Workshop Coordinators have three different approaches to getting started. For all of the activities, you just need something to sketch with and to sketch on, and you are ready to go! Below is a description of each activity, and two of them have videos to walk you through the process.

Daily Doodle with Aya

In the video above, Workshop Coordinator Aya shares a practice of making a doodle a day to build up a collection of images and ideas. She suggests using a word that has meaning to you for inspiration, focus, and motivation. If words and letters aren’t your thing, she invites you to choose basic shapes to get the pencil to the paper. Another example of this process is in the video below:

The Walking Line with Stephen

Have you ever seen a line go for a walk? Above, Senior Workshop Coordinator Stephen shows you how letting one line move across the page can give you a structure for adding shapes, color, and imagery to create a really cool drawing that all starts with one line… baby steps to loosen up and get drawing. If you have success with this activity, you might want to take the next step and try…

Extending the Line with Vanessa

If you are up for a fun challenge, one you could also do with someone else at home as a game, try out this easy way to get a whole page of eight different drawings:

To start, all you need is a paper you can fold, and the drawing tool of your choice.

Step 1: Fold the paper in half lengthwise. Fold it in half again. Then, fold it in half one more time. You should end up with eight rectangles.

Step 2: Use the pencil to draw eight lines/shapes in the eight individual rectangles. If you want, you can copy the lines/shapes you see in this example.

Step 3: Observe the top right rectangle as shown here. Imagine what the line inside the rectangle could become. Extend that line to draw an image, images, or scene. See if your mini-composition can be easily identified instead of abstract. The only rule: you must include the original line.

I extended the line to create a fireplace set in a living room with a zoomed out perspective.

Step 4: Move on to another rectangle… What do you think I will create with the bottom right rectangle?

The half circle at the bottom became the hole in a donut, which I gave a “close-up.”

You can even add some color if you have it!

Step 5: Look at all the lines in the individual rectangles and have fun filling them!

Here is an example of a completed page.

The great thing about this activity is you can do one on your own, or you can make an identical page from Step 2 (same lines) and give it to someone else. Don’t show each other the final product until you are both done, and then compare your interpretations of the lines side-by-side!

We hope you enjoy these easy ways to get started sketching from scratch. If you post any experiments you do, be sure to tag @artworxLA when you do!

—Aya, Stephen, and Vanessa