sketch

How to create a realistic sketch

/ Chrissyturley / 1 Comment
Phalaenopsis Orchid sketch – black and white with watercolour

Creating a beautiful and realistic sketch can be a rewarding and fulfilling artistic endeavor. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, here are some tips to help you achieve a stunning and lifelike sketch.

  1. Start with a good reference: Choose a high-quality reference image that captures the subject’s details and features. It could be a photograph or a still life setup. A clear and well-lit reference will make it easier to capture the nuances and intricacies of your subject.
  2. Observe and analyze: Take your time to carefully observe the reference image. Pay attention to the proportions, shapes, and values. Analyze the light and shadow areas, as they play a crucial role in creating depth and realism in your sketch.
  3. Sketch lightly: Begin by sketching the basic shapes and outlines of your subject using a light pencil. This initial sketch will serve as a foundation for the rest of your drawing. Focus on capturing the overall form and proportions accurately.
  4. Build up layers: To create depth and dimension, gradually build up layers of shading and details. Start with light pressure and gradually increase it as you add darker values. This technique allows you to control the tonal range and achieve a more realistic effect.
  5. Pay attention to details: As you progress, pay close attention to the smaller details that make your subject unique. Whether it’s capturing the texture of hair, the wrinkles on a face, or the intricate patterns on a flower, these details add realism and character to your sketch.
  6. Use a variety of shading techniques: Experiment with different shading techniques to add depth and texture to your sketch. Techniques like hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and blending can help you achieve different effects and enhance the realism of your drawing.
  7. Take breaks and step back: It’s important to take breaks during the drawing process. Stepping back and looking at your sketch from a distance can provide a fresh perspective and help you identify areas that need improvement. This also allows you to assess the overall composition and make any necessary adjustments.
  8. Practice regularly: Like any skill, creating realistic sketches requires practice. Set aside regular time for sketching and experiment with different subjects and techniques. The more you practice, the more you will develop your observation skills and improve your ability to capture realism in your sketches.

Remember, creating a beautiful and realistic sketch takes time and patience. Don’t be discouraged by mistakes or imperfections along the way. Embrace them as part of the learning process and keep pushing yourself to improve. With practice and dedication, you will be able to create stunning and lifelike sketches that showcase your artistic talent.

The very first sketch I created when getting back into art 2017
A couple of years ago 2020 I believe
Before and after – see the difference from when I restarted my art journey to only 3 years later.

Up until 2021 I was solely using traditional art methods. Now I create mostly digital in Procreate. The skills I learned in the 4+ years using traditional art tools and media set me up so well for the transition to digital art.

TOP TIP: Have your reference photos in colour and black and white. Use both images for shape, proportion and details.

For FREE reference photos for you to practice on go to my page Floral Garden Colouring where you will find 20 mages you can use.

Christmas Collection

/ Chrissyturley / Leave a comment

What a week it’s been! I’m exhausted, I have however sorted all of my accounts out and I’m up to date with those. YAY! This is a new thing for me…… organisation is a foreign and strange word and not one I use often to describe myself!

I’ve been preparing for Christmas these last couple of weeks. I’ve made tree decorations, gift Tags and cards. I love how they turned out. I’ll have to do some different designs next year.

Above: Work in progress shot, the first of many layers.

I have almost completed my Robin winter coasters. I have to apply resin to them to make them super shiny. It’ll be my first time using resin so it could get interesting……

I have also been researching authors, artists and poets over the last week or so. Let me just say it’s been interesting reading about authors in the 1800’s. I’ve never had to worry about being motivated to draw or paint, but doing the other things that need to be done for my business have been the hardest to get done. Reading about artists and the traumas and triumphs has been a real motivator to get all aspects of my business up to scratch.

One last picture of what I’ve been working on this week. A beautiful little sketch of lavender and bees. I feel very strongly about bees and protecting them. I’ve planted 5 or 6 bee loving plants in my small garden but I am always trying to finding more plants and other ways to help and protect our wildlife. I love drawing bees.

If you would like to stay up to date with my projects follow my Instagram and Facebook accounts.

My favourite Art tools

/ Chrissyturley / Leave a comment

This week the topic is my favourite tools! Learn about what paint brushes, pencils, markers, water colour pencils and ball point pens I love and why! 

Paint Brushes

It’s really hard to find an ethical paint brush when you’re vegetarian. I don’t use any that are made from animal hair. This is something that is really important to me! I only use synthetic brushes. It’s hard to get a ‘rough’ look to your paint with synthetic brushes. So what I do is mess a couple up by scrubbing them hard into the canvas board or tissue paper. It messes the bristles up and you can get a much more natural effect for things like trees. 


Spectrum Noir Markers

Alcohol Markers are becoming far more popular. They give a great deal of colour saturation with very little effort. They are especially good for fantasy art and animae drawings. Blending can be really difficult when you’re starting out with them. Paper plays an important role with alcohol Markers. 

Graphite

This is the sketching set I’m using at the moment. They are fairly good, but next time I’ll be purchasing something that’s a little better quality. I find there isn’t a lot of difference between the hard leads and the softer pencils. This sometimes can make shading very difficult. 

Watercolour Pencils

The below picture is of a print drawn in watercolour pencils. You can lay a lot of colour down to make things very rich and vibrant, or use a very light pressure and just add a wash of colour.  The background in my dragon picture has a light blue wash. 

Graphik Line Markers – My all time favourite Markers. They come in various tip widths and are so easy to use. You do need to be carful when using them with water colours – make sure they are the last layer you put down. They tend to run!

I like to outline water colour pencil and graphite pencil sketches with these on occasion. I also like to sketch little designs with them. 

Cheers,
Chrissy xxx