What a beginner artist needs to draw

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 12:29

The need to express one's thoughts and emotions through painting has been inherent in man throughout his existence. However, unlike the ancient authors of rock paintings, the modern artist has a much wider arsenal of materials for creativity. This, on the one hand, makes his task easier, but on the other hand, it puts him in front of a choice that is not easy for a beginner to cope with. Any person taking the first steps in painting wonders what is needed to draw in the technique of interest to him. In this article, we will look at two of them - pencil drawing and oil painting - and find out what materials are needed for work.

Pencil drawing

The range of accessories for this technique is quite large, but to summarize, all you need for drawing for beginners is:

• pencils;
• paper;
• eraser;
• knife for sharpening pencils.

How to choose a pencil

Standard pencils differ primarily in hardness, and their choice depends on what you are going to draw.

If this is a sketch that you plan to paint later, it is better to use a hard pencil (indicated by the letter H). To create thick shadows or rich blacks, it is better to use very soft pencils (4B, 8B). Medium soft pencils (2B, HB, B) are suitable for ordinary drawings and sketches. Hardness and softness are determined by the ratio of graphite and clay in the lead. The more clay, the harder the pencil.

Other pencil drawing materials

As we have already found out, the list of what you need for drawing with a pencil includes other items:

Paper. For drawing, it should not be too soft, otherwise it will wrinkle and tear under the influence of the eraser, so the usual office one will not work. It is best to use Whatman paper with a density of 160–180 g/m2. Most often it is sold in A1 sheets, but you should start with A4 and gradually move to larger paper.

Eraser. A subject that must be taken very seriously. If the eraser is old, it can ruin the paper by scratching and smearing it, so you need to use a new one. It is also good if there are two elastic bands: one is a regular hard one for erasing thick lines, the second is soft, plastic, which is convenient for removing small details

Knifefor sharpening pencils. It seems that from the list of what you need for drawing, this item is not the most important. Nevertheless, experts say that a lot depends on the correct sharpening of the pencil and categorically do not recommend using sharpeners

First you need to sharpen the shaft to 30–38 mm, while the lead should be exposed by about 1 cm. Then we clean the lead so that the tip becomes thin. When properly sharpened, the shaft (cut wood part) forms a very sharp angle that allows you to hold the pencil almost flat while hatching.

Painting with oil paints

Most of the masterpieces of world painting were created using this technique. No wonder it attracts so many. So, let's look at what you need for oil painting:

• paint;
• canvas;
• brushes;
• thinner;
• palette.

How to choose oil paints

Today, there is a huge selection of paints, both in color and in composition. A novice artist can be advised water-soluble paints - in this case, he will not have difficulties with a thinner. They include an additional fluid that promotes the interaction of water and oil. As for colors, it’s better to start with about ten or twelve tubes, and then look at which colors are consumed faster and slower, which ones suddenly become necessary, and which ones are still untouched. It should be noted that the consumption of white is usually much more than other colors.

Other oil painting materials

Canvas. Canvases vary in composition (can be linen or cotton), as well as the degree of grain (fine-grained, medium-grained and coarse-grained). It is believed that fine-grained is more suitable for paintings with elaborate details, while for painting with wide strokes it is better to use coarse-grained ones. However, only experience will help determine what you need for drawing. It is better to buy a canvas already ready and primed, since it will be very difficult for a beginner to prepare it on his own. To begin with, it is better to choose a canvas on cardboard, they are cheaper and it is easier for him to choose a frame. Canvases on a stretcher are more expensive, but can go without a frame at all, and also come in more sizes

Brushes. Oil painting brushes should be quite hard, the bristles should be springy. Natural bristle products retain their shape best, but they are more expensive. There are many shapes of brushes, and their choice depends entirely on your artistic goals. To begin with, you can buy a ready-made set (for example, manufacturers Pinax or Malevich), and then buy more as needed. It is very important to properly care for the brushes - wipe with a cloth immediately after use and rinse thoroughly with soap and water until the water runs clear

Thinner. As a diluent, you can use linseed oil, petroleum or a tee (a mixture of dammar, linseed oil and turpentine). It is needed in order to make paints moreliquid if, for example, they have thickened on the palette. Simply dip a brush into it and then add this liquid to the paint. Alternatively, thinner can be used to remove paint from brushes

Palette. Usually palettes are made of glass, plexiglass and wood. Before use, the wooden palette should be lubricated with linseed oil and wiped dry, and immediately after work, thoroughly washed. Plexiglas also requires washing immediately after use. The glass palette is easier to care for, the paint can be removed from it after drying

This is all you need to start drawing. What happens next depends only on your inspiration.