Fire is one of the most beautiful subjects that artists of all medium can have. Being able to draw it with as much proximity, beauty and delicateness as with the real form is considered to be quite a challenge and achievement for many artists. In fact, a lot of people say that once you learn to draw a flame, you are somewhat equipped to draw furthermore complicated subjects.
What most aspiring artists do not know is that drawing a flame could be simple. It just takes much precise observation compared to drawing still life objects like chairs or tables. So, here are the basics of what you should know in order to start drawing a flame.
Get Some Inspiration
Fire is one element of nature that is both magical and whimsical. It could really be addicting and relaxing by just staring at it; so if you want to draw it, then there’s no better way to start but by getting some inspiration. No, you do not have to burn the whole house and watch as the flames go up. A mere match or lighter would do. Light up the match and look at the flame for some time. Try to keep the image in your head, just like a movie that keeps on playing back.
Get Shaped Up!
You should first decide what shape you would want your flame to be. At this point, try not to delve too much on the details of your subject or other complicated elements. Just think about the shape. Start exercising your imagination and visualize a shape.
Generally, most aspiring artists that want to master drawing this kind of subject start out by making use of the “S” shape. Thus, the term “S-shaped flame”. This is a favourite for beginners since it is one of the easiest to draw. If you decide on using this shape, then it would be your drawing’s outer shell.
How About The Internal Structure?
Next, you should think about the internal structure of your drawing. As soon as you have your chosen shape and you have drawn it on your paper, think about what you want to place inside. Visualize a design that you would want to place within your shape. There is basically no limit in choosing a design and there are different variations available for you to play and experiment with.
For instance, you can draw a smaller version of your outer shell’s shape. So, if you have a S-shape for an outer shell, then you can place a smaller S-shape inside. You can place only one or even a number of smaller S-shaped flames with different sizes and shapes inside. It is all basically up to you.
Add Some Color
Although flames can be drawn in both black and white, and color, opting for the first one would require mastery of shading. For beginners coloring is recommended. Doing this would give life to your drawing. So, add some color to your flame. Recall what the flame looked like when you lit up the match or when you lit up the lighter. If possible try to light a fire again, just to see the actual colors.
Observe closely. See the difference of the inside portion of the flame with the outside. If you look closely, you would see that the tip is colored blue, in most cases. The core also has this color. However, as you go farther out from the core, you would observe that hues of yellow, orange and red have appeared.
Use your imagination and try to blend these said colors in your drawing. Arrange them as how your model flame looked like.
Everybody at some point in their life wanted to learn to draw and paint. Just by watching children, you could see that these skills are one of those that entice them during their early years. However, not all people decide to take this goal seriously, especially when adulthood comes around. Nevertheless, if you do want to develop this innate skill, it is still possible. Here are the basics that you have to know.
Drawing Versus Painting
One important factor that people do not understand is that drawing is different from painting. Thus, if you want to learn how to draw and paint, this means you have to develop two different skills. Drawing is generally defined as depicting a subject by the use of lines. On the other hand, painting is the art of coating surfaces with paint for artistic or utilitarian purposes.
Thus, the medium you’d be using would be the main difference along with the process itself. Nevertheless, these two disciplines are still related and most often combined to make an art work. Most of the time, drawing becomes a prerequisite of painting; although this is not always the case.
Drawing Basics
For you to start having drawing skills, you should constantly practice your hands and eyes. Do this by sketching. Constantly sketching is the best way for you to learn how to draw more artistically and professionally.
Remember that drawing is developed by constant practice of your hands. This is not improved by merely reading or acquiring whatever book based knowledge that is available. Thus, practice your hand to draw. Be very observant with your surroundings. Try to sketch things or people during your idle time. Doing this is really one worthwhile hobby that could pay off in the future.
Copying is your stepping stone in drawing. Get a model and copy it. It is all right to make mistakes. This is exactly what erasers are for any way. Also, do away with the notion that you need to have professional materials for your work to look good. A simple sketch book and basic drawing pencil and eraser would do.
Painting Basics
On the contrary, painting would entail appropriate materials so that your work would end up nicely done. You would need a couple of brushes that come in different sizes. You also need acrylic paint of various colors, but most importantly, you should have the primary colors, a bigger tube of white and black. However, if you do not want to buy a black tube, you could simply create your own. Do this by combining all the primary colors.
It is best to start with Acrylic paints because these are the easiest to work with. Thus, the general painting developmental stages would be mastering acrylics first before aiming to learn oils or water color. Also, this kind of paint is easily mixed with water. All you’ll need would be a glass or a bucket in which you would put the water in for cleaning purposes. You also use this water to keep your paint moist, it dries up quickly. A pallet is needed too. If you don’t have one, you can improvise by using paper plate that has Aluminum foil covering.
To start painting, you have to draw on your canvas first. Draw your subject and other details of the pictures’ environment. After this, add on the color using your paint. Keep on practicing by choosing different subjects. Also, try to experiment with the colors you’ve got.
Make full use of your pallet and create various shades of colors. Continue on sketching and painting like this and for sure your skill would start to develop in no time.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy