Step by step: Simple drawing on the Pixelbook
Every drawing, every illustration, every sketchbook page — they all start the same way for me. I’d like to go step by step through my drawing process, hopefully making it easier for readers to start drawing as well.
The first step is arguably the most important, and the one that people overlook the most: sketching. No matter what I’m drawing, no matter how complicated, I always start with the initial sketch. It’s always really messy, and probably looks terrible, but the point of doing it isn’t to make something pretty, but to figure out proportions. Here’s an example of the initial sketch I made for this drawing:
I try to follow the 60 second rule for this, meaning the rough sketch shouldn’t take longer than about 60 seconds, no matter what the subject is.
A common mistake I see is that people just start drawing, they get so caught up in rendering details, it skews their sense of proportion. The best case scenario when beginning a drawing this way is ending up with a beautifully rendered drawing with crazy proportions. The rough sketch may look messy, but it’s a useful guide, and I can use it to lay out the details in the correct place, adjusting as needed. It’s much easier to adjust this way, rather than trying to correct something that’s already been rendered.
What I’m looking at while creating this sketch are things like, “How big is Admiral Ackbar’s eye in proportion to his head?” or “What are some of the features that stand out the most that I should focus on?” (In this case, I chose his eye, his nostril, his mouth and the shape of his head).
After I make the initial rough sketch, I’ll make a new layer and draw over the rough lines, like this:
These steps are the same, whether I’m working digitally or traditionally. Every sketchbook page has light blue lines from rough sketches. (Typically I use a light blue pencil for the rough sketch, and then add ink / paint over that to create the finished drawing).
Looking at the above screenshot, you can see how creating that initial sketch provides a road map where I can fill in the details. This way, it’s easier to make sure the eye and nostril are placed correctly in relation to everything else and build from there.
I’ll keep working and adding lines over the rough sketch, again — making adjustments as needed:
After I’ve got all my lines placed and I’m happy with the result, I’ll go back and adjust the line weight. This means that some lines (usually the outline) will be much thicker, and some lines will be much thinner. I like adjusting the line weight because it makes the drawing more visually interesting, and also helps assign a visual hierarchy of what’s important:
Now that the lines are finished, I can think about coloring in the background and adding other elements. I try not to think about those details too much until I’ve gotten to this point in the drawing:
The last step is adjusting colors / lines / details as needed:
Most of my illustrations are flat color (meaning there aren’t highlights or shadows) so I focus on the lines and areas of color. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do this, create what you like in a way that’s pleasing to you.
Now it’s ready to export and share!
A few notes:
- I (almost) always use a reference. This means that I look at *something* when I’m drawing, I don’t just make things up out of my head. This works better for me, although I know many talented folks who do not use reference. Whatever works for you is the right answer. For this drawing, I looked at a picture of Admiral Ackbar from Google image search.
- The best way to start (I think) is to practice re-creating things you like. Try drawing your favorite cartoon character or video game character. Or practice re-drawing this drawing, if you’re so inclined.
- Be patient as you learn. Whatever your job is, it took you time to acquire the skills to perform it. Drawing is the same way. Please don’t say “I can’t draw”. I don’t play the violin, but if I had a violin and practiced, at some point I would become reasonably proficient. The hardest part is knowing where to start, and hopefully this article can help you!
Thank you Kiran Puri (as always) for your help and insight!
