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Drawing

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Art

   Drawing is the act of defining (or delineating) the outlines of a
   figure against a background, using any of a wide variety of tools and
   techniques. It generally involves making marks on a surface by applying
   pressure from a tool, or moving a tool across a surface. Common tools
   are graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax colour pencils,
   crayons, charcoals, pastels, and markers. Digital tools which simulate
   the effects of these are also used. An artist who excels in drawing is
   referred to as a draftsman or draughtsman.

Definitions

   Drawing is distinct from "painting", in which delineated areas are
   "filled in" with a colour, or pattern. The terms "drawing" and
   "painting" are often confused, because the same tool can perform both
   tasks. But the operations are distinct, as the designers of graphics
   software applications recognized when they distinguished "path" and
   "fill" tools.

Subject matter

   My mother knitting, 1993, crayon on paper, by Frans Koppelaar
   Enlarge
   My mother knitting, 1993, crayon on paper, by Frans Koppelaar

   Most drawings are representational, depicting objects or scenes which
   the artist views, remembers, or imagines. They may be realistic to the
   point of lifelike resemblance (e.g. traditional portraits), looser
   approximations of reality (e.g. sketches), highly stylized (e.g.
   cartoons, caricatures), or abstract (e.g. automatic drawing, entoptic
   graphomania).

Materials

   Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from
   newspaper grade for practice up to high quality and relatively
   expensive paper sometimes sold as individual sheets. Papers can vary in
   texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for
   rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper will hold the drawing
   material better. Thus a more coarse material is useful for producing
   deeper contrast.

   For pen and ink work, typing paper is often used for practice drawings,
   but heavier paper holds up better. Bristol board makes a hard surface
   that is especially good for ink or fine detailed graphite drawing.
   Coldpressed watercolor paper is sometimes favored for ink drawing due
   to its texture. Tracing vellum is often used for experimenting on top
   of a pencil drawing, prior to committing a technique to the final page.

   Various tools are routinely used in the process of drawing. These
   include a pencil sharpener, sandpaper, kneaded eraser, blending stumps,
   and chamois. Other tools that sometimes prove useful are tracing paper,
   a circle compass, ruler, frisket film, fixative, and drafting tape. The
   use of an easel or slanted table reduces the distorting effects of
   perspective.

Aspects of the drawing process

Tone

   Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to
   represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the
   shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows, and highlights
   can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

   Blending uses an implement to move the drawing material on the paper so
   as to hide the original drawing strokes. This can only be done when
   drawing with a material such as graphite or charcoal that is not
   permanently attached once applied. When shading and blending is needed,
   the artist can employ a combination of a tortillon blending stump,
   chamois or soft tissue, and a specialized putty-rubber eraser. The
   chamois cloth in particular is useful for creating smooth textures, and
   for removing material to lighten the tone.

   There are a number of methods for producing texture in the picture. In
   addition to choosing a suitable paper, the type of drawing material and
   the drawing technique will result in different textures.

   Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a
   contrasting texture. Thus a coarse texture placed next to a smoothly
   blended area will appear more notable. A similar effect can be achieved
   by drawing different tones in close proximity. A light edge next to a
   dark background will stand out to the eye, and almost appear to float
   above the surface.

   In most drawing mediums, but especially in ink, realistic renditions of
   an object or structure avoid outlining the form and features. Otherwise
   the image may resemble a paint-by-numbers figure from a coloring book.
   Instead the shape of the structure is portrayed almost entirely through
   tones and shading, including contrast with the background.

Layout

   Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is
   an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the actual
   subject. A straight drawing implement held horizontally or vertically
   can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can
   be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure
   they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the
   relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A
   finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to
   compare that dimension with other parts of the image.

   A proportional divider can be used to scale a photograph up or down. A
   photograph automatically shows a scene with correct perspective for the
   location of the camera. It follows that an artist wishing to paint a
   picture of the scene with true perspective needs only to draw an
   accurate copy of the photograph. If his painting is to be of a
   different size from that of the photograph he must accurately scale it
   up or down. This may easily be done by using a proportional divider,
   sometimes called a Variscaler, set to give the scaling ratio which is
   required to fit the scene on to his painting support. A grid can be
   used to produce a more accurate portrayal of a photograph. The image is
   subdivided into equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. A scaled
   version of these lines is drawn lightly on the paper, and the outlines
   of the significant features are copied onto the drawing. A similar
   approach when using an easel is to mount a small, heavy paper frame
   through which the artist can view the scene. The image on the paper is
   then scaled in reference to this frame.
   Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie.
   Enlarge
   Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie.

   When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it
   is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive
   shapes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the
   cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been
   assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more
   accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive shapes are
   removed and replaced by the final likeness.

   A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing
   a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained
   artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle
   placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together
   during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses
   that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with
   how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject,
   particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective

   Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface
   so that the dimensions shrink with distance. The parallel, straight
   edges of any object, whether a building or a table, will follow lines
   that eventually converge at infinity. Typically this point of
   convergence will be along the horizon, as buildings are built level
   with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each
   other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and
   bottoms of the structures will all typically converge at a vanishing
   point.
   Two point perspective drawing.
   Enlarge
   Two point perspective drawing.

   When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the
   parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the
   horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a "two-point
   perspective". Converging the vertical lines to a point in the sky then
   produces a "three-point perspective".

   Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the
   perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever
   smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a
   cart will appear slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be
   portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets
   further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely
   different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed
   by reducing the amount of contrast of more distant objects, and also by
   making the colors more pale. This will reproduce the effect of
   atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn
   in the foreground.

Artistry

   The composition of the image is an important element in producing an
   interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans the placement of
   elements in the art in order to communicate ideas and feelings with the
   viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result
   in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

   The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an
   artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable
   method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can
   make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being
   presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a
   person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In
   contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to
   highlight any texture or interesting features.

   When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to
   both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior
   is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the
   representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the
   figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

   A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned
   final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearance of
   specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the
   best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted
   study can be a piece of art onto itself, and many hours of careful work
   can go into completing a study.

History

   People have made drawings since prehistoric times. This art form first
   gained widespread popularity among European artists during the 1400's,
   when paper became generally available. Since that time, each century
   has produced artists who have created great drawings.

   Masters of drawing in the 1400's and 1500's included Leonardo da Vinci,
   Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo, and Raphael. During the 1600's, Claude,
   Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt, and Peter Paul Rubens created important
   drawings. In the 1700's, great drawings were produced by Jean-Honoré
   Fragonard, Francisco Goya, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Antoine
   Watteau. The masters of drawing during the 1800's included Paul
   Cézanne, Jacques Louis David, Edgar Degas, Theodore Gericault, Jean
   Ingres, Odilon Redon, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Vincent van Gogh.
   Great drawings in the 1900's have been created by Max Beckmann, Willem
   De Kooning, Jean Dubuffet, Arshile Gorky, Paul Klee, Oscar Kokoschka,
   Jules Pascin, Pablo Picasso, and Jackson Pollock.

Computer software

   Drawing may also be done on a computer. Digital art is quickly becoming
   a popular method of illustration. See, for example, the computer
   illustrations of Peter Welleman.

   Here are some common software programs used for computer illustration:
     * Corel Painter
     * Adobe Photoshop
     * Adobe Illustrator
     * Microsoft Expression
     * Inkscape
     * Paint Shop Pro
     * Pixia
     * Kolourpaint
     * Microsoft Paint
     * The GIMP
     * openCanvas
     * Macromedia Flash

   Other programs have a more "programmatic approach" to illustration:
     * GraphicsMagick
     * ImageMagick

Notable draftsmen

     * Michelangelo Buonarroti
     * Salvador Dalí
     * Albrecht Dürer
     * M. C. Escher
     * Leonardo da Vinci
     * Andrew Loomis
     * Rembrandt
     * Eugeen Van Mieghem

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawing"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
