Photo Reference Drawings

In our advanced class, we aim to spend the majority of time drawing real objects, landcscapes, and people from observation. However, this IS a children’s class and it is vital to bring an element of playfulness to every lesson. A collection of vibrant food photos are the perfect subject for children’s drawings: bring on the color and the ease of drawing organic shapes from photos dazzle our senses!

I just LOVE this juicy, luminous drawing. It is not easy to create that illusion where your drawing or painting seems to glow from within; but when a child approaches the easel unhampered by fear and ego, magic happens.
We always begin with pencil so that we can repeat the essential process for a good foundation: look, draw, adjust.
Capturing the correct perspective when translating a photo into a drawing: that's advanced observational work!
The composition knows that this Tiny Artist has learned to fill his picture plane!
Pure focus: he's in the zone!
After we get the pencil drawing just right, it's time to add color!
Creating realistic drawings is extremely challenging, so we start somewhere a bit easier. Look at something and draw what you see. Does the viewer instantly know what you've drawn? Then you are well on your way!
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Watercolor & Clay