The secret gallery’s blog

You can draw with just about anything that leaves a mark, pencils are not bad but why limit yourself when there are so many things to choose from! Personally, I like to to and fro between what we think of as traditional art materials with house hold materials and ingredients; I would like to have my pencils varying in hardness or softness  from HB to 7B or so, charcoal, willow and the blacker more condensed type, inks, chalks, oil pastels and oil bars etc. However I am just as excited by using things that you can find in the kitchen or on a walk. One of my favourite things to draw with is stick and some ordinary writing ink.  I really like being forced to be freer by the materials I use. I do remember trying to draw or paint with just about everything in my parents larder once!

One of the most important lessons I ever got in drawing was, when you are drawing from life, never make it up and just fill in an area, even if it is in the shade, if you look very closely it will vary, made up areas do lack something important. The looking part of drawing is as important as the mark making part.

Some exercises in drawing that I have found to be useful or fun have been:

Drawing from memory, looking at what you are going to draw then stop looking and try to draw from memory

Drawing with your eyes closed, (this I do a lot!)

Drawing by touch rather than sight

Very quick drawings, for example 3 or 5 minutes.

Last thing, don’t throw anything away! It might be really good and you just don’t realise yet! it is also good to be able to look back at what you did.