Draw Place Blog

Before we begin, let’s get some anatomical terms sorted out to make sure the instructions are not confusing.

1 – Eyebrows, 2 – eyelid crease, 3 – upper eyelid, 4 – lacrimal caruncle, 5 – sclera, 6 – reflection, 7 – eyelashes, 8 – pupil, 9 – iris, 10 – lower eyelid. 

Now look at the eye drawings below, paying attention to different viewing angles. Notice how different people have very different eye shapes, eyelid sizes, and eyelashes.

Now, let’s get started! Draw two circles, one inside the other – the eyeball and the iris.

Next, add lines representing the edges of the upper and lower eyelid, then continue by adding a pupil and the edge of the face.

Use an eraser to remove the lines above and below the eye, then create the basic eyebrow shape using a few short strokes.

Next, add another line close to the upper edge of the lower eyelid – this will be the lower edge of the lower eyelid. Add an elongated drop shape below the eye, to the right, then place an oval above the eye, still to the right, and finally, add the lacrimal caruncle. Add a light reflection into the pupil as well.

Now move on to hatching. In our model picture, the hatching shows where the darkest areas are. Pay attention to the direction of the hatching lines – they must follow the facial shapes! Use HB and 2B pencils to hatch the darkest spots, paying attention to areas with no hatching at all – these are the lightest spots in the drawing. Let’s say we’re drawing brown eyes – that means that the iris will be dark too. Use a midtone for light brown, blue, or green eyes and make sure to keep the iris very light and contrasting for light blue, light green, or grey eyes.

Now use 2H and HB pencils for cross hatching, adding volume by creating a wide range of tones, from very light to very dark, almost black. Darken the iris.

Use HB and 2B pencils to add midtones, taking time to carefully study all shadows and half-shadows. Pay extra attention to areas that have to remain light. Contrast between light and dark tones is important in drawing, adding realism and volume to your work.

Use a 2B pencil to add a shadow to the inner and outer eye corner, then use sharp 2B and HB pencils to draw an eyebrow. Next, grab a 4B and 6B pencil to shade the iris, making sure to keep some light reflections in the eye. 

If you wish, darken the areas above the eye by adding more lines to the existing hatching. Darken the eye corner and continue to work on the shading. Use an HB pencil to draw eyelashes and keep in mind that they grow from the outer edges of the eyelids. Finally, add some thin, crooked lines to represent the veins. 

Wow, this was quite a detailed tutorial, don’t you think? Still, the best way to master drawing skills is by learning from an expert 😊 Come join us at Draw Planet and sign up for our drawing course for beginners! Or perhaps we’ll see you at our portrait drawing course? Choose the one that calls to you and come learn with us!

For many artists, there comes a moment in their lives when they decide to give digital painting a go, and even though the internet is full of tutorials and other educational materials on the topic, many are still at a loss when it comes to actually taking the first steps. That’s why we decided to compile a small entry  of FAQs on digital painting for beginners and experienced traditional artists alike who want to make the transition into the world of digital art.

1) Do I need to re-learn drawing?

Don’t worry, you don’t. The basic theories on drawing, colour and composition always apply, regardless of what medium you are using (a brush, a pencil or a tablet). You just need to recognize the specifics of your chosen technique and adapt to them. In this case, it means getting familiar with the user interface of our chosen software and getting used to a tablet.

2) Do I need a drawing tablet?

Using a computer mouse to draw isn’t the best idea, so a drawing tablet will make your life much easier and work much more comfortable. However, the pioneer of computer drawing, Craig Mullins, still uses a mouse to create his impressive artworks.

3) What is a drawing tablet?

Drawing tables come in two types – with an in-built screen or without it. Those with a monitor resemble iPads and other touch screens, however, unlike normal touch screens, they can also detect the pressure you apply to each stroke when you draw. You also need a special stylus pen to use a drawing tablet.

The tablets with a screen can be either connected to a PC, or have graphic software built directly into them which makes them very portable. The big advantage of such tablets is that you are drawing directly on the screen, which makes the creative process closely resemble traditional drawing on paper. The downside here is the price. 

Screen-less tablets are the most common and most popular. You need to look at your PC’s monitor as you draw on the tablet due to their lack of screen. It does feel strange at first and takes a bit of getting used to, but you will adapt faster than you would expect. The biggest advantages of these tables are the comfort, compact size, and much lower price.

The tablets also differ in their workspace size, its sensitivity, connection type (wired or wireless), and other aspects.

4) What software is the best for digital drawing?

This very much depends on your individual preferences and on what features you are looking for in the software. For raster graphics, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter or PaintTool SAI are your best bets. For vector graphics, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw are good choices. There are also raster programs that are designed to closely mimic traditional art forms like watercolour, oil, or pastels – these allow the user to choose the canvas texture, brush shape, and other parameters. Among these, ArtRage is the most popular. 

5) What’s the difference between raster and vector graphics?

Simply put, raster images are composed of tiny pixels and are resolution-dependent – this type of digital art is rather close to traditional art forms like drawing and painting on paper or canvas. Vector graphics are based on anchor points connected by lines and curves – it’s especially handy for illustrators and designers whose creations are usually rather simple. The big advantage of vector graphics lies in the flexibility and an endless possibility to change the image size without losing any of the quality. 

6) What are the advantages of digital art?

It’s virtually impossible to ruin your work – you can save it as many times as you like, keeping separate saves for different stages of your artwork, so you can always go back as many steps as you like and start again if you are unhappy with how it’s turned out. This means that the possibilities are extremely broad when it comes to moving your artwork to the next stage, adding or changing colour, changing proportions, the canvas size, etc. And let’s not forget about the fact that you can display your artwork on many different devices and make as many identical copies as you like. 

7) What are the downsides?

To print your digital artwork, you need to complete many steps to finalize it and prepare it for printing – colours need to be corrected and many other things need to be addressed to make sure the printed artwork looks like what you see on the monitor. Adding random and unexpected effects or textures is also difficult. In short, creating digital artworks requires one to adapt to certain challenges brought by the digital world.

8) Can you combine traditional and digital art?

Of course you can! You can start your drawing on paper, then scan it and finish with your tablet. Or go the other way around – make a sketch using your favourite software and then transfer it to a real canvas. Using computers to add finishing touches to illustrations drawn on paper has become standard practice these days.

9) What’s the best way to take first steps into digital art?

The most  important thing you need to do right at the start is to determine whether you like and enjoy digital art. Browse the artworks of talented digital artists and see if they stir a desire to create similar artworks in you. If they do, it’s time to get yourself a drawing tablet (according to your preferences and financial means) and choose software that will give you the tools you want.

And then you just need to register for our digital painting course for beginners 😊 If you do that, you don’t need to buy anything – we have plenty of laptops with graphic editors and great Wacom drawing tablets for our students to use (free of charge, of course) and the best teachers to explain and demonstrate everything.

If you love nature, being outdoors, enjoying natural scenery AND you also have an interest in painting, then landscape painting is just the right thing for you! So, how does one get started?

First thing we need to get clear is that it’s one of the more difficult fields. Don’t worry though – you’ll do great! The secret is finding the technique that suits you best and giving yourself enough time to learn and improve. You can create amazing paintings with oil, acrylics, or watercolour. And while there are hundreds of books dedicated to each one of those, today we are going to discuss some very basic principles that will help you achieve a good result.

1. Pick a nice landscape for your painting

Keep in mind that not everything that looks good to you in real life will automatically make a good painting. Pick a diverse, intriguing landscape to keep your work interesting and make sure to take a photo of your chosen scene to ensure that it will look good on paper too once it becomes a solitary frame with no surroundings.

2. Take a reference picture

Take a good reference picture for you to copy while your camera is out. It’s much easier to start by copying references than diving straight into open air painting.

3. Sketch a basic outline first

Start with a basic outline, place major elements in the painting, and leave out the details – they will quickly overwhelm you if you start worrying about them right out the door. For now, focus on contrasting areas, their colour schemes, and shapes. You don’t need to painstakingly draw every single tree in the forest – hinting at them with some colour transitions is more than enough.

4. Start adding details when you are happy with the big picture

A flower in the foreground can add that little something that you feel is missing from your painting. This is also a good time to make sure that direct light is where it’s supposed to be and add highlights and shadow where needed.

5. Take another photo

Taking a photo of your work will allow you to look at it from a new perspective and compare it with your reference photo. Of course, it’s not about making a perfect copy – it’s about seeing what could be improved and taking the time to appreciate your work 😊

Landscape painting is a truly captivating affair, with amazing paintings taking you to the most beautiful places and making you feel like you really are there, inside the painting. Don’t be afraid to give it a try too – sign up for our landscape painting course, try different techniques, and learn all you need to know from our amazing, friendly teachers!

Have you ever thought about drawing your own comic strip or even comic book, thinking “How hard can it be? It’s just a couple of simple characters in neat little frames saying something clever”.  So you sat down at your desk with your pen and paper and… nothing happened. Turns out it’s not that easy after all, but don’t fret – we’re here to help!

There are three key elements that make a good comic. First, you need good characters with distinct personalities. Then you need a captivating story that you will be able to maintain and develop, and finally, you need to find a drawing style. Now let’s begin right away, starting with the first thing – your protagonist. Try making a sketch of him or her. Keep in mind that your protagonist will experience different situations and emotions, so try capturing them in different poses and with different facial expressions. Once you are happy with the result, make sure your character is coherent and voila – your protagonist is ready!

Now think about your protagonist’s personality and backstory. Any character can have a crazy backstory, even if it’s a cute little rabbit munching on a carrot. Maybe an amazing story already starts to take shape in your mind as you are thinking of your protagonist’s background, but hold your horses for now. Instead think of what your character is like. How will they react to danger? What makes them happy? What makes them mad? Fleshing out your character will help make your story more authentic. 

Now it’s time to think about the story. You have a protagonist that you can use, and you are already imagining the adventures they are going through. The key thing a story needs is a plotline and humour. It’s not like you have to create the next Moby Dick, but it would be a crying shame if your frames had no point to them and simply fizzled out. So keep writing and lay down some story structure to follow and to make sure you have the main plot and a decent ending. And don’t be lazy – do this even if it’s just a super short comic that you’re working on.

Next, you need to put it all together, which means the majority of drawing work is now ahead of you. Get a notebook and try to put your story in individual scenes that you want to draw. Make outlines of these scenes, adding dialogue. Keep in mind that we’re still at the drafting stage, not at the final product. Perhaps show your draft to a friend or a family member to get an honest opinion, and when you are happy with the feedback you receive, move on to working on individual scenes and images and start putting in the real, homerun effort.

So, how did it go? I bet you are super proud of your first comic creation! And please don’t be too hard on yourselves, nobody is great at stuff right off the bat. Did you find this journey fun and perhaps would like to continue? Come join us at Draw Planet and let our professional comic book artists help you get a solid foundation! Register now and make a comic book that will blow your mind!

How to get rid of your fear and finally start your artistic journey 

You get inspired, you want to grab a brush or a pencil and get creative, but then anxiety and fear of failure take over. Sounds familiar?  You are not alone! Many people are afraid to start and if you are one of them, we hope this article helps you break down the barriers that are holding you back and inspires you to finally take the first step – maybe after you’re finished reading? 😊

The good news is, art is like any other trade, and trades can be learnt! Now, every trade comes with its own set of rules and principles and drawing or painting are no different! Think of the process of learning to play an instrument – someone has to explain it first before you can start practising, and it’s just like that with art. 

You can start at any age. It doesn’t matter if you dive in as a child, a teenager, or at 70 years of age. You’ll do great as long as you keep your enthusiasm! Creative activities are also proven to slow down the ageing process, which is why all artists, new and old, always remain young at heart 😊

Creativity is a skill like any other, which means you can practice and get better at it! Grabbing a pen and making a few doodles is enough to give your brain a chance to work differently than it usually does, thus practising your creativity. Pretty cool, right?

It takes time and practice to become good at drawing and believe us when we say that every great artist used to be a “rookie” at some point – we all have to start somewhere! You just need to keep at it, working your way toward improvement. And that means making mistakes and trying again… and again. Your last mistake is your best teacher, and that saying is especially true in art.

And finally, creative activities are good for you! They help us relax and release our emotions, so by discovering your inner artist, you are actually doing something positive for your mental health, improving your empathy and awareness! And what better way to discover that hidden inner artist than by simply drawing, painting, and making art?

Believe in yourself and your talent will surface, trust us! All you need is some practice and a good teacher – and pssst, we don’t want to brag, but ours are really nice, friendly, and amazing! Have no fear and come join us at one of our courses; we have plenty of options for complete beginners! Choose what you like at — and become a confident artist!