100 Drawing Tips

Brenda Hoddinott
THE BASICS A-10: 11 PAGES - $2.95

These tips are recommended for artists of all ages, as well as home schooling, academic and
recreational fine art educators.
Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada
CONTENTS
Brenda Hoddinott.2
Biography.2
Art Books..2
100 Terrific Tips..3
Generally Speaking3
Protecting your Drawings.4
Drawing Portraits and People...5
Composition6
Perspective...7
Blending Shading7
Warm Fuzzies..8
Values and Shading9
Figure Drawing.10
Drawing with a Grid.11
-2-
BRENDA HODDINOTT
As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda
Hoddinott utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk
pastel, charcoal, cont crayon, and oil paints.
BRENDA HODDINOTT - BIOGRAPHY

Born in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She
developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning,
and the aid of assorted Learn to Draw books.
During Brendas twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous
criminal investigation departments have employed Brendas skills, including Royal Canadian
Mounted Police and municipal police departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a
commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a
Certificate of Membership from Forensic Artists International. Her home-based art career
included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes. As supervisor of
her communitys recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed
curriculum for several childrens art programs.
In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more
time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites. Fine Art Education
http://www.finearteducation.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to
curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for
students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and
abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a
resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities.
ART BOOKS BY BRENDA HODDINOTT

!
Drawing for Dummies (March 4, 2003): Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., New,
York, NY, this 336 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores
internationally.
Drawing Fusion (2003): Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Nova Scotia,
Canada, this CD-ROM is available at http://www.finearteducation.com
The Complete Idiots Guide to Drawing People (August 2004): Published by Alpha Pearson Education Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book will be available on
various websites and in major bookstores internationally.
Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and
may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.
E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web site http://www.finearteducation.com
-3-
100 TERRIFIC TIPS

During my lengthy career, Ive made tons of mistakes and learned from them. With necessity
being the mother of invention, Ive also discovered numerous easier and more efficient methods
of working. The following 100 tips and helpful hints are but the first installment in an ever
growing list of ideas to make your drawing experiences more pleasurable and less frustrating!
Generally Speaking
1.
You need three invaluable ingredients in order to improve your drawing skills - practice,
practice, and more practice!
2.
Always purchase the best quality art supplies you can comfortably afford. Buy only
drawing papers and sketchbooks that are labeled acid free. Your drawings can be ruined
when poor quality paper deteriorates and turns yellow.
3.
You can clean your kneaded eraser by stretching and reshaping (also known as
kneading) it several times until it comes clean. However, kneaded erasers eventually
get too dirty to work properly, so pick up some extras.
4.
You need a peaceful drawing space that is comfortable and free of distractions.
5.
Have a basic set of drawing materials pre-packed so you can spontaneously take your art
outside your studio.
6.
When drawing an oval or a circle, rotate your paper and look at it from different
perspectives. Examine its reflection in a mirror to help locate problem areas.
7.
Check out the Internet or your public library to find out more about the history of art. Be
sure not to miss Renaissance, Romanticism, Realism, and/or Impressionism.
8.
To prevent your eyes from becoming too tired, always make sure you have adequate
lighting. Natural light through a window is best in the daytime. On overcast days and in
the evenings, a flexible-neck study lamp can focus light directly on your drawing surface.
9.
A thorough visual examination of your subject is the most important ingredient for
making great sketches.
10.
Draw slowly. Accuracy is more important than speed. Your speed will automatically
improve the more you practice.
11.
Dont press too hard with your pencils. Not only do these areas become impossible to
touch up, but they also leave dents in your paper. When you try to draw over dents in the
paper with a soft pencil (such as a 2B or 6B), they show up as light lines, spoiling the
overall appearance of your drawing.
12.
Always choose a drawing subject that appeals to you. Otherwise you may get bored
halfway through your project.
-413.
If you need anything to look symmetrical, from a vase to a face, always draw a faint line
down the center of your drawing space before you begin. Visually measure the spaces on
both sides of this line to guarantee that your final drawing is symmetrical. You can even
use a ruler to measure different sections if you wish to be very precise!
14.
Make sure your proposed project isnt more than you can handle. If youre a beginner to
drawing, choose a subject that you feel is very, very simple. You set yourself up for a
frustrating experience by taking on a project beyond your skill level.
15.
Drawing from an actual object is the best possible tool for enhancing your memory. Each
time you draw, valuable information is stored in your long-term memory.
16.
Experiment with drawing the different types of textures you plan to use in your drawing,
on a piece of scrap paper, before incorporating them into your actual drawing.
17.
Watch your local newspapers and media for art exhibitions and plan to attend as many as
possible. You can usually meet and chat with artists in your community by attending the
openings of these shows.
18.
Maintain a sketchbook and save your favorite drawings. Reflecting back on your personal
journey as an artist is inspirational and self-affirming.
19.
Check out your local community based educational facilities and recreational centers, for
art programs in your area. You can always benefit from additional drawing classes and
workshops.
20.
Be careful not to put tape on your drawing paper as it may damage the surface when you
remove it.
21.
You need to be familiar with an object from all sides, before you can accurately draw its
forms. If you choose to work from photographs, take lots of pictures from different
angles.
Protecting your Drawings

22.
Always place a piece of clean paper under your hand as you draw. Each time you work
on a new section, remember to move your paper so its always under your hand. This
prevents you from smudging your drawing, and protects the paper from the oils in your
skin.
23.
Put your drawings away in a safe place when you are finished working!
24.
Handle your drawing paper by the edges. Dont touch (or let anyone else touch) the
surface of your drawing paper, unless absolutely necessary (even before you begin to
draw). The natural oils or dirt on someones hands can damage your drawing paper.
25.
Dont store your drawings, with either clear tape or corrugated cardboard, touching them.
Either of these items can discolor your drawings, and do permanent damage after only a
few weeks.
26.
Never place or hang drawings in direct sunlight, no matter how well protected you think
they are. Better safe than sorry!
-527.
When your drawing is completely finished, a spray fixative can protect it from being
accidentally smudged. Use this product only in a well-ventilated place. I almost always
go outside to spray my completed drawings.
Drawing Portraits and People

28.
In a graphite or charcoal portrait, you can imply the color of the iris of an eye, by using
different values. Brown eyes are very dark in value, almost as dark as the pupil. Hazel,
blue, or green eyes are mostly shaded with middle values. Pale blue, green, or gray eyes
are very light in value and contrast sharply to the dark pupil.
29.
Always add some shading to the whites of eyes. Different values can illustrate their
spherical forms, tiny blood vessels, and cast shadows from eyelids and eyelashes. Only
the highlights of eyes are white.
30.
Never draw eyelashes from the tip down toward the eyelid. Always draw them in the
direction in which they grow, from the eyelid (or root) outward.
31.
Whenever you draw eyes, keep the initial sketch lines very light so they can be erased
later. No part of an eye should be drawn with dark bold lines. Instead of lines, use
contrasting shading graduations to separate the various parts of the eye, and give depth to
their forms.
32.
The most common mistake of beginners, attempting to draw a babys portrait is to make
the face too big, in proportion to the size of the skull. An adult face is half the size of the
adult cranial mass. However, a babys face is approximately one third the size of his or
her cranial mass.
33.
Soft lighting works best for portraits of young children.
34.
The secret to drawing teeth well, is to hardly draw them at all! Simply allow the shading
of the lips, the upper and lower gums, and the shadows created by the light source to
define them. Teeth, which are farther back in the jaw, need to be shaded darker because
they are in the shadows of the mouth. Never draw lines between the individual teeth, or
else they end up looking like a checkerboard!
35.
Facial expressions are created by involuntary movements of facial muscles, especially

those around the forehead, eyes, and mouth, in response to how a person is feeling.
36.
You age progress a person by illustrating the changing three-dimensional exterior forms
of the skeletal structure, and by transforming the outward appearance of the skin, fat, and
muscles pulled downward by gravity. You cant accurately depict the aging process by
simply drawing lines on a persons face.
37.
When drawing a cartoon or caricature of someone familiar, such as a friend, family

member, or a celebrity, exaggerate prominent features. If the eyes are far apart, draw
them even farther apart. If his or her eyebrows are heavy, thick and dark, draw them
heavier, thicker, and darker! If he or she has a big chin or nose, draw it larger! If the hair
is thin, make it thinner and if its thick, draw it thicker!
-638.
When selecting a pose for a portrait, something as simple as the tilt of a head, can
enhance your composition, make your drawing more interesting, and even tell something
about the personality of your model.
Composition
39.
Choose a drawing format that best fits your subject.
40.
A composition becomes more intriguing when you accentuate your center of interest.
41.
When you understand the basic guidelines of composition, you become more confident in
planning your drawings, and subsequently your drawings improve.
42.
A shading plan, in the form of a thumbnail sketch, provides you with a blueprint for your
composition.
43.
Define the focal point with more detail and a stronger contrast in values, than other
aspects of your drawing.
44.
Always place your focal point off center in your composition. Stay away from the Bulls
Eye. A focal point placed in the very center of your drawing space is a big NO, unless
you have a specific expressive or artistic reason to do so. Any object that is placed dead
center commands the viewers full attention. All the other important elements of your
drawing may be ignored, and the drawing will therefore lose its impact.
45.
By visually overlapping closer objects over distant objects, the illusion of depth is
created.
46.
Balance dark and light values in your drawing space. Sometimes, simply moving objects
slightly to the right or left in your drawing space, or making them lighter or darker than
their actual values, can offer balance to a composition.
47.
Use some of the basic elements of composition such as balance, shading, proportion, and
overlapping to draw the viewers eye to your focal point.
48.
Include an odd number of objects into a grouping, rather than an even number, whenever
possible.
49.
An ideal composition needs a variety of objects of different values, textures, shapes, and
sizes.
50.
Arrange your objects asymmetrically. Taller objects usually look better off to one side.
51.
Keep it simple! Too many objects in a drawing creates overcrowding and disharmony.
52.
Often you discover perfect drawing subjects with imperfect compositions. If nature or
man has placed an object in a position that you dont like, you can simply draw it in a
different place or remove it entirely.
53.
Confirm that objects, spaces, and perspective elements are drawn correctly. Check the
relationships of objects to one another, observe that angles, sizes, and proportions are
accurate, and adjust them as needed.
-754.
Pay close attention to the shapes created by negative and positive spaces.
Perspective
55.
When using geometric perspective, always draw the horizon line parallel to the upper and
lower sides of a square or rectangular drawing space.
56.
Perspective allows you to draw people visually correct and more realistic. Long parts of a
body, such as arms or legs, look disproportionately short when viewed from an end.
57.
Find opportunities to view people from extreme perspectives in real life. You can even lie
on the floor and have a friend or family member (the taller the better) stand beside you.
As you look up at the person, take note that the persons head will look especially tiny,
his or her legs and feet look disproportionately large, and the entire body looks much
shorter than it actually is.
58.
Be patient with yourself. Your abilities to render perspective accurately, improve with
practice, and eventually become instinctive. Careful observation of people and objects
around you expands your understanding of perspective.
59.
The farther away objects and people are, the smaller they appear to be.
60.
The horizon line and your eye level are the same thing. Objects at your eye level seem to
touch the horizon line, and their perspective lines converge both downward and upward.
Objects above your eye level are above the horizon line and their perspective lines
converge downward. Angular lines of objects below your eye level (below the horizon
line) converge upwards.
61.
You can create the illusion that clouds near the horizon line are farther away, than those
directly overhead, by drawing them smaller, closer together, and lighter in value.
Blending Shading
62.
Be careful not to wear away tissues or paper towels so your fingers are doing the
blending. Wrap several layers around your finger and check often that the tissue isnt
wearing away.
63.
Blending is difficult for beginners. Many teachers of fine art even discourage blending
techniques altogether. They generally encourage their students to focus on classical
shading techniques, such as hatching and crosshatching.
64.
In order for blending to work well, you must first be reasonably skilled at putting
graduated values on your paper. After all, there has to be something to blend. On the
other hand, expecting blending to fix poorly done shading, simply isnt realistic.
65.
When blending NEVER use your fingers! As a matter of fact, dont touch your drawing
paper where you plan to blend. Your skin can transfer oil to the paper, which becomes
noticeable after blending (especially in light values). Creating a smooth tone then
becomes darn near impossible.
-866.
Realistic shading with blending requires a broad range of values. The most common
blending mistake is to over blend dark values. Either use blending very sparingly in dark
shadowed areas, or dont blend your darkest values at all.
67.
When blending removes too much graphite, the values may become too light. If this
happens, you can darken the values again by adding more graphite.
68.
Dont give up if you dont like your first few attempts at blending. With patience and
practice your blending skills improve.
69.
To blend or not to blend is completely a matter of personal preference.
70.
Various blending tools, techniques, different pencils, and assorted types of paper affect
the final look of blended shading.
Warm Fuzzies
71.
Experiment with lots of different shading techniques until you find what works best for
you. You are a unique individual with distinctive artistic needs. Stay true to yourself and
continue developing your own artistic vision and style.
72.
Learning to see as an artist is the very foundation of drawing.
73.
Drawing is an action word you learn by doing!
74.
You can develop your drawing talent with hard work, patience, and dedication. Talent is
the self-discovery that you possess the ability, and motivation needed to become
exceptional. This acquired physical or mental aptitude is accessible to you.
75.
Draw in a way you really love. Styles are neither right nor wrong they just are. With
time, your style develops all by itself.
76.
Patience and practice are the keys, to successfully rendering a quick sketch, of the most
important elements of any subject that intrigues and inspires you.
77.
Drawing is a journey, not a destination. The day that you are totally happy with your
drawings is the day you pack up your supplies and quit. Learning to draw is an infinite
quest.
Values and Shading

78.
Squinting, to see the different values, provides you with a map for sketching the shapes
you see.
79.
You can make the transition from one value to the next barely noticeable, by drawing the
individual lines of your hatching in different lengths. Sometimes a short line, placed
inside a space between two other lines, helps make the transition look smoother.
80.
Keep in mind that drawing the form of an object, by drawing its shape and shading the
light and shadows, is more important than drawing patterns or textures.
-981.
Your drawings can appear flat, rather than three-dimensional when too little contrast in
values is used. Unless you are trying to achieve a specific mood or want the subject to
look flat, always use a full range of values.
82.
The shading in a cast shadow (on the surface on which an object is sitting) is darker
closer to the object and becomes gradually lighter as it moves outward.
83.
For crosshatching, I personally prefer to turn my drawing paper around in various

directions as I draw, so that I am always using my natural motion. You may also wish to
try holding your arm in different positions as you draw. Whatever you find to be the most
comfortable is right for you. Use your most comfortable hand movement, and dont
forget that you can turn your sketchbook around as you draw.
84.
Most artists prefer to work from light to dark. By drawing your light values first, you can
then layer your medium shading on top of your light shading. This layering creates a nice
smooth transition between different values. The darkest values are then built in layers on
top of the medium values.
Figure Drawing from Life

85.
Identifying the exterior three-dimensional forms of adult bodies, as defined by bones, fat,
and muscles, is more important to artists than memorizing the names of different parts of
the body.
86.
Choose poses that are expressive, artistically pleasing, and comfortable for your model.
87.
Experiment with different drawing media such as cont, charcoal, or graphite sticks and
use large sheets of paper.
88.
When figure drawing from a live model, have snacks and beverages handy. Remember,
modeling is very difficult.
89.
Use tape or chalk to mark the placement of his or her body on the surface on which he or
she is sitting, standing, or lying. For example, by marking the outline of the models feet
in a standing pose, he or she can easily find the correct pose again after a break.
90.
Take time to experiment with different media, techniques, and ways of drawing until you
find the styles you are most comfortable with.
91.
Dont worry if your drawings of hands and feet look all wrong at first. Just do your best
and in time, you will get better!
92.
When drawing a figure, break the subject down into shapes and visually measure the
proportions. Take note of the areas where parts of his body bend, twist, or are extended or
outstretched.
- 10 -
Drawing with a Grid

93.
Tape the corners of your drawing paper to a large sheet of graph paper to help draw the
grid lines. Adjust the size of each square proportionate to the size you want the drawing
to be. For example, if you want your drawing to be twice the size of the photo, use four (2
by 2) of the one-quarter-inch graph squares, to represent one, quarter-inch grid square on
the photo.
94.
Draw the grid on your photo with an ordinary ballpoint pen. It works well on most
photos, doesnt smudge as easily as markers, and can be seen more clearly than a pencil,
which tends to just scratch the surface of the photo.
95.
Never draw a grid directly on a valuable photo! Make a photocopy, or scan and print it,
and work from the copy.
96.
Use the following guidelines for making a drawing larger than a photo:
Photo Size
Some Options for converting to a Larger Drawing
2 by 3
3 by 4.5
4 by 6
5 by 7.5
6 by 9
3 by 3
4.5 by 4.5
6 by 6
7.5 by 7.5
9 by 9
3 by 4
4.5 by 6
6 by 8
7.5 by 10
9 by 12
3 by 5
4.5 by 7.5
6 by 10
7.5 by 12.5
9 by 15
4 by 5
6 by 7.5
8 by 10
10 by 12.5
12 by 15
4 by 6
6 by 9
8 by 12
10 by 15
12 by 18
5 by 7
7.5 by 10.5
10 by 14
15 by 17.5
15 by 21
5 by 8
7.5 by 12
10 by 16
12.5 by 20
15 by 24
5 by 9
7.5 by 13.5
10 by 18
15 by 22.5
15 by 27
6 by 8
9 by 12
12 by 16
15 by 20
18 by 24
6 by 9
9 by 13.5
12 by 18
15 by 22.5
18 by 27
8 by 10
12 by 15
16 by 20
24 by 25
24 by 30
9 by 12
13.5 by 18
18 by 24
22.5 by 30
27 by 36
10 by 12
15 by 18
20 by 24
25 by 30
30 by 36
11 by 14
16.5 by 21
22 by 28
27.5 by 35
33 by 42
- 11 97.
To make a drawing smaller than the reference photo, consider the following guidelines:
Photo Size
Some Options for Converting to a Smaller Drawing
5 by 7
4 by 5.6
3.5 by 4.9
3 by 4.2
2.5 by 3.5
8 by 10
6.4 by 8
5.6 by 7
4.8 by 6
4 by 5
9 by 12
7.2 by 9.6
6.3 by 8.4
5.4 by 7.2
4.5 by 6
10 by 12
8 by 9.6
7 by 8.4
6 by 7.2
5 by 6
11 by 14
8.8 by 11.2
7.7 by 9.8
6.6 by 8.4
5.5 by 7
12 by 16
9.6 by 12.8
8.4 by 11.2
7.2 by 9.6
6 by 8
16 by 20
12.8 by 16
11.2 by 14
9.6 by 12
8 by 10
98.
Using a grid helps render precise facial and figurative proportions and correct
perspective.
99.
Try taping a photograph in the center of a piece of grid paper to draw the grid lines.
Rather than using a ruler to measure the squares, you only need to connect the lines on
the opposite sides of the photo with the ruler. Voila! A very accurate grid!
100.
Dont press too hard with your pencils! No matter how careful you are, when you draw
with a grid, accidents do happen. If you draw some lines in the wrong grid squares,
simply erase that section, redraw the grid lines, and keep on going! Lightly drawn lines
are easy to erase!

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Brenda Hoddinott

THE BASICS A-10: 11 PAGES - $2.95

BRENDA HODDINOTT - BIOGRAPHY

ART BOOKS BY BRENDA HODDINOTT

100 TERRIFIC TIPS

Protecting your Drawings

Drawing Portraits and People

Soft lighting works best for portraits of young children.

Facial expressions are created by involuntary movements of facial muscles, especially

When drawing a cartoon or caricature of someone familiar, such as a friend, family

Choose a drawing format that best fits your subject.

To blend or not to blend is completely a matter of personal preference.

Learning to see as an artist is the very foundation of drawing.

Drawing is an action word you learn by doing!

Values and Shading

For crosshatching, I personally prefer to turn my drawing paper around in various

Figure Drawing from Life

Drawing with a Grid

Some Options for converting to a Larger Drawing

Some Options for Converting to a Smaller Drawing

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