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A rock-hard grounding in the essentials of art skills is what you need to become a great artist. It’s futile to be a comic artist for example, if you have little or no knowledge of anatomy. The same way for being a concept artist with no knowledge on color, lighting, and tonal values. Try to learn the essential art skills first to get them right. Eventually, opportunities will start to come your way that will make you grow personally and professionally as an artist. In order to help you start off your artistic journey, or basically revive your memory, we’ve listed the top 10 essential skills you need to improve your art and become a better artist.
Top 10 Essential Art Skills
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Think in advance.
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Composition.
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Light and Shadow.
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Selective Drawing.
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Line Quality.
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Silhouettes.
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Tonality.
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Linear Structure.
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Tension and Relaxation.
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Blind Shapes.
Before starting an image, it’s important to know where it’s headed. Lay down the basic tones with an idea of what its final colours would be. In the sketching stage, musculature in the final image was present. Having a solid plan ensures that the image will maintain consistency throughout the painting as it progress.
Everything begins with the right light and space. Prominent areas are usually well-lit to draw the viewer’s attention. The viewer then will retrace their steps until they put together the story that you want to show.
When applying light and shadow, focus on which sides would catch most of the light, some of the light, and none of the light. It’s important to know where the light is coming from as you paint.
Focus across the whole image rather than a few certain spots. Establish an outline for your sketch then break it down into large pieces that you work on separately.
Lines also define structures. Soft lines typically indicate light, while darker lines are used as a structure descends into shadow. The darker and sharper a line is, the stronger your commitment to arrangement of a structure. Starting with dark, heavy lines leaves you little margin of error. Build shapes using soft, fuzzy lines to establish light and shadow and then commit to dark lines later.
The best 2D designs still work even if most of the information is missing. That’s a rule of thumb. One way to gauge the effectiveness of the design is to block in the image so you’ll see only the silhouette. It should still be identifiable.
Think about color tones. By being aware of the interaction between the tonality of structures in the image when compared to another, you can effectively build good lighting and shadowing scheme.
Most structures, even if they have few hard corners, have a top, bottom, and four distinct sides. Use boxes as guide and lay them down in the correct proportion and relative position to each other, and pointing in the right directions. The drawn figure will feel more solid and sturdy.
Straight, stretched lines show tension while curved lines are more relaxed.
Draw from life without looking at what you’re doing. Accuracy doesn’t matter. Develop your hand-eye coordination by concentrating on what you think your hand is drawing. You’ll be able to translate what you see and imagine to paper more accurately when you improve your muscle control as well.
19 Famous Epic Movie Illustrations By Justin Reed
01. 80′s Action Heroes
02. Dark Knight Illustration
03. Edward Scissorhands
04. Fight Club
05. Kill Bill
06. Pulp Fiction
07. Magnolia
08. Jaws
09. Hitchcock Film
10. Love Actually
11. Reservoir Dogs
12. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
13. American Psycho
14. The Thing
15. I Am A Fugitive
16. Eternal Sunshine
17. Rules of Attraction
18. There Will Be Blood
19. The Zonbies First Love
Resources And Further Reading
Aurora Gatbonton and the rest of the WPD Blog Team wants you to get hitched with creativity, style, and technology. Brought to you by iFoto Xpressions Studio
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Hey,
Thank you for the blog. I must admit I am a frustrated artist, I do not know how to draw or even take a good picture yet and your article has helped me understand what a photographer or artist must look at in a picture.
Later days,
Armand Polanski
Excellent skill set indeed. Well done.
I’ve always wanted to draw but alas this is just not for me… Any idea or tips? Do you think any person can do it? Or do I need to have that called “talent”
Sometimes I sit down and sketch whatever is in front of me. Thanks for sharing a few tips.
Drawing everyday is an obsession for me.
I started out drawing from life, then made it more detailed as the years goes by.
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