These 20 drawing exercises will activate your thinking by encouraging you to look and see an object from multiple viewpoints.
It’s a way of ‘knowing’ an object – getting to know all aspects of it, ones you might normally overlook.
Understanding it’s shape and form, and how it exists in three-dimensional space will help you to see how light interacts with these elements to produce shadow, which also informs how we perceive shape and form.
You will see individual objects as shapes that can be depicted with simple lines or shapes that can be described with light and shadow (shading) only.
The objective is to first draw with line, however lightly. Then to indicate light and shadow – to bring out form – using basic shading. You don’t need elaborate textures at this stage.
All the projects in Level 1 facilitate ‘looking’ first (visual interrogation) and then drawing (physical).
It’s basic but a fundamental practice that can activate your thinking in a meaningful way, without needing to employ visual ‘tricks’. Sometimes, the simplest representation can also be a memorable one.
Materials
- Charcoal, micron pen, graphite, lead pencil.
- Any paper, preferably a fine ‘tooth’ – a heavy ‘tooth’ will be challenging – the deep texture will interfere with capturing the accuracy of shapes. Rather focus on the drawing and leave the textural qualities for later levels.
- You can also use a dip or calligraphy pen, but charcoal, pencils or micron give you much more ‘sketching’ flexibility. And you won’t have to worry about ink spills and drips on the page.
- You need a prop – for this exercise we’re using a simple coffee cup
Drawing prompts:
1. Position the cup linear, seeing a bit of the inside top down
2. Position the cup on its side, seeing a bit of the inside
3. Position the cup upright, this time, seeing more of the inside, notice the top, the rim gets rounder
4. Position the cup in its side, facing you at a 45 degree angle, see a bit of the bottom rim peeking out
5. Position the cup upside down, see a bit of the bottom rim from above
6. Position the cup in it side, at a sharper angle, so the side looks shorter
7. Keep the cup on its side, turn the widest rim to face you, see the the bottom of the inside only
8. Keep the same position, but move your viewpoint down so you see the inside and the widest rim is a perfect circumference
9. Tilt the cup upright and lean it against a book or wall so the bottom rim can be seen
10. Tilt the cup back down so it’s linear and the rim appears straight
11. Flip the cup over so the inside is facing you and the side is 90 degrees, looking at it top down
12. Swivel the cup 90 degrees so that the side is linear, move your view point lower and see about 10 percent of the inside
13. Flip the cup back upright and move your viewpoint so that rim appears like a subtle arc
14. Tilt the cup over to the right and swivel so you see a bit of the inside
15. Swivel the cup left and move your viewpoint up so your looking more top down
16. Swivel it more to the left, move your view point down so that rim appears linear and you’re seeing the inside bottom
17. Keep the same cup position and move your view point all the way up and look downward
18. Swivel the cup left so it faces backward at a 45 degree angle
19. Swivel the cup back right so the wire rim arc appears less round
20. Swivel the cup back left so it’s almost 90 degrees and the side appears longer
*Sketches – created in Procreate on A4 format, using Charcoal/ Hippolyte setting, varying opacity and weight as desired.
Drawing is physical – use your whole body to see
- As you raise yourself and your eyeline, the top of a round shape gets rounder – because you’re looking top down
- As you lower yourself and your eyeline, the top of a round shape gets flatter – because you’re looking linearly
Mark-making
These swatches are mostly textural but you can also use it to describe shapes and forms effectively, without it becoming subjective. Remember, what you’re after is observation. At this stage, don’t cover up areas with textures. Observational drawing is not easy, but once you get comfortable with looking and being objective about what you see, you will get better at it. The most awkward line can become mesmerising if it captures the essence of an object well. Then, the textural qualities become either unnecessary or a ‘nice-to-have’.
Caption – created in Procreate on A4 format, using Charcoal/ Pipeline setting, varying opacity and weight as desired.
Final Thoughts
At the end of this exercise you should:
- Be able to exploit the simplest object – if you are blocked and unable to generate an idea, simply look and experiment freely with viewpoints to activate your visual thinking.
- Re-learn drawing, refresh your visual training or flex your drawing ‘muscle’ without the overwhelm of a complex composition or still life.
- Be able to do these 20 exercises in any drawing style you are comfortable with.
- Choose an object of special interest to you and repeat the exercise.
Instead of guessing what to draw, try this next step:
👉 Use the practice lab to generate more ideas
Practice Tips
- A doodling style is commonly used in professional illustration
- Drawing is a physical activity – as well as a mental one- and demands concentration. Go easy on yourself. For example, if a doodling style you normally use while scribbling on post-it notes works for you, go ahead and use it. There is no right and wrong. Drawing is for everyone. You don’t have to be an artist. Simply, enjoy the process.
- If you like a challenge, pick an object you dislike, or one that makes you mildly uncomfortable – as long as feel you safe. Repeat the same process and look at it from multiple angles. It will feel counterintuitive at first, but it can be used to free your thinking and loosen your inhibitions for drawing.
Related reading:
20 Simple Drawing Exercises Using a Coffee Cup (That Actually Improve Your Skills)
Why Your Drawings Look Flat (And How to Fix It)
How to Train Your Eye to See Like an Artist (Beginner Guide)