DrawingAcademy

The David

November 26, 2014September 26, 2018
2 Comments

Article by Clayton Cogmon Jr.

During the High Renaissance, art was used for decoration, prestige, and most importantly, to immortalize anyone closely involved with it. There are many ways to create art, but none strike the observers interests like the great sculptures of the Renaissance era. However, one in particular does stand out from the rest: The David.

The David is the most famous, well known statue in the world. A 17 foot marble masterpiece, the David has a complicated history.

This is fitting, considering his creator was a complicated man himself. This creator being, Michelangelo.

Believe it or not, Michelangelo was not the first person to be hired for the commission of the great statue. In fact, Michelangelo was not even born during the earliest phases…

Artwork by Fordz

November 26, 2014September 30, 2018
8 Comments

I’ve just started my drawing career less than a year ago and I’m willing to be trained by the mentors here aside from my school. I hope this will be the right way for me…

November 24, 2014November 2, 2025

A study to achieve a "Gamut of pencil strokes"

Artwork by Yasmeen Kanan, Drawing Academy student

Hello!

After viewing one of your critiques given to another student, and after viewing the drawings that you have uploaded to improve our pencil strokes, I decided to take you advice and do a study.

First, I made a copy of a drawing (as mentioned above) and created a drawing of a real life model using the hatching technique-pencil strokes. I must admit, copying an existing drawing is easier than drawing a real life subject. I wish I could upload two photos at once, but I will upload the real life drawing later.

I would like to hear your critique for my “Gamut of pencil strokes.” Commenting on this study, an artist claimed that the difference in the strokes between the background and the subject has ruined the drawing. I oppose this view and find it dull to use the same pencil strokes in different areas (background, foreground, etc.).

In the “Gamut of pencil strokes” study, are we allowed to have different pencil strokes in different spaces in the drawing?

How to draw a square in perspective

November 23, 2014September 26, 2018
2 Comments

Question from Daniel Michalovics, Drawing Academy student

Hi,

My name is Daniel. I live in Germany and I am glad that I have finally arrived at the Drawing Academy. I am currently working on Assignment 3 – Drawing in Perspective.

At this point, I must mention that when enrolling in the Drawing Academy, I did not know that there was a proposed list of assignments. However, I find this extremely helpful. The assignments seem to be in an order that is very easy to follow. I really appreciate this curriculum because in the past, I tried to make my own assignment list which was nowhere near as logical and target-oriented as the one found here. This one really encourages me to work hard on my drawing skills.

Here is my actual question. I tried to draw an imaginary set of pyramids with squares at their bottoms in a one-point perspective. How do I know how long I need to draw the edge of a square that is facing towards the vanishing point?

It must have some specific length so that the bottom plane is seen as a square with equal side lengths. From the rules of perspective, I know that this line must be shorter than the horizontal line at the front. However, when drawing from imagination, I can only guess its real length. Is there some kind of trick I can apply here?

I have seen a few internet videos that teach how to draw a perfect cube in a two-point perspective. However, the methods they show are rather complex. I prefer not to use them every time I try to draw a simple square. I also do not like the fact that these methods only cover a two-point perspective. If there is no simple method, how can I learn to estimate the length correctly? …

Drawings by Jivaji

November 23, 2014September 27, 2018

Artworks by Jivaji, Drawing Academy student

What makes the Mona Lisa famous?

November 20, 2014September 26, 2018

Article by Clayton Cogmon Jr.

It would be almost impossible to find a person that hasn’t heard of the famed, mysterious, and universally controversial Mona Lisa. She was created by the famed High Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, and for decades she has captivated millions of people worldwide. But the question that has to linger in everyone’s head at least once is: “Why is the painting so darn famous to begin with?” Is it those elusive eyes? That captivating smile? Or the fact that it is rumored that the painting is actually a self portrait of da Vinci as a cross dresser? The mystery is a grand one, yet so simple you’ll smack your forehead in disbelief.

The origins of The Mona Lisa begin in Florence, Italy. Supposedly, it was asked for by Francesco du Giocondo. He wanted a painting of his wife Lisa Gherardini. Leonardo, having taken much time off from painting accepted. The theory is he was in need of income and thought the painting was an easy way to get it. However, he would never guessed that he would spend the rest if his life on the piece…

Why to learn how to draw, my humble point of view

November 20, 2014September 30, 2018
15 Comments

Artwork by Rodrigo Leal

Since I was discarded from my job as a security systems engineer because i was over 54 (that is some kind of trend on not just a few European schools of management…), i devoted myself to what looked to be to me an hidden passion for painting.

Now, almost seven years of a self-taught oil painting path, not yet fulfilled as far as I am concerned about what I think is correct and pleasant to my eyes, I reached a point where everything drove to that point where the lack of minimum drawing skills and hard work on what looks to be the fundamental basis of all art stands as a must goal…