Question from Edward Pan
When shading, I find I sometimes have the tendency to rotate the drawing board back-and-forth so that a certain area becomes more reachable for my hand. Is this a correct approach?
Artworks by Vladimir London
Hi Edward,
Many thanks for your question. It is a very good one, as other art students also have similar doubts.
There is no strict rule to what is correct – to rotate the drawing or not while shading. It depends on your personal preference and habit.
You may find that smaller drawings are easier to rotate while big artworks that are fixed to an easel is not as convenient to move around.
If you want to improve your drawing skills, I would advise that you work on an artwork that is fixed to a drawing board. It is better to develop the habit of drawing without the need of rotating the board.
Artworks by Vladimir London – Pen and ink (left), Gold-point (right)
Imagine that you have to paint a fresco or create a drawing on a wall. Rotating such artwork would be out of the question. If you have strong skills of rendering tonal values without the board rotation, it would help you to do the job in question.
I hope this answers your doubt.
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Kind regards,
Natalie Richy and Vladimir London
Drawing Academy tutors
You should never move your paper just because you can’t reach it.
Do you also have L and R written on the inside of your boots?