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Can you imagine photographing icons like Betty White and Prince? Well my podcast guest today doesn't have to imagine... it's HER JOB!?! Yep, American photographer Mary Ellen Matthews has been the in-house photographer at Saturday Night Live since 1999. She's shot some of the most iconic entertainers in the world, but today, Mary Ellen is the one in the spotlight! You can listen to our conversation under that fabulous shot of Betty, or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

Alright, first up, a few of my favorite shots that we talked about:

Yep, two Pauls... not to mention Andy Samberg as an olive, and Lizzo being fabulous, as usual!

Now, there were a bazillion shoots I wanted to ask her about, but I knew we were crunched for time. Here are a bunch of beauties that I'll have to ask her about in person, someday:

How's that for a lineup of amazingly talented people?! Betty White, Prince, and Chadwick Boseman... I mean, wow. Also, I've always wanted to be friends with Tina Fey and Will Ferrell. That's a reasonable goal, right?

Ok, next... we quickly touched on the fact that Mary Ellen and her team have been creating animated pieces, and videos too! Here are couple featuring Will Forte (as a version of the 'Sea Captain'), Melissa McCarthy, Donald Glover, and Oscar Isaac:

Fantastic! Now, as I mentioned, we recorded this conversation on a Friday. She had just photographed that week's host, Benedict Cumberbatch, the day before, and was in the middle of editing/photoshopping when we talked. Obviously the images needed to be ready for Saturday. Well, she got them done... these are some of those photos:

Ahh, Benedict. Any time I hear his name, I can't control myself and immediately link to this video of him reading a letter from Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse. "JUST DO."

Next up, the photos Mary Ellen took of Ashley Longshore at her house in New Orleans:

So. Much. Fun! And finally, I can't finish this post without showing you some of the photos shot by Edie Baskin. She was the woman who brought Mary Ellen into the world of SNL, and then handed her the reins:

An icon shooting icons... LOVE. Thank you so much to Mary Ellen for taking the time to do this with me; and thanks to you for listening to the episode AND to my preamble about the future of ART FOR YOUR EAR. See you in a couple of weeks for a brand new episode, as we head toward the big 2-3-0. ~ Danielle
Other links:
Yep, here we are... back with the second half of my conversation with my amazing friend, New York artist Listen right up there under that lovely vinyl lettering Petah Coyne. In case you missed Part I, Petah was kind enough to take over as 'podcast host' so she could interview me. We're talking about the opening of my show, what worked, what I'd change, what's next, and all of the many feelings that come crashing in after you've worked really hard on a body of work for a really long time.(I love it when that goes up on the wall!), or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

Alright, here's look at a bunch of the 'specimens', most of which were shot by my talented friend Stephanie Seaton:

Yep. Gum and cigarettes and birds and flowers and mushrooms and crocodiles! Stephanie and I are gonna go back and shoot the collages once the sun goes down because, boy oh boy, that resin reflects allllll the light. I've posted a few videos of the collages though, so if you'd like to take a peek you can find those right here: one, and two.

And finally, a selfie taken on one of my many quiet, on-my-own, visits to the show...

... to ponder what might be next. Thanks so much to Petah for doing this with me, and thanks to you for listening. ~ Danielle xo
Other links:
At her request, I've handed the host microphone over to my dear friend, New York based artist Petah Coyne. As you might know, I've been working away, alone in my studio, for just over a year on a totally new body of work. Well, I wasn't totally alone in there... Petah and I would meet via Zoom so we could talk through all of the ups, downs, and sideways. Well, after all this time, my first solo show in a public gallery opens TONIGHT! We recorded this episode about a week ago, the day before I installed everything because Petah wanted to document the "before", and we'll do an "after" episode next! Listen right up there under me dipping yet another flower in white paint, or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

First up, the very first "3D collage" (which I do like, it just wasn't do the job I wanted it to do) that I showed to Petah over Zoom, followed by a bunch of work in progress bits 'n pieces:

Cigarettes, gum, and matching the gallery wall paint to one of my ashtrays, and a lovely little blush butt.

And here's that wall, plus "Self-Preservation" starting to be put into place:

Eep! It is so exciting that all of this work is out of my head, out of my studio, and in a lovely, sunlit space! More to come in two weeks with the full reveal, OR keep an eye on my Instagram feed where I'll be posting at the show TONIGHT. Thank you so much to my amazing friend Petah for suggesting this interview, and for - well - EVERYTHING. And of course, thanks to you for listening... the "after" episode will be up in two weeks. ps. "Self-Preservation" runs until May 15th.
Other links:

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The Jealous Curator /// curated contemporary art

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Can you imagine photographing icons like Betty White and Prince? Well my podcast guest today doesn't have to imagine... it's HER JOB!?! Yep, American photographer Mary Ellen Matthews has been the in-house photographer at Saturday Night Live since 1999. She's shot some of the most iconic entertainers in the world, but today, Mary Ellen is the one in the spotlight!

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Tate is a family of art galleries in London, Liverpool and Cornwall, known as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate St Ives and Tate Liverpool + RIBA North. Tate art museum houses the UK's collection of British art from 1500 and of international modern art

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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MoMA is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. Its extraordinary exhibitions and collection of modern and contemporary art are dedicated to helping you understand and enjoy the art of our time. Caption: The Museum of Modern Art Renovation and Expansion Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler. Photography by Iwan Baan, Courtesy of MoMA

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National Museum of African Art - Smithsonian Institution

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eMuseum is a powerful web publishing toolkit that integrates seamlessly with TMS to bring dynamic collection content and images to your website, intranet, and kiosks.

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Welcome | OMuRAA | Online Museum Resources on Asian Art

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OMuRAA identifies online visual resources -- including collections databases, digital image libraries, archived websites of special exhibitions, online presentations of focused collections, and websites for teaching with and about art -- and indexes them in ways that are familiar to teachers and students in world history, world literature, and general art courses.

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Artists, designers and curators share their work, their process and their vision. Watch TED Talks from sculptors, painters, illustrators and photographers -- and those who blur the boundaries.

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Tune in to Tate's podcast, The Art of ... and hear about the lives of artists and the stories behind their work.

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Subscribe for fun with Art and Creativity - I make all sorts of crazy creations, every week!

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Hello! I'm Emmy, an artist, and designer living in the Netherlands. By sharing my creative process and videos I want to share my knowledge and inspire others...

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Hi, my name is Darlene and I'm a Vietnamese Canadian self taught portrait artist. This channel is for anything artsy that I want to share with the world (speed drawings, tutorials, reviews and other art entertainment content). Although I'm still learning how to draw, I like to share my knowledge to help and encourage others.

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How-to-Draw Videos on Every Conceivable Subject! Published author/illustrator of more than 40 books, including Mastering Manga, Brody's Ghost and The Drawing...

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"bob ross" "the joy of painting" paint art free "bob ross the joy of painting" "bob ross painter" "bob ross paintor" painting "bob ross full episodes" "happy...

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The official YouTube channel of "The Joy of Painting" and Bob Ross. Watch and paint along with every episode of The Joy of Painting! Happy painting! You've seen Bob Ross before. He is the soft-spoken guy painting happy clouds, mountains, and trees in about 26 television minutes, using big house painting-type brushes and encouraging audiences with his gentle reminder, "you can do it."

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Last Updated on April 2, 2023

When we first picked up a pen or pencil and started making marks on paper, we began with line. Whether self-taught, through trial and error, or guided by others, we learned how line defines form, creates structure, divides a frame, traces contour, creates tonal variation (cross-hatching, for example) and leads the eye from one part of a work to another. Initially a mechanism for getting outlines onto paper - identifying edges - we begin to applaud lines for their own merit: celebrate their presence...whether a quiet flick of charcoal on paper or a streak of graphite.

This article contains exercises for Art students who wish to produce contour line drawings, cross contour drawings, blind drawings and other types of line drawings. It is a teaching aid for high school Art students and includes classroom activities, a free downloadable PDF worksheet and inspirational artist drawings.

Blind Contour Drawing

Definition: A blind contour drawing contains lines that are drawn without ever looking at the piece of paper. This forces you to study a scene closely, observing every shape and edge with your eyes, as your hand mimics these on paper. The aim is not to produce a realistic artwork, but rather to strengthen the connection between eyes, hand and brain: a reminder that, when drawing, you must first learn to see.

Blind Drawing Exercises: Blind drawing is an excellent way to start a high school Fine Art programme. Drawing wobbly lines that bear little resemblance to the chosen object is relaxing and stress-free. Often, a classroom bubbles with laughter at the unexpected results. Blind drawing stretches the arms and soul; eases you into observational drawing without fear.

Gesture Drawing / Timed Drawing / Movement Drawing

Definition: A gesture drawing is completed quickly - often in short timed durations, such as 20, 30, 60 or 90 seconds - using fast, expressive lines. Gesture drawings capture basic forms and proportions - the emotion and essence of a subject - without focusing on detail. Due to their rapid completion, they are a great way to record movement and action, as well as increase your drawing speed, confidence and intuitive mark-making skill. Gesture drawings are best completed with smooth, easily applied mediums (chunky graphite pencils, charcoal sticks, pastels, soft brushes dipped in Indian ink, for example), without the use of an eraser. They are often completed on large, inexpensive sheets of paper, where you can move your arm fluidly, be bold with mark-making, and not worry about mistakes. As with blind drawings, gesture drawing is an ideal warm-up activity.

Gesture Drawing Exercises: When you begin investigating your subject matter in the initial phase of a high school Art programme, it can be helpful to make several first-hand gestural drawings. The best of these can be selected for your final portfolio (taking advantage of a photocopier or digital camera to reduce in size, if necessary). A small still life scene can be depicted just as easily as a large moving form.
A gesture drawing by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn: A gestural figure drawing by Chelsea Stebar:
Continuous Line Drawing

Definition: A continuous line drawing is produced without ever lifting the drawing instrument from the page. This means that, in addition to outlines and internal shapes, the pencil must move back and forth across the surface of the paper, with lines doubling back on each other, so that the drawing is one free-flowing, unbroken line. To avoid the temptation to erase lines, it can be helpful to complete a continuous line drawing with an ink pen, varying the line weight, as needed, to indicate perspective and areas of light and shadow. Like the drawing methods described above, this drawing method develops confidence and drawing speed, and encourages your eyes and hand and brain to work together. Continuous line drawings work best with in-depth observation of your subject, without interference from your thinking mind. According to Smithsonian Studio Arts:

...continuous line drawing is actually a very powerful way to create a piece that is both hard edged and fluid, representational and abstract, rational and emotional all in one.

Continuous Line Drawing Exercises: This drawing method is great for sketchbooks and drawing from life. It can be an excellent starter activity, with drawings completed on large, inexpensive paper that can be scanned / edited / cropped and used in other ways within your projects.
An A Level Art sketchbook page by Lucy Feng from Hereford Sixth Form College, Herefordshire, UK:
Contour drawing

Definition: A contour drawing shows the outlines, shapes and edges of a scene, but omits fine detail, surface texture, colour and tone ('contour' is French for 'outline'). According to Wikipedia:

The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the mass and volume of the subject rather than the detail; the focus is on the outlined shape of the subject and not the minor details.

The illusion of three-dimensional form, space and distance can be conveyed in a contour drawing through the use of varied line-weight (darker lines in the foreground / paler lines in the distance) and perspective.

Contour Drawing Exercises: Using line alone eliminates the challenge of applying tone, colour and mediums; and instead focuses attention solely upon shape and proportion. After completing warm-up activities such as blind and gesture drawings, slower, more formal contour drawings can be an excellent way to begin more realistic representations of your subject matter. Used intermittently throughout projects, contour drawings can also be helpful for the student who needs to work faster.

A contour drawing by Ultima Thule:

Cross contour drawing

Definition: A cross contour drawing contains parallel lines that run across the surface of an object (or radiate from a central point), such as those that appear on a topographical map or a digital wireframe. The lines can run at any appropriate angle (sometimes at multiple angles) and may continue across objects and into the background. Cross contour drawings typically follow the rules of perspective, with lines drawn closer together in the distance and further apart in the foreground. In this type of drawing, the illusion of three-dimensional volume is created entirely with line.

Cross Contour Drawing Exercises: This is an excellent way to gain familiarity with the volumes and three-dimensional forms in your project, producing analytical cross contour drawings that are suitable for sketchbooks or early preparatory sheets.
Cross contour drawing of a shell by Matt Louscher: Cross contour hand drawings by (from left) Mathew Young, Ryan Acks and Lea Dallaglio while studying at the San Jose State University, Department of Art and Art History: Cross contour drawings by Daniel Servin (left) and Alfred Manzano, completed while studying AP Studio Art at Mt Eden High School in Hayward, California, USA: A wireframe contour drawing exercise by Year 9 student Seonmin Lee from ACG Parnell College, Auckland, New Zealand:
Planar analysis drawing

Definition: A planar analysis drawing simplifies complex curved surfaces into flat planes, using straight lines. This process helps students to think about the underlying structure of objects and results in an analytical drawing, that is rather mechanical in appearance.

Planar Analysis Drawing Activity: This can be a great introductory drawing exercise, especially if you are moving towards Cubism or abstracting scenes into geometric form.
A planar analysis portrait completed by a student of Cat Normoyle:
Wire sculpture drawings

Definition: Wire can be cut and bent into shapes with pliers to create three-dimensional 'drawings', often resulting in a work filled with flowing, curved lines. These wire sculptures can be attached to a two-dimensional frame or a flat surface, hung in the air, or be left free-standing, changing in appearance as a viewer moves around the room. Due to their flexible nature, wire sculptures often move slightly in the wind, adding an extra interactive element to the work.

Wire Sculpture Line Drawing Exercise: This is an excellent activity for middle school students and for high school students, if it relates specifically to your project (and does not interfere with postage requirements, for those who need to post work away for assessment). Small wire experiments, using light-weight wire, can also be mounted to sketchbook pages.
Wire sculptures completed by the students of Amy Bonner Oliveri from Allendale Columbia School, Rochester, New York, USA:
Hatching, cross hatching, and other line techniques

As well as representing contours, line can also be used to apply tone (light and shadow) to a drawing. This can be done by altering the:

Gap between the lines

Lightness / darkness of the line

Thickness of the line

There are many line techniques can be used to create tone, as illustrated in the worksheet below. Common techniques include:

The angle that these techniques are applied may remain constant within a drawing, or it may change in response to the angle and direction of the forms. For example, cross-hatching may flow around the surface of an object in a similar direction as cross contour lines. These techniques are also a great way to create the illusion of texture (see our article about observational drawings).

Line Techniques Worksheet: The worksheet below has been provided by the Student Art Guide for classroom use only and may be issued freely to students (credited to studentartguide.com), as well as shared via the social media buttons at the bottom of this page. It may not be published online or shared or distributed in any other way, as per our terms and conditions. The full size printable worksheet is available by clicking the PDF link below. This worksheet is suitable for middle school students, or senior students who have not had prior experience with line techniques.

Click here to open the full size worksheet as a printable PDF.
An Indian Ink still life drawing by Kirana Intraroon, completed while in Year 10 at ACG Strathallan College, Auckland, New Zealand:
An A* GCSE Art sketchbook page by Samantha Li:
A final GCSE Art piece by Hannah Armstrong:
Artist line drawings

Here is a collection of line drawings from famous and less well known artists, to inspire high school Art students and teachers. This section is continually updated. Enjoy!

Pablo Picasso:

Andy Warhol:

David Hockney:

Vincent van Gogh:

Leonardo da Vinci:

Aaron Earley:
Maurizio Anzeri
Tornwing:

Karolina Cummings:
Daniel Mathers
Roz McQuillan:

Wang Tzu-Ting:

Andy Mercer:

Vital Photography:

Matthew Dunn:

Rod McLaren:

Andreas Fischer:

Nicholas Weltyk:

Liliana Porter:

Hong Chun Zhang:

Bruce Pollock:
David Eskenazi
Matt Niebuhr:

Albrecht Durer:

Victoria Haven:

Carne Griffiths:

William Anastasi:
Charles Avery
Did you enjoy this article? You may wish to read 11 Tips for Producing an Excellent Observational Drawing.

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A collection of drawing exercises, downloadable worksheets and beautiful line drawings: inspiration for the student, artist or teacher.

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How to Create an excellent Observational Drawing: 11 Tips for High School Art Students

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This article contains list of tips for high school art students who are looking to improve the realism of their drawings.

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Wire Drawing Exercise

Example from save-janos.net - this example has been placed on a painted acrylic background
With this exercise you are not going to be drawing at all. All you need is some wire and a pair of pliers with cutters. My favorite wire for this exercise is tie wire and you can get it almost any hardware store. The idea is to explore shapes and lines that you create by bending the wire. This exercise will force you to focus more on the line and less on the "drawing." The nature of the wire also makes it more difficult to create tight corners. Don't fight this and allow the properties of the wire to influence your piece.

Non-dominant Hand

Give your non-dominant hand a chance to shine. Control is not always a good thing and, unless you are ambidextrous, this exercise will require you to give up much of your learned control. By drawing with your non-dominant hand you are giving yourself the opportunity to be more free with your line. During this exercise you should notice your line becoming more loose and fluid.

Draw Vertically

you should be doing most of these drawing exercises vertically if you have an easel or drawing horse. Drawing vertically is a great way to loosen up your line. Focus on drawing with your entire arm and not just your hand. Drawing this way will also allow you to get your line recorded faster. Remember, focus on looking at what you are drawing as much as the drawing itself and do not stop moving your hand when you look up.

Continuous Contour Line Drawing

Examples from Draw and Paint Online
A Continuous Contour Line Drawing is an exercise to help us focus on the line. The idea here is to create a drawing where you never lift your drawing utensil from the paper. I like to use a pen on this one to help me resist the urge of erasing mistakes. If you have never done this exercise you may find your drawings odd and "imperfect" but that is what makes them beautiful. Also focus on looking at what you are drawing as much as the drawing itself and do not stop moving your hand when you look up.

Continuous Blind Contour Line Drawing

Example from Anne Leuck Feldhaus
If you enjoy the contour line exercise, then you should certainly try this one. In this exercise, look only at the subject that you are drawing and not at the paper. Yes, you read that correctly. Again, I use a pen in this exercise and try to coordinate your hand and eyes to work together, recording the lines as your eyes follow them. The idea here is to train your hand and eyes to work in unison. As you do more blind contour line drawings you will get better and begin seeing some wonderful, fluid lines.

Gesture Drawing

Example from about.com - the one on the right is an example of tighter more expressive execution
In this exercise you want to get as much information down on the paper in short amount of time. You will be doing a series of drawings here, so make sure you have plenty of paper and a timer on hand. The first drawings you only have 20 seconds to complete. Yes 20 seconds! Repeat the 20 second drawings about 10 times and increase the timer to 40 seconds. You want to be bold with these drawings and forget about the "mistakes" that you are making. Make sure you keep drawing like you were when you only had 20 seconds. Increase the time again to 2 minutes after you have completed about 10 drawings at 40 seconds. You should begin to notice improvement in your line quality as become more confident with your drawing. Also focus on looking at what you are drawing as much as the drawing itself and do not stop moving your hand when you look up.

Draw the Negative Space

Example from NBCC.ca
In this exercise you will be drawing the space around the object, negative space, rather than the object itself. First try using a solid marking as shown above to create a very flat looking finished product. I would also suggest doing some where you draw the negative space more realistically. And, don't forget to focus on looking at what you are drawing as much as the drawing itself .

Value Drawing Exercise

Example from Julie's Journal
Usually when drawing we begin sketching the outline of the object we are drawing. In this exercise, do not drawing a single line. Instead, simply shade using your favorite drawing utensil and build the drawing up this way. I suggest using charcoal or something large that will allow you to put your shading down quickly. You can always erase or add white Conte if your shading gets too dark. You should still be looking at what you are drawing as much as the drawing itself and do not stop moving your hand when you look up.

I know that many of you know all of these as they are very common exercises. If they are new to you, hopefully these help and good luck to you with your drawings! If you have a favorite that I didn't include, please add it in the comments.
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8 Drawing Exercises That Every Artist Should Practice

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Wire Drawing Exercise Example from save-janos.net - this example has been placed on a painted acrylic background With this exercise you are not going to be drawing at all. All you need is some wire and a pair of pliers with cutters. My favorite wire for this exercise is tie wire and you can get...

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Figure 1: Turning a simple line drawing into planet Earth.

You know the objects around you are three-dimensional because you can walk up to them, see them from all sides, and touch them. Take a moment to look around you at familiar objects. Try to discover why you see their actual three-dimensional forms. Look for the different values created by the light and shadows.

Before you can draw the appropriate values that illustrate light and shadows correctly, you need to be able to visually identify the following:

Light source: The direction from which a dominant light originates. The placement of this light source affects every aspect of a drawing.

Shadows: The areas on an object that receive little or no light.

Cast shadow: The dark area on an adjacent surface where the light is blocked by the solid object.

The light source tells you where to draw all the light values and shadows.

Figure 2 gives you some practice in locating the light source, shadows, and cast shadows around an object, which in this case is a sculpture. As you look at two drawings of the sculpture, ask yourself the following questions:

Where are the light values? Look for the lightest areas on the object. The very brightest of the lightest values are called highlights.

Where are the dark values? Dark values often reveal the sections of the object that are in shadow. By locating shadows, you can usually identify the light source.

Where is the cast shadow? The section of the cast shadow closest to the object is usually the darkest value in a drawing. By locating an object's cast shadow, you can easily discover the direction from which the light source originates.

Figure 2: Looking for light and dark values and cast shadows.

The two drawings in Figure 2 have different light sources. Compare them and find the dominant light source in each.

If you guessed that the light is coming from the right in the first drawing, you would be correct. In the second drawing, the light originates from the left.

Seeing how a light source affects an actual object is more challenging than examining a drawing. Place an object on a table in a dimly lit room. Shine a powerful flashlight or a lamp (a light source) on the object. Observe it from different perspectives.

Each time you reposition the light source, identify the following:

The shadows on the object (dark values)

The brightest areas (the highlights)

The light values (areas closer to the light source or not in shadow)

The cast shadow (the darkest values)

Exploring contrast in a drawing

Contrast can be used to make your drawings more three-dimensional by accentuating the light and shadows. By using extremes in values (more light and dark values than middle values) you create a high- contrast drawing. For a really powerful, strong, and dynamic drawing, you can draw very dark shading right next to the light areas.

When a drawing has mostly light and middle values, it is called low contrast. Some drawing subjects need to be soft and gentle. You can create a very soft drawing and still use a full range of values. Think about a white kitten, for example. Most of the shading is very light, but the drawing becomes more powerful if you use a little dark shading in a few selective areas, such as the pupils of the eyes and the shadows.

Your drawings can appear flat rather than three-dimensional when you use too little contrast in values. Unless you are trying to achieve a specific mood or want the subject to look flat, always use a full range of values.

Figure 3 helps you see contrast while exercising your vision. Take a few moments to explore the light and shadows in this drawing more closely. The face of the girl is drawn in profile. The boy's face is a frontal view. Notice how the girl's profile is in the shadow of the boy's face.

The bright light on the front of her face presents a strong contrast to the dark shadow on the side of his face. This makes for a powerful visual separation even though the two faces seem close together.

Figure 3: High contrast makes a drawing appear more three-dimensional.

Translating values you see into values you draw

Almost everything has more than one value. Depending on the light source, most things have some areas that are very light and others that are quite dark.

If you look closely at a mound of dark earth, you notice that it has several different values. If a fresh layer of snow covered this mound of earth, there would still be lots of values. When you can see a range of different values you can draw your subject in the third dimension.

Squinting to see values and simple shapes

Seeing values is key to drawing in the third dimension. Many artists can visually simplify complex drawing subjects by simply squinting their eyes. Squinting helps you screen out details and see simple values and shapes. When you can see the shapes created by different values, you can draw your subject more accurately.

Look at Figure 4 and squint your eyes until the image seems to go out of focus. Compare the darkest values to the lightest, and try to see the abstract shapes created by the different values.

The second drawing shows what you may see when you squint. Take note of the shapes created by the values.

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Light and shadows visually define objects. Before you can draw the light and shadows you see, you need to train your eyes to see like an artist. Values are the different shades of gray between white and black. Artists use values to translate the light and shadows they see into shading, thus creating the illusion [...]

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You guys asked for it, so here it is: the most requested tutorial to date: How to Shade + Shading Techniques! :)

Shading is the process of applying varying levels of darkness to create the illusion of form and depth.

Aside from practicing proper shading and blending techniques, a good understanding of light, planes and contours are crucial for turning a flat line drawing into a realistic portrait that conveys the illusion of form, bringing your drawing to life.

Below is a breakdown of what you can expect to learn from this shading tutorial.

You can click on the links below to quickly jump to any section of the tutorial. However, I highly suggest you read all the way through!
Specific shading tutorials:
To achieve a realistic drawing that communicates form and depth, your drawing will need to have a wide range of values. Invest in a set of high quality pencils with a range of grades that fit your specific drawing needs.

A typical full set of pencils will range from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest). Having a full set is not necessary for portrait drawing. The range you need depends on the type of drawings you do.

What are the best pencils for sketching and shading?

Hard pencils produce clean, sharp and light lines which are great for sketching, architectural drawings, product sketches, etc. The harder the pencil, the more difficult it is to blend or smudge.

Be careful when shading or outlining with sharp, hard pencils because they can leave deep indents in your paper which are very difficult to cover up.

Soft pencils produce dull and dark lines which are easy to blend. Soft pencils deposit more graphite with less effort, making it easy to fill in space, blend, shade and add texture to your drawing. They are the best pencils for shading and drawing portraits!

The pencil grades I use the most for portrait drawing are: HB, 4B, 6B and 8B from Derwent. You can click here to check it out on Amazon.

The best shading pencils should be free of impurities.

You can tell how hard or soft a pencil is by looking at the combination of letters and numbers printed on the end of each pencil.

Black and White

Black: With graphite pencils, you won't get a deep black. However, you can achieve it with charcoal. They are actually very commonly used together with amazing results.

White: You may have seen artists use correctional fluid (whiteout), paint or white pencil crayon to bring out strong highlights in their drawing. This gives the drawing a very impactful look and can enhance the level realism. Here's an example.

Shading with One Pencil

If your tool belt currently consists of a single HB pencil, your portraits are probably lacking depth.

The HB pencil (aka #2 pencil) is absolutely great for drawing preliminary outlines and shading light areas because it doesn't require much effort to produce faint lines. However, you'll need to apply a lot of pressure when it comes to shading dark shadows. All this effort can damage your paper, resulting in a drawing that doesn't translate well from multiple viewing angles. Not to mention, it will be impossible to erase.

Here's an exaggerated example on thin sketch paper.

If you prefer to use only one pencil, I suggest using a 2B, 3B or 4B. They're flexible enough to reach both ends of the value scale without much effort. If your drawings are usually light, go for a 2B. My favorite is 4B.

Shading with a Variety of Pencils

When shading with a variety of pencil grades, each pencil should only cover a small range of values.

For the drawing below, I used HB, 4B and 6B.

HB: Preliminary outlines, some highlights, first layer of shading, eye-whites.

4B: Mid-tones, light shadows, detailing, hair, first layer of shading for clothes, background.

6B: Darkest shadows, hair, clothes, dark areas of background, pupils, inside the mouth and nostrils.
Click here for a full step by step tutorial on how to shade a face
Using multiple pencil grades makes the job easy because there is less effort required to achieve a lighter or darker shade. For example, it would have been difficult to shade the background using an HB and even more difficult to shade highlights using a 6B.

If you need help selecting the best pencil grades for a portrait, create a value scale using your own graphite pencils, compare the values to your reference image directly and select the range of pencils that closely match the values you need.

The range of values can vary greatly from one portrait to another due to lighting or skin color. The 2 faces below have very different highlights, mid-tones and shadows.

For the face on the left, I would shade my drawing with an HB for outlines and eye-whites, a 4B for the rest of the face and maybe a 6B for the pupils.

For the face on the right, I would use an HB for outlines and highlights, 4B for my first layer of shading, 5B for the second layer and light shadows, 6B for darker shadows and eye detailing, and finally a 9B for the darkest shadows.

Below are a few portrait pencil shading techniques for beginners and experienced artists alike.

Hatching

This shading technique consists of a series of lines that go in one general direction. You can increase the value by applying more pressure and or using a softer grade of pencil.

This is my favorite and most used technique, especially for speed drawings! It's a huge time saver.

When using this technique, always angle your pencil more towards the paper so your strokes are nice and thick. This allows you to minimize gaps, making it easier to blend.

Cross Hatching

The cross hatching technique consists of overlapping lines coming from multiple directions.

I use this technique to convey wrinkled or highly textured skin as well as some types of fabrics.

Circulism

Circulism is my second favorite shading technique. It's great for creating realistic skin textures. The idea is to draw many circles that overlap each other, building tone with each added layer.

This technique requires a lot of patience!

When using this technique to draw skin with fine wrinkles, use a sharp tip. For smooth skin, angle your pencil more so you get slightly blunt circles which are much easier to blend, giving the skin a softer appearance.

Contour Shading

This technique is similar to hatching or cross hatching, except you're curving the lines to follow the contour of the form you are shading. Contour lines can be drawn vertically, horizontally and even diagonally. This is a great shading technique to practice giving form to your line drawings. With a sharp pencil tip, it's great for shading fine wrinkles.

In the image below, I used all of the realistic shading techniques above to convey wrinkly skin. For the first few layers, I used circulism, then I used the other three shading techniques to achieve various textures found in wrinkly skin.

Tip: When drawing wrinkly or rough skin, avoid blending your graphite.

How to Shade Smoothly

There are a few factors involved in achieving a smooth pencil shade.
1.) Good Pressure Control
Maintain consistent pressure for each individual stroke.

If you're shading into a lighter area, though, it helps to reduce the amount of pressure at the end of the stroke so you get a nice gradient instead of an abrupt change in value.
2.) Tight Strokes
To get a smooth shade, you'll want thick strokes which are close together. Move your hand high up on the pencil and away from the tip. The more you angle the side of your lead towards the paper, the thicker your strokes will be. The thicker, the better! These strokes can be easily blended.

Tip: If you re-positioned your hand on the pencil for any reason while shading, scribble on a scrap piece of paper until you regain the same stroke thickness before you continue with your drawing in case you catch a sharp edge.

Avoid holding your pencil like you would if you were writing, especially if you just sharpened your pencil. The lines are more difficult to blend and it requires more time and effort to keep your strokes tight, not to mention cover more ground. A drawing shaded like this will look very scratchy.

This position can, however work very well for shading areas of the skin with fine lines/wrinkles.
3.) Shadow Lining
This is a method I came up with a while back where I only use a specific shading technique to outline areas of light and shadow before I shade. I don't want to explain it using 3 paragraphs every time I refer to it, so I'm going to call it shadow lining from now on. I think it's a car detailing term but it fits, so I'll just use it.

For example: If I'm shading a face using the circulism method, I will also use circulism to outline shadows and highlights on the face. If you don't outline your shadows or highlights, then this method may not apply to you (It's very effective for drawing hairlines though).

Here's an example from my face shading tutorial using the hatching technique.

Shadow Lining is a great way to plan out your shading without having your outlines show through in your final drawing.
4.) Reduce White Dots
The more textured the paper, the more white dots you will get across your drawing. This can make your drawing look very grainy.

You can reduce white dots by:

Shading in many layers. You'll notice that with each added layer, the dots reduce in size and number.

You can also use a sharp pencil to carefully fill in large or weirdly shaped dots to improve the texture of your shading.

Or you can blend the graphite using a blending tool of your choice.

5.) Remove Black Dots
Again, if you're using a highly textured paper, you might get some black dots across your drawing. If you're shading skin, these dots can look like stubble (it's even worse when paired with white dots). If you're going to use a blending tool on your drawing, remove the dots first!

Create a pointy end on your kneaded eraser to dab each of the dots away. Dab lightly! It's tedious but well worth it.
6.) Blend
Before you blend, make sure that your strokes are tight, the shading is even and there aren't too many white and black dots. Blending smooths out your shading, but it's not a miracle solution for lazy people. If your shading is sloppy to begin with, blending isn't going to help.

Increase your Range of Motion

Are you frustrated by inconsistent, short, choppy strokes? Improve the quality of your strokes and increase your stroke length by harnessing the power of your elbow and shoulder.

Use an overhand grip on your pencil paired with movement from your elbow and shoulder to create longer and straighter lines. This will give you a much wider range of motion compared to using just your wrist or finger joints. To shade darker, press your index finger down on the pencil's tip.

You can also hold your pencil with a regular grip which would give you more precision, but it's not as good for shading large spaces where you need the shading to be smooth.

Use the Right Amount of Pressure

Your pencil grip and wrist movement should be generally loose, except when shading the darkest values and doing detailing work. Use light to medium pressure and switch to a softer pencil when the one you are using cannot go any darker.

Value Consistency

Does the overall shading of your portrait lack balance? Make sure your lighting is consistent across the entire portrait by keeping track of how dark you shade each area of the portrait. You can do this by referencing back to one main value. For me, the main value is the darkest or lightest value already established in the portrait.

Create a value scale to use for cross referencing if needed.

When shading, you are essentially reproducing the value of light as it interacts with a form. Understanding light is crucial in order to create a convincing portrait.

I'm going to use a sphere with one main light source as an example because the light is more predictable.

In the image on the right, the light source is coming from the top left. The area facing the light is the light side and the area facing away from the light is the shadow side.

The transition zone is referred to as the terminator.

The Light Side & the Shadow Side

The side facing the light consists of the core light, highlight and mid-tones.

Core Light: The area on the surface of a form that faces the light source directly. It is darker than the highlight.

Highlight: A reflection of the light source on the form. The highlight is the lightest area and will appear in different places depending on your viewing angle. At certain angles, the highlight will not exist in your line of sight. On glossy surfaces, it will be very defined, while appearing soft on matte surfaces.

Core Shadow: The core shadow or form shadow is a dark strip that appears after the terminator. The appearance of the core shadow can be affected by reflections or multiple light sources. In 'image 1' the core shadow is less prominent on the left side due to reflections from the white table.

Reflected Light: Objects are not only lit by light sources, but also by reflected light. That's why shadows are rarely ever black. Light bounces off different surfaces such as walls or even dust particles in the air, creating reflections. These reflections can vary in color and value.

Mid-Tones: Mid-tones are the darkest values on the light side, and are lighter than the core shadow. These areas are not facing the light directly. Mid-tones appear darker and darker as they approach the shadow side, as the surface of the form starts facing away from the light.

The side facing away from the light consists of the core shadow and reflected light.

Cast Shadow and Occlusion Shadow

A cast shadow appears when a form blocks light from reaching the surface of another form. The edges of a cast shadow can appear soft or hard depending on the intensity and distance of the light source. In direct sunlight the edges will appear hard, while in diffused light such as a cloudy day, edges will be soft.

The longer a cast shadow gets, the lighter and softer it becomes due to reflected light from the environment around it.

The area immediately below the sphere is called an occlusion shadow and is usually the darkest area as it is least affected by reflected light.

Tip: You can find the direction of the light source in a scene if you trace the edges of the cast shadow against the form it is cast from.

Can you label the values on the nose sculpture below?

The hardest part of shading hands down is being able to add the right amount of value in the right spots.

The surface of a cube is much easier for someone to shade realistically compared to a sphere because you can clearly see which sides of the object are facing the light and which ones are facing away. These flat surfaces are called planes.

Planes angled towards the light directly are the lightest. As the planes start angling away from the light, they receive less and less light, hence appearing darker.

Before shading a portrait, it's good practice to simplify what you see by breaking areas of the face into planes so your brain can process the information better. This allows you to find patterns of light more easily and can also improve your overall drawing accuracy.
Abrupt vs Gradual Shading Transitions
Is your shading incorrectly representing the form you intended to draw?

Before you shade anything, analyze your subject until you understand it's contours instead of trying to figure it out as you draw. It really helps to observe your subject from multiple angles. Once you familiarize yourself with your subject, decide on how you will shade before you actually shade.
Is Your Drawing Too Flat?
Here are a few things to keep in mind before and while you shade:

If you want to convey a round edge, avoid abrupt shading transitions. The more gradual your shading is, the more smooth your edge becomes.

It's common for beginners to leave large areas of their portraits (such as cheeks) white. Areas that remain white or are shaded with a solid tone indicate that they are facing the same direction. Have a look at the center forehead plane in the three images below.
Bumps and Ridges
The center plane in the first image is shaded with a solid tone, making it appear flat. The following two images introduce a range of very subtle tones, giving the surface slight bumps.

The addition of these values are subtle, but do their job in transforming a flat surface into a more shapely one. Also take a close look at the right forehead plane. The shading is even more subtle, but still does not come across as flat.

Sometimes, we may have the tendency to over represent or exaggerate subtle forms such as eye bags, pimples and smile lines. Instead of defining a form using an outline or line,practice representing these forms using gradients.

Download the printable worksheets below and follow the instructions carefully. If you don't have a printer, that's okay. Follow along using your sketchbook!
Click here for my extensive tutorial on how to shade a face!
If you want to practice shading on simple objects, grab a bright lamp, a set of geometric shapes and set up a scene!

This is my longest tutorial to date, consisting of more than 3,400 words! I tried to cover as much as I could in this tutorial. If there's something you'd like me to add, please let me know!

If you enjoyed the tutorial, share it with all your friends using the share buttons below!

What tutorials would you like to see next? Let me know in the comments below!

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How to shade & pencil shading techniques

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You guys asked for it, so here it is: the most requested tutorial to date: How to Shade + Shading Techniques! :) Shading is the process of applying varying levels of darkness to create the illusion of form and depth.

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The University of Arizona Museum of Art and Archive of Visual Arts

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Homepage Works of Art Viewing Strategies Writing Activities Worksheets Standards

The Elements of Art

The Principles of Design

The Art Terms

Asymmetrical: A balance achieved through the use of unequal parts or elements. (For example: imagine a beach ball by the side of a stick and two baseballs on the other side balancing out the picture.)

Balance: A principle of art and design concerned with the arrangement of one or more elements in a work of art so that they appear symmetrical (identical compositional units on either side of an axis) or asymmetrical (not identical) in design and proportion.

Color: Element of art derived from reflected light. The sensation of color is aroused in the brain by response of the eyes to different wavelengths of light. Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

Composition: The arrangement of forms in a work of art.

C ontent: A work of art is usually discussed in terms of its subject matter, form and content. Content refers to the intellectual, psychological, spiritual, narrative or aesthetic aspect of the work.

Contour drawing: An outline that shows only the edge and not the volume or mass of an object. Sometimes called blind contour if the artists in not looking at their paper, only at their subject.

Contrast: Use of opposites near or beside one another (light and dark, rough and smooth).

Cool colors: mostly green, blue, violet (purple).

Dominance: The difference in importance of one aspect in relation to all other aspects of design. What stands out most in a work of art.

Emphasis: Principle of design concerned that stresses one element or area in a work of art to make it attract the viewer's attention first.

Exaggeration: Increasing or enlarging an object or figure or one of its parts to communicate ideas and feelings.

Federal Arts Project: Government program established during the Depression to create jobs for American artists.

Focal point: The center of interest of an artwork; the part you look at first.

Form: An artist uses form as a vehicle for rendering a particular type of subject matter. The formal elements of a work consist of the groupings and combinations of shapes.

Gouache: Pigments ground in water and mixed with gum to form opaque watercolor. Gouache resembles school tempera paint or poster paint.

Hue: The name of a color - red blue, yellow, etc.

Intensity: Brightness of a color.

Line: An identifiable path of a point moving in space. It can vary in width, direction, and length. Horizontal lines tend to create a sense of calm in a picture. Vertical lines tend to create a feeling of stability. Diagonal lines tend to create a feeling of dynamic movement.

Medium: The specific material used by an artist, such as oil and brush; also, the vehicle used, such as sculpture, painting or photography.

Motif: Unit repeated in visual rhythm. Units in a motif may or may not be an exact duplicate of the first unit.

Pattern: Two-dimensional decorative visual repetition. A pattern has no movement and may or may not have rhythm.

Pictorial space: The illusion of space, whether three- or two-dimensional, created by an artist on the two-dimensional surface of the canvas or paper.

Proportion: Principle of design concerned with the size relationships of one part to the whole and one part to another.

Rhythm: Principal of design that repeats elements to create the illusion of movement. Visual rhythm is perceived through the eyes, and is created by repeating positive spaces separated by negative spaces. Alternating rhythm is when the visual rhythm set up by repeating motifs but changing position or content of motifs or spaces between them. Flowing rhythm is created by repetition of wavy lines. Progressive rhythm is a visual rhythm that changes a motif each time it is repeated. Random rhythm is a repetition in no apparent order with no regular spaces. Regular rhythm is achieved through repeating identical motifs using the same intervals of space between them.

Screen print: Printing technique that makes use of a squeegee to force ink directly onto a piece of paper or canvas through a stencil containing the image. (The process is also called silk-screen or serigraphy.)

Shade: The dark values of a color (adding black).

Shape: Geometric shapes look as though they were made with a straight edge or drawing tool; square, circle, triangle and oval. Organic shapes are also called free form. These shapes are not regular or even. Their edges are curved and angular or a combination of both.

Space: (or negative space): is the element of sculpture, which refers to emptiness or areas between, around, above, below or within objects.

Subject matter: The topic of interest or the primary theme of an artwork.

Texture: refers to the way things feel or look as though they might feel if they were touched.

Tint: light values of a color (adding white)

Unity: The arrangement of one or more of the elements used to create a feeling of completeness. Everything in the work seems to belong and contribute to the overall picture.

Value: Light or dark; the variations of light and dark on the surface of an object. The lightness or darkness of a color.

Variety: Principle of design concerned with difference or contrast.

Warm colors: red, orange, yellow.

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Vocabulary of Art Terms - The University of Arizona Museum of Art and Archive of Visual Arts

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The Art Terms Asymmetrical: A balance achieved through the use of unequal parts or Read more

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To talk about paintings, and art in general, you need the vocabulary to describe, analyze, and interpret what you're seeing. Thinking of the right words becomes easier the more art terms you know, which is where this list comes in. The idea isn't to sit and memorize it, but if you consult the word bank regularly, you'll start to remember more and more terms.

The list is organized by topic. First, find the aspect of a painting you wish to talk about (the colors, for instance), and then see which words match or fit with what you're thinking. Start by putting your thoughts into a simple sentence such as this: The [aspect] is [quality]. For example, The colors are vivid or The composition is horizontal. It'll probably feel awkward at first, but with practice, you'll find it gets easier and more natural, and you'll eventually be able to produce more complicated sentences.

Think about your overall impression of the colors used in the painting, how they look and feel, how the colors work together (or not), how they fit with the subject of the painting, and how the artist has mixed them (or not). Are there any specific colors or color palettes you can identify?

Natural, clear, compatible, distinctive, lively, stimulating, subtle, sympathetic

Artificial, clashing, depressing, discordant, garish, gaudy, jarring, unfriendly, violent

Bright, brilliant, deep, earthy, harmonious, intense, rich, saturated, strong, vibrant, vivid

Dull, flat, insipid, pale, mellow, muted, subdued, quiet, weak

Cool, cold, warm, hot, light, dark

Blended, broken, mixed, muddled, muddied, pure

Complementary, contrasting, harmonious

Don't forget to consider the tone or values of the colors, too, plus the way tone is used in the painting as a whole.

Dark, light, mid (middle)

Flat, uniform, unvarying, smooth, plain

Varied, broken

Constant, changing

Graduated, contrasting

Monochromatic

Composition

Look at how the elements in the painting are arranged, the underlying structure (shapes) and relationships between the different parts, and how your eye moves around the composition.

Arrangement, layout, structure, position

Landscape format, portrait format, square format, circular, triangular

Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, angled

Foreground, background, middle ground

Centered, asymmetrical, symmetrical, balanced, unbalanced, lopsided, off-center

Overlapping, cluttered, chaotic

Separate, spacious, empty

Free, flowing, fragmented

Formal, rigid, upright, confined

Negative space, positive space

You may not be able to see any details of the brushwork or mark making if it's a small painting. Remember that in some styles of painting, all brush marks are carefully eliminated by the artist. In others, the marks are clearly visible.

Visible, impasto, blended, smooth

Thick, thin

Bold, timid

Heavy, light

Edgy, smooth

Exhibiting glazes, washes, scumbling, dry brushing, stippling, hatching, splatters

Layered, flat

Precise, refined, regular, straight, systematic

Quick, sketchy, uneven, irregular, vigorous

Regular, patterned

Exhibiting marks made with a knife, brush

Consider the angle or position from which we're seeing the subject of the artwork. How has the artist decided to present it? What is the perspective?

Front, side, three-quarters, profile, rear (from behind)

Close up, far away, life-size, bird's eye view

Upward, downward, sideways

Standing, sitting, lying down, bending

Gesturing, moving, resting, static

Before you begin describing the individual objects in a still life painting, whether they're themed, related, or dissimilar, look at them overall and describe this aspect.

Antique, battered, damaged, dusty, old, worn

New, clean, shiny

Functional, decorative, fancy

Domestic, humble

Commercial, industrial

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Words for Talking About Art and Critiquing Paintings

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To talk about paintings, and art in general, you need the vocabulary to describe, analyze, and interpret what you're seeing. Thinking of the right words becomes easier the more art terms you know, which is where this list comes in.

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amazing work

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Last Updated on April 2, 2023

This article features the International Baccalaureate artwork of Iris Cheung, completed as part of the IB Visual Arts Diploma Programme at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong, 2012. Throughout her Investigation Workbook and Studio Work, Iris challenges perceptions of identity using paint and photography.

We were lucky enough to interview Iris below:
Your IB Visual Arts project contains rich and varied subject matter that has been investigated in depth. Talk to us about the ideas that you have explored in your work.
My work aims to examine and challenge perceptions of identity through paint and photograph. Using people as the predominant subject matter of my work, the idea was to create 'distorted' or 'off' portraits that work against our normal expectations of someone of a particular age or gender. The portraits that I did of my grandma are my favourite - she's animated, lively, and bold, contrasting how the elderly are often perceived. Although I wanted the pieces to be as dynamic as possible, it was important to retain her age in the painting process; following the likes of Lucien Freud, I focused on emphasizing the wrinkles on her face through demonstrating the cooler undertones in her flesh and creating texture.

The best part of the project was getting creative! I loved exploring a range of ideas before focusing on one issue. I was interested in reflecting Hong Kong's 'cosmetics culture' and unhealthy obsession with beauty, and did so though examining the visual effect of repetition in creating an overwhelming (and near sickly) sense of affluence. (In the painting process, however, it was a massive technical challenge for me to get all the objects identical). I also tried painting from photographs of crumpled editorial portraits, which was inspired by Nigel Tomm and a fascinating way of distorting the face.
Your project contains a range of highly personal, exciting portraits. How did you ensure that you approach a common subject matter in an innovative and fresh way?
Whenever I began the process of creating a new portrait, it felt natural to begin with photography. It was important to use people I knew in real life as my subject matter, and building a rapport with whoever I was going to paint really helped me to encapsulate their identity on a deeper, more personal level. Taking photographic portraits prior to painting enabled me to explore a wide range of poses and facial expressions before choosing the most visually compelling images to work from.
Your workbook contains excellent annotation and analysis of artwork. What advice do you have for others who are struggling in this area?
A useful tool for art analysis is having a structure that can be followed regardless of the work. Having a structure ensures that you cover all aspects of the work, and that you are really scrutinizing the details. Analysis was much easier when I could split up my observations into components: composition, colour, and form, for example. If you struggle with accurately applying art vocabulary (as I did!), it might be helpful to develop a list of art-annotating terms that you can keep referring back to.

It helps to remember that good analysis is not necessarily positive; being critical of artwork enables you to develop your own stance and style as an artist. Where historical or social context has influenced the artist's decisions, try to explain how it has impacted the art work.
Do you have any other advice for high school Art students who wish to gain excellent grades?
For me, art is really about getting inspired. It's important to be exposing yourself to as much art as possible, and the type of art that you want to see in a gallery is potentially the type of art that you want to be creating. Student life can be hectic, but make time to go to the galleries and exhibitions. It helps to be learning from accomplished artists because seeing their talent and energy helps to pitch a high standard for when you're thinking about how to develop your own work.

Be open to both ideas and criticism. Listen to your friends and teachers!
More information about Ian Murphy can be found on his website. The journal pages above reference work by Lucien Freud and Chuck Close.
What is so successful about this investigation is the way that Iris is able to explore her concept in a broad ranging way that connects and develops ideas in a genuine process as the ideas have grown. She has not stuck with one successful formula; instead she has pushed her ideas around and taken risks by exploring different possibilities. You can see her learning from her experiments and building on her successes in this thorough investigation.

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International Baccalaureate artwork by Iris Cheung from Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. Iris challenges perceptions of identity through paint and photography.

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Last Updated on February 2, 2022

This article contains a collection of sketchbook pages from art students around the world, including those who study IGCSE / GCSE Art, A Level Art, VCE Studio Arts, NCEA Level 3 Scholarship, and IB Visual Art. Many of the sketchbook pages shown below are from projects that achieved full marks. These examples illustrate the wide range of possible approaches to sketchbook content, annotation, and page layout.

You may be interested in our new book: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks. This book has high-resolution images so that fine details and annotation are clear, making it an excellent resource for students and schools. Learn more!

Examples of great art sketchbooks

This sketchbook page collection features work from students who specialize predominantly in drawing, painting, mixed media, and Fine Art. The examples cover a wide range of presentation techniques and layout styles. It is worth remembering that these represent only a fraction of what is possible.

These International GCSE Art sketchbook pages were created by Nikau Hindin, while at ACG Parnell College, Auckland, New Zealand. This page includes first-hand observational drawings of a still life arrangement and a handmade flax (harakeke) flower, made by Nikau. You may wish to view Nikau's full A* IGCSE Coursework project (98%) or her AS Coursework project (awarded 100%). Larger file sizes of Nikau's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This A* sketchbook was completed by Emilya Swan, while studying A Level Fine Art at Godalming College, Surrey, England. The left-hand page includes a copy of work by Leonard Baskin; the right-hand page contains experimentation with a wide range of media, including pencil on tracing paper and old book pages, Quink ink and bleach, spirit markers, ink and pen, fineliner and oil pastel. Emilya's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

These sketchbook pages were produced by Kate Powell, while studying at North Halifax Grammar School, West Yorkshire, England. Kate gained A* in OCR GCSE Art as a Year 9 student (two years younger than is expected) and A* for A Level Art in Year 12 (one year younger than expected). She achieved full marks (100%) for A Level Photography, in Year 13. You may wish to read about how Kate launched her career while at high school.

This sketchbook page was completed by Annie Loh, while studying Edexcel GCSE Art and Design at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. This page references the work of artist Stephen Conroy. Annie gained 100% (A*) for this qualification.

These sketchbook pages exploring the human figure were completed by Chloé Zinn, while studying National Senior Certificate at Rustenburg High School for Girls, South Africa. The right-hand image is a mixed replica of an illustration by Kaethe Butcher, completed using masking tape, gouache paint, tracing paper, fine liner, and crumpled magazine paper. A larger file size of the left-hand sketchbook page can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This A Level Art sketchbook page contains drawings of visual analysis of a sculpture by Bernard Meadows. This project was completed by William Govoni, Bedford School, England. More of William's artwork can be viewed in our guide to preparing an art portfolio for college or university.

These graphite paper drawings were part of a sketchbook exercise completed by Jenny Ha, while studying AS Level Graphic Design (A*) at ACG Parnell College, Auckland, New Zealand.

These two International GCSE Art sketchbook pages by Rhea Maheshwari, ACG Parnell College, Auckland, New Zealand, analyzing the work of Jim Dine. Rhea achieved an A* grade. More of Rhea's sketchbook pages (larger file sizes) can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This A Level Art sketchbook page is by Daisy Wrigley, completed while studying AQA A Level Art & Design (Fine Art) at St. Mary's Catholic High School. Investigating the work of Crystal Neubauer, this sketchbook page explores a wide range of media, including ribbon, maps, book pages, parcel tape, corrugated cardboard, tissue paper, fabric, paper towel, charcoal, stitching, and acrylic. Daisy gained 98% (A*) for her final A Level Art grade. More of Daisy's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This is part of a Process Portfolio by Enrico Giori, completed as a part of IB Visual Arts at St. Louis School of Milan. Enrico was awarded Level 7, obtaining full marks in all three components of the course. You may wish to view more of his IB Visual Art project or his CIE IGCSE Art exam or IGCSE Coursework project (A* Grade). Some of Enrico's sketchbook pages can also be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This Edexcel AS Level Textile Design sketchbook page is by Halima Akhtar, completed while studying within the Woldingham School Art Department, UK. Halima achieved 95% for her AS Exam and 100% for her AS Coursework (A*). She also gained 100% for A Level Fine Art. This sketchbook page references the work of Naum Gabo and contains drawings in pencil and fineliner pen, photographs of a paper sculpture and a polyprint carving. You may wish to view more from Halima's outstanding AS/A2 textiles projects. Some of Halima's sketchbook pages can also be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

These A* A Level Art sketchbook pages were created by Nettle Grellier, St. Edward's School, Oxford, England. Nettle currently runs workshops for art students while travelling around Europe in her studio on wheels.

An A Level Art sketchbook page by Ruth Beeley, St George's School, Hertfordshire, England. Using 'modrock' (a plaster of paris bandage) and glue to create raised areas, with other mixed mediums such as wire, ink and Biro pen, Ruth adds detailed drawings over a chaotic ground. You may wish to view more of Ruth's 100% A Level Art Coursework project.

Sketchbook pages completed as part of a VCE Studio Arts folio by Australian high school student Heesu Kim. Heesu writes about the project: "I want to create a narrative-like line of work that illustrates the process of birth and innocence to slow corruption and finally death of soul. For me, the 'death of soul' is when our minds are shaped to fit the norms of society and cut to think only in the values that it presents. This process both starts and finishes at high school. Ultimately the conclusion is thousands of machine-like individuals, fresh and ready to become slaves to the system. I talk to my friends and see peers that conclude their whole lives and future based on how high their ATAR score is, who adopt dreams that their parents decide for them, dreams that make more money, instead of following their real passion. I'm aware of it but accept it myself as there is no other choice but to. So subtle and complete is the control over us that we embrace it, actively acknowledge to it, and at the same time still suffer emotionally under it."

This Francis Bacon study was completed by Stefan Iyapah, while studying A Level Art at Beal High School, Redbridge, England. In his own words, Stefan "broke out of a timid and controlled way of working and became heavily influenced by the emotion-filled paintings of Francis Bacon which encouraged me to use color experimentally and loosely".

A sketchbook page by Louis Trew from Bideford College, Devon, England.Louis achieved the best equal result in 2011 for his A Level Art submission (AQA). In this sketchbook page (exploring the work of graphic illustrator Russ Mills) every splash of paint, every pen line and every torn piece of background material is placed with care. Even in a page that contains multiple elements, the composition of the page as a whole is important. Louis demonstrates superb technical skill, with the ability to place, balance and integrate items in a harmonious layout.

This eye-catching sketchbook page by Iona Judd includes dripped white spirit (mineral turpentine) through oil paint. Triangles are cut out, with black stitching used to define the human form.

This sketchbook page was completed by Year 12 student Stenelee Taminaya, while studying at St Francis Xavier College, Australia, taught by Damien Veal. Beautiful pencil and biro drawings of hearts and lungs are inspired by images of preserved food in jars.

These expressive sketchbook pages are by Lina Abu Sita, completed while studying AS Art and Design at the British international school Doha College, Qatar. The gestural, painterly experiments combine a range of mixed media, including collage, acrylic paint, oil pastel, and trial various compositional approaches.

These two A* sketchbook pages were completed by Rhea Maheshwari, as part of her IGCSE Art Coursework project at ACG Parnell College, Auckland, New Zealand. This section of work was derived from observational drawings of a still life arrangement of shells in flax (harakeke) bags. The sketchbook page on the left features composition studies created from digital manipulations of her own scanned drawings. More of Rhea's sketchbook pages (larger file sizes) can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

These rich, textural mixed media pages are part of an A Level Art project by Ellie Green, while studying at Graveney School, London, England (awarded A*). The work shows clear first-hand sources and a personal response to local environment: shells, feathers, rope, and coastal landscapes. The pages include drawings and collage using a range of mixed media, with the repetition of blue and brown colors visually linking different parts of the page together.

These sketchbook pages are by Hojeong Bonnie Park, completed while studying Edexcel A Level Art and Design at Colombo International School, Sri Lanka. Bonnie explored the exam topic, 'Inside, Outside, In Between,' using a still-life theme, analyzing the artwork of Juan Sánchez Cotán. Bonnie gained 100% (A*) for her final grade. More of Bonnie's beautiful sketchbook pages can be viewed in in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This GCSE Art and Design sketchbook page is part of an exam unit by Alisha Khanna from Highclare School, UK. This sketchbook page analyzes the work of Andy Warhol, and includes a range of media including colored pencil, crayon, and corrugated cardboard. Alisha gained 94% for her GCSE Art exam. More of Alisha's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This sketchbook page was completed by Heather Louise Thomas, while studying Edexcel GCE Art, Craft and Design at St Edmund Campion Catholic School, UK. This page analyzes the artwork of Terry Flannery and contains highly detailed colored pencil replications of Flannery's work. Heather achieved A* overall. Some of Heather's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This is an AS Level Fine Art sketchbook by David Wasserman, from Monks' Dyke Tennyson College, England. Referencing the work of M.C. Escher, this page explores reflections upon curved surfaces, such as a glistening eyeball, and a shiny Christmas bauble. Photographs of work in progress have been included, documenting drawings at different stages of completion.

This A Level Art sketchbook page contains pen drawings from life at a string ensemble practice in a music hall, exploring ways of capturing the movement of the violin. This project was completed by William Govoni, while studying at Bedford School, England.

This NCEA Level 3 Scholarship Printmaking workbook exemplar by a high school student in New Zealand. It provides a great example how second-hand imagery can be seamlessly integrated with your own photographs, written documentation and analysis. This student looks at architectural abstraction and references the work of Gordon Matta-Clark and Young Ae Kim. More information about this project can be viewed at NZQA.

These sketchbook pages were completed by Manisha Mistry, as part of her A* IGCSE Art Coursework project, ACG Strathallan, Auckland, New Zealand. You may wish to view more of Manisha's 98% IGCSE Art project, which explored natural forms, such as shells, seaweed and fish.

These sketchbook pages are by Elliswg, a high school student studying at a Sixth Form college in Derby, UK. Exploring portraiture, the sketchbook pages contain a thorough and competent investigation of emotion and facial expression, sketched using a range of drawing mediums.

This A Level Art sketchbook page was completed by John Hui, while attending St John's College, Portsmouth, England. The page includes detailed investigation of eyeballs, mouth infections and diseases, working from a combination of first and second-hand images.

These sketchbook pages are by Sabrina Syed, completed as part of her IB Visual Arts Diploma, at the International School of Geneva, ISG La Châtaigneraie, Switzerland. These pages analyze the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Auguste Rodin and contain a variety of media, including collage, ink pen, felt pen, graphite pencil, water-soluble colored pencil, and tracing paper. Sabrina was awarded the highest grade (level 7) for IB Visual Arts. Some of Sabrina's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

An A Level Art sketchbook page by Lucy Luu. At its essence, a sketchbook page should provide insight into a student's ideas and intentions, as well as revealing the influence of other artists. This A Level Art sketchbook page is beautiful in its simplicity: devoid of all superfluous decoration, it shows a dedicated and committed student learning a technique from artist Jonathan Yeo and then carefully applying this to original artwork.

This A* sketchbook page was completed by Hania Cho, while studying A Level Painting at ACG Strathallan College, Auckland, New Zealand. This page examines the work of Claude Monet. You may also wish to view Hania's A* IGCSE Coursework project.

These sketchbook pages are part of an IB Visual Arts project by Wing Yung Ng, completed while studying at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. Wing Yung Ng gained the highest grade (level 7) for this project. Wing Yung Ng is one of many students from Sha Tin College with work in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

These sketchbook pages were created by two different students. The image on the left was created as part of a Higher Level Investigation Workbook (IWB) by Naomi Ng, completed as part of the IB Visual Arts Diploma Programme at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. You may wish to view more of Naomi's IB Visual Arts project, which was awarded Level 7. This right-hand AS Art sketchbook page by Charlotte Taylor shows the visual investigation of hands: drawing from a range of angles and in a range of different mediums. Charlotte has worked over scraps of lined note paper (some with maths equations left on them) with meticulous, detailed pen drawings, developing familiarity with the human form.

This A Level Art sketchbook page by Robyn Yeang from Queen's College London, UK, commands the attention of the examiner, without superfluous decoration, enlarged headings or busy page layouts.

This is part of a 98% A* IGCSE Art and Design Coursework project by Sarah Loh, completed while studying at ACG Strathallan College, Auckland, New Zealand. In this sketchbook page, Sarah has produced observational drawings of shells, line drawings and printmaking experiments. You may wish to view Sarah's AS Coursework project.

These sketchbook pages by Allison Ho were completed as part of IB Visual Arts at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. These pages include composition development and critical analysis of work by Ian Murphy. Allison achieved the highest grade for IB Visual Arts (level 7). Larger file sizes of some of Allison's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This sketchbook page was completed by Heather Louise Thomas, while studying Edexcel GCE Art, Craft and Design at St Edmund Campion Catholic School, UK. Inspired by the work of Jessica Drenk, Heather created porcelain shells, decorating these with tissue paper and power towel soaked in porcelain slip. She then added patches of color to the textural surfaces, contrasting with the areas of satin and gloss glazes. Heather achieved A* overall. Some of Heather's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

This sketchbook page is by Rebecca Fawdry, completed while studying Edexcel GCSE Art and Design at West Island School, Hong Kong. (You may wish to follow WIS Art Department on Pinterest). This sketchbook page includes critical analysis of work by artists Ian Murphy and Emily J. Hay. A range includes a range of media has been used, such as graphite pencil, ink pen, marker pen, tissue paper, tracing paper, and newspaper. Rebecca was awarded 100% (A*) for GCSE Art, and is one of many students featured in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

These Edexcel A Level Art sketchbook pages are from a Grade A* student project from Steyning Grammar School, UK. These sketchbook pages are two of many excellent examples shared by the school on the SGS Art Department Pinterest profile.

This Edexcel GCSE Art and Design (Fine Art) sketchbook page is by Sophie Blow, completed while studying at the Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls, UK. This page shows analysis of a portrait, with original interpretation, using graphite pencil, colored pencil, and acrylic paint. Sophie gained 93.5% (A*) for GCSE Art.

This AQA GCSE Art and Design sketchbook page is by Genevieve McGechie, taught by Kate Ash at Christopher Whitehead Language College and Sixth Form, UK. This page explores the work of Timothy Hyunsoo Lee, and includes a range media such as watercolor, acrylic paint, colored pencil, and graphite pencil. Genevieve gained an A* for GCSE Art.

These sketchbook pages by Allison Ho were completed as part of IB Visual Arts at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. These pages include critical analysis of work by a range of artists, including Michael Shapcott and Zhong Biao. Allison achieved the highest grade for IB Visual Arts (level 7). Larger file sizes of some of Allison's sketchbook pages can be viewed in our publication: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks.

These sketchbook pages are from an OCR GCSE Art and Design project by Annie Richardson, Hall Park Academy, UK. These pages show composition experiments in the style of Matthieu Bourel, developing and refining ideas towards the final piece. Annie gained A* (100%) for GCSE Art.

Need more art sketchbook ideas?

This article is part of a series showcasing and celebrating outstanding sketchbooks by students, artists and designers. You may also be interested in viewing our other sketchbook resources:

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Art Sketchbook Ideas: Creative Examples to Inspire Students

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Looking for art sketchbook ideas? This article showcases excellent high school sketchbooks - inspiration for the student and teacher.