Flowers & Contour Drawing
Every week I splurge a little on flowers for our home. I can't resist picking up a bouquet at the grocery store or local Farmer's Market. They bring color, grace, and inspiration to the space.
I usually photograph the flowers to use for reference in my artwork. While I love painting and drawing flowers, my interpretation often needs to be improved. Once in a while, I'm pleased with the outcome, but I want something more, and I'm still determining how that looks and feels.
A few weeks ago, I decided to give myself a little assignment that could be done while drinking a cup of coffee and taking at most 15 minutes. I take a single flower and create a few contour drawings within my allotted time and in pen. I want to see all the searching lines and imperfections in my drawing. I want to become more aware of the visual details of my subject and find elements that I can translate into my paintings.
How does contour drawing help us as artists, and will it help to expose our style?
Contour drawing increases our perceptual learning and helps to develop our observational skills, which is essential for artists no matter what subject you're interested in observing. And it helps our eye-hand coordination, leading to a more detailed and nuanced representation of our subject.
Every artist will see and interpret a subject differently, which is a beautiful thing! And this is why it is frustrating when we want to paint or draw like another artist. We can't do it and will immediately feel disappointed in our "copied" results.
Disclaimer: I'm not referring to learning techniques from other artists or studying the masters; I'm referring to developing stylistically as an artist and allowing the current of creativity to flow through you and your hand and make beautiful creative discoveries that reflect your truth.
The top five benefits of contour drawing
(I'm sure there are more, but these are my top 5)
Improve eye-hand coordination.
Increases perceptual learning by becoming more aware of your subject.
It enhances observational skills.
Gain a better understanding of your subject's form and underlying structure.
Increased creativity - Gain confidence as you become more comfortable with your contour drawing, and finding elements that will become stylistic choices in your artwork. Resulting in your unique style development as an artist.
The Three Types Of Contour Drawing
(I like to mix them up on occasion)
1. Blind contour drawing: This is where the artist doesn't look at their paper while drawing. Instead, they focus entirely on the object they are drawing. The result is fun, wonky drawings.
2. Modified contour drawing: In this approach, the artist can look back and forth between the object they are drawing and their paper. However, they don't lift their pen or pencil off the paper, creating a continuous flowing line.
3. Cross-contour drawing: The artist adds lines to their contour drawing to show the form and shape of the object. These lines often follow the direction and curvature of the object's surface, giving it a three-dimensional appearance.
Contour drawing can help us escape what feels comfortable, resulting in more significant stylistic development.
Do you want to do it together? If so, below is a list of what you will need, and I made a little video sharing my approach with “modified” contour. I like going back into my drawing and adding more lines, and marks.
Pick a subject: Flower, Stone, Shell, Your coffee cup, your face, your favorite art supplies -you get the idea.
Paper and a pen - don't use a pencil; your inner perfectionist will want to "fix" your drawing.
Set a timer for 10-15 minutes.
Draw - don't judge - don't correct - draw what you see!
Take a moment to observe your subject's beauty and draw what you see and how it makes you feel. When your timer goes off, make a few notes about your subject, the color, texture, and scent.
Rinse and repeat. Try it everyday for a week and see what develops. Then, keep going!