How To Draw By Using A Grid
Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007
by Kerry Godsall
http://www.allaboutdrawings.com
Learning how to draw by using a grid is almost like using a shortcut.
It's things like grids that make drawing possible for people who despair that they'll never be able to draw. This process breaks drawings right down to baby steps.
I recommend you use a grid as an aid only. I wouldn't encourage you to depend on it all the time.
Here's what you need to do:-
1. Find a good, clear picture that you would like to copy.
2. Make a copy of this picture, if you don't want to damage your original.
3. On your copy, mark all four edges of the picture at half inch intervals. Use a black fine tip marker. Beginners should start with smaller squares, like one quarter inch. Take care with your measurements, it can have an adverse effect on your drawings if you make a mistake.
4. Connect all the marks from side to side and from top to bottom to create your grid.
5. Now draw a grid on your blank paper to the exact same measurements. Draw these lines very lightly, in pencil. You will be erasing these when you are finished.
6. Pick a square to commence copying from. I am right-handed, so I always start at the top left square. This way, I don't smudge my drawing.
Another good shortcut is to photocopy a grid onto a transparency. This will save you the time it takes to draw a grid on your picture. It also reduces the possibility of errors with measurements. Plus, you don't have to waste time getting a copy of the original picture. Lots of good, positive reasons there to get a transparency!
I use blu-tack to stick my transparency onto my picture to keep it steady.
If you draw a grid on your picture to half inch measurements, and then draw a grid with one inch measurements on your blank paper, you will finish up with a larger drawing than the original. This also works in reverse, if you draw a larger grid on your original and a small grid on your blank paper, you get a smaller drawing.
You should start off using grids with the exact same measurements. As you become more confident with the process, you can keep increasing the size of the grid until you no longer need the guide lines at all.
Welcome to the world of drawing!
Author Kerry Godsall is the webmaster at http://www.allaboutdrawings.com where you'll find plenty of easy pencil drawings and outlines to copy. Are you interested in learning more drawing tips and techniques? You can get access to these when you join the free newsletter http://www.allaboutdrawings.com/sketchy-news.html
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)What a great idea! I think this would be helpful for both beginners and more experienced artists.
This sounds like a great idea! I will try it sometime. I usually draw straight fromt he subject but I will try it from a magazine picture and see where it goes.Hi James
I would love to hear how your experiment went! I like drawing freehand too but a grid is a very useful guide especially for tackling portraits.
Kerry
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