Discover: Drawing the Natural World
Drawing the Natural World is a comprehensive guide for artists of all abilities to celebrate through art the beauty of the flora and fauna that make up our planet. The book is divided into the fundamental concepts of art – colour and tone, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space – to introduce the essential techniques and demonstrate how they can be used in drawing the natural world through practical projects. Further chapters cover the anatomy of animals to ensure posture and gait can be accurately captured, and the fundamentals of composition. There is also introduction to the different materials and equipment that can be used, and a guide to basics of drawing. Each of the projects in the book includes a fully illustrated step-by-step sequence to follow, plus helpful tips and advice.
Artists & Illustrators
Book of the Month
"Drawing the Natural" being selected as the Book of the Month in the Christmas edition of the Artist's & Illustrators magazine. A mini version of "Watercolour the Natural World" is also included!
Anatomy
Anatomy helps us make sense of what we are seeing. Discover simple coloured charts that create frameworks to understand the muscles and bones at different angles and poses.
Line
Line can convey a vast amount of information even with an economy of marks. Explore creating highly controlled detailed drawings to spontaneous, gestural marks that imply speed and motion.
Shape
Shapes have only two dimensions. Negative shapes depict the surrounding space, while positive shapes depict solid objects. Learn to see the natural world as a jigsaw of abstract shapes.
Tone
Tone describes how light or dark something is, as well as how light or dark a colour is. Consider the tonal contrast between a light green and a dark crimson apple.
Colour
Colour is the sensation we perceive when light waves strike an object and reflect back into our eyes. Learn how to mix colour like a professional artist.
Space
Learn to create the illusion of space through the use of perspective, overlapping, size, tone and colour so that your drawings take on a sense of depth.
Pattern & Texture
Pattern refers to a repeating design or motif, while texture refers to the surface quality of an artwork. Explore experimenting with both to create rhythm and tactile qualities.
Combine simple forms
Primary geometric forms such as the cube, cylinder, sphere, cone and pyramid can be combined and interlocked to construct more complex organic structures.
Study sheets
I find study sheets are one of the finest methods for enhancing observational skills and hand-eye coordination, enabling the artist to investigate their subject from various angles and deepen their understanding of it.
