«7_Puente-Romano_Córdoba-06» by aLm arquitectura is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Do you want to develop your skills as a draftsman to the maximum? Here are some drawing challenges, problems for you to unleash your full potential. I advise you to follow the order set out, then challenges are exposed from easier to more difficult.
What will we need to meet these challenges? Very simple things that you surely have at home. Paper, HB pencil and a soft eraser. I suggest that you look at everyday objects around you in order to have references.
Table of Contents
Challenge number 1: Sketching from geometric shapes
Draw geometric shapes that represent the objects you have chosen (circles, rectangles, etc.), as well as its different parts. Once this is done, you can join the different geometric shapes to give your drawing a sketch shape, integrating them all into one.
I also advise you represent objects from different points of view. It is certainly a very good exercise in developing perspective.
Challenge number 2: Use a grid
We are going to draw a grid and on it we will make the drawing. To make it easier for you, you can use a photo that you want to copy and also draw a grid on it. In this way we will be making sketches quadrant by quadrant, which will allow us to establish the proportions of the drawing well.
Challenge number 3: Freehand drawing
Choose a photograph that you like and try to represent it freehand, without relying on geometric shapes in the first place or on grids, that is, sketching directly.
Challenge number 4: Create your own shadows
«Apollo» by rdesign812 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In this challenge we are going to take into account the incidence of light on objects, which will create different shades of shadows on them. The shadow that is placed on the same object, on the opposite side to the incidence of the light, is called its own shadow. The one that the object projects onto the surrounding surfaces or objects is called reflected shadow. In this challenge, we are going to try to draw our own shadow. Not all parts of the object will have the same degree of darkness and light, so it is necessary to pay attention to how the light falls on it (if it is more intense or less, if it is closer or further away). This variety of shades is called chiaroscuro. It must also be taken into account that natural light is not the same as artificial light, such as that coming from a candle. The shadows that will be created will be different.
To do this exercise easily, it is recommended to first create a gradient with the pencil on a separate paper, seeing the different shades that we can create, since each pencil is different according to its number. We can create different graduations with different pencils, which will give us more variety when creating the shadows.
Then we can draw basic geometric shapes such as a sphere or a cube and try to make their shadow, by shining the light on different angles of them.
Then try to create your own shadow for more complex objects.
Challenge number 5: Creating reflected shadows
In order to create the reflected shadow of the object, we must also consider the particularities of the light exposed in challenge number 4, taking into account, in addition, how is the contour of the object, because it is something key in the drawing of its shadow.
Challenge number 6: Representation of various objects
Sketch several objects side by side. Imagine that the light falls on all of them. You will have to take into account the relationships between them and with the light, as one object can cast a shadow on another. Try to draw your own shadows first and then the reflected shadows. On the ground, these shapes will be cut by the presence of another object. This is the most difficult challenge of all, but with practice, anything is possible!
And you, do you dare to develop all your artistic potential by drawing?