Author: Renjith Ravindran

Here is a tip to hold the pencil correctly while drawing

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Holding the pencil is the first step that should be mastered if you want to become an artist. The way in which you hold the pencil places a huge role in how the final work turns out.

Artist Bobby Chiu has given an important tip regarding the same in one of his YouTube videos. He recommends that holding the pencil like a charcoal can lead to some great results. The idea is to draw using the side of the lead rather than using the point. This can help to keep the pencil sharper for a longer period and also give you a texture that is usually not achieved.

“When covering large areas, I shade with my pencil perpendicular to the line I’m drawing to get wide, soft lines. For details, I hold my pencil parallel to my lines to get sharp, narrow marks. The only time I use the point is when I’m working on intricate details,” he notes.

So get going and try this out the next time you are scribbling.

Here are 3 Tips you can use to improve creativity

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Having a wild imagination and high creativity are keys to becoming a good artist. And unlike many of us believe, these things can be actually developed through practice and constant efforts.

There are some tips with which you can improve your creativity and we will be listing down three of them below.

  • Unplug: Disconnecting yourself from the social media and giving your brain some rest can do wonders to your creativity. Your mind will be allowed to wander in such scenarios which in turn can result in great ideas.
  • Have a walk: A recent study have found out that people who take part in walking meetings are more creative and productive. Considering that an average person sits for 7 to 15 hours, it is highly recommended that you take a walk to improve your brain activity.
  • Collaborate: Collaboration is often underrated. It can bombard you with many ideas and thought processes that you might not even imagine in your wildest dreams.

Try these tips and understand the differences yourselves.

How to Draw a Hand: The basic shapes you should understand

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Almost everything out there is made up of such basic shapes which can make our drawing process easier. Drawing a hand is no different.

There are some basic shapes that make up our hand and we are going to list them down below courtesy of the picture from virtualinstructor.com.

First, look at your hands; you can understand that a square makes up the back portion of your palm. Similarly, a triangle is formed where the palm meets the thumb. These shapes might differ based on perspectives, but they will still be there.

Lastly, the fingers are basically cylinders as you can see from the picture. They may become taper and larger based on the finger but the basic shape is cylinder after all.

3 Shocking Facts about Salvador Dali that you should know

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Salvador Dali is hands down one of the most influential figures in modern art. He had a career that spanned across six decades and during this period; he managed to create some masterpieces as well.

Though most people didn’t know about Dali and his works, he once again came to the spotlight recently thanks to the Netflix Series Money Heist. And apparently, Dali’s life is worthy enough of a Netflix series itself.

Here are three shocking facts that you might not know about him.

  • He was expelled from art school twice: Dali was a rebel from his young age itself. He was known for eccentric behavior and dresses which often got him into trouble. And he did not graduate due to these expulsions.
  • He was never into Drugs: While a lot of people believe that Dali was into drugs due to his surreal artwork and eccentric behavior, the truth is: he never was into drugs. ‘I don’t do drugs; I’m drugs’, he once famously stated.
  • He believed that he was the reincarnation of his brother: Nine months before Dali was born, his older brother passed away. Dali believed that he was the reincarnation of his brother.

You can also go ahead and checkout some artworks of Dali and remember these facts next time you hear about him.

Digital Drawing: 3 Reasons why you should be doing it

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People are often split when it comes to traditional drawing and digital drawing. While a lot of people argue about the merits of traditional drawing, there are some major benefits of digital drawing that cannot be overlooked.

We will be listing down three reasons why you should be trying digital drawing.

  • The availability of countless tools: One of the biggest advantages of digital drawing is the availability of countless tools. You can experiment with a lot of things which you might not have access to in real life.
  • Eco-friendly: Digital drawing enables you to learn drawing without the wastage of paper. Considering the climate changes and environmental issues that are rising, it is a big contribution indeed.
  • The undo button: If you make a mistake on the paper, you might end up ruining your whole work till that point. Digital drawing, on the other hand, gives you the undo button which reduces the pressure.

So if you are still not trying out the digital platforms for drawing, you should really give it a thought.

Leonardo da Vinci: Some shocking facts you should know

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Leonardo da Vinci needs no introduction. The Italian is hands down one of the most influential artists in the history having made contributions across multiple fields like invention, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, science and mathematics among others.

While people know a lot about da Vinci, we will be taking a look at three interesting facts about him that most people probably do not know.

  • It took him 12 years to paint the lips of Mona Lisa: For drawing just the lips, it took him 12 years. Imagine how much perfection he wanted.
  • He fought for animal rights: He used to buy caged birds and set them free.
  • He was a vegetarian: Not a big surprise here considering he fought for animal rights, but then again, it is a fact that most people don’t know.

So next time someone talks about Leonardo da Vinci, drop these interesting facts about him in the conversation.

Drawing Eyes: Here’s what you need to know

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When you are drawing a face, the way in which you draw the eyes can either make or break the whole drawing. And this is why you should know some tips and tricks related to drawing the eyes.

Firstly, you should understand that eyes are just about halfway between the jaw and top of the head. Once you have figured out this particular line, the job is half done. The next job is to place both the eyes on this particular line.

Now, our heads are usually five eyes wide. So place five eyes on the line you identified in the first step and remove the ones on either sides and the middle so that you end up with two perfectly place eyes.

While this is an easy trick that can get the job done, this is only applicable to a face that is facing straight. The proportions and eye placements will vary depending on the position of the head.

Why you should encourage Kids to draw

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Most of us started drawing from our young age itself. Back then, we did not have the luxury of smartphones and technology which opened the doors for creative activities like drawing.

The current scenario is completely different. The kids these days have access to a lot of gadgets and technology which takes them away from most of the things that we grew up with. While these gadgets have their own merits, it is always recommended to encourage your kids to physically draw every now and then.

Below are some benefits of encouraging kids to draw.

  • It increases imagination: Increasing the imagination is crucial when it comes to being independent and advanced. Drawing is one of the activities that can get this job done.
  • A way of displaying emotions: Several researches have shown that drawings are a great way through which emotions can be expressed.  This can be helpful when the kid grows up as he or she will be used to expressing emotions rather than hiding them inside.
  • Motor and Coordination Skills improve: The coordination of brain, hand, and eyes are important for drawing. And the more this is practiced, the more the skill is developed.

Apart from these, drawing also improves the cognitive skills of a kid. It can also increase the creativity and confidence as well.

Figure Drawing Proportions: 3 Tips you should know

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When drawing a figure, it is important to that you give attention to the proportions. Different part of the figure requires different size and if this is not followed, you might end up getting a forgettable output in the end.

There are many tips related to the drawing proportions that you should know and we will list down three of them below.

  • The Whole figure should be approximately 7.5 heads tall.
  • The line of the nipples comes around two heads down from the top of the figure.
  • The Belly Button comes around three heads down from the top.

Incorporating these proportions can drastically improve the figure and doesn’t require much effort as well.

Crayons: 5 Fun facts that you should know

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Crayons are integral part of one’s evolution as an artist as most of us start our drawing journey by scribbling with crayons. Some stick with it while others might cross over to other tool to express their art.

Irrespective of this, there are some interesting facts about crayons that most people don’t know. We will be listing down five such facts below.

  • The crayons were initially hand rolled: Before the machines came in, the crayons that we used were hand rolled by the employees at the factory.
  • There are 120 shades available now: If you thought there are only a few shades of Crayons available, think again.
  • Crayons scent is easily recognized: Among American Adults, Crayon scent is one of the most recognizable scents according to a study conducted by Yale University.
  • The favourite Crayon of America: The Favourite Crayon of America is the blue one.
  • The Largest Crayon in the world: The largest crayon in the world is known as the Big Blue and it weighs around 1500 pounds and is 16 feet long.

So next time you use a crayon, remember all these fun facts behind the awesome invention.