Author: Renjith Ravindran

Do you doodle dots and flowers? Here’s what it means

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Most of us doodle and scribble when we get some free time. Most of these doodles might not have a final output but did you know that there is a meaning to whatever you scribble down?

For instance, if you scribble down dots and spots, it means that you are a great organiser. On the other hand, if your dots are linked with lines, it shows that you are probably frustrated about something.

Similarly, if you are someone who doodle flowers, it also means something. It suggests that you are romantically inclined. Most of these work unconsciously without us knowing. So next time you scribble down something, keep an eye out as it could give you indications about your unconscious mind.

Why are most pencils yellow? Here’s the reason

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Pencils are an integral part of one’s drawing habits. In fact, we use it so much that we barely give attention to the characteristics of pencils.

Have you ever noticed that most of the pencils out there are yellow in colour?

There is a reason for this. The Pencils were painted yellow since 1980s. The idea was to give the users an indication that Chinese graphite is used in the pencils. Back in China, yellow indicated respect and royalty. And the manufactures in the United States wanted to convey this feeling to the customers and thus went out with Yellow colored pencils.

So next time you use an yellow colored pencil, remember why it is yellow in the first place.

Here is a shocking fact about Art that you should know

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How well do you know about art?

It is a hard question because no matter how much you learn, something interesting and new pokes up every day. And this is why, today, we will be listing down one such interesting fact about Art that you probably didn’t know. So without further ado, here goes.

Art used to be an Olympic Event.

The original founder of the Modern Game, the Baron Pierre de Coubertin had the idea that a true Olympian should be a talented sportsperson as well as an artist. As a result, between 1912 and 1948, medals were given out for sport-inspired artworks. This included artworks such as architecture, music, painting, sculpture and literature.

The Olympics, however, evolved over the years into a sport-only event and artists no longer received medals.

Drawing Tips: Trick your analytical brain

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One of the biggest hacks you can do while drawing is to trick your analytical brain. Our brains are wired to treat the problem in one way and this is one of the reasons why we get stuck while drawing.

In one of the experiments done to prove this, some art students were asked to do a Picasso drawing upside down. They improved significantly when drawing the upside picture as their brains treated the problem differently. Rather than seeing the objects in the picture, the students saw shapes with which the picture was made of.

It was also found that while brain participates as a whole in certain activities, some activities like drawing require just one mode without the significant interference from the others.

So if you are struggle to draw a picture, try approaching it in a different perspective.

Here are some Tips to help you draw more

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If you are an artist that is just starting out, the idea would be to draw as much as you can. You need to spend a lot of time drawing but this is easier said than done.

There are, however, some ways in which you can get the job done. The first key is to be comfortable. When you are starting to draw, sit in a very comfortable position from where you wouldn’t want to move.

Secondly, don’t keep any expectations. If you keep them, you are bound to end up getting frustrated. Lastly, it is always recommended to find a drawing partner. If you have someone to draw along with, then you will have extra interest in the activity which can benefit in the long run.

Drawing Tips: Why you should carry a pocket sketchbook

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If you are an artist, then carrying a pocket sketchbook is something that you should start doing.

Wondering why?

Well, a new idea usually comes out of nowhere. You might get an interesting concept while travelling to work or coming back. While mapping the same in your mind is one thing, if you have a pocket sketchbook with you, things get a lot easier.

You can simply scribble down the idea so that you don’t lose it in the mix. Here’s what an artist Joseph Catimbang had to say about carrying a pocket sketchbook.

“It helps me do my conceptualization. Whenever I get an idea I have my pocket sketchbook with me so I can create a rough sketch of what I was thinking at the moment, I would later use these concepts to create final illustrations either for a personal project or a collaboration,” he noted.

So if you don’t have such a habit, it is recommended that you start doing it.

Drawing Tips: What are negative and positive spaces?

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Negative and Positive spaces are two terms that you should know if you are planning to draw. These are two basic concepts but at the same time, are very important in the overall look of the picture.

So without further ado, here goes.

The positive space in a drawing is the areas of the art which are subjects or areas of interest. Or in other words, these are the actual things that you are focussing on while drawing a picture.

A negative space is the area around your subjects or areas of interest. For a regular drawing, this might sound like an area of low interest, but you should not leave the negative space without any attention as it can impact the appeal of your overall picture.

Drawing Tips: How to practice active seeing

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One of the biggest skills you need when drawing is active seeing. The idea is to see and evaluate visual relationships.

Rather than simply looking at the subject, you should pay attention to the size, tone, colour, scale and angles of your subject. By doing all these, you can increase your general observational skills and this will have a huge impact on your drawings.

Also, it is recommended to compare size relationships. You can ask questions such as ‘How far is the object from another?’ and ‘How tall is one object in relation to another?’ and so on. Override the prejudices that you will have about a subject and observe what is in front of you.

Michelangelo: 3 Interesting Facts about the artist

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Michelangelo needs no introduction to artists. His works have been studied and admired for ages. But still, there are some lesser known facts about Michelangelo that most of us doesn’t know. We will be listing down three such facts today.

  1. He was also a poet: While we know Michelangelo as a painter, not many know that he was a poet. He has written hundreds of poems which exist even today.
  2. He was the first person to have an autobiography published during his lifetime. The Italians admired Michelangelo and this resulted in two autobiographies being published about him.
  3. He was not the first choice to complete the Sistine Chapel. Raphael was originally chosen to complete the work. However, since Raphael wanted to expose that Michelangelo was not as talented as him, he convinced the Pope to hire Michelangelo. The idea backfired as the Chapel still stands out as one of the best works in art history.

3 Things you may not know about Picasso

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Picasso is considered to be one of the greatest artists in history. While everyone might know a lot about him, there are some lesser known facts about him and we are going to list down three of them below.

He could draw before he could talk: Picasso’s father was an art teacher and it is noted that Picasso could supposedly draw before he could talk. By the age of 13, Picasso apparently outclassed his father as well.

His other experiments: Apart from being a painter, Picasso also tried his hand in sculpture, ceramics, drawing and print making.

Stolen Paintings: According to reports, more Picasso paintings have been stolen than those of any other artist. Nearly 1200 Picasso paintings have been stolen so far.