Drawing - Part 5 - Grasp and Sweep

Hello my art loving friends. Tonight I thought I'd write again about drawing or draftsmanship. We've been covering all the "right" ways to sketch. Above are 3 little people properly sketching in the best manner. I say "best" as you may often sketch in less ideal ways but these methods will produce the finest work. "WHY" you ask?

Well the arm has to be employed to draw really well. When the arm can sweep over the entire sheet of paper or canvas, an artist can get the most casual, masterful look to the work. Accuracy will also be enhanced with longer strokes. When I have a serious drawing to do or when I go to a life group I always set up as you see above. I'm usually the left or middle guy. The right hand person is sitting on an "artist horse" . This is a very old piece of art furniture that some may not have seen. It has slots to angle the board to the perfect angle.

Now to the "grasp". Above our little folks are two hands. The one on the left shows a typical writing grasp. Now this is great for writing and small sketches and doodles but it won't cut it for larger work. The right hand shows an artist grasp as used for sketching. this hold of your charcoal, conte', or vine, will give you the best drawing possible. When drawing large I usually use 18x24 inch pads and paper or larger sheets of Canson Mi-teintes 19x25. I carry a hardboard panel about 20x27 inches in my setup for setting my paper on. I make it a habit to try to use the whole sheet. I sometimes cut the sheets in half and do them at 18x12" .

When approaching the work, it is a nice idea to swing your whole arm over the whole sheet. Be certain you have the angle absolutely perfect and that it's perfectly comfortable. (see earlier drawing posts) Also, swinging your arm allows you to imagine your strokes. It relaxes your mind and helps loosen your strokes. Now you are ready to begin your sketching using your arm and not just your hand.

Obviously, when sketching in your personal sketch book (I hope you have one) you will probably be drawing on your lap. This is where I sketch out my ideas or work something up for a painting. In this case I use the "writers grasp" and my favorite pencil. In that case, I'm not concerned about beautiful draftsmanship. The appearance is just for my personal recording and not for show. I still may draft accurately but the line quality is not so important. Perhaps I should do a post on exactly what I mean but that's later....