The first step in any art project (for me) is creating the initial drawing from the reference photo. There are lots of ways to do this, but I’d like to share the two ways to create a line drawing that I use most often.
Two Ways I Create a Line Drawing
The Grid Method
This is my go-to method when I don’t have a tight deadline. I’ve described the process here and written a step-by-step here, so I won’t go into detail in this post.
I will tell you (because it bears repeating) that I get more satisfaction from the drawing process using this method. Starting with the basic shapes and refining a pencil drawing through several revisions gives me a better understanding of the subject. That helps me capture the personality of the subject more thoroughly.
Yes, it is more time consuming. Depending on the complexity of the subject, it can take several hours over the course of a week or more to reach the final line drawing.
But in my opinion, that is time well-spent.
It also helps me get more familiar with the subject. That’s especially important when drawing someone else’s animal, but it’s also helpful when drawing one that I live with day-to-day.
Another reason I like to make my own line drawings is that it boosts my artistic confidence.
Creating a Line Drawing by Tracing
However, new projects sometimes come with a deadline. Sometimes the deadline isn’t very far away. There have been times when I had to create a finished portrait in a week.
When that happens, I don’t have the time to go through all the steps of creating a line drawing using the grid. When I’m up against a deadline, I print the reference photo to the proper size. After the ink dries, I tape a sheet of clear Mylar film over the photo and trace the subject in as much detail as is needed.
This is the reference photo for Pasture Patriarch. You can’t see it, but a sheet of clear Mylar is taped to the photo and the line drawing is partially complete. See the marks on the head? I used an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie because that sticks to the Mylar and doesn’t smear, but it can be removed with rubbing alcohol.
When I’m finished, I separate the Mylar and photo, and look at the drawing in reverse. This stage is the same as with the grid drawing. I’m looking for distortions, errors in drawing or other problems, which I can then correct.
The Bottom Line
These are the two methods I use most often to create a line drawing. The third method applies mostly to landscapes, but I didn’t include it here because I start out by sketching directly on the drawing paper. That type of line drawing is the fastest and easiest, but it’s never more than a rough block-in of major shapes. As you might suspect, it’s subject to changes as the drawing progresses.
There are other ways to create a line drawing, too. A lot of artists use a photo editor to remove color and detail until they have a useful line drawing. I’ve tried that with GIMP, Photo Shop, and Affinity Photo and have never found it satisfactory.
The key is to find the way that works best for you and gives you the best results time after time.
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