I’ve always been a fan of The Right Tool for the Job saying, yet when it comes to drawing and learning to draw, my creative brain rebels against using tried and tested, seemingly rigid techniques such as measuring and grids. I’ve fought them off for more than a year now like a castaway fighting sharks off their raft, believing they will suck all my creativity and transform me into a soulless corporate drone who watches Love Island!
Two days ago, I decided to sell my soul for a couple of hours and tried, for the first time in my life, using a grid to get better proportions. Proportions in drawing is what I struggle the most with, I can’t, for the life of me, get good proportions.
So off i went into gridland.
Of course, it’s not so easy and straightforward. Since I’m a disciple of the right tool for the job I first had to find the right grid app on the iPad.
Long story short, after trying all the ones I found, I settled on GridArt, it’s not great, they’re all actually pretty awful, but it’s the best of the bunch.
Having wasted, invested most of the day choosing the right app, I went to sleep. The next day, eager to try my new app and skills, I whipped out my sketch pad, the good one, with the 300 gsm textured paper, great for drawing and watercolour.
It was slow going and a bit confusing at the beginning but I soon got into the swing of things. The result wasn’t fantastic but it was a lot better than the previous dog’s breakfast that I was able to create.
Comparison
This is the original drawing that I made without a grid or measuring or anything, just trying to judge the proportions by eye.
Yes a bit scary. I don’t hate it, it has its charm but it was not really what I was going for.
This is another drawing from the same photo but this time with a grid.
Yeah, much better!
So from now on I think I’m using a grid whenever proportions are important.
But I still hate Love Island!
PS
Here is that same drawing with watercolour.
And coloured digitally in Procreate.
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