Simplified Fantasy Drills, exercise 1

Welcome to the first exercise in the very basic "Simplified fantasy drills" series. The focus of this series is to give you some ideas and getting you drawing while at the same time practicing some basic techniques.

Let's start with a very simple citadel, shall we?

First, you can practice drawing the basic geometrical shapes that will be used in this simple drawing,
1. Draw circles (keep practicing each shape until you feel satisfied - my own versions are deliberately left as rough as they were when first drawing them)
2. Draw squares
3. Draw rectangles
4. Draw triangles or cones

5. Put these basic shapes together to form a citadel or castle (experiment and build your own structures - this is just a quick example of one way to do it)
6. (Optional step - don't move on to this before you're comfortable with drawing the basic shapes and basic building in 5.)
What makes the drawing in #5 look flat and lifeless is that there is no sense of depth. As a last step you can try developing the forms somewhat and add shade in order to suggest depth. Some suggestions:
A. Use diagonal lines (hatching) for shading areas that are furthest away from the lightsource (here the circle)
B. Use crossing lines (crosshatching) for darker shadows, like the cast shadow
C. Try varying the width and "weight" of the line by making the lines farthest away from the lightsource much darker and thicker.
D. When finished, don't forget to add your signature any original drawing - this will add more personality, give the drawing a more complete, serious impression and actually makes you feel more like a "real" artist. I always write which year I made the drawing as well, but there are as many ways to write a signature as there are artists. You have got to find what works for you.

Hope you enjoyed and learned something from this and that it inspired you to draw more.

Please post comments and feedback to help me improve this lesson further.

Don't forget to eventually read the "ordinary" drawing lessons as well.

Happy drawing!

(This lesson last updated: October 2009)