“What’s brown, grey, and sticky? A stick!” This might be the only Google search answer for “How to draw a stick.” Ha! And contrary to the title on this video there IS a reason for making a detailed sketch before I leap in to paint this stick, thanks to a watercolor instructor who once tried to help me get looser and simpler in my painting.
- Mentioned in the video:
- Replay of live color mixing
- Live class at Etchr Sunday May 1 (will be able to be purchased and viewed later on replay)
To film the drawing directly overhead, I did my drawing from a photo on my iPad so the camera could be in that location. A few bits are wonky for that reason – but the point isn’t to be “exacting” in detail, just to capture the textures and tones and get to know the subject well before painting it.
Video
Watch the video below or click here to see it on YouTube.
The tan thingamabob on the end of that short pencil is an extender – not all are made equal though. This one is from General Pencil, and it’s wide enough you can get a Polychromos or Caran d’Ache into it (the Prismacolor one only fits Prismacolor or smaller. There’s another by E and M Peanpole that’s the bigger size too, if you want them in colors. Both (all?) have a “belt” around the middle you can slide down to fit bigger pencils then tighten by sliding them back up.
My new Dahle Chubby Pencil Sharpener really does give me a super sharp point! This little thing doesn’t look like much but it’s pretty amazing. It’s only about $4 at Blick, but almost $13 on Amazon – so don’t assume Amazon always beats everyone.
The hour I spent on my stick drawing was quite relaxing, creating the texures and value shifts! It helped me to know which parts of the stick I liked most, what colors I might try, and the value range I wanted to include in my painting. Which will happen on Friday – so don’t miss out!
Feel free to download my sticks! I shot three views of it so you can pick one that’s of interest, or go find your own stick – get your dog to help! (But not too much until you finish drawing it!)
Pop back in on Friday and we’ll get busy painting this same stick. And on social all week I’ll be adding to my accordion sketchbook:
Supplies
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So stunning Sandy, I can watch hours how you draw things like this.
Thank you so much for sharing, stay safe and have a wonderful day.
This is so cool