Drawing Studio: From First Lines to Advanced Illustration

Hold and load the pencil, make even tone, hatch, cross-hatch and blend, and build a five-step value scale you will use in every later lesson.

1. Holding the pencil and choosing a grade30 min
2. Even tone35 min
3. Hatching and cross-hatching40 min
4. Blending and lifting40 min
5. A five-step value scale45 min

Connect lines and curves into six small pictures, then add simple values and color.

1. A leaf1 h 30 min
2. A mountain badge1 h 30 min
3. A five-petal flower1 h 30 min
4. A front-view house1 h 30 min
5. A small sailboat1 h 30 min
6. A friendly owl1 h 30 min

Measure envelopes, compare angles and use the spaces around objects to draw accurately.

1. A pear silhouette1 h 30 min
2. Scissors1 h 30 min
3. A mug and its handle1 h 30 min
4. A bent twig1 h 30 min
5. A desk lamp silhouette1 h 30 min
6. A key beside a leaf1 h 30 min

Build convincing volumes from boxes, cylinders, spheres and cones.

1. A cube with three visible planes1 h 30 min
2. A tin can1 h 30 min
3. An ice-cream cone1 h 30 min
4. A ball on a box1 h 30 min
5. A simple toy robot1 h 30 min
6. A turned wooden pawn1 h 30 min

Use horizons, vanishing points, overlap and compressed spacing to organize depth.

1. A one-point room1 h 30 min
2. Railway sleepers1 h 30 min
3. A two-point crate1 h 30 min
4. A corner storefront1 h 30 min
5. A tower viewed from below1 h 30 min
6. A stairway and landing1 h 30 min

Separate light and shadow families and distinguish cast shadows from turning form.

1. A sphere on a table1 h 30 min
2. A lit cube1 h 30 min
3. A cylinder1 h 30 min
4. A white egg1 h 30 min
5. A folded paper strip1 h 30 min
6. A three-object still life1 h 30 min

Add hue and saturation while preserving the values and structure of the drawing.

1. A color-wheel flower1 h 30 min
2. An apple in three values1 h 30 min
3. A lemon on a blue cloth1 h 30 min
4. A seashell in a limited palette1 h 30 min
5. A ceramic jug1 h 30 min
6. A sunset still life1 h 30 min

Describe stone, wood, cloth, metal, glass and leather with selective marks and reflections.

1. A cracked stone1 h 30 min
2. A wooden block1 h 30 min
3. A folded cloth1 h 30 min
4. A brushed metal cup1 h 30 min
5. A glass bottle1 h 30 min
6. A leather boot1 h 30 min

Construct repeated geometry, test continuity and design meaningful original symbols.

1. A radial rosette1 h 30 min
2. A seamless tile1 h 30 min
3. Interlaced knotwork1 h 30 min
4. An impossible-object study1 h 30 min
5. A personal symbolic emblem1 h 30 min
6. A symbolic poster1 h 30 min

Layer terrain, trees, water and sky with coherent depth and focal contrast.

1. Hills and sky1 h 30 min
2. A forest path1 h 30 min
3. Mountain lake1 h 30 min
4. Rocky coast1 h 30 min
5. A waterfall1 h 30 min
6. A cloud-forest valley1 h 30 min

Combine perspective boxes, structural repetition and curved openings in believable spaces.

1. A pitched-roof cottage1 h 30 min
2. An arched doorway1 h 30 min
3. A two-point street corner1 h 30 min
4. A furnished bedroom1 h 30 min
5. A greenhouse1 h 30 min
6. An old station platform1 h 30 min

Place wheels, bodies, windows and wings inside measured construction envelopes.

1. A bicycle in side view1 h 30 min
2. A compact car in side view1 h 30 min
3. A pickup in three-quarter view1 h 30 min
4. A sports coupe in three-quarter view1 h 30 min
5. A city bus1 h 30 min
6. A propeller aircraft1 h 30 min

Use organic masses, branching rhythms, joints and selective texture.

1. A fern frond1 h 30 min
2. A rosebud1 h 30 min
3. An oak tree1 h 30 min
4. A perched songbird1 h 30 min
5. A resting cat1 h 30 min
6. A deer in profile1 h 30 min

Build varied figures from action lines, supported masses and attached joints.

1. A standing mannequin1 h 30 min
2. Contrapposto stance1 h 30 min
3. A walking figure1 h 30 min
4. A seated figure1 h 30 min
5. A reaching figure1 h 30 min
6. Three body types in one pose1 h 30 min

Locate artistic anatomical landmarks and explain overlap, taper and projected lengths.

1. Ribcage and pelvis1 h 30 min
2. The back and shoulder1 h 30 min
3. A bent arm1 h 30 min
4. A bent leg1 h 30 min
5. A foreshortened reaching pose1 h 30 min
6. A clothed athletic figure1 h 30 min

Place features on rotating head volumes and preserve identity through expression.

1. A front-view head1 h 30 min
2. A three-quarter head1 h 30 min
3. A profile head1 h 30 min
4. An expressive portrait1 h 30 min
5. A tilted head viewed from below1 h 30 min
6. A portrait with glasses and textured hair1 h 30 min

Connect small jointed forms, show contact and explain folds around support and tension.

1. An open hand with five connected fingers1 h 30 min
2. A closed fist and its overlapping knuckles1 h 30 min
3. A hand holding a drawing brush1 h 30 min
4. A planted foot with a visible arch1 h 30 min
5. A raised heel and its supporting toes1 h 30 min
6. A seated clothed figure with folds and hand contact1 h 30 min

Create original stylized characters with consistent proportions, hair and costume.

1. Original chibi forest courier1 h 30 min
2. Original anime head in front view1 h 30 min
3. Same head in three-quarter view1 h 30 min
4. A six-expression sheet1 h 30 min
5. Hair and costume design1 h 30 min
6. A full-body courier1 h 30 min

Control line weight, flat color, hard shadow shapes, action and panel continuity.

1. A manga eye study1 h 30 min
2. An inked character bust1 h 30 min
3. The courier in cel shading1 h 30 min
4. A running action pose1 h 30 min
5. A two-character confrontation1 h 30 min
6. A three-panel wordless manga1 h 30 min

Use original interpretations of Alice, Holmes and Oz characters to study recognizability.

1. Alice with a storybook1 h 30 min
2. White Rabbit with pocket watch1 h 30 min
3. Sherlock Holmes at a desk1 h 30 min
4. Dorothy and Toto1 h 30 min
5. Scarecrow from Oz1 h 30 min
6. A literary ensemble illustration1 h 30 min

Unite observation, characters, vehicles, environments and storytelling in worked projects.

1. An observational glass, fruit and cloth still life1 h 30 min
2. An explorer beside a parked car1 h 30 min
3. A dramatic night street under one lamp1 h 30 min
4. A rain-soaked manga city1 h 30 min
5. A four-panel comic with consistent characters1 h 30 min
6. Final capstone: a colored forest-journey illustration1 h 30 min