5 Tricks for Accurately Sketching Out Your Drawing

Sketching your drawing can prove to be one of the hardest parts about making art. Here I will show you some tricks you can use to get through it.

Photo by Daria Tumanova on Unsplash

I find that the most difficult part when I’m starting a new project is the initial sketch and outline–putting everything where it needs to be in the composition. Especially when you are in school, it is important that you sketch the parameters of your subject before you do anything else. Otherwise, when you’re adding values and textures, you’ll be bound to notice something out of place, and a little part of yourself will die when you realize you have to take out that whole section of shading, or worse yet, start over. 

I have been taking art courses for nearly five years, and while I do notice an improvement in my sketching abilities, I STILL have problems creating the initial sketch. On numerous projects, I have wasted so much time trying to get the objects where they are supposed to be on my paper or canvas, and when I take a step back, I realize that everything is too SMALL! I then proceed to erase all of my sketches, and then spend another hour or two trying to sketch out my subject.

As I said, I have taken almost five years of art classes, so I’m sure you’re wondering how I made it through with my less than satisfactory sketching skills. Well, over the years, I have picked up a few tricks that help me out a lot, and for the most part, they are total time savers! I will be sharing them with you today so that you do not have to go through all the struggles I did.

However, if you would like to try your hand at sketching, at least at first, go for it! It is a vital skill in art, and honestly an art form in itself. Just because I have difficulties with it does not mean that everyone will, including you! So, if you would like to incorporate sketching into your art journey, be my guest, otherwise read on.

Projecting Your Reference onto Your Paper

Photo by Alex Litvin on Unsplash

This is one of the first tricks I learned in my high school art class. You will need a projector, a sketching pencil (mechanical pencils work great, but any will do), paper or canvas, a reference, and something that can hold your drawing paper while you draw on it (like an easel). 

Depending on the kind of projector you have, you will either need to print off your reference or simply download it onto your device. I have done it both ways, and it goes like this: if you have an old-fashioned projector, you will need to print off your photo, in addition to reducing the size of the photo before you print it. This ensures that the projected image will fit onto your drawing paper nicely. Keep in mind, if you are using an old-fashioned projector, some models require the use of a translucent material rather than paper, which I do NOT recommend. The older projector we utilized in my high school art class used regular copy paper, and we did not use any translucent material for that method.

On the other hand, newer projectors are a lot more straightforward. You just download your reference photo onto your device, plug the projector into said device, and then proceed to follow the directions that came with your projector. While every projector will have its differences, most of the newer models will operate this way. If you are wondering, I own and use the Auking Mini Projector, and it’s model number is M8-F. If you have the ability to do so, I would recommend you buy this model. It’s pretty affordable and very easy to move around, and works great for art!

Now that you have your projector turned on and your reference photo either downloaded or printed, we need to set up your working area. In my high school art class, for instance, our teacher had an easel set to prop up our paper or canvas while we were drawing the projected image; however, at home, I just used a window sill to hold up my paper. It does not matter what you use as long as it can hold your canvas steady while you are sketching on it.

Finally, before you start drawing, you need to match the projected image onto the paper. In other words, you need the projected image to fit onto your drawing so all the components of the reference fit into your composition nicely. In order to do this, you will most likely have to adjust the lens on your projector, move the position of the projector and/or paper, and even add a few books under the projector if it is not level with your drawing paper.

After all of this work of setting everything up, you can finally start your sketch! Keep in mind that it does not need to be a perfect copy of your reference, as it just needs to guide you on putting all the elements where they belong. This is just to build the foundation of your drawing. Start with the larger shapes of your reference, working up to the smaller details. If your projected image is fuzzy, don’t worry! Focus on the larger components of your reference and you’ll be fine.

After working on your sketch for a while, you should have a great outline showing you where to put everything in your drawing!

Here I have an example of this technique. I projected a photo of a butterfly onto this piece of linoleum. After I had everything sketched out, I began to carve the image out. While you will most likely be using drawing paper or a canvas, this trick can work on pretty much any surface you choose to work on.

Making a Template with Your Device’s Screen

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

I understand that it is not feasible for everyone to have access to a projector, so this next technique is a bit more convenient. You will need a pencil, drawing paper, copy paper, scissors, tape, and your device. And by device I mean your phone, computer, tablet… whatever you have! 

Like the projector method, the first thing you need to do is download your reference photo. Then you need to open it, and compare its size to the size of your drawing paper. Most likely, your device’s screen size and the size of your drawing paper will NOT match at all, and that’s totally fine; it’s what this next step is for.

While holding up your drawing paper beside the screen, start adjusting the size and/or position of the reference so it will fit into your composition. For example, if your screen is smaller than your drawing paper, you need to enlarge parts of reference and sketch out your template bit by bit. You will then have to tape the template together.

Which brings me to the next step. After you have the sizing of your reference figured out, start sketching its parts out on the copy paper. Simply put your screen’s brightness as high as it will go, and draw the outline of your reference onto the copy paper while holding it against the screen. Trace your reference until you have its whole outline finished.

Now, you cut out your template’s parts and tape them together so that they constitute your whole composition while fitting nicely on the drawing paper or canvas. It is after all of this is done that you can start your outline on your drawing paper! Just sketch around the template, and you should have a good-looking outline in no time.

This is a painting I used the template method on. You can see how I enlarged the size of the photo on my computer in order to make my template, and then I transferred the outline onto the canvas. While I already painted over most of the sketch, you can still see some stray marks from the pencil outline. 

Draw Upside Down

Photo by jose aljovin on Unsplash

This next trick is as simple as it sounds. All you need is your reference (both downloaded and printed images will do), drawing paper, and a pencil.

Just turn both your drawing paper and your reference upside down and get to drawing! Basically, the reason this method works is that it makes our brains focus on the shapes and details of the image rather than the image itself. As people, we interpret objects in ways that are sometimes not completely accurate, so this method, for the most part, turns those biases off and allows us to focus on creating an accurate image. 

While this method isn’t as fool-proof as the two tricks mentioned above, it is a great thing to try in a pinch. Even though it does take practice, it is a good strategy to use when you are training your brain to capture accurate images.

The Grid Method

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

While I have never used this method and thereby do not know how to explain it in depth, I included it here because it is widely used and definitely worth checking out. For this method, you will need your reference (printed out), drawing paper, a ruler, and a pencil.

You first need to draw out a grid on your reference, which is why you need it printed out. Use the ruler or straightedge to create equally-spaced squares all across your reference image.

Now, you have to make an identical grid on your drawing paper, and by identical I mean the same number of squares, even if your reference photo and drawing paper are different sizes. For example, if your reference photo is smaller than your drawing paper, both should have the same number of squares in their grids, BUT the squares on the reference will be smaller (because the image is small) and the squares on the drawing paper will be larger (because the paper is larger). 

This way, you can create a corresponding image by breaking the drawing into squares. 

Because this method is widely used, if this is too simple of an explanation of the method for you to put it into practice, you can Google “drawing grid method” or something to that effect to gain more resources on this strategy.

The Pencil Method

Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

This method is different from the others because it involves using a live reference rather than a photo. You will also need a pencil and drawing paper.

When you have your live reference set up in front of you, you first have to take your pencil and hold it up toward the reference. Using your fingers to measure the length on your pencil, you can estimate how much space it will take up on your drawing paper by measuring out the reference’s parts.

Next, you can start sketching out your subject using the estimates you have just measured. I recommend you first sketching out a box that is the length of your entire subject, and then breaking the box down into parts. When you have all the boxes sketched out, you can start adding the details of your reference. 

That’s pretty much all there is to it. This method is really great for figuring out ratios, though it does take practice. 

That’s what I have for you in this first blog post. I hope these tips help you get started on your drawing. Happy crafting!