Almost all beginners of art started with one way to draw. Using references! Sometimes it might not look like what you want it to be if people just trace the outline. On the contrary, it might become abstract art that can be sold for millions of dollars. After a few techniques, people will be one step closer to drawing everything accurately with references.
The picture above is a quick sketch on what a drawing will looks like by tracing the outline.
In the beginning, find the midpoint of the drawing. Draw two diagonal lines from one corner to the other(as shown in the picture). The intersection of both lines would be the midpoint. I would personally recommend drawing a vertical and a horizontal line in the picture. It will be easier to see which part of the object is supposed to be in which rectangle in order to compare the accuracy of the drawing. With the midpoint, we will know where each separate part of the cat is located and identify the proportion compared with the midpoint and each rectangle that we draw.
Proportion is a part of the composition related to the other through height, depth, and width. There is no depth in this picture. For the height, the cat is two cat heads long. For the width, the cat divides into three equal parts. Then you draw it out on the picture for the proportion scale. The rectangle was used often during a drawing with reference, for example, drawing each separate part only in the rectangle, but is not good for the beginners to identify proportions themselves. That technique is used for drawing with extreme accuracy most of the time.
After finishing drawing the setup, it is time to figure out the proportions. Proportion is a part of the composition related to the other through height, depth, and width. There is no depth in this picture. For the height, the cat is two cat heads long. For the width, the cat can be divided into three. Then you draw it out on the picture for the proportion scale.
We can see the cat as separate geometric shapes combined together. We will start drawing those geometric shapes on the paper first.
In order to draw the geometric shape at the correct place. The proportions and the midpoint are extremely significant. People can compare the geometric shape and the midpoints and the rectangle to see if they are drawing in the right place. Furthermore, the proportions can help with the accuracy of the height, width, and depth of an object. When the overall geometric shape is finished, add some parts of the real cat and make the line smoother and more realistic. DO NOT add the details yet because we need to make it look like the object we are drawing first and verify if there are any errors in the shapes.
Coloring is the most difficult part. The creator must be conscious of identifying the colors in the image they are referencing. For instance, there are purple, pink, and an extreme amount of green among the furs of this cat. I purposefully emphasized them to make them stand out. In addition, drawing with references does not mean that people should draw exactly what the image looks like. It is necessary to put in some creativity. For instance, I simplified some parts of the fur because I don’t like the way it’s portrayed in the image.
Of course, this tutorial does not apply to everyone. Everyone has a different style and a different way than they would prefer to draw. The most important skill in the art is to start and to try. Start a drawing without hesitation and procrastination. Try your best in the drawing and you will for sure be amazed.
