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I've never used the grid method in my life and never will. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it if that's how some artists want to work and if it gets them to their final goal, I just believe it doesn't teach you much about proportions or give you confidence to draw freehand as it is all set out for you and can ultimately become a handicap.
I have made a lot of mistakes in my work but sometimes they're glorious ones that have taught me a lot in improving my skills but finished pieces can also be better for it. Many drawings that are rendered using the grid method in my view lose that spontaneity and become kind of lifeless because the artist is trying to replicate too precisely what they are copying without any margin for error. Sure their level of detail can be superb and there is no denying the artists skill but in many instances using the grid method loses something special in the final piece that would otherwise be present without it.
I have made a lot of mistakes in my work but sometimes they're glorious ones that have taught me a lot in improving my skills but finished pieces can also be better for it. Many drawings that are rendered using the grid method in my view lose that spontaneity and become kind of lifeless because the artist is trying to replicate too precisely what they are copying without any margin for error. Sure their level of detail can be superb and there is no denying the artists skill but in many instances using the grid method loses something special in the final piece that would otherwise be present without it.
In my opinion it's the artists own instinct and feeling for the work that is lost for drawing by numbers; a mechanical and rigid way of replicating reality that becomes kind of dead in my view. I'm not saying that all work rendered using the grid method is like this but artists who use it can lose what is special in the work that only a freehand drawing can achieve.
I believe in the long term you can achieve greater drawing without using the grid method by only using your own observational skills. It might be harder but it's a lot more satisfying and you learn more from it in the end.
This is only my opinion so please feel free to disagree.
Hiatus!
I haven't been able to do much art for a while since having a relapse of a long standing health condition but I am slowly on the mend and hope to start working again this year.
Reference granted for leopard drawing
Great stuff, I've just been granted permission to use this leopard photo for my next drawing.
Snow leopard photo for next project?
I think I've found a really good photo of a snow leopard for my next drawing. It's not showing the cat in its natural habitat but in Zurich's Zoological Garden. The picture does give a good impression that the snow leopard is in a natural environment though and I think this will translate really well as a pencil drawing. I just have to get permission from the photographer first... fingers crossed! Link: http://fav.me/d1wcgj6
Sometimes less is more
When drawing, sometimes less is more and vice versa depending on the subject. Some of the most beautiful drawings I've seen are incomplete.
© 2014 - 2024 BlueA7
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I guess it depends what you want to achieve in the end.
The grid method provides more accurate proportions for less effort, or so they say, I tried it once and it sucked out all my creative energy on just making the stupid grid. The grid method was presented in the past to talentless royal kids by art teachers to make them believe that they are capable of masterful art. I guess that counts for something.
The grid method, depending on how big/small the grid is, still requires some accuracy within each square.... I tried it with one of my younger students and she still struggles a lot with it...
There is something much worse in my opinion, using projectors, and what the most surprising thing about it is that similar method was used ages ago by old masters (I can try to find the documentary if you're interested). One of my teachers said that so many of the "photo realistic" artists use it and that just made me lose my interest in it completely. He even gave an example of him still being a student and needing to to paint something realistic so he used a projector and gave the neighbor's son 10$ to outline everything for him... so yes, that's how little skill it takes and you instantly get photo realistic proportions. But hell.. some of the biggest artists of our time don't even waste time on painting anymore, instead they have a bunch of other artists doing the work for them and at the end they just sign it.
So within all this mess, it really does count what your end goal is.. if you have the tools presented to you that will make things easier, by all means it is silly to not use them.
I feel that I was just lucky that I was able to develop a pretty good eye-hand coordination before these methods were introduced to me. I enjoy the process of creating rather than the end result so I avoid those tedious methods. I would probably be a horrible teacher if I couldn't correct mistakes by simply looking at them and relying on my hand to do it better...
The grid method provides more accurate proportions for less effort, or so they say, I tried it once and it sucked out all my creative energy on just making the stupid grid. The grid method was presented in the past to talentless royal kids by art teachers to make them believe that they are capable of masterful art. I guess that counts for something.
The grid method, depending on how big/small the grid is, still requires some accuracy within each square.... I tried it with one of my younger students and she still struggles a lot with it...
There is something much worse in my opinion, using projectors, and what the most surprising thing about it is that similar method was used ages ago by old masters (I can try to find the documentary if you're interested). One of my teachers said that so many of the "photo realistic" artists use it and that just made me lose my interest in it completely. He even gave an example of him still being a student and needing to to paint something realistic so he used a projector and gave the neighbor's son 10$ to outline everything for him... so yes, that's how little skill it takes and you instantly get photo realistic proportions. But hell.. some of the biggest artists of our time don't even waste time on painting anymore, instead they have a bunch of other artists doing the work for them and at the end they just sign it.
So within all this mess, it really does count what your end goal is.. if you have the tools presented to you that will make things easier, by all means it is silly to not use them.
I feel that I was just lucky that I was able to develop a pretty good eye-hand coordination before these methods were introduced to me. I enjoy the process of creating rather than the end result so I avoid those tedious methods. I would probably be a horrible teacher if I couldn't correct mistakes by simply looking at them and relying on my hand to do it better...