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Some notes about Drawing - F. Danziger
Drawing is one of the great joys of art. When you are able to complete a satisfying drawing, there is an immediate gratification, which the longer process of painting can not supply.
But it is not easy. Here are some general tips which may be helpful.
- First: As you work, SQUINT at the model, and at your drawing- work from a general image to a specific.
- Stand back! Look at your work from a distance of 3-5 feet, early and often.
- Relate. Always look at the left elbow as you draw the right, for example, and get the angle between them correct by relating it to a horizontal or vertical line.
- The single most helpful thing to do, is apply what I call, "the TWINS TEST" to the drawing.
Look at the model, and look at the "person" on your page. Ask yourself: are they twins?
If they aren't- ask yourself, why not? Is one person heaviers, thinner, broader at the shoulders etc.
Then start minmizing the differences. Start with the most obviious differences and work towards finer differences.
- Use negative spaces. Draw the air around the model, instead of the model!
- But the ultimate answer is in Stanislavski's motto: "The difficult becomes habitual; the habitual becomes easy; the easy becomes beautiful."

The green lines on the marked-up drawing indicate the construction lines which show the ANGLES of the parts of the figure to one another.
You find these by rotating your pencil "like the hands of a clock" and try to get the same angle on the page.
The red lines indicate vertical and horizontal axis, to which the figure is related.
The yellow lines indicate negative spaces of air, which, if drawn correctly, help you get an accurate drawing.
The blue dots are key points, related to each other.
After 100 or so drawings, you should see a real difference in your work!
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