Barrington Barber - The Artist’s Complete Book of Drawing Projects Step-by-Step

Drawing is a very rewarding pastime, and with careful looking and regular practice it is possible to create works that will please you and other people. In this book I have presented 100 subjects for you to draw, ranging from simple objects you can find in the home to outdoor scenes and landscapes. The projects are all broken down into five steps so that you can see how tone is applied at every stage of the drawing. Look at my drawing and then make your own attempt, referring to the steps as you go. You can either copy my drawing directly or, even better, find your own equivalent subject to draw from life. As you will discover, almost anything can make an interesting drawing: fruit on the kitchen table; an old pair of boots; a gleaming classic car or people swimming in the sea. The projects are intended to build your confidence as a draughtsman so that you feel comfortable handling the pencil and working across a range of subject matter. When it comes to drawing there is no substitute for practice, so pick up a pencil and get drawing!

Barrington Barber

You dont need much to get started with drawing, just a few pencils and some paper. If you can, buy good quality artist-grade materials as they will improve your experience of drawing. Ive set out the materials that I use here: as you progress you will discover your own preferences for certain materials and ways of working.

Graphite pencils come in a variety of grades, available from 9H to 9B. H pencils are harder than B pencils, and the higher the number, the harder or softer they are. HB is in the middle. I generally use pencils in the softer B grade range, in particular a B-grade pencil.

You will need a good pencil sharpener, especially if you are using softer pencils as the pencil leads will wear down quite fast with use.

Propelling pencils, also known as mechanical pencils, give a much sharper, finer line and you can refill the leads. I use a lead of 0.9mm thickness, though leads as fine as 0.3mm are available.

A paper stump or blender can be used for smudging pencil to make softer tones. This is often useful in the final stages of your drawing, when you are blending together tones to get a smoother final image.

You will also need an eraser for rubbing out guidelines and picking out highlights. A kneadable putty eraser is good and a soft normal eraser is useful as well; but avoid very hard erasers which can tear the surface of your paper.

You can use any paper to practise drawing, so dont put off drawing because you think you dont have the right paper. The best option is a medium-weight cartridge paper, which you can buy in sheets or in a sketchbook. The advantage of a sketchbook is that you can carry it around with you as well as using it at home. The best sizes are A5, A4 or A3 anything larger will be unwieldy.

If you prefer a drawing board to a hard-backed sketchbook, then you can buy one ready made from an art supplies shop, or make one cheaply by sawing it from a piece of MDF or thick plywood. The best size for a board is A3 or A2, depending how large you want to draw. I usually attach the paper to the board with masking tape, but you could also use clips.

Your drawing posture and pencil grip are important, both for your own physical comfort and for the results in your artworks. If you are relaxed and in a good position to see your subject, chances are that you will produce a better, freer drawing than if you are anxiously hunched over a flat piece of paper.

When drawing it is best not to have the drawing board or sketchbook flat, because its harder to translate the proportions of your subject correctly on to the paper and you will have to keep looking up and down. Lean the board on a table at quite a steep angle so that you can see what you are drawing and the surface of the paper from a similar angle.