Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Miah, and I'm so excited to continue learning with you.

I can't wait to see what you create in this lesson.

So let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll learn to observe and sketch an insect, animal, or bird features into your sketchbook.

Your key words are on the screen now, and I'd like you to repeat them after me.

Line, geometric shapes, organic shapes, tone, shade, fantastic.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

Line, a mark made by a moving point, such as a pencil or brush.

Geometric shapes, shapes that have uniform measurements and do not appear in nature.

Organic shapes, shapes that do not have straight lines and are found in nature.

Tone, how light or dark something is.

Shade, drawn marks to show areas of light and dark.

Now, you may have come across these keywords before.

If you do remember them, fantastic.

If you don't, no worries.

We're going to be practising using our keywords throughout the lesson.

So when it comes to describing your artwork, try and use these keywords because then you'll be speaking like an artist.

Let's move on.

Now, this lesson is all about sketchbook research.

That means in this lesson we'll be looking at insects, animals, and birds, which create studies and designs.

This lesson consists of two lesson cycles, and in our first lesson cycle, we're going to be sketching an insect, animal, or bird.

Our second lesson cycle then moves on to adding details.

So in that lesson cycle, we'll be looking to apply tone and shade.

I'm super excited about this lesson.

I hope you are too.

Let's switch our artist brain on and get started.

So on the screen, there is a drawing of a bird.

How do you think the artist created this drawing? Hmm, we can see that this drawing is very detailed.

And when I say detailed, what I mean is that certain line styles have been used to make this drawing very realistic.

And we're going to explore how the artist did all of that in this lesson.

Now, when sketching a complex shape, it can help to break down the form into simple component shapes.

And maybe you can see those shapes now.

Ooh, did you get that as well? Don't worry if you didn't.

We can see that the complex form has been broken down into shapes.

Component shapes may be geometric shapes or organic shapes.

Now remember when it comes to geometric shapes, these are uniform shapes and they're not found in nature.

So here the geometric shapes that I can see are a circle, a triangle, and I can even see a rectangle.

I can see organic shapes too, can you? If you spotted that the bird's feet were made of organic shapes, well done, you've got that correct.

The two types of shapes that we can use to help us draw an outline are geometric shapes.

These shapes have straight lines, angles and do not appear in nature.

And then here we have organic shapes.

These shapes do not have straight lines, are irregular and are found in nature.

Now everything can be seen as simple component shapes, making it easier to draw objects.

Laura has a question.

She says, "What about a bird flying or an animal moving.

It's hard to see the shapes because they don't stay still!" That is so true.

When I was younger, I always found it so difficult to draw things that were in motion or in other words, things that were moving.

Hmm, what advice could you give to Laura? Now, back then, I probably would've said, oh, just look harder and draw quicker.

And actually there is a tip here.

Now, artists often use photographs to freeze the moment and study the image more carefully.

In this image, we can see that Izzy and Jacob have tablets to take those pictures.

Now, photographs help artists break things down into geometric or organic shapes that are easier to draw.

Over to you.

Artists use photographs to help them see shapes and details more clearly, making it easier to draw.

What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So how did you do.

Well, if you got true, you are correct, well done.

And that's because photographs help artists see shapes and details clearly, which makes drawing easier.

There are different types of line style that you can use to achieve a detailed drawing.

Here they are.

We've got straight lines, dots, scattered lines, curved lines, thick and thin lines, scribbled lines.

Now we don't have to use every single one of these techniques, but knowing as an artist that we have these techniques that we can use will help us to achieve a more realistic drawing of a bird.

This can take some practise, but with practise we will eventually get there.

Aisha and Laura are completing some drawing exercises based on their chosen photograph.

Aisha says, "I'm gonna make sure I look at the photo more than I look at my sketchbook so that my drawing is accurate." That's a good point, Aisha.

I used to do that.

When I was drawing from a photograph, I used to look more at my sketchbook than I did at the actual photograph or if it was a physical object that I was drawing.

Now what can happen is by not looking at the photograph or the item that you are drawing, your imagination tends to do all of the work.

So you end up with an image that isn't really accurate to what you are drawing.

So that's why it's super important to try and observe the photo or object that you are drawing, very carefully.

And every now and then, just give your sketchbook a quick glance just to see the lines are in the position that they should roughly be in.

Laura says, "I'm gonna focus on geometric and organic shapes to help me draw different parts of the photograph." I think that's also a very fantastic idea, Laura.

And that's because by breaking down a complex form into the basic component shapes, it will help us to create a drawing that is more realistic because we would've placed those component shapes where they should be and then we can slowly add the details.

Now remember, the key point here is your drawings do not need to be perfect.

Time for our drawing exercises.

So for this part, you'll need your pencil and some paper or a sketchbook.

I do a 30 second drawing of a bird's head.

And I'm going to think about what shapes I might use.

Am I going to pick geometric shapes? Could be a circle for the head and a triangle for the beak.

And I'm also going to try and apply one of the line styles that you see on the screen there.

Over to you.

I'd like you to have a go.

Remember, it's only 30 seconds.

You do not have to be perfect.

I want you to try and draw the bird's head.

Off you go.

So how did you do? You may have started off by drawing a circle for the head and eye and a triangle for the beak.

Did you manage to draw the bird's head? How did you find that exercise? Right, get ready for the next one.

Back to me, this time it's a 30 second drawing of the bird's body.

We're going to focus on the bird's body only.

Think about what component shapes you might use and also try to apply one of the line styles.

It might be a different line style this time.

Over to you.

Focus on just the bird's body.

Remember, you only have 30 seconds.

You can pause the video here.

So how did you find it? Well, this time you may have drawn an oval for the body and then a triangle for the wing before applying your chosen line style.

Fantastic.

Let's move on to our last drawing exercise.

I do, it's a 30 second drawing of the bird's feet and claws now.

So you're going to focus on the bird's feet and claws.

Think about what shapes you might use.

And I want you to try to apply one of the line styles.

Again, it could be a different line style, or you might choose to apply the same line style.

Over to you.

You could pause the video here.

So how did you find that? Well, you may have drawn the feet and claws using organic shapes.

This is what it might have looked like.

Good job with taking part in those drawing exercises.

I hope you're feeling a little bit more warmed up.

Let's move on.

Now, Jun selects a photograph of a bird.

He is going to use the component shapes to help him.

Jun says, "First I'm gonna draw the geometric shapes I can see in the bird." There we are.

So a circle for the head, a triangle for the beak, an oval for the body, a rectangle for the tail.

"Next, I will add the organic shapes I can see in the bird." And we can see that we've got the bird's feet and claws that are there.

Aisha looks at Jun's shapes.

"I think one of the organic shapes is too small." Which organic shape do you think Jun should change? Have a think.

Now remember, the point of drawing in these shapes is that they are as close to representing the shape of the animal that you are drawing.

So sometimes we may draw shapes that might be a little bit too small or too large.

As an artist, we may not always spot this, but our friends might.

So it might be a good idea to ask them what they think from time to time.

So if you identified the wing, well done.

The wing was a bit too small.

Now Jun changes one of his shapes.

Aisha says, "I think the shapes are more accurate now." Jun says, "Now that I'm happy with it, I can begin to add the details." Over to you.

Which of these shapes could be used to draw the beak of a bird? Have a think.

You can pause the video here.

So what did you get? If you got C, you are correct, the triangle.

This helps with the pointed or sharp part of a beak.

When the organic and geometric shapes are in the right place, we can begin the outline.

An outline gives us a more precise shape of the object we are drawing.

We can use the shapes we have drawn to guide our outline.

Have a look at this.

How is the artist creating the outline to make this leaf stand out? Now using thick and thin lines for your creature's outline will make it stand out.

And in order to do this, I recommend that you start softly.

So apply little pressure.

Then you build the layers.

And then you can define the edges lightly.

And you do this by applying a little bit more pressure.

You choose where you add your pressure, and you'll find that the thick and thin lines can really help your creature's outline to stand out.

Onto the main task for this lesson cycle.

So you are now going to choose a photograph and create a sketch of your creature by observing the shapes carefully.

You're gonna draw the geometric shapes you can see in your creature.

Next, you're going to draw the organic shapes within your creature.

Look at your drawing, is everything where it should be? We could also ask a friend.

Explore using different line styles to create your creature.

You don't always have to stick to one line style.

Feel free to experiment.

You can pause the video here and have a go.

Have fun and click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

So how do you do? Well, you might have used geometric and organic shapes to plan your drawing.

Used different line styles to create your outline.

Had a few attempts at getting your shapes in the right places.

Fantastic, now we're going to move on to lesson cycle two.

For this lesson cycle, we are now going to be adding our details.

We're gonna do this by applying tone and shape.

Ooh, we have a lovely drawing of a bird here.

How has the artist made this drawing look more realistic? The artist has used tone to create a realistic drawing, and we're going to find out how.

Now you may remember that tone is how light or dark something is.

In drawing, we can use tone to make a drawing look more three-dimensional.

We can describe the tones by using the terms dark tone, midtone and light tone.

So here right at the top, we've got our dark tone and that's where the artist has used more pressure.

When we've got our midtone and light tone.

And as we go down this scale, we use less pressure each time.

Over to you.

True or false? Tone is how light or dark something is.

Pause the video here, have a think and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you got true, you are correct.

And that's because artists use different tones to create depth and make their drawings look more realistic.

Without tone, our drawing would be pretty flat.

Andeep and Sofia look over their drawing.

Hmm, Andeep says, "I think my sketch could look better if I apply tone to make it look less flat." Sofia says, "Maybe adding some softer, lighter areas will make it look more realistic." To spot the darker tones for your creature look for the places where the light does not reach as much.

So when you're looking at the photograph, this could be in the folds or curves, under your creature's body, under the wings or legs or around the edges.

Now on this creature, the darkest tone is black, but the shadow areas on the body are not black.

So the areas of the shadow are a midtone.

Shadows can be many colours and are not always black.

It's very important to remember this because I remember when I was younger and I tried to draw a realistic drawing of an animal, I always used black.

There wasn't anything wrong with it but it didn't make my drawing look as realistic.

So as artists, if we're able to pick out the midtones of the shadows of our creature, we can make our drawing look even more realistic.

Over to you.

Where can you spot the darker parts of a creature in a photograph? Is it A, on areas where the light hits the most, B, under the wings or legs, C, under the body, or D, only on the creature's fur or skin? What do you think? You can pause the video here and click they when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you've got B and C, you are correct.

Darkest parts of a creature are under the wings or legs or under the body.

Now a drawing looks more realistic if the artist creates depth and dimension in shading.

And here we have three colours that have been picked out.

The top colour represents the lighter tones, so light tones.

Then we have our midtones, which is the main colour.

And then our dark tones, which are the darker colour.

Combining light tones, midtones and dark tones helps to create realistic shadows and highlights.

Back to you.

Look at the photograph that you have chosen and select the colours you'll need for adding tone.

Pause the video here, have a go.

So what did you get? Now for this creature, you may have selected these three colours.

Now if you don't have the exact colour, try mixing different colours to create a similar tone or use a lighter or darker version of the colour you do have.

I'd like you to follow the steps below to apply tone and texture to your chosen creature.

Look at your image carefully.

Add light tones for the brighter parts of your image.

Add your main colour as the midtone.

Create shadows by adding dark tones.

You could pick another photograph of a creature and try using different colours to experiment further.

As you go, remember, you are the artist.

You are in charge of the tones that you are going to be.

So do remember to pick a light tone, midtone and dark tone to achieve a realistic drawing of your creature.

You can pause the video here.

So how did you do? Well, you may have drawn something like this.

Can you see how the artist in each image has used a light tone, midtone and dark tone to achieve a realistic drawing of their creature? Let's summarise our learning.

So this lesson was called Sketchbook Research: Insect, Animal, and Bird Studies and Designs.

You should now understand that using organic and geometric shapes for the basic structure creates a more accurate sketch.

You should also understand that different line styles can be used to create interest in a drawing.

Applying tone and shading can be used to make an observational drawing more realistic.

And lastly, you also understand that using a photograph to draw from helps you to see the details and shapes clearly, making it easier to draw accurately.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson and I look forward to seeing you in the next lesson, bye.