How to Draw Exactly What You See

by Dan Duhrkoop

Published by EmptyEasel.com

© 2019 EmptyEasel

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced

in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permit-
ted by U.S. copyright law.

For permissions contact [email protected]

Cover illustration by Dan Duhrkoop

 Table of Contents

Introduction .............................................................................. 4

1. Supply list ............................................................................ 5

2. Pencil-handling & basic strokes .......................................... 7

3. Setting up your still life ....................................................... 10

4. Choosing a composition ....................................................... 13

5. Creating your drawing area .................................................. 15

6. Marking your viewfinder edges ........................................... 16

7. Drawing negative shapes ..................................................... 18

8. Drawing internal shapes ....................................................... 23

9. Shading your still life drawing ............................................. 32

10. Final touches ...................................................................... 55

Next steps ................................................................................. 56

Drawing resources .................................................................... 59

Dear artist,
Congrats on taking this BIG, IMPORTANT step today! Before you start, here are a few bits of advice I always share with
my students:
Whether you’re a brand-new artist with zero training, or a more
experienced artist looking to improve your drawing skills, this Understand your WHY. Take a few minutes right now and fill
guide will teach you everything you need to know to look at a still out your drawing goals here. Just the act of writing down your
life scene and draw it EXACTLY as it appears. goals is extremely powerful—but we’ll also email them to you so
you can revisit your WHY anytime your motivation is flagging.
Because let’s be perfectly clear: the ability to draw realistically
isn’t some kind of “innate” talent that some folks are born with. I Be kind to yourself. Try not to compare yourself with other
certainly wasn’t born with it—I learned to draw, just as you will, artists especially at these early stages. Remember, every journey
using the exact same techniques and drawing methods I cover in starts with a single step. You’ll get there too!
the pages to come.
Take as much time as you need. Don’t rush any of the steps,
Although. . . I daresay it won’t take you as long as it took me. :) even if you think you already know what’s being shared. You owe
it to yourself to go slowly and do it right—if you do, I guarantee
The lessons ahead of you include drawing tips and techniques I’ve that you’ll love your results.
gleaned from every decade of my life—from the stacks of draw-
ing books I checked out from the library as a child, to expensive
college art classes in my twenties, to the many years I’ve spent All the best,
teaching artists through EmptyEasel.com. Dan Duhrkoop
Artist & Founder, EmptyEasel.com
In short, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t—so I know for
a fact that if you follow the instructions in this guide, you’ll be
amazed at how much your drawings improve.

pg. 4
1. Supply list Drawing pad or drawing paper
You can use any paper you have on hand (regular printer paper
Each of the items below will be of use to you while going through will work if needed) but drawing paper is stronger, stands up to
the lessons in this guide. You can find most of them at local art erasers better, and holds more graphite than cheap printer paper
supply stores, or online at Blick Art Materials.
Strathmore is a good yet fairly inexpensive option, but if you’d
Please note: if you use any of the links below to make a purchase, rather start out with a really cheap pad of newsprint or sketching
EmptyEasel will receive a small percentage of the sale. This al- paper for your first attempts, that’s fine too.
lows us keep the costs of our art courses affordable for all artists.
Tortillon/blending stick
**** For blending small areas, this will make it easier. You can either
buy these or make them yourself. The one I use in this tutorial is
Pencils – 6b through 6h from Caran d’Ache, it’s thick enough to hold comfortably, and it
You don’t really need every pencil from darkest to lightest, but works great.
they’re often cheap enough to buy that it’s not a big deal. At least
have a 6h to draw your initial outline, a 4H and 2H for light val- Paper towel or napkin
ues, and an HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B for shading. You can use clean swatches of paper towels for larger areas that
need blending, like a background.
Good pencil sharpener
Hand-held pencil sharpeners work best—they won’t break the tips White vinyl eraser
of your pencils as often, which means less waste of good pencil White artist erasers are a must-have (anytime you make a mistake,
lead. you’ll want to be able to erase without damaging the paper or
leaving an eraser mark).
Value chart
You’ll use your value chart during the shading process to make Some artists also like stretchy/kneadable erasers. These can be
sure that you’re getting a full range of values in your drawing. shaped for delicate graphite removal, and kneaded to keep clean.
The best drawings go from white (blank paper) to full black (6B
or charcoal dust) and have ranges of gray in between. You can buy Scrap paper
a pre-made value chart, or it can also be a good practice to make Having scrap paper on hand is always a good idea. You can use
your own. it to protect your drawing from smudges (place it between your
palm and the paper) or just have it handy to test things out.
pg. 5
Flat surface or drawing board scatter light in a strange way, but generally speaking, a bare bulb
You can draw on a kitchen table, any other flat surface, or a draw- will work just fine.
ing board. The drawing board that I use in this tutorial is inexpen-
sive and has a clip and a rubber band to hold your paper. The thing to avoid is overhead light, or a room with several win-
dows, since that will create multiple shadows in your still life.
NOTE: It may be helpful to tape down your drawing paper with
masking tape on the corners to keep it in place. I’ve used cheap $5 work lights bought at a local hardware store
(some have a tension clip attached, which makes moving it around
Straight edge or ruler to different locations nice and easy) as well as photography light-
Some still life drawings won’t need this, but in most cases, a ing purchased on Amazon. Those are what I used for this tutorial,
straight edge or ruler is very helpful for drawing any straight lines and they’re actually more affordable than you’d think (around $50
in your composition. I did not have a ruler when I sat down to do for a nice set).
this tutorial, and a few minutes in I wished I did!
You may also be able to re-purpose an existing light in your own
Viewfinder/Composition tool home—ideally one that casts clean, strong shadows, and is ma-
This is a must-have if you’re just starting out. You can make one neuverable so that you can place it wherever you want in relation
yourself with a few scrap pieces of sturdy card stock, cardboard, to your still life scene.
or plastic, or buy one at any art store.
Camera
For this tutorial I used a store-bought viewfinder from Blick called This is optional (and a smart phone camera would work just fine
a “ViewCatcher” to plan my composition, and then created my in most cases). It just depends on if you can leave your still life
own viewfinder out of scrap paper so I wouldn’t have to keep up where it won’t be disturbed for a few days while you do your
holding it up as I drew. drawing. If that isn’t an option for you, then it’s probably best to
set up your still life, take a photo, and work from that photo. You
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing this, and it’ll make it can also work from one of our photos in this guide if you’d like.
much, much easier if you’re just starting out!

A single bright lamp/spotlight

Also a must-have if you’re setting up your own still life. The ideal
setup is in a dark or dim room, with a single light source pointing
directly at your still life. Some lamps won’t work because they
pg. 6
2. Pencil-handling & basic strokes Typically you’ll be using the “pen hold” or your own variation of
it. (Everyone’s grip is slightly different, and that’s OK—there’s
If you’re just starting out, here are a few things you might want to not any right or wrong way to go about it!) And if anything ever
know about drawing with pencils. You do NOT need to memorize feels awkward as you’re drawing, just try a different grip.
these, or worry about them too much—there’s no test! :)
Pencil strokes & marks
**** When we draw, we are making hundreds, even thousands, of tiny
lines on paper. The trick is to make those many strokes blend to-
You can hold your pencil a few different gether to give the illusion of reality.
ways. The first is what I call the “pen
hold” which is essentially how you’re In the lessons ahead, we’ll use 4 main types of strokes:
taught to hold a #2 pencil in grade school.
Single lines are used to draw your initial line drawing, to outline
For drawing purposes, you can move your highlighted areas that you want to leave alone, and to draw con-
grip forward to give you more fine control tour lines (these are curved, repeating lines that give the illusion
(and pressure) or backward to give you a of shape or depth to your drawing).
wider range of movements (and speed).

The other way to hold your pencil

might be new to you—it’s typically
called an “overhand” grip, and it’s
often used while standing at an easel.
Instead of resting your hand on the
paper, only the pencil-tip touches. Cross-hatching is done almost exclusively for shading purposes.

You may find occasion to use the overhand grip even when you’re
seated, however. By angling your elbow up and away from your
paper, you can press the side of the pencil tip onto the paper, and
draw with a much wider area of the pencil lead. This makes it
easy to shade in larger areas of your paper quickly.

pg. 7
You start by drawing one set of lines at a particular angle, and Pressure
then go over them with another set of lines going a different angle As long as you have a range of pencils to draw with (6H - 6B) you
(and repeat again as-necessary to make it increasingly darker). shouldn’t need to use much pressure while drawing. If your marks
aren’t dark enough, just switch to another pencil.
Scribbling is another way to fill in a section of a drawing. By
moving your pencil tip somewhat randomly, and varying up your While you draw, you may see lots of extra graphite dust on your
line direction, you can fill in sections quickly, in a way that’s a bit paper. If that’s the case, you may be pressing too hard while you
more “natural-looking” than with cross-hatching. You can also use draw. There will always be some dust, but you don’t want to be
circular scribbles. bearing down on your pencil tip to the point where it’s grinding
away into dust in front of you. :)

Generally speaking, use a medium amount of pressure so that the

pencil leaves a visible stroke on the paper. The one exception is
when you’re just starting your drawing—early on, it’s better to
use light pressure (and a light pencil, like a 4H or 6H) so that you
can erase easier.

Blending
Blending is where the fun happens! :)

Lastly, side-shading is simply angling your pencil so that more of It’s very easy to blend pencil marks, so much so that you might
the pencil tip touches the paper at once. You can use a version of find yourself blending (or smudging) your drawing by accident—
the overhand grip to draw like this. It tends to speed up shading in usually with the heel of your drawing hand.
areas, as well as give a slightly different visual texture.
Still, one of the reasons graphite is so versatile is that you can
choose whether to leave the pencil strokes visible, or blend them
into smooth, photo-realistic gradients.

I recommend using a tortillon or blending stick to blend small,

tight areas of your drawing, and scraps of paper towel to blend
large areas (like a background). In both cases, your blending
pg. 8
“tool” will pick up graphite dust from one section and smear it
over another section—so be careful as you blend that you don’t go
over a line which you’d prefer to keep sharp and crisp.

You can blend with the strokes of the pencil to enhance the direc-
tionality of the strokes, or circular (or perpendicular) to disguise
the direction of your pencil strokes. If you plan to blend an area
later on, it’s smart to use scribble or side-shading strokes to vary
the direction ahead of time.

As you blend, it’s smart to move from light to dark areas, so that
you don’t “contaminate” lighter areas with the darker graphite
dust. You can also lean your blending tool (sandpaper works for
that) or use a new scrap of paper towel to avoid those kinds of
mistakes.

pg. 9
3. Setting up your still life white or beige, or black/gray. Here are some suggestions:

With still life drawings, preparation is half the battle. This is espe- Eggs
cially true if you’re just starting out, and are still learning to train Bowls
your eyes to see the subtle differences in value, tone, and angles. Vases
Cups (not transparent)
In short, the way you set up your still life will either make life Paper towel roll
easier or harder for you. Candles (unlit)
Hardback books (take dust jacket off)
So with that in mind, ignore your pencils and drawing paper for a Blocks of wood
bit, and let’s talk about setting up your first still life.
If you feel like starting with something a bit more adventurous,
NOTE: If you don’t have space to set up a still life to draw from, you can add more complex items:
or you’d rather draw from the same photograph that we’re using,
that’s totally fine. This is just a great way to learn about setting Figurines or decorations
up a good composition, and gives you ultimate flexibility (you can Toys (alphabet blocks, plastic duckies, etc)
create a new still life at any time). Tools or utensils
Fruit or veggies
Choose a room where you can close the blinds or draw the cur- Flowers in a vase
tains and make a dim environment. Bonus if no one else will use Staplers, tape dispensers, etc
the room while you’re not in it—kids especially!
However, if this is your first time setting up and drawing from a
You can probably create a good first still life from objects you still life, I’d highly encourage you to keep it simple and use items
find around the house. The ideal still life for a beginning artist is 3 from the first list only. You’ll find that even simple items offer
items, without much color variation or complex shapes. Look for plenty of chance for complexity!
a square shaped object, a round- or tube-shaped object and some-
thing like a vase, or some other slightly more variation for the I recommend laying down a white tablecloth or sheet first, so that
third object. your still life has a simple, clean base to it. Depending on what’s
behind your still life, you may also want to create a solid-colored
If at all possible, the objects should be fairly neutral colors—like background for your drawing by hanging a dark sheet or blanket
behind your objects.
pg. 10
For example, in my own drawing I didn’t bother with a back- Have you got your objects, and set the stage? Excellent!
ground. There was plenty of white sheet behind my objects. But if
it had been a busy background, I would have. It’s now time to set up your light source. Whatever light you’re
using, place it to one side of the still life—most likely you’ll want
to keep it within a few feet, so the shadows are clearly delineated.

Place the light so that it shines down towards the stage you’ve
created at an angle. (You can move it later, if you like.)With the
lighting in place, go ahead and start to arrange your objects.

And that’s really the point of all of these steps. . . it may seem like
a lot of arbitrary requirements, but in reality what you’re doing is
simplifying and removing visual distractions. You’re controlling
every aspect of this scene, so that when the time comes to draw,
you can simply draw exactly what you see in front of you.

With a little practice, you won’t need to do so much setup—your

eyes and brain will be more used to seeing the shadows and lines I suggest using no more than three objects to begin with, and stag-
of objects, and you’ll be able to ignore a slightly complex back- gering them so that at least one of them is in front of the others.
ground (for example). But for now, this is just one way you’re If you’re really brand new to drawing, you could start with one
setting yourself up for success in your first drawing. object—that’s completely fine!

pg. 11
If you have several objects, then try to make them interact in some You an also swap in a dark-colored object if you feel like ev-
way. Allow two of them to touch, or make sure they overlap, or erything’s a bit TOO white, or use a dark tablecloth for the base
are grouped so that the tallest is centered between two other dis- instead of a light tablecloth. It’s up to you!
similar-height objects.
When you’re satisfied, then settle in with your drawing paper, a
Also, notice the shadows being cast by your objects as you set up 6H pencil, your viewfinder, and a straight edge.
your still life. Shadows are as much a part of a still life drawing as
the objects themselves—not only do they help create visual depth, In the next few lessons I’ll show you how to choose a GOOD
and contrast in a work of art, but they’ll give you interesting lines composition from your still life, and walk you through my step-
and angles to draw, no matter how bland and boring it might feel by-step process for creating a truly accurate line drawing!
like your three items are.
Let’s get started!
For those of you drawing multiple items, do try to mix and match
your objects so that you have something with square edges, some- ****
thing with a rounded edge, and something with a mix of both. It’s
not imperative, but it will give you a chance to experiment with Click here to purchase the full drawing course for just $19.95
drawing different three-dimensional shapes. You’ll receive 45 more pages of detailed instruction, and learn
step-by-step how to complete your own still life drawing!
Once you feel confident about your still life scene, step back and
take a seat wherever you’ll be drawing from. Does each object
cast a single, crisp shadow?

If not, move the light closer, or change the angle of the light so
that you can see the cast shadows from where you’re sitting.

Is there a nice sense of dark and light, or contrast, within the still
life? If not, see if you can dim the room a bit more, turn off any
other lights in the space, or add a higher-wattage bulb to your light Buy Now
source. (You may also need a reading lamp or light close to you,
to illuminate your own drawing if it gets too dark!)

pg. 12