Introduction: How to Draw: for Makers

By rachelciavarella.com
About: Hey there! I'm recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's Industrial Design program and a former Instructables intern. When I'm not working in a studio I enjoy exploring cities by bike and brainstorming n…

This series of Instructables will introduce you to the basics of perspective drawing with making in mind.

Go through all of my drawing Instructables, put in lots of practice and you'll be able to construct drawings like the one shown above!

Why is drawing important for makers?

  • better communicate your ideas to others
  • think through a design visually
  • construct complex geometries with simple shapes
  • develop your visual/spacial thinking
  • help you visually break down how something is made

Part I will cover:

  • the basics of picking drawing tools
  • developing good drawing habits
  • simple warm-up line drawing exercises.

Here are my other drawing Instructables:

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Draw-Perspective-For-Makers/

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Draw-Perspective-II-For-Makers/

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Draw-Rendering-For-Makers/

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Draw-Constructing-For-Makers/

These skills may take some time to develop, don't be discouraged and try to practice with at least a page or two of sketches a day.

If you are interested in what you see in this series of Instructables and would like to know more about sketching checkout these great resources.

ID sketching

Drawing Ideas: A Hand-Drawn Approach for Better Design

Step 1: Picking Tools

Selecting the right drawing tools is important. The types of tools you use effect the outcome of your drawing. Different pens, markers, and pencils can be used to create different marks. Keeping a variety of mark making tools on hand while drawing can help you build hierarchy into your drawing. Hierarchy is important for emphasizing relevant information, creating dimension, and allowing structure lines to recede into the background.

There is no "right" set of tools and everyone prefers something a bit different. But there are some more popular tools that you might consider exploring.

Here's some of the pens and markers I've been using recently.

I've been drawing for a while so I'm comfortable with stiffer mediums like fine weight pens. If you're new to sketching I would suggest starting in a looser more forgiving medium like colored pencils, prisma sticks or markers.

You should not use (unless otherwise specified):

  • Ruler
  • Eraser (never erase or throw away old sketches!)

Here's a link to more drawing tools you might want to check out:

ID sketching

Step 2: Good Drawing Posture

Maintaining a good drawing posture is essential to creating an accurate sketch. Your lines will only be as straight as your back is.

If you're having trouble keeping this posture and remembering to hold your arm off the page try drawing standing up for the first few days.

Consider motions and muscles you use while drawing. Drawing is not confined to just the hand. Drawing uses your whole arm.

Drawing from your shoulder allows you to create more accurate lines because it has the largest range of motion. Always draw from your shoulder!

The wrist has the smallest range of motion and thus is more likely to create arc rather than straight lines. Drawing from the elbow has a slightly larger range of motion but is also likely to create arcs.

Some people find drawing towards yourself rather than away is also more likely to create straight lines.

Step 3: Drawing a Straight Line

Let's start by practicing some straight lines. (without rulers)

The first step to sketching is clearing your head, remove any distractions and relax. You need to think clearly in order to allow your sketch to flow.

It typically takes me a few minutes to get into my "sketching mode". Before I start a final sketch I take some time to warm up with drawing exercises on scrap paper. The more time since you last sketched the longer it will take to warm up. This is why it's a good idea to make sure you sketch everyday to keep you muscle memory sharp.

Remember: maintain a proper drawing posture and draw from your shoulder

Here's a few exercises I like to use for practicing lines.

Connect the dots.

Draw a few dots scattered across the page. Farther the dots the bigger the challenge.

Now connect the dots with straight lines. Focus on the dot your traveling to. Practice the motion a few times above the page until you think you've got the path down. Then put your pen down and create the line. Try not to draw past the dots, do your best to stop and start each line on the dot. Moving quickly will help your lines form getting wiggly. I haven't practiced for a few days and you can see how many times I've missed.

Don't be afraid to move your page around. I constantly rotate my sketchbook while drawing.

Practice this for a few pages the more the better.

Parallel lines.

Practice drawing lines parallel to each other. Try picking two points a few inches apart and drawing parallel lines between there.

Practice this as much as you can. Don't move to the next step until you feel you've mastered drawing straight lines.

These are just two different ways to practice straight lines. If you know of any other feel free to add them to the comments or make an Instructable!

Step 4: Drawing Flat Shapes

Now that you've mastered straight lines let's connect them into shapes.

Keep the shapes simple and focus on accuracy.

I drew a few pages of squares and played around with line weight.

Try doing these exercises and make up your own:

  • draw a perfect square
  • draw concentric squares
  • shade in a square
  • draw parallel squares
  • draw overlapping squares