[For Beginner] Let’s Try a Line Drawing (1) Basic Drawing Method and 5 points [Smartphone]

Line drawings, which form the outline of an illustration, are very important for illustrations.
In this article, I would like to introduce the “basic drawing method” of such line drawings and “five points to be aware of when drawing”.

1. Prepare to draw a line drawing

Before we start drawing line art, let’s first prepare to draw line art.

①Prepare a rough draft and a layer for line drawing.

First, let’s prepare a rough draft of the line drawing.
Once the draft is ready, create a new layer for the line drawing.

②Let’s set the image stabilization settings.

If you are concerned about blurring after drawing a line, use “image stabilization”.
If you are concerned about blurring, use the “image stabilization” function. Using the image stabilization function, you can reduce the blurring of lines and draw beautiful lines.

③Choose a pen type.

Once you have stabilized your image, choose the pen you want to use for your line drawing.

If you want to create a watercolor or hand-drawn look, you can choose a pencil or mechanical pencil that suits the image you want to draw.

Brush tools that are not originally included in the Brass palette, such as pencil (rough), can be downloaded and used for free.

＜How to download＞

1) Tap the brush tool.

2) Tap the “+” button.

3) Tap “Add Brush”.

4) Tap “Save” after selecting the brush you want.

5) The brush you have selected is added to the bottom of the “Select Brush” screen.

 

2. Let’s draw a line drawing

When you are ready to draw a line drawing, let’s actually draw the line drawing.

<1.Draw a face>.

Draw lines with thicker contour lines and slightly thinner lines for the parts of the face.

<2. Draw the hair>.

Draw the outline of the hair thickly and the inner hair strands thinly.

<3. Draw the body (clothes).

As before, draw thicker outlines and thinner lines for wrinkles.
Also, add small solids where the lines intersect.

<4. Drawing small objects>.

This time it is a stuffed rabbit. To give it a fluffy texture, we’ll make it fluffy a little.
We will also draw the flowers for the hair ornaments here.

Now you are done.

If you want a monochrome finish, you can paint or tone this with black or gray.

 

3. Five points to keep in mind when drawing line art

When drawing line art, there are five points that you need to know.
You may not use these points depending on your touch, but they are useful to know as a basic drawing method, so please check them out.

[Point 1: Outline lines are thick, inner lines are thin].

When drawing a line drawing, make the outline (main line) thicker and the lines inside the outline (sub-lines) thinner.

[Point2: Make the areas in the light thin and the areas in the shadow thick]

By changing the thickness of the lines, it is possible to express the degree of light exposure.

If you want to intensify the light source, you can use this expression in your illustration.

[Point 3: Place small solids where lines intersect]

Where lines intersect (where objects overlap), add a solid line as if you were adding a small shadow.
By doing this, you can create a line drawing with a more three-dimensional feel.

[Point 4: Make near objects thicker and far objects thinner]

The closer something is to you, the firmer it appears, and the farther away it is, the fainter it appears.
In the same way, draw thicker lines for nearby objects and thinner lines for distant objects.

[Point 5: Draw in separate layers]

It is recommended to draw line drawings in separate layers for each part of the body, such as hair, face, and body.
Separating the layers makes it easier to correct parts that intersect.

 

4. The rough was good, but the line drawing is not so good

The rough sketch went well, but when it comes to the line drawing, it’s kind of bland.
If this is the case, it may be that the momentum and strength of the lines are weak.

In the rough, the lines are drawn roughly, so they naturally have momentum and strength.

On the contrary, when we draw a line drawing, we tend to lose the momentum and strength of the line because we strain to draw it carefully.

If the line loses momentum, the line becomes blurred, and if it lacks strength, the line drawing becomes flat and monotonous.

When drawing line art, it is important not to be overly conscious of trying to draw a clean image.
In digital illustration, there are also undo and redo functions, so don’t be nervous and just go ahead and draw.

(Text and picture by sakaki)