Comment

Comment by Mike Lin on May 22, 2013 at 10:39am

TIP OF THE WEEK: How to place people in a sketch

It is very easy to place people in sketches or perspectives with the following rules:

1. You must assume yourself is a 5 ft tall person and people you are drawing are all 5 ft. tall just like you.

2. Draw an eye line on paper, then sketch or trace people with their eyes located on the eye line.

3. Draw people bigger (closer to you) or smaller (further away from you) so your sketch has good depth with interest.

4. If you don't know how to draw people well, don't attempt as bad people can quickly ruin your drawing, so find any entourage books and trace people into your sketch, just to make sure their eyes are all on the same eye line.  Believe it or not, over 90% designers are tracing people from entourage books. So should you.

Comment by Mike Lin on May 15, 2013 at 8:42am

Do you have hard time drawing good looking trees?  Here are some tips:

1. Use of a black pen and outlines the tree with one of the four leaf languages -
    Concave, Convex, Wendy and McDonald.

2. Don't draw any details inside a tree, just apply it with 45 degree strokes,solid
    color or leave it blank.

3. Use only one language per tree or grass, however, you may use of McDonald
    on the top of a tree and Wendy on the bottom to show a deciduous tree, or
    use of Wendy on the top and McDonald on the bottom as an evergreen tree.

4. Most often people draw badly as they draw too much details inside the tree.

5. Once you master these 4 languages, you can apply them to any field sketches
    easily  and convincingly.

Remember, it is not really hard to draw good trees if you draw less details and
use of four leaf languages.  Trees can ruin or save a drawing, so now you can
practice the following trees at your leisure time and soon you can be very good.

Mike Lin, Director
BeLoose Graphic Workshop

 

 

Comment by Mike Lin on April 28, 2013 at 11:47am

Tips of the "Loose Sketch" with Marker and Pen
BeLoose Graphic Workshop - Mike Lin

Tips of the Loose Sketch with Marker and Pen

Often when you like make sketches to be loose and lovely with markers and pen,
here are some tips to help you achieve great results and satisfactions:

• Paper: Use of paper towel, napkin or any rough texture paper.
  
  
• Outlined with black ink pen: First outlined the sketch with black pen, the darker marker colors used, the thicker pen needed.  Thick pen like "Sharpie" or thin pen like "LePen" are recommended.
  
  
• Colored with markers: Colored the sketch using primary colors (Yellow, Red, Blue) or complimentary colors (Yellow-Purple, Red-Green, Orange-Blue) to create vivid and excitement appearance.
  
  
• Over Edges: Use lighter marker and color over black lines to achieve looseness look. If darker marker colors used, the black lines need to be thicker.
  
  
• White Space: Leave at least 20-40% white space to catch eyes.

Comment by Brian Lin on February 26, 2013 at 12:09am

Greetings BeLoose Group! I've uploaded a new blog which highlights they hybrid approach to Hand and Digital drawing. Read the blog here!

Comment by Brian Lin on January 29, 2013 at 1:00pm

A successful 2-Day Graphic Workshop for the Auburn AIAS Chapter at Auburn University. 

Comment by Brian Lin on December 13, 2012 at 3:43pm

Landscape Site Plan for new viewing and leisure area for Niagara Falls (Canada side). Pencil outline with color pencil and marker. 1 Hour.

Client: Hornblower Cruises and Events

Comment by Mike Lin on December 7, 2012 at 4:12am

Tips for a Quick, Loose and Good Sketch

To make a quick, loose and good sketch, you need to observe the following tips:

1.  Freehand Lines (without straight edge).
2.  Overlap Corners (when two lines cross).

3.  45 Degree Strokes (apply strokes to create tone in building, tree and sky).
4.  Gradual Value Change (apply it to bern, building and lake).

5.  Professional Gaps (leave gaps within a line).
6.  Compose a Sketch in 3 Parts - Foreground (post, roof, rail and leaves),
     Middle-ground (lake with island) and Background (building with orange sunset).

7.  Colored in Six Colors - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple
     (don't ever miss one).
8.  Colored in Complimentary Colors - Blue and Orange, Green and Red, Yellow
     and Purple, (colored adjacent to each other).

9.  Create Focal Point - (colored concentrate in the center of the sketch).
10. Leave White Space (in lake and foreground building).

Hope the above tips with the sketch below will help you to apprehend the basic skills of a quick hand sketch.  Sketch is by Brian Lin, outlined with pen and rendered with colored pencils on white trace paper. 20 minutes.  Remember, it isn't hard to create a good sketch if you bear the principles of graphics.

Mike Lin
BeLoose Graphic Workshop

Comment by Mike Lin on November 21, 2012 at 3:50pm

Dear Land8 Member,

I have often heard from many designers who said they can't draw because they don't have talent, or don't have good drawing ability in their blood.  So after 40 years of teaching people how to better themselves in graphic skills and have written three graphic text books, I like to share the following proper attitudes toward good hand graphics.  If you can comprehend the list below, you have won half of the battle. 

* You don't need to be talented to draw well, you just need to work hard, learn graphic tips and imitate other people's work.  Most accomplished illustrators start from zero level and become so good with great attitudes.

* Due to limitation of published word count allowable on Land8, please click Here for more.

During my graphic demonstration, most people have told me I was born with talent.  Honestly, I can't draw at all when I started my architectural school, but after years and years of making mistakes and with my persistence in trying and willingness to fail, I now become the BEST drawer in my family.  When I have a bad day, I always never forget to ask my wife to show me how she draws a tree, of course her drawing made me laugh and made my day.  Therefore, I no longer am interested in competition with the best illustrators around the world, that indeed gives me less pressure.

Remember, sooner or later, we all are going to kick the bucket and rest forever, so why try so hard to compete with others and receive unnecessary stress and perhaps die younger.

Hope you will agree what I said above and just draw, draw and draw with good attitude, soon you will find the joy of sketching.  To learn Graphic tips taught by our BeLoose Graphic Workshop, click here,  To see more drawing attitudes, click here.  Hope you have a good day.

Mike Lin

Designed and Rendered in less than 4 hours by Matthew Kerr in our January workshop 2009.  Outlined with black LePen and rendered with Chartpak markers and little colored pencils.  You are still not too late to join our January workshop 2013 in Manhattan Kansas that we will increase your graphic level beyond your dream and your life will be filled with fun and joy.  We have special discount for Land8 members.

Comment by Brian Lin on October 29, 2012 at 9:32am

Greetings BeLoose Group! I wanted to share with you a new Forum Topic highlighting an article by Architect Michael Graves about the Art of Drawing. We would be interested in knowing your thoughts about this and how you utilize this drawing process as part of your practice and studies!...Brian

Comment by Brian Lin on October 21, 2012 at 10:36pm

A blog about the systematic process of working with professional illustrators...

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