Sketching Techniques for Grade 1

Key Concepts

• Basic Shapes
• Contour Drawing
• Blending

Basic Shapes

Basic shapes are the building blocks of sketching. These include circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. By combining these shapes, you can create more complex objects. For example, a circle can become the sun, a square can be a house, and triangles can make mountains.

Think of basic shapes as the alphabet. Just as you use letters to form words, you use shapes to form objects. Start by drawing simple shapes and then add details to make them look like real things.

Contour Drawing

Contour drawing is about focusing on the outline of an object. Instead of worrying about details, you concentrate on the outer edges. This technique helps you understand the form and structure of what you are drawing.

Imagine you are tracing the silhouette of an object. You follow the outer line without lifting your pencil. This helps you see how the object is shaped and where the curves and straight lines are.

Blending

Blending is a technique where you smooth out the transitions between different shades of color or pencil marks. This makes your drawing look more polished and realistic. You can use your fingers, a blending stump, or a piece of paper to blend the pencil marks.

Think of blending as smoothing out a rough road. Just as you smooth out bumps to make the road smooth, you smooth out the pencil marks to make the drawing look smooth and even.

Examples

Let's say you want to draw a tree. Start with basic shapes: a triangle for the tree top and a rectangle for the trunk. Then, use contour drawing to outline the leaves and branches. Finally, blend the pencil marks in the leaves to create a smooth, realistic look.

Conclusion

By mastering these sketching techniques, you can create beautiful and detailed drawings. Practice using basic shapes, contour drawing, and blending to see how they can transform your sketches.