drawanyway.com

This post falls firmly into the category of ‘reminding myself of good habits’. It’s a simple one, and one that art teachers forever try to encourage, but somehow I just forget. It’s simply this: draw thumbnails before you launch into a bigger picture.

A thumbnail, so legend has it, takes its name from the practice of sketching out a tiny rough on that part of your body. Can that really be true? These days it’s far more acceptable to use paper. The precept is the same - you are trying out the basic shapes and motifs in a form that doesn’t commit you to anything. You can draw twenty variations on a theme very quickly and compare them all on a single page if needs be. And because there’s no room for small details, you don’t get bogged down. It’s very easy to see quickly which composition is going to be the most effective.

Here is your daily reminder to vote for me in the Brighton and Hove Web Awards, if you haven’t already. If you have, go and have a biscuit instead.