SAW Friday Night Comics Workshops
Tonight was the first SAW Friday Night Comics Workshop that I attended online. Every Friday at 7pm Eastern, a different instructor facililates a 30-minute workshop, which is followed by a drawing session.
Tonight, Mel Gillman introduced nature drawing. They gave a 30-minute talk with the goal of making drawing nature less intimidating. They shared works by various artists, demonstrating that nature can be drawn very simply.
There are a few rules that I noted down:
NO EXTRA POINTS AWARDED FOR DRAWING EVERY LEAF! Nobody will check your reference photos!
Work with a limited palette of plants, such as 4-5 species that you can draw well.
Include 1-2 canopy, shrub, and forest floor species (applies to other ecosystems, like an aquatic ecosystem).
Draw close-up elements in detail and distant elements in less detail using atmospheric perspective.
To communicate better, use textures rather than shapes.
Learn about plant structures so you can draw them better (e.g. leaf direction from top to bottom).
Drawings become more natural when plants and their sizes vary.
Leave some negative space around your focal point, which is usually the main character.
Consider nature in the foreground as well as background.
Don’t forget about wind! It brings energy to your drawing. The same as clouds.
DRAW NATURE MORE OFTEN!
Later, it was time for some practice: we were asked to replicate a somewhat detailed nature drawing in our own style, and to draw ourselves as a focal point in the scene. We drew for ten minutes and then anyone who wanted to share their drawings could do so.
Drawing with others was a fantastic way to spend a Friday night. I clearly didn’t follow some of the above rules :). And seeing other people’s work was very inspiring and fun. You are also welcome to join; the event is free.
Mel’s reference image
My drawing
