This short easy tutorial of a Christmas Tree Drawing was created for the Theme of the month (December 2020) challenge at Drawing Ideas Art Club. The theme was: Greeting cards and Cardmaking for Christmas and the holiday season.

The challenge was a simple draw or paint a greeting card, using any medium and submit it in the group for voting before the end of December.

I hope you find this tutorial easy enough to follow and if you can, share below in the comments any greeting cards you have made.

The benefits of Drawing or Painting using Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel is fast to use. Especially for someone who likes drawing, using Pastel is much easier and quicker than Oil Painting. In addition, they are easy to blend, if you just add a drop of linseed oil you can blend oil pastel just like Oil Paint. A good book on Oil Pastels: Oil Pastel for the Serious Beginner

Drawing a Christmas Tree using Oil Pastel

Step 1: Create some rough guides for the shape of the tree. This will be helpful to stay within the shape and avoid messy corrections of Oil-based paint.

Step 2: Using the Dark green oil pastel, start to draw very loosely and in a rough manner inside the shape of the tree. Save the negative space between the branches and stay within the drawn boundaries.

Step 3: Start introducing lighter shades of green pastel. Then, using the sharp edge of the pastel, lightly create the top outline to give the impression of snow tops.

Finally: Use some Titanium white Oil paint, to create some highlights.

I hope have found this useful and get to use the technique to paint a Christmas card. Below is a video tutorial.

This easy drawing from memory challenge is for beginners and also more experienced artists. The purpose of it is to inspire you for new drawing ideas and improve your artistic visual memory.

What’s the Drawing Challenge?

Drawing Challenge is a new series by DrawingIdeas.ART intended to help you get into the habit of drawing regularly, improve your skills and provide you with inspiration and a challenge when you need it.

Origin of the Easy Drawing Challenge

I remember when I was in 4th grade, my classmate challenged me to draw a character from the series Transformers. I was obsessed with this anime – despite not being interested in art classes, we were drawing anime and cartoons all the time. 

So my friend challenged me to draw Ginrai from the show. I remember that drawing very vividly to this day.

I’m still amazed how at that age we challenged and expected each other to draw a subject from memory, and I’m even surprised how later – when I watched the show again – I could see more details than ever before. And when I did the same drawing again of the same character, my drawings were much more detailed and accurate after that challenge. 

I believe as children we are way more creative, but especially more daring. Today I sometimes struggle to sketch a live building that I’m looking straight ahead at from across the street, and at times I get nervous during a life drawing session to draw an object like still life.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

Pablo Picasso

Step 1: Avoid photos and pictures and certainly no tracers or devices

Ok this is a bit divisive I understand – and not everyone would agree – but the reality is; you can never really learn drawing unless you learn to observe.

And you can never learn to observe by looking and drawing from pictures, because learning to the observer from life is at the heart of this very art.

Step 2: Find a simple subject or object to draw.

A Banana, Pear or an Apple are perfect for this. Take it easy here, the challenge is hard enough for drawing a simple object. You are going to draw this from memory, so keep it simple.

Step 3: Use a timer and draw the object from life in 2 minutes only

This is not the end but at this stage, we are trying to capture a fresh image from the subject directly and also to warm up for the next step.

Step 4: Draw the same object from memory

Draw the object again from memory. Don’t look at the drawing of the object – the idea is to see how much your brain can recall and how well it can interpret your visual memory to your motor skills to create what you see in your memory. 

Give yourself more time but not too much. The idea here is not to overthink but to trust your imagination as much as what you see.

Step 5: Finally Draw again the same object from looking at it directly

In this last step, I want you to again draw the same object under the same conditions, light, angle, position…

Here are some more helpful tips for this step:

• Every drawing starts with a sketch and sketching is fast
• Trust your first look, your eyes, then your memory
• Do not overthink the process – this is a drawing, a sketch; not a photo
• Remember that when you look at the object for too long, your eyes will tire, and it will only get harder the longer you spend on the drawing.

Notice now how much easier it is going to be and how much more detail you can see.

Let us assume that you have found a subject that moves you and that, being too fleeting to draw on the spot, you wish to commit to memory. Drink a full enjoyment of it, let it soak in, for the recollection of this will be of the utmost use to you afterwards in guiding your memory-drawing. This mental impression is not difficult to recall; it is the visual impression in terms of line and tone that is difficult to remember. 

Harol Speed – The Practice and Science of Drawing

This is a repost of my reply to a message by one of our members at Drawing Ideas Community on creativity and artist blocks and when you don’t feel like starting.

I expand on it a bit more for some context and offer some tips that I have found to be helpful to me.

I’m more inclined to think that what feels like a creative block is often nothing more than just resistance (as has been well articulated by Steven Pressfield in his classic book The War of Art)

I always had difficulties concentrating and was diagnosed with ADHD in my childhood. This explains why so often during class I would just doodle on paper, which seemed to be a great escape at the time. This mind-wandering activity has resulted in thousands of drawings, sketches, and doodles over the years…

Fast forward to this day. Whether I’m on the phone, waiting for something, or doing anything that requires concentration, drawing is the most effortless, entertaining escape.

Yet, when concentration is needed most, like when I have to sit down to work on an actual commission or a personal project, I end up experiencing the same restlessness that would normally urge me to draw something. So, what’s going on here?

My theory is that the resistance I experience comes not from the act of producing art itself, but from the conditions and setting. In any other scenario, I escape from that effort and concentration by drawing, however I have to force myself into those states if I want to draw to complete my work…

So, how to overcome creative blocks and find the motivation to draw?

This is what I have found that works for me, and I hope you find it helpful.

1 – Learn to be OK with unfinished sketches -Start and quit intentionally

This is often an overlooked, simple hack. Learn to be OK with quitting. It’s ok to just move on to something else, even if you start sketching daily and quit after a few minutes.

A month later you have 20 rough sketches, and probably some decent ones. Even 30 unfinished, rough sketches are better than zero and you get to improve your skill further.

I find that one of the reasons I would get creative blocks and struggle to start on a new project is because I get carried away thinking it all the way through to the finish. I have an obsession with the end in mind. So, to get over this, I have trained myself to quit intentionally before I even start.

Art is never finished, only abandoned.

Leonardo da Vinci

If you are into writing, you’ve probably come across this Ernest Hemmingway quote, where he says:

“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it. I always worked until I had something done, and I always stopped when I knew what was going to happen next. That way I could be sure of going on the next day.”

— Ernest Hemmingway

So try it. Start a sketch and intend not to finish it (doing this makes me more comfortable with unfinished art, which is still art) and prevents the blocks because one can’t imagine its conclusion.

2 – Draw anything, do it everyday to make it a habit

Draw anything but do it every day. Sketch a flower, leaves, abstract lines, doodles… Do anything that engages your imagination. The aim here is to build a habit.

Habits then stick with you and give you the momentum to keep going, to deliver your art when you lack motivation. For example, I have a habit of drawing when I’m on any sort of phone call.

“Habits stay with you even when you don’t have the motivation.”

Neeraj Agnihotri, Procrasdemon – The Artist’s Guide to Liberation From Procrastination

3 – Join a like minded community or Art Club

Join a local or online Art community or Art Club, be active and interact with the community. This is a great way to get inspired, meet new people, collaborate, and get influenced and motivated by the power of the group.

Better yet, join us at Drawing Ideas Art Club. I’m very active in this community, and we have thousands of like-minded artists from all over the world who come together to discuss many subjects, ideas, and opportunities. This very post was actually inspired by a discussion held on our Facebook group.

4 – Read books on resistance – or a chapter of the WAR OF ART book

You cannot defeat your enemy unless you understand your enemy. One of the best books on the topic of resistance, aka, creative block, is Pressfield’s book War of Art. I highly recommend reading from this book on a regular basis to remind yourself that what you are dealing with is not insurmountable, and is nothing more than resistance.

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles

5 – Get comfortable with sharing your art more

Share your sketches and rough drawings, abstract creations, and paintings here on our page.

Join the Drawing Ideas Art group and interact with other artists on their work.

In short, what helps is interaction with other creatives, a push for momentum, and a bit of reading on creativity.

Original Post:

….Under the recent circumstances of being at home …. ALOT I have been consumed by my frustration that my actions do not reflect my wants and desires of getting creative. I asked myself today what do I want to be? and I said an artist, I then asked myself and how can I do that? and the answer is clearly, make art.

Now I know this sounds easy but I keep seeming to bang into a wall time and again. I spiral by thinking what then shall I create? I come up with project plans and study ideas, themes and mediums I want to use but it gets out of control I want to do them all, I’m still trying to find my style and a style of working that keeps my momentum moving but sometimes for weeks I don’t create anything and it upsets me as art brings me unexplainable joy….

Original post by Danie on Drawing Art Club & Learning Group

Various unfinished sketches slideshow – by Nab Zamali

Conclusion

Resistance is just something I had to learn to live with and not overthink or dwell on too much.

Some days, it’s just not happening. I just can’t even start or touch any medium. Not starting, quitting, leaving things unfinished, changing plans…

How do you deal with Art Blocks? Join the discussion at the group.

Drawing from Cast is the act of Sketching, Mass or Tone Drawing from a Statue.

This is a very powerful and essential method to improve your figure drawing and painting techniques.
This is why you will find that every respectable Art School, in addition to the regular drawing from life models, they will most likely have dedicated sessions for students to practice drawing from cast or from statues in museums and galleries. 

Drawing from statues is not new. In fact, it’s a very well known method of practice during the Renaissance, and as you will see even the Great Masters have practised regularly from cast. 

Drawing from Cast is as good – if not even better – for practice than the average life drawing sessions (as in drawing from live models).

Here below I list for you my personal opinion on the advantages and benefits of drawing from the cast and how it can improve your Life Drawing.

A perfect, permanent pose, that’s impossible to recreate in a life drawing from a model

The work for the perfect pose has been done for you by the original sculptor. They’ve probably spent countless hours, or even months in some cases, in prior studies and drawing subjects and compositions to find the perfect pose for the sculpture you see.

To give you some idea; in 1506 The statue of Laocoön and His Sons was discovered missing the right arm. It took the best sculptors of the world at the time over 20 years to come to an agreement and add a single missing arm. In 1510 the Pope set up a sculpture contest for a replacement arm for Laocoon, which was only added to the sculpture in 1532.

Drawing complex compositions and actions that are hard to recreate with a life model

Action poses are hard to set up in life drawing and it’s even harder to arrange multiple elements and complex subjects combined, like this Bernini.
It’s practically impossible to set up a life subject to replicate statues such as these.

The subject in the sculpture is usually in perfect form

Imagine if you see a statue of Bernini or Donatello – how many drawings preceded that? How many models were auditioned? How many ideas and studies went into this work? All of this is already done for you.

The lighting can be controlled without altering the pose or the model.

With the cast in a studio, you have full control of lighting and the background. As for a statue in a museum, you can just move around to find the best light angle or revisit the statue at different times of the day.

This is how I made the drawing (above) recently at the V&A Museum in London. I know the V&A have skylights and depending on the time of the day you get good lighting on different statues throughout the day.

Conclusion

If Michelangelo, Paul Rubens, Battista, and many great masters used to draw from statues such as Torso de Belvedere for their studies and paintings, you should too.
Just head to a Museum with a sketchbook and practice from casts and statues. You will be able to study and draw from incredible compositions, some of which are practically impossible to recreate in any life drawing.

Drawing People In Public and Tips on How to Sketch Someone Outdoor

This is my experience in drawing people in public. Drawing strangers from everyday life and how to sketch someone outdoor, such as on public transport, on a flight and even during sports or live music events.

These are my tips and best practices that I’ve developed from being inspired by other artists and in my own trials and errors.

Please keep in mind; this is how I do it and I don’t proclaim this to be the best or only way. Do feel free to disagree or experiment in your own way and style.​

Inspirations and interest in the art of drawing people in public 

It may surprise you to know that I used to dislike the art of portraits, characters and drawing people in general.

Why? Because it’s really hard and there is so much to take into consideration when you sketch humans; from shapes, light, movement, impression and likeness. It gets even more complicated when we have to draw people in public.

This requires you to possess an almost superhuman hybrid power of patience and speed (more about that later…)

I honestly didn’t have the patience for that. To constantly be on the lookout for that perfect sketch. It takes time and many tries before you catch a good moment.

Yet, it happens. Sometimes you just stumble on someone interesting, at a perfect angle and with good lighting. Then you may be able to simply move seats or adjust your angle to the subject.

When that happens, and you find the perfect model for your sketch, just remember that you have a limited amount of time before they move, get obstructed or the light direction changes (like during a train ride or flight). This will considerably affect the live drawing, and it gets complicated and harder.

Inspiration: Art of Nicolas Sanchez & Galina Ershova

I would like to credit two particular artists that I followed for a long time (I think you should too), who have inspired me a lot. 

They are: Nicolas Sanchez& Galina Ershova (See above)

I remember one day I came across one of Galina’s posts on Instagram. I saw some of her sketches on a train, which is what inspired me the most to attempt to sketch people during train rides and in coffee shops. 

In the last couple of years, I also got really into life drawing and was attending many events in London. It was during that time I started to realise that my technique in drawing expressions and the human form can be improved by drawing people more often and fast. This is what really got me into sketching people anytime anywhere.

…honest they are, but honest not to a cold, mechanically accurate record of the sitter’s appearance, but honest and accurate to the vital impression of the live sitter made on the mind of the live artist. 

The Practice & Science of Drawing by Harold Speed

Notice in the Da Vinci Drawing how incomplete it appears

Conclusion:

Drawing people in public is fun, and very beneficial to your artistic journey. It’s not easy but it gets easier with time. After a while and some practice you will be able to compensate mentally for changes in lighting, such as the direction and shape of the light. You will also be able to draw much faster.

Recommended Books:

• The Practice & Science of Drawing by Harold Speed
• Drawing People by Barbara Bradley