Chicken scratch how to#

When dealing with a smoother wave, it's often better to start with a smooth line, and then build individual 'bumps' onto it.

Instead of zigzagging back and forth and repeating the same pattern, break it up into separate strokes, each one with a single purposeful trajectory. When doing so, don't attempt to capture it all at once.

There are a lot of situations where you want to capture something that has a repeating pattern. It may work eventually, but I wouldn't want to wait around to find out. If you do the opposite, focusing on accuracy now, it will be vastly more difficult to make those marks smooth with practice. Nail down your confident stroke now, from your shoulder, and as you practice it, your accuracy will catch up as well. Accuracy on the other hand is something that will improve with practice. Smooth flow is something we achieve by the approach we employ. If we draw as confidently as we can, without concern for where we want the line to fall, our marks will always come out smoothly - just not accurately. The reason is simple: we can generally execute pretty smooth marks now, by simply changing the way in which we approach the task. The most important thing you need to focus on first is keeping your marks smooth and consistent. The act of drawing a line has two main challenges:īeginners often prioritize accuracy first, thinking that it's more important that their lines reach their intended points - but this is incorrect. When you draw for yourself, you're welcome to do so however you want - but the habits you learn here will, gradually, bleed into how you approach drawing in general. In this case, we're specifically training you to think through your marks, to execute them purposefully, so you can gain the level of control and forethought that other artists exhibit. Secondly, as mentioned above, every drawing we do in this course is an exercise. An artist who does so out of choice will generally show far more intent and control behind their marks, and when they need to make longer, more fluid marks, they will be capable of doing so.

Chicken scratch how to#

The answer comes in two parts:įirstly, there's a difference between what a student who simply doesn't know how to make marks any other way 'chicken scratches' - where it's erratic, unplanned, and poorly thought out, and what a trained artist will do. Some students do ask, 'I see other artists using chicken-scratch when they sketch, why can't I?' It's an entirely fair question. Marks must maintain a consistent trajectory.But that artist uses chicken scratching all the time!.Marks should be continuous and unbroken.

Do you mean I can't ever draw with my wrist or elbow?.But Comfy! I have trouble with reading!.