BVGA Top Tips

How many of you hold your pencils and brushes too tightly and at an awkward angle? If you grip the with forefinger and thumb and you notice folds of skin on your wrist that is stress. You should work from the elbow and why not try alternatives. The one portrayed is relaxed and after a little practice you begin to use the body of the pencil or brush. You work quicker and are kinder to the paper surface. When you are out sketching and you want to measure a building or compare sizes to get the correct proportion, use a pair of dividers. Hold them at arms length to ensure you have a standard position. If you haven’t got a pair of dividers use paper. Roll an A5 piece starting at one corner then fold it in half. Then offer it up to the subject, choose a known size item like a door that is usually 6ft 6 inches. Alternatively, the human figure is just as good to work out your scales. Many of you use Torchons or stubs for modifying pastels or charcoal. Make them from a roll of (damp) newspaper. Take a small piece say 6” square and roll up starting at one corner. Roll it on a firm flat surface and then put a piece of gummed paper around the middle and let it dry. Make a point or taper using coarse sandpaper or a scalpel, as you would a pencil. If you use a camera you wouldn’t think of taking a picture without looking through the viewer. If you have an old out-of-use camera; strip it down, take out the viewer, tape it around the body to keep out dust. This is a handy pocket size viewer. You can very quickly see if you have a scene worth sketching. People keep nicking mine.