GRIDS! How to Use Them to Draw from PHOTO Reference and to Learn Proportions!
Hi Everyone! The blog was somewhat on hiatus, so, apologies. The next upcoming blogs will be current, as well as some backdated ones. This first return to the “Comics for Kids” recaps focuses on what was done on April Eleventh, where the lesson was on GRIDS.
The grid method can take a long time, but it is very helpful when you want to draw something. Grids especially help with things like proportions, and the body, when drawing from photo reference.
Renaissance painters—from many, many years ago– actually did practice DRAWINGS before they
did their paintings- and to make sure everything was sized correctly, they used the grid method.
PHOTO REFERENCE is when you look at a photograph picture to draw your drawing.
Sometimes, when drawing a comic about a place you can’t see in person—or even if you
are drawing a character based on a real person who you can’t always see in front of you-
- it’s the only thing you can look at to get an idea for what the place looks like and how to
draw it!
A GRID is basically a series of boxes, all the same size, that you draw over your REFERENCE, and then over your actual
drawing. In comics, this is ALL done in pencil until you are finished.
Here are TOOLS for Grid Drawing:
*Photos
*Pencils—again,
*Papers
*Pens
NEXT, are a few examples of grid and photo reference drawing, using a Carousel!
Then, once you are done, you will end up with a very exact drawing!
This can be very helpful when you want to draw cartoons and comics, since it helps very
much with making sure something is cartoony yet realistic, and sized correctly!
And without further ado, today’s assignments!
1. There is photo reference at the back of this packet. Take a photo you like, and
choose that one to grid and copy! Practice making at least one grid drawing based on
one photo.
2. Choose from any of the single grid squares that you really like—and somehow,
work that angle, character, or place into a comic or drawing. In the Merry-Go-
Round example—maybe that bush becomes something a villain hides behind? Or
maybe a square with a horse’s head could inspire a story about a cowboy who is
using that horse as his getaway vehicle?
Have fun, and Happy Drawing –!!
And now, for the work of Woody Tuttle! Below is photo reference of a man in a bookshop, and of a castle. Woody chose to draw the Castle photo reference, and grid it. Here’s the original castle:
And here are Woody’s versions! The first is a perfectly gridded version, and the second, his freehand drawing from this photo reference.
Below that, are the main characters Woody worked on after the meticulous grid exercise. His new series, “Super Pets” chronicles the adventures of Dogs and Cats who– as they have the superpowers– have to protect their hapless humans from evil. Often, in the form of robots!
So, that concludes this week’s update of “Comics for Kids!”
Again, thanks for reading, for your understanding in the delay on these blogs, and please stay tuned for the future blog entries.
