If you are going to work from a photograph in conjunction with the grid-method you will need to transform your photograph into a useful reference image. The procedure I will describe works quite well and I have personally been using it for quite a while. As you get more experience you can easily adapt the process to your own needs and working style. Note that the grid-method is a crutch and although it is a powerful help, you should keep on practicing your drawing skills without the grid, that is, drawing directly from life. Here then is the procedure: * Step one consists of scanning the picture into your computer. Make sure you work with sufficiently high resolution. * Step two consists of importing the scanned image into a graphics program and adjusting the contrast and/or brightness so you end up with the best possible presentation of your scene. If you are working with a color picture you should also, at this time, create a gray-scale version. * Now you can adjust the size of your image so it matches the size you want your drawing to be. For example, if you drawing sheet is 10 x 14 inches, your reference image should be about 9 x 13 inches. This leaves about 1 inch of space all around. In other words, you should put some careful thought in how large your image should be taking into account surrounding white space and the manner of framing. This is quite important if you wish to avoid having to redo your drawing half way through the process because you realize the picture is, e.g., too big for the size of your paper or it will not look good for the size of your frame. * This is also the time to pay attention to your composition, i.e., the layout of the final scene, the relationship between the subject and its surroundings, and how much of the subject matter you want to draw. * Next, if you want to use the grid-method, you can draw a grid onto the image. I often use a grid consisting of 1 by 1 inch squares. So for a 10 by 14 inch drawing you will have 140 squares to work with. Most graphics programs have the option to automatically draw such grid lines over an existing image. Using a grid is an age old tradition and does not constitute "cheating". Michelangelo and Edgar Degas, for example, made frequently use of grids. But you should also keep practicing without grids and draw directly from the real world. Here the sizes and proportions will usually differ from the ones on your drawing paper. Later, when you get better, you can increase the size of the squares and eventually do without them altogether. Or, you may want to use a grid only in a limited number of places where things are really complicated. Sometimes all you need is a few help lines or a few points to give yourself more confidence. But, for now, you may want to rely on a complete grid. A grid is, after all, just the ideal tool to use when drawing from photographs. * Finally, you can print the finished image. If the image is too large you may have to print it out in several separate parts. Once this is done you are ready for the next step, i.e., the line drawing. Note that after you scanned the picture you are done with it. Be sure you don’t loose it or damage it so you can return it to your customer in tact. We just explained how to prepare a picture for use as a reference for your drawing. The process consists of value adjustments, enlarging the picture, adding a grid, and printing the adjusted image.

In this article we will deal with the most fundamental property of any object in relation to the act of pencil drawing. This fundamental property is the form or structure of the object. Ultimately, it is the drawing of form that is most responsible for the reproduction of the actual scene on your drawing paper. It is important to possess a simple but complete mental image or memory of the property of form. This mental image is very useful to you as a pencil artist because it will lead you to a simple and systematic way of approaching the drawing of any object under the sun. It will give you the essential tools of the first phase of a drawing. The idea of dealing with the numerous forms that constitute any real scene involves a visual decomposition of the scene’s forms into a set of basic geometric forms followed by a reconstitution of those forms into a likeness of the original real object. With some practice, you will find that this analysis and reconstitution becomes very quickly second nature and will help you tremendously in approaching a drawing in a logical manner. After analyzing the form of numerous objects, artists of the past came to the following conclusions: * All object forms can be seen as a composition of four basic geometric solids: the brick, the sphere, the cylinder, and the cone. Of course, the actual forms will almost always more or less deviate from these perfect geometric forms. Therefore, part of the drawing process will consist of adding these variations. But all that is done in a later phase of the drawing process. * Concentrating on those four large geometric forms allows you to see the overall structure or composition of the global scene in a very logical and interconnected manner. * The extent of these large forms is fairly easy to discern and the dimensions easily estimated. Therefore, the large forms can be drawn first without paying any attention to the smaller forms and the myriad of details. * Drawing a real scene while constantly thinking of bricks, spheres, cylinders, and cones will automatically give your drawing three-dimensionality and a certain amount of gravitas. With some practice you will soon notice that you have become a much faster and more accurate draftsperson. This approach to viewing a scene, i.e., seeing the scene as a composition of basic solid geometric shapes, naturally separates the big picture from the details and gives you an excellent starting-point for tackling any drawing. You won’t have to ponder or hesitate on how to start your drawing. You just start by tackling one big shape and link all the others together like a chain link fence. Once the large geometric shapes are in place you should already see a good likeness of the scene as a whole. You can then concentrate on the details without having to worry about whether or not all the objects are in the right overall position. In this article we developed a method which initially views an arbitrary pictorial scene as a composition of four basic geometric shapes: the brick, the sphere, the cone, and the cylinder. This allows us to separate the big picture from the detail. You just take one large shape at a time and fill in the details. The idea is to be acutely aware of the immediate neighborhood of the detail you are drawing so that the orientation and size of the detail fits in correctly in the neighborhood. The task then is to render each basic geometric shape while at the same time reconstituting the overall scene, i.e., putting each geometric form in its correct position.

In this article we introduce you to the phases you go through when drawing a scene. That is, we will explain the logical steps you need to go through to complete a drawing from beginning to end.

Any scene can initially be seen as a composition of a series of forms that are all related to four basic geometric solids: the brick, the sphere, the cylinder, and the cone. In this article we concentrate on the brick, i.e., we will detail its properties and its place in the overall scheme of a drawing. An exact brick is a six-sided geometric solid such that two opposing sides are parallel to each other and intersecting sides are perpendicular to each other. A brick has 12 ribs of which, in a typical scene, there are usually only 9 visible. A brick-like object can of course have any kind of orientation within your scene. The keys to drawing such arbitrarily oriented brick correctly are: * Observation - Although it is absolutely necessary to learn the basics of perspective, in the end, the best guide to drawing realistically, is to develop your powers of observation, i.e., practice "seeing reality as it is and not as you think it is". Leave the built-in prejudices behind. These prejudices have been built into the memory for good reason. In your normal day to day activities it is not necessary to see every object in full detail. This would be a waste of time and would slow us down considerably. The brain therefore creates symbols of these objects with a minimum of detail. That this is so can easily be seen from children’s (and many adult’s) drawings. The sun, for example, is represented by a circle and some radiating lines. Correctly observing a brick involves judging angles and lengths of lines as they really appear in the scene. * Perspective - To greatly help you with seeing correctly you can make use of the rules of simple perspective. A brick has three sets of four parallel ribs, each set having a different direction. Each set of parallel lines can be drawn in the same manner. First choose two ribs out of a set and judge the angle they make. In reality the two ribs are parallel but due to perspective they will usually not look parallel (unless they are verticals). You can now see where the two ribs will intersect. This gives you their vanishing point. The two other ribs in the set will also intersect in that same vanishing point, this according to the rules of perspective. You can now repeat the same procedure for the remaining two sets of four parallel ribs. This will give you two more vanishing points. With a bit of practice you will soon be able to draw any kind of brick with sufficient accuracy and the right perspective. Train yourself to draw each rib free-hand and in one relatively quick stroke. Note that the vanishing points usually reside outside the borders of your drawing paper and can therefore not always actually be drawn. But, after a while, you get a good feel for the location of these vanishing points and even a good feel for how a brick looks like in the correct perspective. The trick, as always, is practice and more practice. Finally, brick-like objects very often are not perfect bricks. However, the first cut at it can be drawn as a regular brick as discussed above. After that, you can add corrections with pencil and eraser until the object looks on your paper as it does in the real scene. The deviations occur as unequal and/or non-perpendicular or non-parallel line segments. In this article we discussed how to produce a line drawing of a brick-like object. What we outlined above should be enough to get you started in the right direction. It should not take more than a couple of days to draw just about any brick-like object in a very convincing and correct manner.

In this article we discuss the concept of shading in relation to pencil portrait drawing from a photograph. We introduce the five-value scale and the five elements to shading: (1) Full Light; (2) Halftone; (3) Reflected Light; (4) Shadow Edge; and (5) Cast Shadow. All this is related to an existing

In this article we deal with the line drawing phase. We assume that we already have a gridded reference picture of the correct size at our disposal. Your reference image will often be too large for most printers to print in one piece. To get around this you could print the image in pieces on plain 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Step one consists of drawing a grid on your drawing paper identical to the one you drew on your reference image. To do this, use an F-pencil and draw lightly because this grid will need to be erased. With this gridded image in hand you can now start drawing the actual line drawing phase. There are many rewards associated with the use of a grid. Here we list a few: * The grid essentially divides the overall drawing into a number of smaller individual drawings. This way, we are making use of the divide and conquer technique. * All orientations and lengths are easily determined. * Negative space is easier to spot. * Identifying the correct perspective is much easier. Here are a few guidelines for executing your line drawing: * At this time, only draw lines. Do not add any shading, blending, or details. * Draw lightly. Use 3B-pencil and sharpen it frequently. * Concentrate on one square but do also keep an eye on the associated neighborhood using your peripheral vision. Be sure to smoothly transition from one square to the next. Stand back and check out your progress from a distance and look for errors in value, perspective, orientation, and lengths. * In this phase of the drawing process accuracy is of primary importance. Think intently about judging lengths and angles correctly within a single square. Use short and soft lines that can be easily erased. * You can use a sheet of bond paper under your drawing hand to avoid smudging your drawing or your grid. * Where needed also draw shadow contours and all the necessary details. The idea is to plot a detailed map of the scene you wish to create. All this is done in preparation for the next phase of the drawing process, i.e., the shading phase. * Try to see shapes and draw their contours. Concentrate on the one line you are currently drawing (its length and orientation) but also pay attention to the shape it is part of. * Use the negative space concept. Now and then, turn your reference picture and your drawing sheet upside down or sideways. This gives you a different perspective on lengths and angles. * Try to ignore the actual meaning of what you are drawing. Look at each mass as a blob without meaning. Only the dimensions, the orientation, and the contour of the blob are important. This will help you greatly with seeing correctly and will also reduce the involuntary introduction of your preconceived notions about how certain objects (like vases or flowers) are supposed to look like. * Constantly look at your reference picture. You should look at your reference (or your life scene) more often than at your drawing paper. * Make some choices. What is important? What can you possibly leave out? Drawing is an exercise in eliminating unnecessary details. In this manner, continue drawing one square after another until you have a complete line drawing of your scene. At this stage you should have a pretty good likeness of your scene. Review in detail the entire drawing and make corrections wherever necessary. This is also the time to get rid of your grid. Finally, spray the drawing lightly with fixative. Spray just enough to eliminate smudging but not too much so you can still erase lines when needed.

Each drawing effort starts with the Preparatory Phase followed by the Line Drawing Phase. After that come the Shading Phase and the Blending Phase. Finally, almost as an afterthought, the procedure ends with the Detail Phase. The Detail Phase consists of judiciously adding small accents in such a way that they enhance the drawing. Here are some guidelines to follow during the detail phase: * Structure - During the Line Drawing Phase we by and large limit ourselves to drawing the contours of the large forms. We do this without paying too much attention to the details. The main objective of the Line Drawing Phase is to create a structured picture of the overall scene. This structure must above all be geometrically accurate. A line drawing can then be seen as a collection of smaller pieces of drawing paper. The contour of each large form represents the edge of one of those separate smaller pieces of drawing paper. So now we can add the necessary details to each of the forms one at a time. We already know that the forms themselves are in the right place and have the right orientation. Therefore you need only to worry about the correct position and orientation of the details we put inside each of the empty forms. In effect, the line drawing, when done right, divides the entire drawing task up into a number of smaller drawings. These smaller drawings consist of adding the details into each independent form or shape. * Relative Intensity - It is very important to make sure that the details fit into the overall picture in terms of intensity and value. In particular, make sure that the intensity of the details is not too strong so they do not stand out like a sore thumb. This is easy to do and is often seen in the work of beginning artists. * Restraint - It is also good not to add in too many details unless this is the specific objective of your drawing effort. Most of the time it is much better to limit yourself to a few important details. These few details tend to give your drawing more artistic value. If you have too many details then individual details tend to get lost in the big ocean of details and soon become meaningless. * Composition - Details are an important element in the context of the composition of your drawing. A typical composition will have at least one focal point, i.e., the particular area in the scene that is meant to stand out and attract the attention of the viewer. This focal area is also the place where the most detail should be present. Adding more detail to such an area is one of the elements that make this area a focal point in the first place. All the rest of the structure in your drawing should support this focal point. That means the less detailed areas in your drawing should point or lead the way towards the focal area. * Clarity and Interest - In general, the addition of details should serve the purpose of adding clarity and more necessary information to your drawing. It should also serve the purpose of providing surprise, extra interest, and a certain amount of artistic value. If a particular detail does not seem to serve any of these purposes then it is better not to add that particular detail at all. It is, however, a delicate undertaking and should be done with some forethought. Practice and experience will also serve well. Too many or awkwardly placed details can quickly destroy a drawing and make it look overworked. On the other hand, when applied judiciously, details can add quite a bit of glamour to your work and change it from some dull looking effort to a really exciting one. The above guidelines should give you enough information to deal with the drawing of details. Remember, the detail phase should add to the vibrancy of your drawing and give it extra pizzazz.

Learning to blend is another one of those skills you need to master to become a good pencil drawing artist. Once you have a line drawing and once you have laid down the different values based on, for example, a five-value scale, you can start blending the different value areas. To blend, you can use a pencil, a tortillon, a paper tissue, and even your fingers. Here are a few blending guidelines: * Soft Edges - A soft edge occurs in a situation where an object surface gentle curves away from the light source. Such edges change values gradually and you should blend them accordingly. The area closest to the light source is the lightest and the one farthest away is the darkest. Always blend parallel to the edges of the subject area. Follow the curves of, for example, a cheek. This allows you to blend into the edges and gives a more natural and rounded look. This adds a lot the illusion of three-dimensionality. * Hard Edges - Hard edges occur where two surfaces touch or overlap. The edge looks more defined. Do not actually draw lines to depict such edges. Rather, create a hard edge by laying down two different values next to each other. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a line in nature. We become aware of lines only because of the contrasting values of two adjacent surfaces. And this is also the way lines should be created in your drawings, i.e., by using contrast. Anything that has an actually drawn outline will look flat (i.e., planar) and will detract from the three-dimensional look of the subject. * Contrast - Contrast is a good thing. It gives much life to your pencil drawing. Use your ingrained knowledge of the five-value scale to observe the correct values. An excellent trick to better perceive values is to look through squinted eyes. I also found it beneficial to draw in dusk-like lighting conditions. Under these conditions the contrasting values are much easier to discern. * Uneven Values - If you see uneven blending you can use your kneaded eraser to take off some of the darker spots and use your pencil to darken the lighter spots if needed. A kneaded eraser is the sort of eraser that handles like putty and can be shaped in all sorts of forms to fit the task at hand. One of its best characteristics is that it can be shaped in a fine point which allows you to erase very narrow areas and lighten up very small spaces such as highlights on the pupil of the eye. * Darkest Darks - If you need to create a really dark area you can build it up in layers. Start with a dark layer and spray it with workable fixative. Then put another layer on top. And, if necessary, you can repeat this process until the area is dark enough. * Kneaded Eraser - Your kneaded eraser is also a very useful tool at this stage. You can use it to draw with into a penciled area by taking out graphite. For example, the kneaded eraser is ideal to introduce highlights on noses, hair, and other places where they are required. * From Dark to Light - Always try to blend from dark to light. Blend from the shadows into the light. Remember, the highlights are the white of the paper while the cast shadows are the blackest black you can muster. * Blending Tools - There are many different tools you can use to blend. Here are the most used: pencil, kneaded eraser, tortillon (rolled up paper), tissue, and fingers. The above guidelines should give you a good start in developing your blending skills. The blending phase is also one of the phases to bring out your artistic talent and to put in your heart and soul. Now it becomes a matter of practice and experience.

Modern art is defined from the 1860’s to the 1970’s in terms of galleries and art history. In recent years the appeal of modern art in a widespread context has occurred.

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The Saatchi Gallery has recently moved to impressive new premises in Chelsea, located right on Sloane Square in the prestigious Duke of York's HQ building. This elegant structure has been completely renovated and converted into the perfect home for this globally famous contemporary art collection. The building features modern decor throughout, an interesting counterpart to the vaulted ceilings, open spaces and majestic stonework. The Duke of York's HQ and the Saatchi Gallery now house an incredible exhibition of contemporary art collected by one of the world’s most notorious collectors, Charles Saatchi. The collection specialises in exhibiting new and less established artists, offering a forum to display their talents and build a reputation. The Saatchi Gallery promotes the concept of bringing art to the masses, and offers free admission to all areas and exhibits. This combination of new artistic talent and easy access make this a vibrant and fresh art gallery, certainly one that will be enjoyed by anybody who has even a passing interest in contemporary art. There can be no doubt that the Saatchi Gallery will become one of the most if not the most important art venues in the UK. Within the Saatchi Gallery, Charles Saatchi continues with his long term modus operandi, namely introducing new talent to the contemporary art scene. The Saatchi Gallery works closely with large media entities such as Time Out Magazine, The Sunday Times and the Evening Standard to promote not only the gallery itself but the art and artists exhibited within it. The gallery changes its exhibitions frequently and visitors will find that every time they visit the Saatchi Gallery they will find something original to inspire them. This combination of new artistic talent, frequent change and proactive promotion make the Saatchi Gallery a vibrant and dynamic environment, arguably one of the liveliest centres for contemporary art in the world. The gallery contains not only the major exhibition areas, but two specialist areas designed for particular usage. One area is set aside to exhibit the works of artists who have won the Saatchi Gallery Online Showdown competition, which features artists who have never been exhibited before. The second specialized area known as The Project Room is used to exhibit artists who do not make part of the current exhibition theme in the rest of the gallery. In effect The Project Room becomes a Gallery within a Gallery, allowing the Saatchi Gallery to exhibit art which is currently outside of the scope of any themed exhibition taking place in the main halls. The Saatchi Gallery is extremely easy to access, free to visit, and is set to become one of the most popular art venues in London. Both residents and visiting tourists alike will find that the Saatchi Gallery presents them with the opportunity to explore the very best in contemporary art and enjoy the opulent surroundings provided by the new Duke of York's HQ. If you like to know more about the Saatchi gallery please visit http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk, now Saatchi even offers venue for parties and corporate meetings.

When two people meet, their chances for a compatible relationship depend on how their basic needs and personality traits will mesh in the give and take of social or business interactions. These can be determined by comparing a companion's horoscope with your own natal chart. In doing a comparison, first notice whether your companion has a predominance of planets in one of the elements, more than four planets in one element. For more details visit to www.joint-venture-guide.com . A predominance of planets in one element tells you something about what that person brings to the relationship, for example: A person with a predominance of Fire signs brings an impulsive enthusiasm to the relationship. A person with a predominance of Earth signs introduces a stabilizing influence on the relationship. A person with a predominance of Air signs puts the relationship on an intellectual level. A person with a predominance of Water signs will flood the relationship with deep emotional actions and reactions. In general, people are more likely to be compatible with each other when their natal planets fall into compatible elements. The compatible elements are fire with air, earth with water. That means if you have a predominance of natal planets in the fire signs, you are more likely to have a compatible relationship with someone who has a predominance of natal planets in the air signs. If your companion's planets are mostly in the earth signs, you can expect assorted difficulties depending on which elements are involved. It is also important to note how many of your planets are in the Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable signs; and where your companion's planets are. A predominance of planets in one quality (i.e., five or more planets in a cardinal, fixed, or mutable sign) tells you how someone is likely to act in a relationship. For example: A person with a predominance of Cardinal signs is anxious to see things get started. A person with a predominance of Fixed signs is more likely to be stubborn and unyielding in a relationship. A person with a predominance of Mutable signs will be adaptable and willing to make most of the compromises. Now it is important to note to see how your and your companion's planets are distributed among the masculine and feminine signs. Most people have an even balance of five-to-five, or six-to-four, between masculine or feminine. If you and your companion each have the normal ratios of planets, you should have no trouble getting along with each other. You can work things out even when one of you has a gender ration of seven-to-three while the other has a four-to-six ratio. If there is a difference of one or two planets in masculine (or feminine) signs between you and your companion you should have no trouble in establishing a compatible relationship. If there is a difference of three planets, you can still work things out. However, if there are more than three planets between you and your companion, in one gender, you will both have to work very hard to maintain a relationship. For more information logon to www.easy-jv-manager.com . The reason is that the dominantly masculine person's aggressive behavior will threaten and harass the reserved, security-motivated feminine person. If both people are dominated by the same gender (either masculine or feminine), they share the same viewpoint and approach to life. Initially, this can give them a strong feeling of compatibility. However, they will soon feel a need for the kind of stimulation that comes from defending mildly different points of view. They will have to turn to someone else to meet that need. Someone with eight or more planets in a single gender may find it difficult to find a comfortable relationship.