The category of “things” is rather large.  As a graphic artist commercial artist,  I draw what the client wants.  Sometimes I use line art to create an image of someone’s imagination.  This is called representational design.

I have always been fascinated by animals. Animals are nature’s challenge to artists.  I have had many assignments drawing exotic animals.  For these, I work mainly from photographs, and the backgrounds and foreground for these pieces are sometimes imaginary.  In an animal drawing, as in a figure study, it is important to convey the living quality of the creature and the way it moves.  For instance, just the sweeping curve of the tail gives a strong sense of movement.

Sketching is a knack, and it really does become easier the more you do it.  You may find it difficult at first because it does require some practice to be able to grasp the essentials of a subject and then get those down on paper in a few minutes or maybe just a few seconds.  Doing many sketches of a subject will sharpen your observational skills.  It was not until the photography became widely available that the sequence of movement made by a galloping horse was fully understood.

Embarking on portrait art requires a degree of skill and confidence.  One of the difficulties with portrait art is finding someone who is willing to sit for you and who won’t be insulted by early and possible inept attempts.  You always have one model on hand, however – yourself.  I have done a self-portrait; most artists do this as a way of gaining practice in handling the medium, as well as acquiring confidence in the basic skills of portraiture.  Photographs are also a useful aid.  Achieving a likeness is important.  Building up colors thickly in a highly painterly technique achieves an almost sculptural feeling of weight and solidity.  This technique of portrait painting takes skill which you will learn here.  The building of paint and the use of color create satisfying results.  Figure painting and portrait painting are closely linked.