How To Draw Using A Grid

Sometimes you take the perfect paradigm to draw or pigment but information technology's too small. An like shooting fish in a barrel mode to transfer the image to your drawing paper or canvas and increase it's size to what you desire, you lot can use a grid. In this tutorial, I'm going to show you two easy means to blow up an epitome and go it ready for the final art making process.

What Yous Volition Need

Paper or sail
Ruler
Pencil
Pen
Eraser

one. How to Make a Grid Traditionally

Pace 1

Print out your photo at a reasonable size. It doesn't have to be gigantic but yous need to be able to see the details so y'all can copy them. I prefer to print it out in black and white so that it's easier to encounter the edges. My portrait is five" x 7".

Step two

Figure out an appropriate size of the filigree spacing. For near images, I adopt i/2" between each line but sometimes 1/iv" or 3/4" works best. Here I'm going to use i/two".

Step 3

Draw the grid out on your printed photo. I adopt to utilize pen here then that it's easier to see on pinnacle of the photograph.

Step four

Label the boxes on the sides of the grid. I prefer to become A, B, C, etc. on the left and right sides and one, ii, 3 on the top and bottom. Labeling the boxes makes it much easier when you get into the middle of the grid and you commencement getting lost.

2. How to Brand a Filigree Digitally

Step ane

Place your photograph in Adobe Illustrator at a reasonable size. It doesn't have to exist gigantic simply y'all need to be able to see the details and then you can copy them. I prefer to use a black and white photo so that information technology's easier to run into the edges.

Stride ii

Click and hold the Line Segment Tool. Choose the Grid Tool. Hither you tin come across the grid tool equally the fourth prototype down on the left toolbar nether the pen tool. Then draw a box over the image.

Step three

Belongings downward the mouse, use the arrow keys to create as many grid boxes as you desire. I used the ruler guides to make 1/2" boxes.

Step 4

Now you can either print out this paradigm or leave information technology up on your computer screen.

Stride 5

If y'all print out the picture, label information technology according to the same mode in the steps above. If you leave it on your screen, utilise the text tool to label the grid. I prefer to go A, B, C, etc. on the left and right sides and ane, 2, three on the top and lesser. Labeling the boxes makes it much easier when you become into the middle of the grid and you start getting lost.

3. Prepare Your Drawing Paper (or Canvas)

Step 1

Determine the final size of your cartoon. Here you'll accept to do some quick calculations. Are you doubling the photograph? Quadrupling? One and a half?

Stride 2

Mensurate and draw out the outer rectangle/square of your final drawing. Hither I'g making the final drawing twice as big as my original v" x 7" photo so my outer box is 10" x xiv".

Stride 3

Use your ruler to determine the new size of the grid. If you're doubling the size of the photo and your filigree squares are ane/4" by 1/four", and then your new grid squares will be ane/two" by 1/ii". Since my original grid was one/2" boxes, my final filigree will be 1" boxes.

Step 4

Draw out your concluding grid on your drawing newspaper.

Step v

Label your new grid identical to the smaller grid on the photograph.

iv. Begin Drawing

Step i

Pick where to start. I similar to commencement at a recognizable signal. Perhaps it's the bottom of a chin or the part in someone's pilus. Hither I'm starting at the bottom left of the chin.

Step two

Look at the box that contains your starting betoken and observe the corresponding box on the bigger paper. For me, that'south box J4. Copy the outline line in that box. I drew in the bend of the chin in box J4.

Step iii

Follow the outline from box to box, using the grid labels to help you lot know where y'all are. I usually piece of work left to right and slowly brand my way around the head first. A skilful tip is to look at where the outline starts and ends in each box. Is it touching the centre of the outer filigree box line or the corner? It becomes a flake more mathematical when you do it this manner but you won't go lost and you'll be closer to the actual epitome.

5. Describe All the Large Shapes

Step 1

Proceed cartoon until you have all of the big shapes penciled in. If your lines don't run into upwardly in the stop, go back to the labels on the boxes and double-check yourself box by box. By big shapes I mean the outlines of the people or mural or animal that you're drawing.

6. Begin Calculation the Details

Step 1

Now that y'all accept all the large shapes fatigued in, begin to pencil in the smaller details like hair lines, eyes, ears, etc.

Stride 2

Keep looking at the filigree labels to cheque that yous're making the details in the right boxes. By and large if you lot're going to get lost, you'll do it here.

7. Check Box Past Box

Footstep 1

Now that your drawing is finished, check over the drawing box by box. This is the boring part just you desire to catch any mistakes now and not once you commencement painting or inking.