Steve Fleming

Artist Studio

Creative Jumpstarts: Abstract Landscape Drawing from Memory

Jumpstarts

Today I want you to take some drawing paper, the bigger the size the better, and using a really broad drawing tool, I am using a graphite crayon 6B, they come in both water soluble and non water-soluble, for this exercise I am using the non water soluble.  I use the soluble type when the black from the graphite will be an important part of the wash.

Think of a landscape and begin boldly with a big hard line across the paper and really try to feel the subject matter.  I am drawing the rocks along the coast in Maine specifically an area south of Rockland call “Birch Tree State Park”.  I work the really big shapes first and then begin to find the smaller more intimate shapes.  I highlight and strengthen the lines and edges really getting the feeling for the rock hardness and round water eroded edges.  I put in some accent darks to make the drawing more interesting and grade the values on some of the other areas.  I am not looking to make an exact drawing just an expressive memory drawing and one that I can work from later.  I spent about 15 minutes on each one.  The size of the paper is 22 x 30 and is rough surface, I would recommend a more smooth surface but it was what I used.  Give it a go it will help your use of line and your use of your brain not your interpretation of a photograph

22 x 30 graphite on rough paper

22 x 30 drawing

3 Comments on “Creative Jumpstarts: Abstract Landscape Drawing from Memory”

  1. I love these drawings. I get the feeling you are really looking at the landscape’s shapes and lines, almost like you are feeling them with your eyes. I’m so glad I came upon them. I moved to another town 6 months ago and have been so busy I have not done any artwork and can’t get motivated. I was looking on-line for something to get me motivated and these drawings are doing it.
    Thank you so much for posting them.
    Dee Collins 🙂

    • Dee it is nice you started with the jumpstarts, they were the first thing I started doing on the blog and their purpose was to get people going when their creativity had been truncated by inactivity. Give some of them a try I think they were very useful

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