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So I've glued my hair back into place after well... yeah, yanking it out in a fit of annoyance at my lack of drawing abilities. It's a bit messy. 
Anyone know online tutorials for drawing things like furniture?
I'm thinking my perspective is what is the worst, although my shading might be a close second. eep
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The trick to sketching is practice, practice and then when you have finished that more practice.
One of the main things that you have to learn when learning to draw is how to see. Human brains are very good at taking visual information and embroidering. We tend to take a very small amount of visual clues and fill in the gaps. ie the following sentence will make sense:
Knig Knog cilbmed the Emirpe Satte Biludnig.
Because the first and last letters are right our brains unscramble the rest automatically. The same thing happens when we look at an object and then try to sketch it in 2 dimensions. We often draw what we Think is there not what actually is.
There is a fantastic book called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. It doesn't work for everyone but she is very good on the principles of learning to unlock the creative impulse. Give that a try.
Alternatively take a sketch book and find your self a quiet moment (around 4 am is usually good as the marauding hordes are in bed 
)
Pick an object and then try to empty your mind of what you "know" it to be and instead try and see it a series of shapes and planes. Practice reproducing these on the paper. Forget about the perspective etc for the moment and just play with what you are drawing.
There used to be a fantastic book on perspective by Dorling Kindersley but I have scoured their website and it's gone out of print. However it is worth having a look in the childrens reference section of the library/bookshop as these often have some great books on art and perspective.
Good luck.
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I love that sentence example!
Here's my problem:
I can't draw objects.
I can draw humans. I can't draw a cup. A box. A chair. A horse. A cat.
But I can draw a naked or near naked woman (men I'm still working on). Blame college, I learned human form in drawing class there but never could grasp anything else. *cries* I'm afraid what a shrink would think.
:oops:
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I reckon that a shrink would have a field day with us and our work full stop. "So tell me again you like to tear up paper, yes!" 
I have the opposite problem to you in that I find the human form quite difficult to do but cope better with objects, buildings and fantasy. However I do think that the scary thing with drawing chairs etc is that they tend to be uniform and symmetrical which can be offputting if you are looking for precision.
Having said that there is a general belief that if you tried to make Van Gogh's chair (from chair with pipe) then it would fall over as the perspective is totally shot. And yet it is very definitely a chair.
Don't be too hard on yourself and keep trying, I suppose it depends what you want to do with the sketches. If they are layout ideas then precision isn't crucial but if they are design blue prints then it is more important.
I always console myself with one major factor, I recycle all my disaster sketches as pulp and it is incredibly satisfying to rip them up and drop them into a pot of water. Now what would a shrink make of that!
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Me too
Fine at drawing objects all that tec drawing I had to do at school. People and things that are alive forget it.
Sue
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not everybody needs to draw to visualize things it helps me to figure out unforeseens but i have watched people build whole houses with out a line drawn
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Practice I guess. I want to sketch objects (furniture especially) because I keep forgetting these lovely visions of cardboard pm furniture I get swirling in my head. I'd bank my head on a wall but I can't draw a wall either.
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You could always make your sketch it would not matter if it was rough so long as you have the basic shapes and ideas down. You can then make small notes to help you remember.
Sue
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Things like furniture are easier to build than to draw. The paper and pencil are just for jotting down measurements!
A woman I used to know couldn't draw, but she was wonderful at building small models.
There is a small cardboard or plastic measuring device (two different-sized circles with a center fastener that allows it to rotate) that will enlarge/reduce dimensions for you, possibly available through larger art supply shops. It is very useful for making an accurate large copy of a small model.
You measure a major part of your small model (say it is an eagle), like the wingspan. The model is 6" across, and you want the finished model to have a seven foot wingspan (sorry, metric people, I'm short on time, so no conversions). You find your 6" on the small (top) wheel, then rotate the bottom wheel so 7 feet (84") lines up with it, and you stick a small piece of tape or paper clip to hold it in place so it doesn't move.
Then you can refer to the wheel for all your dimensions to make your basic 'skeleton' for your large eagle, as all the larger measurements will simply duplicate the percentage of enlargement for the whole thing.
Sue
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ooh that sounds really handy. So far I've been using masking tape on the walls and floors to get an idea of ideal size and heights
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I finally remembered what they are called: Proportional Scales.
Here's one: http://www.dickblick.com/zz554/73/
This one says it works from 1" to 100", but it really starts at 1/4", you can see it in the photo.
They're real time savers. They should be available at art supply places (esp ones that cater to graphic artists) and shops that have materials for drafting and architectural design.
They probably come in metric, too. Someplace.
Sue
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""Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. "
Thanks, Charlotte. That was a useful tip. Shortly after reading this I went on to our county library website, found there were eight copies in the system, one on the shelves of our town library. Not long after I was booking it out. Very interesting!
Davido
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