Hello I'm Dave nephew from the view find out marketing comm In this video, I'm going to be talking about how to draw a grid on your drawn surface so then you don't ruin the paper of your drawn surface. And also the grid method is a great way to be able to draw your subjects so that it's proportionally correct for your realism drawn. So the first thing I want to talk about is the paper that I use I use Strathmore Bristol paper. I use the vellum surface it's acid free, it's heavyweight it's almost like a cardboard in this is a very good paper to use for realism drawn and this is what I prefer and I've tried a lot of different papers throughout my years of john and i found this to be the best specially for my commission drawings. You'll also need a four H pencil or a two H pencil and I'm using a two pencils, so then the grid will be a little bit darker so you can see it on the camera.

And you're going to need a clear ruler and I use a clear ruler, so then it's easier for me to actually see what I'm working on on the paper. So before we get started, we want to make sure that we're going to be drawn on the right side of the paper, and there's going to be two different sides and the texture or a tooth is going to be different. So what I use is I use the backside of the paper to take the paper out. I'll fold this and I lightly lift it up, pull it out. If you're not careful, you're going to bend the corners and then you're going to ruin that piece of paper. Now why are you doing that you want to make sure that you have the right side of your drawn surface.

The backside is going to be a little bit smoother and you can have a little more control Over the graph, I have the drawing. Most of my drawings are an eight by 10. So this makes it very easy for me to be able to graph this out the grid. So what I do is I put the ruler to where it's 11 inches, I go to the edge, and I line up the ruler, so then it's straight across. So this is gonna be my first line. And I do this because then it's easier for me to have the grid straight on the image and then it's not crooked or curved or anything like that.

I'm going to go from the Ghana ruler. I'm going to go to 10 inches. And if you notice I'm drawn with the tip at an angle. This way I am not damaging the paper. I'm not using the point and this way it protects my paper. Now women do Start off with one inch and I want to nine inches so I'm just going to put a dot there.

So then this tells me where that eight inches is. I will do the same thing on the other side. Go back up to the top. I go back to the 11 inches. I line up those dots and I tried an angle. Now I have to do is connect these two lines to create a box I use one inch squares for my grid.

Some people use half inch, some people use two inch, you're going to find out what works best for you. But if you're gonna be following my tutorials, you're going to want to be using one inch blocks. Again, don't press hard with the pencil. You want the line to be very light, I'm trying to draw a little bit darker so that you can see it on paper. But you want the line the grid to be very light so then you can easily take it off. So now what I'm going to be doing is I'm going to be taking the ruler, bring it down a little bit and I'm going to mark off an inch lines here, so then I can connect them on either side.

I do it on the bottom of the paper. So then I don't have to dots on the drawing surface, those are a lot harder to take off. So I just create these dots at the bottom of the paper where it's not going to affect my drawn picture that everything's lined up properly because then when you grid out the reference image, you want to make sure that the squares are evenly placed in there correct or outs, your whole drawn is going to be a little bit off. I'm just going to continue this to get all of the squares and then I will start to connect the lines. And while I'm connecting the lines, I want to make sure that I'm drawn very softly and add an angle so I do not damage the paper. And if you notice I am not touching the drawn surface with my hand You want to make sure that you don't get the oils on hand.

While I'm drawn I will always have a piece of paper between my hand and a drawn surface. But since I've drawn these lines, I don't have that option. So I make sure that I really pay attention to my hands and the john surface. I don't want to be touching that john surface with my hands. strong light lines. Make sure the winds are perfect.

If you're a little bit off, your whole job is going to be off and then when you finish trying again be like something just does not look right. And all starts from your grid. You're going to be measuring everything off of the squares that you're drawing. And again, I'm drawing these lines a little bit darker and hopefully you can see them on the video. I'm just going to draw the colors over here and then I'm going to have perfect inch squares. And in the next video I will go over how I actually grid out the reference image and how I print out the reference image.

So then I can actually draw realistic images. Either a commissioned job or a picture I've taken or I've gotten permission for using. You want to make sure if you're using an image, it's very important that you get permission if it's not your image. So if you're just taking an image out flying, well, you can do that. I guess we'll practice but you can't say that it's actually your art because the person who actually took that photograph, that's their, that's their image. So if you do want to use it, if you do find an image online that you're like, you're going to definitely have to ask for permission.

And most cases, people unless they're professional, and we're making money off their prints, we'll let you do that. All you have to do is explain that you're in charge And you'd like to use their, their image for drawn. But definitely take the time cast them. You don't want to be getting yourself in trouble with copyright issues. Okay, so there we have it now hopefully, you can see the gridlines and I'm going to just zoom in a little bit so you can see them a little bit clear. So now I have the grid and it's very lightly drawn on there, perfect squares and I am ready to actually grid my reference image.

And I'll be showing you that on the next video. So let's recap everything that I went over. The paper that I use is shelf more bristle paper. It's a vellum surface, the 300 series and I will have a link of all the art materials that I use in the description below. When you take out the the paper that a broken board, make sure you're very careful, you don't want to be bending the edges and I like to use the backside of the surface. Now you want to kind of practice with that you want to find out what's going to work best for you.

But I find that for my drawings and the way that I like to add some value, I like to use the back of the paper it's a little bit smoother. And also when you're adding the grid, start off with a straight line that's straight to the edge. If you don't, your grids gonna look crooked. Use a see through real ruler. This will help you to be able to see your lines easier, and also use a harder lead. I use a two h here you can use a two H or four h while you do that, add the graphite on very lightly in at an angle.

Do not press down like this. So you want to have your pencil on an angle going across any angle. Key Point is make sure that you do not touch the drawing surface. You don't want to get your oils on that on a drawn surface because you're not going to be able to do those soft, subtle value changes that we're going to be working on in the future. I hope you had a great time. Have fun drawing your grid and I really look forward to seeing you in the next video.