This is part 9 of the series How to Draw Better Immediately – The Definitive Guide.
When drawing curves it can be challenging to hold in mind the exact direction and appearance of more than a single curve at a time. It’s better to focus on just one at a time, as holding in mind multiple curves simultaneously can be really confusing!
You will find it helpful to think through details about height and direction within separate statements…
Here are some examples of questions or thoughts that you might find useful:
- “How far up is this curve travelling, compared to the half-way mark on my guideline?”
- “This curve is way higher than the one next to it, but by how much? Does it reach the half-way mark?”
- “Is this curve steep and fast, or low, slow and flat?”
- “Hmmm, this one is so much wider at the top than the bottom. I wonder how wide it is? Oh, now I can see that it is at least twice as wide, perhaps more.”
On the other hand, you may find ideas such as these arising in your mind:
- “This curve is bending towards my window, whilst this one is curving towards my kitchen door.”
- “This curve is really leaning towards my bookcase.”
- “This curve is long, flowing and beautiful – how graceful! I’m coming to realize that I actually love drawing curves.”
- “Look at these long, beautifully flowing curves.” “
- These ones look like fast swirly spaghetti curves – what fun!”
