20250116101319-Underdrawing_as_Art_Scaffold

Underdrawing as Art Scaffold

From “Underdrawing¨ in Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner

Underdrawing means just what it says: putting a preliminary drawing under another that will go on top of it.

Underdrawing is “handy to use as an artistic safety net¨ (Garcia 2003, 42). To underdraw one needs to (Ibid):

From “Underdrawing¨ in Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner

[…] sketch a straight line in pencil as a reference line to guide you when you draw a handle or other symmetrical item, then work right over it with pen, and simply erase your pencil underdrawing afterward.

In addition, when employing underdrawing, “check the sketch on a vertical surface for accuracy, to ascertain its symmetry before putting your detailed drawing on top¨ (Garcia 2003, 43). Don’t forget that symmetry and asymmetry can more generally be assessed by using the framing principle of linear degrees.

drawings sketching sketches observational_drawing underdrawing sketches art visual_art

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bibliography

• Capp, Robbie, ed. “Underdrawing.” In Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner, 42–44. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2003.