How to draw & paint faster: 15 tips for high school Art students

Last Updated on February 8, 2017

Are you lot struggling to get your Art projects washed on time? Some students – even those who are dedicated and hard-working – observe it challenging to work at the pace required in a Visual Art course. The skilful, perfectionist educatee usually falls into this category; those who produce meticulous, highly-detailed observational drawings or paintings. Parents and teachers can be unsure how to provide practical, positive strategies for improvement. This article lists 15 ways that a high school Art student can work faster, without compromising the quality of their work.

one. Utilise a ground

There are many benefits to working on a ground. Ane of these is increased painting or drawing speed. A basis covers a painting or drawing surface from the get-go. Information technology tin deed every bit mid-tone, with only black and white used to apply night and light areas (as in the examples below) or be left partially visible in the final piece of work. This results in an artwork that is much faster to consummate (see our article nigh painting on grounds for more information).

An A Level Art portrait past Mariam Shafei-Sabett from Dame Alice Owen's School, Hertfordshire, England and a educational activity exemplar from Amiria Robinson:

The beautiful A Level portrait on the left has been completed upon a stake brownish ground (this provides a mid-tone skin colour and is also left visible in the background). On the right, a wash of ochre, blue and brown provides a background to the drawing black and white pencil drawing.

two. Incorporate mixed media /patterned surfaces / textural elements

As with using a basis, patterned, decorative or textural items can cover areas of an artwork rapidly. Although this strategy should be used with intendance, selecting simply materials which support or enhance your project (usually with reference to a relevant artist model) this tin be a smashing way to speed up your projection and introduce artistic use of mixed media.

Two AP Studio Art (Concentration) pieces past Alyssa Church from Bingham Loftier Schoolhouse, South Hashemite kingdom of jordan, Utah, United States:

Exploring fairy tales (the 'Princess and the Pea' and 'Rumpelstiltskin', these well-equanimous works let the student to demonstrate observational cartoon skills in certain areas of the artwork, while saving time past covering other areas with mixed-media patterned surfaces.

Domestic Violence series by artist Scott Waters:

Artist Scott Waters produces gripping paintings on a range of establish surfaces, including wallpaper, postcards and romantic paperback volume covers. Note that the chosen surfaces are integral to the message in the work; the shattering of domestic bliss.

Please read this article for more than exciting ideas well-nigh how to use mixed media inside your piece of work.

iii. Work on several pieces at once

Working in series – completing several paintings or drawings at one time – is a very helpful strategy for Art students. This speeds work up for a number of reasons:

• A single colour can be used throughout a number of works, without needing to cease for remixing / washing brushes
• While one work is drying, some other one can be worked on
• Similar processes or techniques can be mastered quickly and repeated on subsequent works

In improver, when working on several pieces at once, 'preciousness' about the piece of work tends to be lost, leading to more than experimentation and greater work speed.

The studio of artist Willem de Kooning:

These photos of Willem de Kooning's studio show several works in progress pinned to the wall and scattered across the floor. Although creating a glorious working environment such as this is not possible in near loftier schools, many Painting classrooms accept pocket-size pin board alcoves which can be used to display work in progress.

4. Paint things in the correct order – background areas get-go

Painting things in an illogical order is surprisingly common amidst high school Fine art students. In near all cases, the background should be completed first, followed past the middle-footing, ending with the foreground. This is easily understood when because a tree in forepart of a cloudy sky. If you brand the fault of painting the tree first, the heaven has to be meticulously painted effectually every leaf and co-operative: an irritating task that takes hours (and ends upward looking a little shabby). Painting the sky first, however, ways that a large castor can chop-chop be used to pigment the sky, with the tree and so hands added over the peak. Painting in the right order also results in a painting that has layers (which gives it a richness and lustre, as with using a basis). If y'all detect that subsequent layers of paint do not adequately embrace before ones, you accept an inferior brand of paint. (We will detail our paint and art supply recommendations in an upcoming commodity – stay tuned)!

Notation: Once y'all understand how to build up a painting in layers, you will realise that often this involves drawing items in stages besides.

Paintings past artist Susan Danko:

These vibrant, architecturally-inspired abstruse works by Susan Danko are a prime example of an artwork that must exist painted in a logical order. These paintings would accept been uncommonly wearisome had the rays of light had been painted first.

5. Use masking tape to create straight edges

Some students are concerned that information technology might be necessary to 'testify' that a directly line can be painted by manus. This is not the case. Your control of a pigment castor can be ascertained immediately by looking at the balance of your painting. Masking tape creates straight edges in seconds. Once mastered, this trick tin can save y'all hours – and make your paintings sharper, cleaner and more professional person in the process. If you oasis't used masking tape before, purchase some at present!

This painting is by Amiria Robinson (me):

Enlarged details of this seascape painting can be seen to the right. All of the direct lines were created using masking record.

six. Leave artwork purposefully incomplete

Artist piece of work is sometimes purposefully 'unfinished'.Fine art students shouldn't feel obliged to 'complete' every item. There are many occasions when a fully rendered drawing is non necessary. Drawings, especially those in sketchbooks, can be left with edges trailing abroad and tone only practical to some areas. Leaving work unfinished is particularly useful when conducting visual research, exploring ideas and experimenting with media. Depending on your artist influences, this may even be appropriate in concluding works – as a manner to describe attending to focal points and directly attention within an artwork.

Notation: This should not be used as justification for avoiding homework tasks ready by your teacher!

Jim Dine's tool drawings:

Jim Dine is an outstanding artist to use with heart and high school Art students. His charcoal tool drawings combine precise, belittling outlines (which fade abroad and are incomplete in places) with perfectly rendered areas and gestural, and expressive mark-making in some of the negative spaces left around the tools.

Drawings by Megan (left), Parrish (top correct) and Anna (lesser right) from the Art Department of Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, North Carolina, Usa:

Completed equally part of the high school qualification AP Studio Art (second Design) these drawings are purposefully rendered in pocket-size areas only, creating accent and directing vision.

7. Omit parts of a scene

Deliberately picking out sure parts of a scene to describe has a strong bear upon on the final piece of work and must exist used with care to ensure that the resulting paradigm supports the ideas explored in your project. As with the previous pick, this allows you to demonstrate strong observational drawing skills, while saving time by omitting role of the scene.

A graphite pencil drawing by Langdon Graves:

This contemporary drawing by artist Langdon Graves involves carefully selected regions of a confront: well-balanced curving forms of an ear, eye and glasses.

An A Level Art drawing by Madeleine Ferns:

Eliminating certain areas of a scene is a dramatic mensurate that brings immediate focus to an artwork. This drawing by high school student Madeleine depicts merely men walking down a street – with all aspects of the surrounding obscured. This immediately suggests monotony; the daily grind; living on autopilot; and carrying out the daily routine without always stopping to notice the world passing by.

8. Selectively flatten tone

Another option that students take is to flatten tone – to remove the smooth blending gradations from dark to light. This strategy should be used with caution – and usually only in certain areas – as unintentionally flattening tone can be the hallmark of a weak student. As indicated by the artist examples below, however, there are times when all or parts of the tonal variation within an artwork tin can exist omitted with great success.

'No one wants to play SEGA with Harrison Ford' past artist Brandon Bird:

In this contemporary oil painting depicting Harrison Ford, artist Brandon Bird carefully positions iii realistically rendered figures and a SEGA games organisation upon a wide flat area of tone (interestingly this is bachelor in prints with different coloured backgrounds). This eliminates unnecessary clutter and swiftly focuses the attention of the viewer.

Cocky portraits from Annemarie Busschers' 'Across Grief' serial:

The faces in Annemarie Busschers' cocky-portraits are stunningly rendered, with farthermost attention given to fine details and irregularities of peel. The hair and body are pale; the pilus near completely devoid of tone. This pushes all attention to the face; the plough of the lips; the emotion in the eyes.

9. Focus on Line

There are many occasions where information technology may exist appropriate for a high school student to describe using only line (information technology is often the application of tone that is time-consuming for students, so working exclusively with line tin can provide a welcome relief). Blind drawings, contour drawings, cantankerous contour drawings and other hatched drawings (delight see our drove of beautiful line drawings for ideas) can form an important office of your project.

Notation: Information technology is usually necessary to demonstrate an ability to employ tone at some betoken to examiner, so information technology is not wise to exclude tone from your project altogether.

A Level Fine art sketchbook pages by Annie Jones:

This A Level Art projection uses line to prove circuitous architectural details; drawings applied over beautiful mixed media layers, which helps to create rich, visually interesting sketchbook pages.

Contemporary drawings by creative person Federico Infante:

These works by creative person Federico Infante contain a focus on line (in this example used to create residual later-image effects) with tone applied in sure areas only. This helps to draw the viewer in to the world of the key effigy, then nosotros share the emotion of this captured moment in time.

ten. Include photographs

While there is a certain quantity of painting and drawing that must take identify inside a Painting or Fine Art portfolio, photography can provide an excellent mechanism for moving a project forward at a faster step.

An AS Art sketchbook page by Littlemissnoface:

Photography can be used every bit a tool to develop limerick, as in the beautiful AS Sketchbook pages above. Rather than ordinary snapshots of source material, the photographs here are complex digital manipulations, which help refine ideas and compositions.

In improver to helping with composition planning, photography can be collaged into artworks or used as painting ground (but not as a machinery for fugitive observational drawing – this is perceived by examiners every bit adulterous). If the photograph remains visible in the terminal work, less pigment needs to be applied, thus speeding up the art-making process.

Painting on photographs by artist Charlotte Caron:

These artworks by Charlotte Caron show animal faces painted on pinnacle of photographic portraits. Note the clever unity of the colours in each image.

11. Progress to abstract (or semi-abstract)

Producing abstract piece of work is often the starting time solution that comes to mind for those who work slowly; students can be fearful that this will not allow them the opportunity to demonstrate strong observational skills. The solution is to produce abstract work that is derived from before realistic works, as in the A* A Level example below by Hania Cho:

This project begins with precise, meticulous realistic drawing, moves towards impressionism and finally abstraction. This allows a student to benefit from speed in the later stages of the work, while withal having the opportunity to flaunt superb observational drawing skill.

Another equally successful strategy is to incorporate realistic elements with abstract works, creating a work that is part realistic, part abstract.

Part of an AS Art examination by Nikau Hindin:

Excerpts from this AS Art exam show realistically depicted rotting fruit (partially complete, with edges abaft away) painted upon a rich, torn, abstruse background.

12. Use a bigger brush

In that location is something surprisingly liberating about painting with a bigger brush – especially if y'all have previously worked at a microscopic calibration, picking out detail the size of a pin prick. You will soon notice that it is only as easy to achieve clean edges with a larger castor and that an unexpected level of detail can exist accomplished. Most savour picking up a larger brush – even if this simply becomes a mode for creating grounds and applying groundwork layers.

Daily paintings by creative person Cathleen Rehfeld:

Cathleen Rehfeld paints a new painting each twenty-four hour period and shares it on her blog. Information technology is evident that a larger brush does non impinge upon your ability to record tone, capture lighting conditions or render course: rather, information technology creates refreshingly raw and soulful images: painterly snapshots in time.

13. Exist more gestural

Instead of artwork being a laborious process that grinds abroad for days, images tin can be created quickly, using rich, expressive marker-making. Those who have only produced realist, tightly controlled drawings usually have some time to adapt to this approach and not all students notice it piece of cake; selection of the correct cartoon tools and mediums can assistance. Charcoal, chunky 5mm broad graphite leads, Indian ink, big brushes and paint applied with pieces of menu all lend themselves to gestural marker-making (please read Beyond the Brush: Inventive Mixed Media Techniques if you are looking for more ideas). Even if this mode of working is not your preference and not something you wish to pursue, it can be useful to practise, particularly when planning compositions and drawing from life.

Paintings by artist Jason Shawn Alexander:

These stunning paintings by Jason Shawn Alexander take tighter, more realist faces, with surrounding areas condign gradually more gestural and abstract. This is a superb strategy for creating focal points and creating rich, gutsy images that control attention.

Compositional sketches and a terminal painting by artist Edward Hopper:

Even if a final work is realistic and tightly controlled, compositional sketches can be much rougher. This is an fantabulous method of working, when chop-chop testing and trialling ideas.

14. Trace or photocopy your ain drawings

Tracing is frowned upon in well-nigh circumstances (see our article nigh observational cartoon for more than on this), still there are occasions when tracing is a valuable strategy in a high school Art project. For example, a compositional program could exist rapidly enlarged on a photocopier and traced/modified as required, instead of beingness redrawn at a larger scale; an existing drawing could be traced or photocopied in gild to trial application of a different medium or technique (this should be kept to a minimum, withal, to ensure that your work doesn't get too repetitive); echo patterns could exist traced; or different drawings could be overlaid and arranged together, tracing the composite work.

A Level Art Coursework by Nikau Hindin:

You will note that the figure at the far right in the outset work has been repeated in both works. A number of other time-saving strategies accept also been used in the second piece of work, such every bit painting on a basis, fading images away, using line simply in places and incorporating abstract elements.

fifteen. Use digital manipulation

Scanning existing artworks and editing and combining these with other artworks holds exciting promise for Painting / Fine Art students. Once a educatee has practised using image manipulation software (such as Adobe Fireworks or Photoshop) creating images and then printing them can be a very fast way to create astonishing artworks.

Digitally manipulated images from Nikau Hindin's A Level Art Coursework Project:

These images were created in Photoshop, using scanned images of paintings that were digitally overlaid using different transparencies, with text added. Professionally printed onto high quality paper, these works integrate seamlessly with other mitt-generated works.

Did these tips help?

If you found this article helpful or know others who would do good from reading this, delight share it using the social media buttons below!

Note: If your trouble is not speed but procrastination, you may also benefit from reading How to Finish Procrastinating and Get Your Art Homework Washed.

Amiria has been an Art & Design instructor and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the form pattern and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Course Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Educational activity. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Pattern Coursework Assessor.

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Source: https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/how-to-draw-and-paint-faster