A sketch of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"
The painter Leonardo Da Vinci has always been revered as a true master. Yet even an amateur sketch artist can enjoy emulating many of the techniques on display in Da Vinci's art. Translating your favorite Da Vinci painting into a sketch may be easier than you think.
Instructions
1. Express calmness and humanism in your subject's pose. Stress is not a feeling that most of us feel when we look at a Leonardo Da Vinci painting. Rather, we tend to feel more relaxed. One of the reasons for this is that Leonardo Da Vinci posed his subjects either in calm situations or in ways that permitted their body language to express emotion. Few of his subjects are subjugated to violence. Indeed, very few muscles are even flexed in his sketches and paintings.
2. Establish perspective by blending images in the background discretely with images in the foreground. All images in Da Vinci paintings appear to be reasonably focused, whether they are resting in the foreground or the background. However, foreground images are emphasized with more brushstrokes and a greater attention to detail. If you want to sketch like Da Vinci, study his use of perspective, and practice blending background and foreground images in a way that will leave both in focus.
3. Employ crosshatching techniques. Today's sketch artist uses a wide variety of tools and techniques, including computer applications. In Da Vinci's day, a sketch was accomplished with good old-fashioned elbow grease. In order to shade images in his sketches, Da Vinci used pen and ink to draw lines close together and crosswise on top of each other. Using these same crosshatching techniques will give your sketch some of the same charm that Da Vinci's sketches exhibit.
4. Blend reality with fantasy. One of the things that has always intrigued viewers of Da Vinci's art is that he found a way to give fantasy a home in 3-dimensional settings. His religious paintings, for example, do not strive for accuracy in their representation as much as they aspire to present scenes that are awe-inspiring and aesthetically pleasing. Others, such as "Venus and Cupid," portray subjects who are mythical. Thus, when sketching in the Da Vinci style, permit a little fantasy to seep into your work.
5. Personalize your drawing. Leonardo Da Vinci is certainly a luminary in the world of art. Students and imitators strive to emulate his every brushstroke. However, reverence does not tend to produce quality art. Rather, admiration is a more suitable starting point when you begin your own sketch. While admiring Da Vinci's style, let your own personality be expressed in the work as well. This will breathe life into your work and give it a chance to surprise you.
