The Grid Method

Years ago, I did a portrait of Willie Nelson for my father.  I began in the way I normally do;  freehand.  I was seriously struggling.  Belonging to many great artist message boards (my favorite is Artpapa.com forums ), I posted my frustrations.  I was led to a technique that I was quite honestly, not looking forward to trying.  The Grid Method.  Drawing is challenging enough and now they want me to add math to it?  For real?  Still, I had to at least try.  I bought this:  Paint By Grids.  When  opened it up, I was extremely intimidated.  All of those squares.  Plus, now I would have to draw a grid - and make it perfect - before I could even begin.  I hated it.

Still, I did as the instructions asked.  This was one time in my life where I was thanking my mother for her very strict attention to details.  This was a woman that used a slide rule to cut Christmas wrapping paper.  "Measure twice, cut once" I learned from both of my folks!  I got the grid down onto paper.  With a few minor recalculations, I was ready to start.

In a nutshell, the Grid Method is a way to draw shapes.  Shapes inside squares.  The smaller the squares, or grid, the more details you draw. You place a template in the same measurements as the grid you are using to draw on top of a reference photo.  I learned in school that if you truly wish to draw realistic things, simply turn your reference photo upside-down.  That way, you don't see the face, but the shapes that make up the fave.  Still,  I found this technique very tedious and, well, stressful.  Art ain't fun when it's stressful.  This was to be a gift for my father.  I had to finish.  Here is a photo of the beginning:

This took me two solid weeks of drawing to complete.  Here is the (finally) finished portrait:

For Dad.

  I admit that while this is, in my opinion, the best sketch I've ever done, as much as I dislike using it, the Grid Method is, indeed, the way to go to get that realistic portrait.  Maybe someday I'll try it out again.

So, with that being said, the reason I even brought this subject up is that my son, Alex, came home from school on Friday with things to show me.  For whatever reason, his teacher will not let his students bring home their artwork until the end of the school year.  I am NOT having that.  So, Alex snuck this home for me to see on Friday:

 

This is his very first time drawing using the Grid Method.  I tell you, I almost wept.  This led to a pretty cool conversation with my kid about drawing and art in general.  Proud?  No words.  

What else is really cool about this is the fact that the one thing I would draw anywhere I could, no matter where I was... was the eye.  He is so my child.  

Until next time,

Keep drawing!