25 Days to Better Drawings: The Grid Technique
This course features:
10 Hours of Instruction
25 Videos
24 eBooks
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Lesson Description
Learn how to use the grid technique to accurately capture any subject in a drawing when working from a photo reference. Create a drawing of a portrait with graphite pencils.
Lesson Materials
H and 2B graphite pencils, ruler, kneaded eraser, and white drawing paper.
Lesson Resources
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Reference Image
Reference Image (with grid)
Course Curriculum
Lesson 1: Materials and Mindset (10:07)Lesson 2: Drawing with Lines (25:29)Lesson 3: Drawing Ellipses (18:26)Lesson 4: Drawing with Shapes (15:56)Lesson 5: Line Quality (13:10)Lesson 6: Cross Contour Lines (11:32)Lesson 7: Shading with Line (38:49)Lesson 8: Value (10:52)Lesson 9: Light and Shadow (11:58)Lesson 10: Drawing Basic Forms (17:25)Lesson 11: Drawing with Forms (21:12)Lesson 12: Texture Study #1 (28:54)Lesson 13: Texture Study #2 (49:20)Lesson 14: Texture Study #3 (17:31)Lesson 15: The Illusion of Space (16:33)Lesson 16: One Point Perspective (46:39)Lesson 17: Two Point Perspective (48:35)Lesson 18: Three Point Perspective (54:30)
Lesson 19: Sighting, Measuring, and Mapping (10:02)Lesson 20: Positive and Negative Space (8:13)Lesson 21: The Grid Technique (11:07)Lesson 22: Basic Facial Proportions (41:52)Lesson 23: Figure Drawing (1:03:53)Lesson 24: Drawing in Reverse (16:29)Lesson 25: Conclusion / Final Exercise (3:56)
I loved the idea of using the grid technique to help with value. In the past I always used the grid to define the shapes and placements of defined areas in the object. Thanks for creating these lessons.
Thank you Matt for the very interesting and engaging exercise! I found it a lot easier to do this exercise by magnifying the photo reference to focus on one square at a time. I won’t be able to see the ‘big picture’, therefore won’t be misguided by my thinking. When working on values this method is useful too as the contrast of values is clear and I won’t be confused by what the colour of the object might be.
When doing the grid technique is it alright to use a proportional divider?
What brand of graphite pencils are you using? Mine are not giving me the look I want.
Hi Kim,
I like Derwent Graphic graphite pencils, but there are many brands that are high quality.
How do you use a grid online same or are their other advantages
Hi Pam,
I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking. Can you elaborate?
Hi Matt,
I would like to introduce myself. In a few months i will be eighty years old, Belgian living in London, i am a starter and very slow, therefore forget me doing it in an hour.
i love your course and made an emance progress. Today i found it difficult because i never did this before, a real challenge especially the hair. I am very patience and stubborn, i finish what i start, well at the end i usually get there.
I finished course twenty one, i have another four to go.
Now my question is: what would you advice for my next course.
Thanks in advance.
Christiane
Grids I have used before without much joy however this way number’s also letter’s really did help me not only to understand the concept of proportions in an drawing , also the tonal values too!
I am loving all of these lessons you really have inspired me to draw more as iv sometimes avoided it for fear of spoiling a portrait or any painting I do !
I would fully recommend your lessons to anyone who wants to improve skills at any level!
They are so good to follow & have all the tools you need to show the way !
Jan
Absolutely enjoyed that lesson. I’ve not used grids since school. I’ve never managed portraits. He had a strong resemblance, I was really pleased. Would love to nail portraits!
Thank you 😀
*she!!
Hi Matt,
I am interested in drawing birds and drawing flowers. I have taken a number of zoom bird drawing classes and field journaling classes with Cornell School of Ornithology this year in addition to your 25 Days to Better Drawing. I have been having trouble with the angle of a bird’s tail and thought that if I used a grid it would be helpful but wasn’t sure how to do this. I really liked lesson 21 using a grid was very helpful and it was easier to draw a face in increments. In my next bird drawing I am going to use a grid to help with the angle and placement of a bird’s tail. Thank you for this lesson and all of the previous lessons. All of them have been helpful.
Hi, Matt, I’m very new to Virtual Instructor and I have loved learning from it over my Christmas break from teaching school(kindergarten). I’ve used the grid method for a pastel project of my grandson this week, but I haven’t listened to this lesson yet, because I’m only on Lesson 9, and don’t want to go out of order. If this question is answered in the lesson, I’m sorry. Just tell me that I’ll find the answer there. Otherwise, I would appreciate your input here. Is there an accurate, but simple way, to decide what size to make the grid squares to fit in a certain size mat or frame? I worked from a page size picture for my grandson, but the half size was a little too small. I’m getting ready to do a pastel dog for a friend, and I want to make the head bigger than the photo reference, but don’t know how to make it fit nicely into a 5×7 mat for an 8×10 frame. Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Jean,
Yes, just think in terms of equal proportions. You could resize the reference photo using a photo editing program on your computer – like GIMP or Photoshop. Then crop the image to be a proportional size to the final drawing. For example, if you wish for your final drawing to be 11″ by 14″, you could make your photo reference 5.5″ by 7″. This would mean that every 1″ square on your reference would correlate with a 2″ square on your gridded drawing paper.
This has been fantastic. I had trouble with the mouth in lesson 21, and my girl looks mean rather than young and innocent. I’m thinking it is in the set of the eyes, mouth and my shading. Any suggestions?
This has been a great lesson. My completed drawing looks rather mean rather than young and innocent. I think it in the eyes, mouth and my shading. Any suggestions?