Grade 5
Course ContentDrawing
Habari Mwanafunzi! Let's Unlock the Magic of Drawing!
Welcome, future artist! Have you ever looked at a colourful matatu, a beautiful pattern on a kanga, or even the comics in the newspaper and thought, "Wow, I wish I could do that!"? Well, the good news is, you can! Drawing is not magic, it's a skill. Just like learning to ride a bike or cook ugali, with a little practice, you can become amazing at it. Today, we will learn the secrets that all artists use to bring their ideas to life on paper. So grab your pencil and paper, and let's begin our adventure!
Image Suggestion: [A vibrant and cheerful illustration of a diverse group of Kenyan students sitting under an acacia tree, sketching in their notebooks. One student is drawing a giraffe in the distance, another is sketching a flower. The style is colourful and inspiring, with the Kenyan sun shining brightly.]
1. The A-B-C of Drawing: Lines and Shapes
Everything you see around you can be broken down into simple lines and shapes. A tall building is made of rectangles, the sun is a circle, and the great Mount Kenya is made of triangles! To be a good artist, you must first become a master of lines.
- Straight Lines: Used for buildings, roads, and boxes.
- Curved Lines: Used for hills, pots (sufurias), and smiling faces.
- Zigzag Lines: Think of the patterns on a Maasai shuka or a flash of lightning.
- Wavy Lines: Like the ripples of water in Lake Victoria.
Let's see some of these lines:
Straight Line: --------------------
Curved Line: ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zigzag Line: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Wavy Line: (_)(_)(_)(_)(_)
When you join these lines together, you create Shapes. A square is just four straight lines. A circle is one continuous curved line. Look around you right now. What shapes can you see? Is your exercise book a rectangle? Is the clock on the wall a circle?
2. From Flat to Fat! Giving Your Drawings Form with Shading
So, you've drawn a circle. It looks like a flat coin. How do we make it look like a real ball or a round mango? The secret is Shading! Shading is about adding light and shadow (value) to your drawing to make it look three-dimensional (3D).
Imagine a lamp is shining on a mango. The side facing the lamp will be bright, and the side facing away will be dark. That darkness is the shadow. We create this effect using different shading techniques:
- Hatching: Drawing parallel lines close together. The closer the lines, the darker the shadow.
- Cross-Hatching: Drawing one set of lines over another in a different direction (like a #). This makes the shadow even darker.
- Stippling: Using small dots to create shadows. More dots create a darker area.
Look how shading turns a flat circle into a real-looking sphere:
---
/ \ LIGHT
/ \ SOURCE -> O
| - |
| --- | <-- This part is light (Hatching)
| ##### | <-- This part is dark (Cross-hatching)
\##### /
\--- /
---
Image Suggestion: [A clear, educational diagram showing a single avocado. The avocado is split into three sections to demonstrate different shading techniques. One section is shaded with hatching, the middle with cross-hatching, and the third with stippling. Arrows indicate the light source and label the highlights and shadows.]
3. The Artist's Secret: Making Your Drawings Look Real (Perspective)
Have you ever stood on a long, straight road, like the one from Nairobi to Mombasa? The road looks wide where you are standing, but it seems to get smaller and smaller until it disappears in the distance. This is called Perspective, and it's a powerful trick to make your drawings look deep and real.
The simplest type is One-Point Perspective, where all lines seem to go towards one single spot on the horizon, called the 'Vanishing Point'.
Here is a diagram of a road with trees using one-point perspective:
|
Tree | | | Tree
| | |
|\ | /|
| \ | / |
| \ | / |
| \ . / |
| \ (Vanishing / |
| \ Point) / |
------------------------------------ Horizon Line
| \ / |
| \ / |
| \ / |
| \ / |
Tree Road Edge Tree
Notice how the trees closer to us are big, and the ones further away are small? And how the edges of the road meet at the vanishing point? That's perspective in action!
4. Time for Some Math! The Rule of Thirds
Wait, math in an art class? Yes! But it's very simple and fun. A well-balanced drawing is more pleasing to the eye. The Rule of Thirds helps you place the most important parts of your drawing in the right spots.
Imagine your paper is divided into nine equal squares, like a game of tic-tac-toe.
Step 1: Divide your drawing area with 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines.
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| | | |
| | | |
+-----------------(INTERSECTION)----+-----------------+
| | | |
| | | |
+-----------------(INTERSECTION)----+-----------------+
| | | |
| | | |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
Step 2: Place the most important object or person in your drawing
along these lines, or where the lines cross (the intersections).
This creates a more interesting picture than just putting
something in the exact center.
Try drawing a tree or a house on one of these intersections instead of right in the middle. See how it instantly looks more professional?
5. Weka Bidii! Your Drawing Challenge
Now it's your turn to be the artist! Let's draw a simple Kenyan object: a calabash (or gourd). It’s perfect for practicing curves and shading.
- Step 1: The Basic Shape. Lightly draw a shape like a number 8, with a big circle at the bottom and a smaller one on top. Don't worry about it being perfect!
- Step 2: Refine the Outline. Smooth the lines to create the final shape of the calabash. Erase any extra lines you don't need. Add a small circle at the very top for the opening.
- Step 3: Add the Shading. Decide where your light is coming from. Let's say it's from the top right. The top right of the calabash will be the lightest. The bottom left will be the darkest. Use hatching or cross-hatching to add shadows and make your calabash look round and solid.
- Step 4: The Final Touch. Add a shadow on the ground beneath the calabash. This will make it look like it's really sitting on a surface!
A Quick Story: My grandmother in the village used a calabash just like this to drink her *maziwa lala*. She said the patterns and bumps on it told a story of all the seasons it had seen. When you draw something, you are not just copying its shape, you are telling its story!
Keep Practicing! Art is a Journey
Congratulations! You have just learned the fundamental building blocks of drawing. Remember, the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci wasn't born a master; he practiced every single day. The more you draw—the people you see, the trees in your school compound, the utensils in your kitchen—the better you will become.
Art is your voice. Use it to show the world how you see things. Now go forth and create! Tutaonana!
Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the Wonderful World of Drawing!
Have you ever seen the amazing art on a matatu? Or laughed at a clever cartoon in the Daily Nation by Gado? Or maybe you've admired the beautiful patterns on a kiondo or a calabash? All of that starts with one simple, magical thing: Drawing. Drawing is like speaking a language without words. It's about telling stories, sharing ideas, and showing the world what you see in your mind. Today, we are going to learn the secrets of this language together!
What Are the Building Blocks of a Drawing?
Just like building a house requires bricks, cement, and wood, a good drawing is built from a few key ingredients. We call these the Elements of Art. Let's explore them!
-
Line: This is the very first step! A line is simply a dot that went for a walk. Lines can be straight, curvy, zig-zag, or wavy. They can be thick or thin, light or dark. Think about the long, straight railway line to Mombasa, the curvy path of the Tana River, or the sharp, zig-zag peaks of Mount Kenya.
Straight Line: ------------------ Curvy Line: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zig-Zag Line: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Wavy Line: _.-._.-._.-._.-. -
Shape: When a line comes back to meet its beginning, it creates a shape! We have two types:
- Geometric Shapes: These are the ones with names, like circles, squares, and triangles. They are often man-made.
- Organic Shapes: These are free-form shapes found in nature, like the shape of a leaf, a cloud, or the map of Kenya.
***** / \ /\ * * / \ ( ) ***** /_____\ \___/ Square Triangle Organic Shape (a stone) - Form: This is the magic trick of making a flat shape look 3D and solid! How do we do it? By adding light and shadow. A circle becomes a ball (a sphere), and a square becomes a box (a cube).
-
Value (Light & Shadow): Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. To make something look 3D, you must think about where the light is coming from. The side facing the light is bright (highlight), and the side facing away from the light is dark (shadow).
Imagine this: You are looking at a ripe yellow mango hanging on a tree. The morning sun is shining from the left. The left side of the mango will be bright yellow, almost white. The right side, away from the sun, will be a darker, shadier yellow. That difference is Value, and it's what makes the mango look round and real enough to eat!
Light Source ---> // // _--_ /` `\ <-- Highlight / \ | | <-- Mid-tone \ (`) / `\___\/ <-- Core Shadow | (Shadow on Ground) - Texture: This is about how something feels, or how it *looks* like it would feel. Is it rough or smooth? Bumpy or soft? Think of the rough bark of an acacia tree, the smooth surface of a gourd, or the woven texture of a sisal basket. You can show texture in your drawing using different kinds of lines and shading.
Image Suggestion: A vibrant, colourful digital painting of a Kenyan market scene. In the foreground, a woman is weaving a sisal 'kiondo', with the rough texture clearly visible. Next to her are smooth, polished gourds and a pile of mangoes showing highlights and shadows from the sun. In the background, the sharp, jagged peaks of Mount Kenya are visible against a blue sky. The style should be realistic but full of life and bright colours.
Creating Distance: A Little Math Trick Called Perspective!
Have you ever noticed how a long, straight road seems to get smaller and smaller until it disappears in the distance? That's called perspective! It's a technique artists use to create the illusion of depth and space in a flat drawing. Let's learn a simple version called One-Point Perspective.
Here are the steps to draw a road disappearing into the distance:
Step 1: Draw the Horizon Line. This is where the sky meets the land.
----------------------------------------------------------------- (Horizon Line)
Step 2: Pick a Vanishing Point on the horizon line. This is the spot
where everything will disappear.
-----------------------------------X----------------------------- (X = Vanishing Point)
Step 3: Draw two lines (or more) starting wide at the bottom of your
page and meeting at the Vanishing Point. This is your road!
.
/|\
/ | \
/ | \
-------------------------------X---|---X--------------------------
/ | \
/ | \
/ | \
/ | \
Step 4: Add details! Things closer to you are bigger, and things
farther away are smaller. A tree near the bottom will be big,
while a tree near the vanishing point will be tiny. Sawa?
Your Artist's Toolkit
You don't need expensive tools to start drawing. Great artists can create magic with the simplest things!
- Pencils: A simple HB school pencil is perfect to start.
- Paper: Any paper will do! An exercise book, a piece of newsprint, or the back of a calendar.
- Eraser: Not just for mistakes! You can use an eraser to "draw" light areas into a shaded part.
- Charcoal: You can even use a small piece of charcoal from a jiko (once it's cold, of course!). It makes beautiful, dark marks.
Your Turn to Be the Artist!
Now it's time for you to practice. Find a quiet spot and try this simple challenge:
Drawing Challenge: The Kenyan Fruit Bowl
Find one or two of your favourite fruits at home – a mango, a banana, an orange, or an avocado. Place them on a table near a window. Look closely. Where is the light coming from? Where are the shadows? Can you see their shapes and forms? Try to draw them using lines, shapes, and most importantly, value (light and shadow) to make them look solid and real. Don't worry about making it perfect. The goal is to observe and have fun!
Remember, drawing is a skill. Just like a great footballer practices every day, a great artist also practices. Every drawing you do makes you better. So, pick up your pencil and show the world your vision. You are an artist!
Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the Wonderful World of Drawing!
Have you ever looked at a majestic acacia tree against the sunset and wished you could capture that moment forever? Or have you admired the beautiful patterns on a kiondo or a lesso? That magic, my dear student, is the power of drawing! Drawing is not just for famous artists; it's for YOU. It's a way to tell stories, to show what you see in your mind, and to understand the world around you. Tuko pamoja? Let's begin our artistic safari!
What Exactly is Drawing?
At its simplest, drawing is making marks on a surface. That surface can be paper, a canvas, the sand at the beach, or even a digital screen. The marks you make create lines, shapes, and textures that can represent anything you can imagine – from a portrait of a national hero like Wangari Maathai to a simple drawing of a ripe mango from your shamba. It's a universal language that everyone can understand.
Your Artist's Toolkit (Vifaa vya Mchoraji)
To start your journey, you don't need expensive tools. Great art can be made with the simplest things! Here are some basics:
- Pencils: They come in different grades. 'H' pencils are hard and make light lines, while 'B' pencils are soft and make dark, bold lines. A regular HB school pencil is a perfect start!
- Paper: Any paper will do! A sketchbook, an exercise book, or even the back of an old calendar.
- Eraser (Raba): Not just for mistakes! An eraser can be used to create highlights (bright spots) in your drawing.
- Charcoal (Makaa): Our ancestors used charcoal from a fire to draw on cave walls. It’s still a fantastic tool for creating rich, dark drawings.
- Chalk or Ochre Clay: These natural pigments can be used to add colour and are part of our rich artistic heritage in Kenya.
Image Suggestion: A vibrant, sunlit artist's desk in a Kenyan setting. On the desk, there is a mix of modern and traditional drawing tools: graphite pencils of various grades (2B, 6B), a kneaded eraser, a sketchbook open to a drawing of a baobab tree, sticks of charcoal, and small bowls containing red ochre and white chalk powder. A window in the background shows a glimpse of a lush green landscape.
The Building Blocks of Drawing (Nguzo za Mchoro)
Every great drawing, no matter how complicated, is made from a few simple building blocks. Let's learn them!
-
Line (Mstari): A line is the path of a moving point. It can be straight, curvy, thick, thin, or zig-zag! Lines create the outline of objects. Think of the beautiful, flowing lines in Maasai beadwork.
Straight Line: -------------------- Wavy Line: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zig-Zag Line: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Broken Line: - - - - - - - - - - -
Shape (Umbo): When a line closes, it creates a shape. Shapes are flat, or two-dimensional (2D). The map of Kenya is a shape. A leaf is a shape.
+-------+ / \ /-----\ | | / _ \ ( ) | Square| / / \ \ ( Circle) +-------+ /_/ \_\ \-----/ (Triangle) -
Form (Maumbile): This is the magic step! Form is when you make a shape look three-dimensional (3D), like you can hold it. You turn a circle into a ball (sphere) or a square into a box (cube) by adding shading.
Think of a simple circle. It's flat. But if you draw a circle and add shadows and a highlight, suddenly it's no longer just a circle—it's a football, an orange, or the sun! That's Form!
- Tone / Value (Kivuli na Mwangaza): This refers to the lightness or darkness of a colour. By using different tones, you create shadows and highlights, which in turn create the illusion of form and depth. A good drawing will have a range of tones, from brilliant white to deep black.
- Texture (Umbo la Nje): This is how the surface of an object feels or looks like it would feel if you touched it. Is it rough like the bark of a tree, smooth like a river stone, or spiky like a cactus? You create texture using different types of lines and marks.
Magic Tricks of Drawing: Basic Shading Techniques
Shading is what breathes life into your drawings! It's how you create form and texture. Here are a few basic techniques you can practice. Sawa?
- Hatching: Drawing a series of parallel lines. The closer the lines, the darker the tone.
- Cross-Hatching: Hatching, but with another set of lines drawn across the first set. This creates even darker tones.
- Stippling: Creating tones using lots of tiny dots. The more dots you place in an area, the darker it becomes. This takes patience but looks amazing!
- Blending: Using your finger, a piece of paper, or a special tool to smudge the pencil marks, creating a smooth, soft tone.
Hatching Cross-Hatching Stippling
||||||||||||| ############## ::::::::::
||||||||||||| ############## ::::::::::
||||||||||||| ############## ::::::::::
Image Suggestion: A close-up shot of a student's hand drawing four spheres on a piece of paper. Each sphere is being shaded with a different technique: one with clean hatching lines, one with dense cross-hatching, one with detailed stippling, and one being softly blended with a finger. The style should be realistic and educational.
Creating Space: A Simple Look at Perspective
Have you ever looked down a long, straight road, like the one from Voi to Mombasa? The road seems to get narrower and narrower until it disappears in the distance. This is called perspective! It's a technique artists use to create the illusion of depth and distance on a flat piece of paper.
Let's try the simplest form: One-Point Perspective.
- Horizon Line (Mstari wa Upeo): This is a line representing where the sky meets the land or sea.
- Vanishing Point (Sehemu ya Kutowekea): This is a single point on the horizon line where all parallel lines seem to meet and disappear.
Step 1: Draw the Horizon Line and Vanishing Point (VP)
<--------------------------------------------------------> Horizon Line
. VP
Step 2: Draw lines (guidelines) from the VP outwards to create the road.
. VP
/|\
/ | \
/ | \
/ | \
/ | \
/ | \
Step 3: Draw trees or poles along the road. Things closer to you are BIGGER,
and things farther away are SMALLER.
_ . VP
/_\ /|\
/ | \/ | \
/ | / | \
_ / |/ | \
/_\ / | \
/ | \ / | \
/ | / | \
Image Suggestion: A stunning, wide-angle digital painting of a straight tarmac road cutting through the Kenyan savanna (like in Tsavo National Park). The road recedes to a single vanishing point on the horizon. Tall acacia trees line the road, clearly larger in the foreground and progressively smaller as they approach the vanishing point. The sky is a brilliant orange and purple from the setting sun. Faint perspective lines are overlaid to show the horizon and vanishing point.
Let's Get Drawing! (Tuchore Sasa!)
You have learned the theory, now it's time for action! Let's draw a simple Kenyan Hut (Nyumba ya Kienyeji). Grab your pencil and paper!
- Start with Shapes: A hut is made of simple forms. Draw a short, wide cylinder for the walls. On top of that, draw a cone for the grass-thatched roof.
- Add Details: Draw a rectangular shape for the door and maybe a small square for a window.
- Add Texture: Use short, quick lines and strokes on the cone roof to make it look like grass (thatch). Use slightly curvy, uneven lines on the cylinder walls to make them look like mud.
- Add Shading (Tone): Imagine the sun is shining from one side. The side facing the sun will be light. The side away from the sun will be dark. Add shading (using hatching or blending) on the dark side of the walls and under the roof to make your hut look solid and 3D!
Hongera! You are an Artist!
Congratulations! You have just completed your first lesson in drawing. Remember, every great artist started exactly where you are now—with a single line. The most important tool you have is not your pencil, but your eyes and your willingness to practice. Look at the world around you, from the pattern on a butterfly's wing to the shape of the clouds. Draw what you see. Draw what you feel. The more you draw, the better you will become. Keep practicing, and never be afraid to make mistakes, because every mark you make is a step on your amazing artistic journey.
Jambo, Young Artist! Welcome to the Wonderful World of Drawing!
Habari yako? I hope you are ready for an adventure! Drawing is not just about making pretty pictures; it's a powerful way to see the world, tell stories, and share what's in your imagination. Think about the amazing graffiti on a matatu, the beautiful patterns in a kanga, or the incredible wildlife we see in our national parks. All of these can be captured with a simple pencil and paper. Today, we will learn the basic secrets that every artist needs to know. So, grab your pencil, and let's begin this exciting journey together!
1. Your Artist's Toolkit (Vifaa vya Mchoraji)
To start our journey, we don't need expensive or fancy tools. The greatest artists can create masterpieces with the simplest materials. Here’s what you need to begin:
- Pencils: A regular HB school pencil is perfect! If you can find others like a 2B (softer and darker) or a 6B (very soft and very dark), they are great for shading. Think of them as having different "voices".
- Paper: Any paper will do! A sketchbook, an exercise book, or even the back of some old calendar pages. The world is your canvas.
- An Eraser: This is not for mistakes, but for "making changes". It's a tool, just like your pencil. A soft eraser is best so it doesn't tear your paper.
- A Sharpener: A sharp pencil makes a clean, sharp line. Keep your tools ready for action!
Image Suggestion: A top-down photo of simple drawing tools on a weathered wooden desk next to a window with sunlight streaming in. Include a few pencils (HB, 2B), a simple white eraser, a metal sharpener with some shavings, and an open, blank sketchbook. The style should be warm and inviting.
2. The Magic Ingredients of Drawing (The Elements of Art)
Just like a good chef uses different ingredients to cook a delicious meal, an artist uses the Elements of Art to create a beautiful drawing. Let's learn the most important ones for drawing.
- Line: This is the starting point of all drawings! A line is a path made by a moving point. It can be straight like a ruler, curvy like the Tana River, or jagged like the peaks of Mount Kenya.
- Shape: When a line meets its own tail, it creates a shape! We have two types:
- Geometric Shapes: These are precise shapes like circles (think of a chapati), squares (like a window pane), and triangles.
- Organic Shapes: These are free-form, natural shapes, like a puddle of water, a cloud, or a leaf from a jacaranda tree.
Geometric Shapes Organic Shapes
+-------+
| | /\ /`--.
| | / \ / \
+-------+ /____\ ( `'--.
Square Triangle `--. .--'
\ /
`
Leaf / Cloud
- Form: This is the magic of making a flat shape look 3D and solid. How? By adding light and shadow! A circle becomes a ball (mpira), and a square becomes a cube or a box (sanduku).
- Value: This is the lightness or darkness of a colour. In drawing, it’s about how dark or light your pencil marks are. Value is what makes objects look 3D. A good drawing has a full range of values, from bright white highlights to deep, dark shadows.
A Simple Value Scale:
[ ] <-- Lightest (leave paper white)
[:::::::::]
[########:]
[########]
[@@@@@@@@@] <-- Darkest (press pencil hard)
- Texture: This is how an object's surface feels, or how it *looks* like it would feel. Is it rough like the bark of a baobab tree? Smooth like a pebble from Lake Victoria? Or prickly like a cactus? You can show texture using different kinds of lines and marks.
3. The Secret to Shading (Kivuli)
Shading is what breathes life into your drawings! It's how you show Value and create Form. Let's look at a few simple techniques. Practice these in your sketchbook!
- Hatching: Drawing a series of parallel lines. The closer the lines, the darker the value.
- Cross-Hatching: Hatching, but with another set of lines going over it in a different direction. This creates even darker values.
- Stippling: Making lots of little dots. The closer the dots, the darker the area. This takes patience but looks amazing!
- Blending: Using your finger, a piece of tissue, or a special tool called a stump to smudge the graphite, creating a smooth, soft look.
Shading Techniques:
+-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
| //////////| | ++/ /++ / | | . . .. . |
| //////////| | / ++/ /++ | | .. ...::. |
| //////////| |/ /++ / ++ | | ::::::::::|
| //////////| | ++/ /++ / | | ::::::::::|
+-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
Hatching Cross-hatching Stippling
Real-World Example: Look at a simple sufuria in your kitchen. Where does the light from the window hit it? That spot is the brightest (the highlight). The side away from the light is dark. The shadow it casts on the table is even darker. By drawing these different values, you can make a flat circle look like a real, solid pot!
4. A Little Math Magic: The Grid Method
Have you ever tried to draw something, but the head was too big or the legs were too short? Don't worry, it happens to everyone! The Grid Method is a fantastic tool used by artists for centuries to get proportions just right. It’s like a secret map for your drawing.
Here’s how it works:
- Get a simple picture you want to draw (maybe from a newspaper or a photo of a Tusker elephant).
- Using a ruler and pencil, draw a grid of equal squares over the picture. For example, a 4x4 grid.
- On your drawing paper, draw a larger grid with the exact same number of squares (4x4).
- Now, carefully copy what you see in each small square of the photo into the matching large square on your paper. Don't think about drawing an "elephant"; just focus on copying the lines and shapes in one box at a time.
Before you know it, you will have a perfectly proportioned drawing! Let's see the math.
// Let's say your reference photo is 12cm wide x 16cm tall.
// You want to draw it on a larger paper.
// Step 1: Grid on the Photo
// You draw a 4x4 grid.
// Each square's width = 12cm / 4 = 3cm
// Each square's height = 16cm / 4 = 4cm
// So you have a grid of 3cm x 4cm rectangles.
// Step 2: Grid on your Drawing Paper
// Let's say you want the drawing to be twice as big.
// Your drawing's width = 12cm * 2 = 24cm
// Your drawing's height = 16cm * 2 = 32cm
// To keep the proportions, you must also draw a 4x4 grid.
// Each square's width = 24cm / 4 = 6cm
// Each square's height = 32cm / 4 = 8cm
// The Rule: You copy what's in a small 3x4cm box on your photo
// into a larger 6x8cm box on your paper.
Image Suggestion: An inspiring image showing the grid method in use. On the left is a colour photo of a beautiful Maasai woman wearing traditional beaded jewellery, with a faint white grid overlay. On the right is a student's drawing paper with a larger, lightly-drawn pencil grid, where the drawing is halfway complete, perfectly matching the photo square by square.
5. Your Turn to Create! (Mazoezi)
Wow, we have learned so much! You now have the basic tools and knowledge to start drawing anything you want. Remember, the most important thing is to practice. Mazoezi huleta ubingwa (Practice makes perfect)!
Here is your first mission, should you choose to accept it:
- The Humble Object Drawing: Find one simple object in your home. It could be a mug (kikombe), a spoon (kijiko), a shoe, or a mango. Place it under a light source (like a window or a lamp). Try to draw it. First, sketch its basic shapes. Then, look carefully for the light and dark areas (the values) and try to add some shading.
- The Texture Safari: Go for a short walk and become a texture detective! Find three things with different textures (e.g., a rough stone, a smooth leaf, the bumpy pattern on a wall). In your sketchbook, try to draw a small square of each texture. Use different lines and marks to show how they feel.
Never be afraid to make "mistakes". Every line you draw, whether you keep it or erase it, teaches you something. Keep your eyes open, be curious, and draw, draw, draw! You are an artist, and your amazing journey has just begun. Tutaonana!
Pro Tip
Take your own short notes while going through the topics.
