plate no. 1761
Snow River
Sergey Ryabchenko, 1979
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the overall composition, focusing on the placement of the trees and the horizon line.
- step 02
Establish the darkest areas of the drawing, such as the tree trunks and shadowed areas of the riverbank.
- step 03
Begin adding mid-tones to the water and sky, using horizontal strokes to suggest the flatness of the water.
- step 04
Develop the texture of the foliage using short, broken lines and varying pressure.
- step 05
Add details to the tree branches, paying attention to their overlapping structure.
- step 06
Refine the reflections in the water, mirroring the shapes and values of the trees and sky.
- step 07
Adjust the overall tonal balance, adding darker values where needed to create depth and contrast.
- step 08
Add final details and highlights to enhance the realism of the drawing.
color palette
primary · graphite · charcoal
secondary · white (paper)
Varying pressure and blending techniques create different shades of gray.
techniques
- ·hatching
- ·cross-hatching
- ·blending
- ·tonal shading
- ·rendering reflections
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the drawing and losing the freshness of the initial sketch.
- →Making the reflections too perfect and unnatural.
- →Failing to create enough contrast between light and dark areas.
- →Not varying line weight to create depth.
materials
surface · drawing paper
required
- ·graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B)
- ·drawing paper
- ·eraser
- ·pencil sharpener
- ·kneaded eraser
- ·blending stump
optional
- ·charcoal pencils
- ·tortillon
- ·ruler
Use a smooth or slightly textured drawing paper for best results.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
related guides
in this vein
