Here’s another video tutorial created by a professional artist:

When I first started to implement the techniques that I learned in “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards, I found that using certain tools allowed me to understand the drawing process and I was able to draw more effectively and efficiently.

These tools are the disposable grid frame (DGF) and grid drawing paper (GDP). These tools are available in most art supply stores but they are also very easy to make yourself as you will see as you read the rest of the article.

Disposable Grid Frame

What I did here was I created a power point presentation and drew a box with an interior dimension of 4” x 6”. Then I drew another box around it and filled it with black to create the frame. Then I enabled the view grid lines feature. Then I dragged lines onto the grid lines to create a 4 x 6 grid of 24 cells. Then I line filled all of the lines in black. Then I printed it out on a transparency sheet. I then used the transparency sheet to frame and compose the image that I planned to draw.  Feel free to save this (right click>save image as…) for your own use.Grid Drawing Paper

For the grid drawing paper I made a duplicate of the power point slide that I used for the DGF above. Then I selected each line and changed the line fill color to light blue so that the grid lines appear very faint when the drawing paper is printed. I print one page in color and use it as the original. I then run off as many copies as I need (usually 20 at a time).    Save it  and use it if you want.

Things to Consider When Using These Tools:

• Use a lightbox or a window with a good light source to check your work as you progress.
• Make sure you have an eraser and a pencil sharpener handy
• Keep a ruler handy. You can use your pencil or a yellow sticky sheet to make rough measurements to determine where lines and shapes start in relationship to the edges of the frame and within the cells.
• Make note of where certain things fall within the grid. Where does the eye fall on the grid? How about the ear? How about the bottom of the chin. Mark them on your drawing paper.

Here’s an example of a photo framed with the DGF:

Here’s how it ended up looking in the cartoon:

Final Words

Using a grid to draw is like using training wheels to learn how to ride a bike. I used a grid for a little over a month and then all of a sudden I didn’t need to use grids any more.