Designing Edges for Beautiful Figure Drawings

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Today we are going to learn about the skill that is like the icing on the cake for your drawings and paintings - edges.
This is not as fundamental as other skills like gesture, forms and values, but it is really fun because it gives you a lot of scope for improving your design by varying edges. Quite often, it's the final piece of the jigsaw that makes an artist's drawings or paintings look the way they want them to look.

[@Ben-gg3dp]

Your stuff is like as close as any human has ever gotten to live instruction (through recorded videos) I've ever seen. So incredibly helpful.

[@demetriocran4123]

I like how you are using examples of varied subject matters. You are an amazing instructor!

[@lovelifedrawing]

Thanks Demetrio! Hope you’ve been well

[@dailydoodle42]

Amazing video, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@lisah336]

It seems like you spend a lot of time planning and executing your videos. Thanks for the great content.

[@marydiesel4469]

Excellent examples and as always, you make it easy to understand, Kenzo. Thanks again!

[@maliceandroid]

I always have trouble with light and shadow so I'm hoping to find techniques through you and other artists that are far better than I am. Looking at your work, you have a lot to teach me and I have a lot to learn from you.

[@neuroticnation144]

I love watching you draw this woman. You draw and erase, draw and erase. It’s soft, rhythmic and beautiful. And so real. So often you see artists draw perfectly in videos as if they never change their mind, or play with trial and error. It teaches how drawing really looks when no one’s watching. You’re not just saying it’s ok, you’re showing it’s normal.

[@delanmorstik7619]

Yes, but after watching tons of different artists draw, I can say that there those that erasing is second nature to, but there also those who draw their lines perfect woth almost no erasing. Then end result is very good either way, but some artist do get to a point where they almost perfectly draw.

[@tmc1324]

Such a crucial video. I'm really excited to start incorporating this thought process into my finished pieces

[@artawhirler]

One thing I have noticed is that most of the KZbin drawing instructors seem to be left-handed.

[@AngryBrother360]

Man your figure drawing has truly developed!. I see all of your influences have been amalgamated into your own style!. You took the best of all of them and combined them!. Quality instruction as usual, great drawing Kenzo!.🎯💯✊🏾

[@lovelifedrawing]

hey thanks!

[@tessarivas6136]

Gracias Kenzo. I'm looking forward to the icing.

[@stevelenores5637]

I like this video a lot. When I spend a long time on a drawing that I want to show others, edges, shading, and contrast, for me, gives it a professional touch. IMO

[@lrose1046]

i love your videos for two reasons, your art teaching skills, and your hotness. just being honest.

[@yopomdpin6285]

Never quite wrapped my head around edges... Like theoretically ? I know it by heart But practically ? Every time I try to have hard edges, it just feel too sharp and weird, while my soft edges are... well too soft and I either gotta a mess or a no edge anymore. Extremely frustrating

[@lovelifedrawing]

hmm yeah that's tricky - perhaps doing studies of your favourites and trying to recreate their edges would be a good exercise

[@violescent]

Hey! I love your advice but I am concerned about your sharpening technique. When doing this, you are creating lots of tiny little particles that you will breath in, which can be unhealthy. Research it yourself but I think it is dangerous to promote doing this without a dust mask.

[@sandhyas9364]

Great video Kenzo! This is enticing!! Still working on the basic skills but this final skill is like a beacon. Your explanations and illustrations are so lucid summing up what we learned in the study group. As always enjoying this journey with you.

[@OwnyOne]

I'm amazing with values but my forms are terrible :')

[@sueizzard4358]

Really helpful, one of those skills that we very much have to learn when to emphasise an area and when not to, lots of practice I think.

[@TocharaehD]

Man, if I can ever make it over the pond and study under you for a week that will be the dream.

[@thegurch7313]

Start swimming.. it’ll be worth it but your paper might get wet.

[@residentevilzzz3352]

De dechets et du sang... ...brulant... ...tus.... Of offal and of the blood... ...burning... ...still.... it is free with kindle unlimited it is a collection of English/French poems and short stories hope you like something if you read Here is one of the poems it is a poetic interpretation of head of a dead young man painting by theodore gericault Head of a dead young man Beneath a canvas coarse and crass, the head of a young man upon a cushion soft and of care; feminine chin; upon the lower lip the blood of God; fine nose; hair of an infant here...and...down there; upon his front, the sublime illumination, that descends, intimately as though of ivory flame.... ...when, of lavender and of rose, ascending vaguely towards the exegetic darkness, the offal; disclosed thus, profound and grave, an immense lesion, as though of a dolourous ulcer...from where all comes...where all returns....

[@mmedeuxchevaux]

Please do more videos on shading.

[@jumpfourjoy8053]

Great lesson

[@ginny6365]

Helpful! You go Kenzo. I could really benefit from practicing this information.🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨

[@kimstepney9370]

Trying to find Vynillus (example used at 3:03) -- anyone have a link to this artist? Thanks.

[@alexcameron_]

What a beautiful drawing? Many thanks for the tips I will be trying this out, definitely.

[@whatifitnt]

Amazing!!! Who would have thought ? Thank you soooo much!!!💖💗

[@kikolektrique1737]

Oooohhh me likey!

[@kasiako355]

Wow, what a great video, very informative! Thank you so much for sharing 💖

[@sinesolesoleo5474]

Thank you for another helpful explanation, I always forget to vary the edges. I like how you put things into context and emphasize the priorities. I've learned so much from your videos, your courses and your other resources. Thanks again.

[@gigiartstudiowithartistvir3919]

As a painter, I'm always being mindful of values, almost more so than color, and I keep telling myself to remember lost and found edges. When I want to paint a subject from a reference photo, I will do a value study first.

[@robinjourdan3847]

I’d love to see you push this idea into sculptures. Please and Thank You!

[@richardbaeyens1313]

Hello, first thanks for the sharing really. A question, is it free for the inscription on your website. Again thanks.👍👋 From Belgium.

[@lovelifedrawing]

Hey Richard we have some free and some paid stuff. Try a free community account - lots of great stuff in there

[@c.caub5315]

Excellent

[@Don_Matteo]

That word drawRing gets me every time

[@Raeburnsart]

i love drawing Catherine she is one of my absolute fave models! And I love your explanation of soft and hard edges... always marvelled by this practice in painting and in drawing. I've been exploring this illusive concept for awhile now, it is just one of my absolute favourite skills in art! A must! i have 3 tips i tell myself in my head when drawing --- 1# look for the place of emphasis -- eg where weight or movement is going -- moving arm, resting leg, pushing hip etc also look for planes that come forward or move back-- stuff that is coming forward is perfect for hard edges! #2 look for the hardest lights: there will be naturally harder edges where shadow and light meet bonus #3 get into sculpting out the terminator line - this is very stylistic but if you can work out how to get negative shapes using the terminator you will find your drawings create amazing illusions. As an artist --- its all a bit of experimentation ...but keeping more things soft than they are hard will make those harder edges pop the best! Vynillus's sketch is a wonderful example how you can really pull away a lot of detail and utilize the hard and soft to a point that your brain will fill in the rest! thanks for the video Kenzo

[@lovelifedrawing]

great comment!

[@Raeburnsart]

Appreciate it! I've learnt a lot from you Sir! @@lovelifedrawing

[@deetessmann2510]

Great explanation (and video editing!)

[@lulboiking5806]

Greate videoss Mann!!!! Keep it up!!

[@jacquelinerock9770]

Another fantastic video, very informative and captivating drawing. Will you do any more live draw alongs? I loved these and miss them very much 💚

[@lovelifedrawing]

no current plans Jacqueline, but i will note that you would like to see them restarted! i was mainly just doing them for ppl to feel connected during the pandemic

[@vuethao8980]

It makes sense to me now. Thanks Kenzo.

[@andrewabney2129]

Where do you get your references?

[@nelsonx5326]

artist named vynillus

[@rgrantconacher5300]

Splendid thanks

[@karenburns3269]

Beautiful

[@Daily_Digital_Drawing_D.D.D]

Excellent examples😄