How to Simplify Details WhenYou Draw

[@jazzmusician46]

Thanks once again Stephen. It’s great to see ‘sketchy’ approaches to your work compared to others meticulously drawn.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Graeme. Yes, it can be fun and I think helpful to cultivate a gestural style. 😀

[@satharthajam6662]

Stephen, your hand/drawing skills is truly breathtakingly amazing. Your observation & perception is what stands out and as I have always been told, to be a good artist/illustrator/painter one must have an eagles eye and observe the details, followed by practice, practice, practice. Thanks once again for your lucid explanations and simplification of what appears daunting. Must get on with practicing and honing my skills. 👌👍💯

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Sathar for your generous words. I am pleased you are motivated to keep drawing. Have fun. 😀

[@DesignDrawDo]

Stephen, your videos are really making me fall in love with drawing again. I think ive felt quite stagnant and so have moved more towards painting urban sketches as they feel more vibrant (which is true in some senses) but your drawings have so much life in them and theyre really making me want to improve my drawings!! Tysm

[@stephentraversart]

This is so great to hear. I hope you have fun with your drawing. 😀

[@thepiperandthedrummer7826]

I’ve been drawing things whilst on the bus. You get as long as the bus stops per stop to represent anything you can. Quite a challenge!

[@stephentraversart]

An excellent challenge. All the best with it. 😀

[@masterklep]

That is an interesting idea to start from longer drawing and then reduce time to make simplification of the drawing! Sometimes I have troubles to draw something more simply. Need to try this trick! Usually I use short time sketches just to warm up my hands...

[@stephentraversart]

Yes. I had only done it that way. So I was surprised at the benefit of reversing the order in producing a simpler drawing. I suggest you do give it a try. 😀

[@masterklep]

@@stephentraversart 🤓❤️👍

[@tejaswinigangan2299]

Thank you so much for sharing such beautiful tutorials! 🙏🏻

[@stephentraversart]

My pleasure Tejaswini. I really hope it’s helpful for your drawing. 😀

[@weaselscreamer]

Stephen, Thank you for a wonderful and educational video. I feel like I learn so much through watching and observing your analyses and comparing them to what I notice or don't notice in a scene and how I convey that information to the 2-D space of the paper. All the best!

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks for taking the time to tell me this. It’s very encouraging for me. All the best with your drawing 😀

[@juicyfruits8071]

Love this channel. Thank you for taking the time to help others art ❤️❤️❤️

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. It’s been a great journey for me. Please do me a favour and tell your friends about my channel if you could. All the best with your drawing.

[@agnieslefttoes]

im just found your channel hours ago and been binging all your videos! these are so helpful and oddly comforting

[@person0337]

Ikkk I found it yesterday he explains it really well

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. It’s encouraging to hear this. 😀

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Agnie. I don’t think anyone has ever called my videos comforting before, ‘oddly’ or otherwise, but it’s so encouraging to hear them having such a positive effect for you. All the best with your drawing. 😀

[@agnieslefttoes]

@@stephentraversart oh my, i hope that didnt sound rude! its just that most tutorials are long winded and its hard to focus but with yours its different. more calming and i follow along easily, you have very lovely vibes sir :)

[@stephentraversart]

No, of course not! I was delighted to read it and in fact made a point of telling my family. 😊 It was very encouraging to have had some sort of impact.

[@gregforde6234]

Hi Stephen. Thank you for another excellent tutorial. You rock, brother. Re: sketches: I love them all, but the first one... yes!

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Greg. Love your enthusiasm. 😊

[@robot7759]

Fascinating.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Rob😀

[@littleviewscom]

I liked the first and second. I plan on doing my sketches in the opposite direction, fast to detailed.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Karen. I did it this way because the quick one is not meant to be warm up thumbnail. It’s an exercise in reducing the detail, which I found easier after exploring the image and my lines in the longer drawings. But draw whichever way you want of course, and have fun with it!😀

[@nimalidissanayake3545]

I found your channel yesterday and seems very helpful, besides you explain everything in a simple & interesting way. Not boring like other channels. Thanks a lot!.. from srilanka

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Nimali. Glad the videos are enjoyable as well as helpful for you. Please tell your friends as well. All the best with your drawing. 😀

[@mgom7646]

Very helpful to press yourself to draw in limited time and reducing the time

[@stephentraversart]

I think there is lots of benefit. As we get more experienced in drawing the scene we can reduce our lines more to the essentials. It really is quite challenging. The longer timed version was certainly the easiest. 😀

[@deborahbarbaccia6813]

Hi, Stephen. I just came across your channel. Quite amazing work. I like the middle drawing best. That way i could put some watercolor in the seane. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Deborah. I’m glad you found it. If I were adding colour I would draw with a lighter line and without hatching, but otherwise it’s an adaptable style. Hope you try and draw it yourself. 😀

[@Meraxes6]

Your videos make me want to draw!! Thanks for posting and for giving such detailed explanations, it's really helpful, and even though I never draw architecture the principles still apply.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. If we draw what we love, we’ll always love drawing, but I can recommend giving architecture a go. 😀

[@kathleengarness1660]

I think I like the second one!

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks for telling me Kathleen. 😀

[@shiny_swan]

your videos are great

[@stephentraversart]

Appreciate that. Thanks. 😀

[@gaylamassey6637]

I like the middle one the best

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks for letting me know Gayla. 😀

[@jackraglin5526]

It would be interesting to see another version of the drawing done with the longest time allotment after you’ve done all these.

[@stephentraversart]

Yes, as long as it takes. A good idea. 😀

[@nailahasanah6805]

thank you for sharing your knowledge, its so fun to listen to someone who loves talking about their passion, esp teaching them ^__^

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. Yes, I do get a bit excited about it all sometimes 😆

[@samanthathompson9812]

This is great thanks! I struggle with relative proportions in street scenes. I noticed you didn't make initial marks roughly sketching out the proportions of the main masses before working on detail. Rather, you started in one spot and your proportions "spread out" from there? Is this skill a matter of practice, and how do you control how large the entire scene will be on the paper?

[@stephentraversart]

This video may help explain things more with this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIDYdKCNf9BgqtUsi=dtHW8cAB8yWBg9Yg Drawing directly with ink I can’t erase any marks at all, so blocking out for me would leave a lot of unhelpful rough marks at the end. Choosing an easy spot to get initial proportions correct is important for me.

[@stephentraversart]

Or maybe this video is better: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5bYhKJtmt-Khqcsi=WOBJjcHEA6kzvu4W

[@samanthathompson9812]

@@stephentraversart Thank you very much!

[@Starwolf30]

Well the third one missing a roof so it looks different to the other two and would not want to live there. Just so personal conservation. The main building in the foreground is better in the third one same with the path the back building is better in 2 yet I still like the centre line work on the second build in 1. So what i saying is i would perfer to have 3 front building 1 in the middle and definition on the people with 2 at the back. I just found your channel so I am enjoying your amazing work and all the information you are sharing.

[@stephentraversart]

Yes, you are right. I forgot the roof in 3. I’m so glad the channel is proving helpful for you. Enjoy your drawing. 😀

[@robbiereed4462]

I feel like I like some elements from all of them! the last one is more focused but I do like all the lines in the first. maybe do another with more lines in the focused areas and keep everything else more simple?

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Robbie. Have you drawn it yourself yet?😀

[@stanwellback]

Another excellent video and instruction, Stephen. You are a very gifted artist, and I appreciate that you share so much valuable content for free. Thank you!

[@stephentraversart]

It’s been a great experience for me as well Duncan. Thanks for your appreciation. 😀

[@thebridge108]

I like the first one - it has more shuzzz :)

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Connie. 😀

[@ScheherazOdd]

What about weird details? I am working on a drawing (from a reference photo) of a small chateau chapel in France. On the edge of the roof are all these odd shapes that I suspect are little cherubs, but the resolution of the photo isn't good enough to tell for sure. I have been trying to simplify those shapes for *days and days* and I'm still not happy with the way it looks. What do *you* do when you have an unidentifiable detail that you can't really leave out, because it is one of the unique characteristics of the building you're drawing?

[@stephentraversart]

I would try and google another image of it if I knew the name, or google earth it if I knew the address. 😀

[@ScheherazOdd]

@@stephentraversart I've already tried that. Even though I know the name, google couldn't find any other images of the place, and I don't have the exact address. I tried contacting the person that took the photo to obtain the address, but I got no response. I even did a reverse image search to see if I could find a higher resolution version of the image--no luck! I guess I just chose the wrong photo to try to draw! 😉

[@kerrykuss642]

I still like sketch number 1 the best. The more detail there is, the more I like to stare at it. I have trouble putting in enough detail.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks for telling me Kerry. I’ve always been one to enjoy detail. For me the challenge is to find a simpler form beneath. This is a good exercise to do to help with that. 😀

[@gurpreetsingharts5824]

Sir i have a question, should we always use print out to practice sketching? or we can practice it through mobile too?

[@stephentraversart]

You can use whatever works for you. I think a printed copy would be easier, but there is no right or wrong way. 😀

[@gurpreetsingharts5824]

@@stephentraversart ok sir, thank you