Draw Rocks That Look Real

[@Diane_McDon]

Perfect timing, have been wanting to turn my photos of Cape Cod into line & wash sketches!

[@stephentraversart]

I live perfect timing! Have fun with your sketches😀

[@bakrebeila6268]

Very excellent lesson 🎉🌹Thanks

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Arabila

[@stephenwhite4960]

Brilliant as usual. Thank you!

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Stephen. 😀

[@karincarter4962]

Very helpful thank you!😊

[@stephentraversart]

No problem 😀

[@bmacaz]

G'day Stephen! I am curious - I saw your playlist on how to use copic sketch markers (greyscale tones), but will you make a video on how to introduce subtle colors (using copic sketch markers) such as basic earth tones into the drawing?

[@stephentraversart]

Probably not in the near future because it’s not something I do myself usually. But it’s a good idea and perhaps something for me to explore. Thanks for the thought 😀

[@CrocoArt]

Nicely done Stephen

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Steve😀

[@RubykonCubes3668]

Ahh! I just happened to need an abstract idea on how to shade/give texture for rocks, and i discovered this video at a perfect timing :) 👍

[@stephentraversart]

Glad I could help!😀

[@borleyboo5613]

Beautifully done. Your rocks look just about perfect. I love rocks of all kinds but I cannot draw them very well at all. This tutorial will help. Thank you. 😊

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Borley. I’m a secret geologist too! Have fun drawing them. 😀

[@13questionmethod33]

A couple of days ago I was really struggling with trying to draw rocks on the beach at Scarborough uk. I went straight to your channel looking for advice, and here it is! Just what I needed, thank you so much Stephen!

[@stephentraversart]

Haha! I love it. It’s great to time an appearance right when you’re wanted. Have fun with your rocks. I’ve been to Whitby and Robin Head Bay. Beautiful spots. 😀

[@santone1849]

Great Video Stephen rocks can be difficult I always struggle to render them properly this helps. Thank you

[@stephentraversart]

My pleasure Santone. Have fun drawing them now. 😀

[@Ixoracraft]

Great tutorial

[@stephentraversart]

Appreciate your saying so. 😀

[@juliorodrigues6929]

Always inspiring, thank you.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Julio 😀

[@surfbirdie5759]

This is just what I was going to look for when I sat down to draw! I just discovered your channel and I realized some of the videos I am not up for in the five-minute drawings, so I am doing some five-minute drawings that I know I can do until I catch up. In the meantime, individual videos on rocks and trees seem to be in order. Today I am graduating from pencil and eraser to pen, though I have some doubts about if I am ready. 🤨

[@stephentraversart]

That’s great. Remember, we are not drawing artworks with these. We are practicing and developing drawing skills. So of course you are ready to practice and develop your skills. Mistakes give us focus for next time. Never be afraid or ashamed of them! All the best. 😀

[@stanthebadger]

These are useful tips, thank you! It is really hard sometimes to draw the actual rock that you see instead of the idealized rock in your head) By the way! You might remember I asked you a question about drawing mesh fences, barbed wires and such. I found an answer to this, robably after watching some of your older videos. It appears is better to ignore these details when possible, because they may be a part of the scenery, but they distract from the main objects and often ruin the geometry and depth of the scene.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Stan. Sometimes. But other times it can be good to draw this detail. It can give scale and a sense of distance. If you have a reference photo that you have taken and send it to me via Instagram DM, it might be something I can use. 😀

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Sometimes, there's also a weird "in between" where you can just put in SOME of the mesh details... sort of like drawing 3 or 4 bricks over here, and then 2 or 3 over there... and a few regular vertical and horizontal lines somewhere else to make a "brick wall" without trying to do every brick... The most important bits of mesh would be the ones that are interacting with grass, bushes and branches, or something else in the scene... and then just a few shapes out somewhere in "otherwise empty space" to catch just a little light, and maybe a few odd strokes along the way... when the effect seems to have to be a fence, you can quit and move away to something else, so long as the fence isn't a focus in the drawing... Exactly where that is... well... I'm still working it out from one drawing to the next, myself... BUT it's a fairly popular aspect and practice in manga, comics, cartoons, and anime. ;o)

[@verdedoodleduck]

Really nice drawing. I think where and how you left the level of detail is the most impressive - it would have been so easy to overdo. Drawing rocks like those intimidates me due to the sheer number of shapes that need to be individually considered and drawn - it's very difficult just to get started then difficult to not want to short cut when the going gets tough (that is, the brain gets tired). Any tips on how to avoid feeling like you're being faced with a grueling marathon (and therefore not doing the drawing, or not doing it properly) - or does the subject matter (not necessarily rocks, of course) never strike you in that manner?

[@stephentraversart]

All the time! What I do is to try not to attempt a subject where I don’t think I have the energy and time commitment to see it through. Rushing anything is a lousy way to learn anything (except rushing!). Setting ourselves up for success is a great way to build confidence and creative stamina. 😀