Sometimes I want to widen the range of what I make and I find art books can be very useful for that. This one suggested a gnome drawing. Well I haven’t tried one of them before so I’ll give it a go 😊
Step 1
I measure the gnome and find he is about 3 heads with beard tall so I divide my page into 3 to give a rough idea of where he’ll start and end. Then I sketch out the hat and the face in basic shapes joined by Ian. I’m testing out an infinity pencil for this as they’re supposed to smudge less so great for doing outlines. So far so good although I notice it does imprint the paper more making rubbing out more tricky.
Step 2
I start to refine the shapes to make him look more lifelike.
Step 3
Then I draw in the rest of his body.
Step 4
I’m not so happy with the left hand so I elongate that and the lantern.
Step 5
Now it’s time to add some shading. I grab a 2b and 4b of my favourite graphite sticks, adding the 2b first and then the 4b on top for the darker areas. I use a small rubber to make highlights. I use the corner of a tissue to smudge and blend the pencils. I haven’t worked with pencils for a long time for shading so it’s nice to get back into it.
The finishing touches
Now this gnome drawing is really coming together. I darken the darkest lines to make them stand out more. Then I erase around the gnome to tidy up the background touching up highlights as I go. Then I sign and it’s done!
Fan of my gnome drawing and want to buy one of my designs? Then please visit the shop where you can purchase lots of cool stuff!
About me – Sara (Artist)
Hello! I’m an artist based in Kent, England. I like painting and drawing a variety of subjects but animals are definitely my passion in art and life is well.
I attend stalls regularly where I exhibit and sell my work. Please feel free to come to any of these and have a look at my work and a chat.
I started to draw properly when I was around 11 years old. I was obsessed with anime at the time and loved to draw my favourite characters. Anime, manga and Japanese culture still hold a special place in my heart. You can follow my work on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.