The key to making guidelines is drawing lightly; very lightly.
Young artists will erase and erase to get things “right”, but they also often draw with a heavy line. The erased marks cause the paper or canvas to look dirty, and the inaccurate lines are so noticeable that they interfere with the new drawings. This double whammy hurts artists’ ability to do what they want.
Guidelines are simply very light line drawings of the main shapes and important details. Guidelines allow an artist to modify without mess, and also to do the final work and details without worrying about the accuracy of the placement or the overall composition; these have been finished in the guideline stage.
It’s hard to get students to understand how guidelines work, and how much this essential method will help them, but you should keep trying. Eventually they will get it.
Aproach
It’s easy to spot the need for better guidelines. An artist will have dark heavy lines, erased images, and eraser dust everywhere.
Demo
Have a student use their pencil to tickle the palm of their hand with the tip. Then have them use a piece of scrap paper to write their name with that same light tickling touch. If it’s not light enough, have them try again, making it as light as they can.
Now have them circle the name with a very light dashed guideline. Finally, have them erase half of the area so that it completely disappears. If it doesn’t disappear, have them try it again so they get it light enough to do so.
Teach
“This is how light you should touch the paper with your pencil to draw guidelines. You should be able to erase the guidelines so completely that no one else will ever know you did them. It’s like magic.
“Hold your pencil up like a magic wand. Ok, you are now going to learn to use this magic wand to create disappearing guidelines. It does take practice. You won’t easily be able to change your habits, but you can do it. I know many artists who have, including myself!
“So when you create your guidelines, if you’re drawing too heavily, try making the lines dashed to help you remember that you’re not yet doing your artwork yet. You’re just making the guides so that you can do your artwork more accurately on top of them.”
Guidelines are simple and lightly drawn.
Pocket Pointers
Learn these short mini-lessons that are needed "on the fly", whenever you have a student who needs some specific help.
