Nothing to draw?! — Koosje Koene

Nov 26

Nov 26 Nothing to draw?!

Do you ever feel eager to draw but have no idea where to start or what to draw?
If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a blank page, try this simple, effective exercise: draw your hands using the continuous line technique. Not only will this help shake off creative blocks, but it also boosts your skills and creative confidence.

Why draw hands?

Hands may seem tricky, but that’s what makes them a perfect subject! They’re always available, and tackling something complex in a playful way can be very freeing. If you find something difficult to draw, that’s all the more reason to give it a go. Practice builds skill and confidence (and no, we’re not striving for perfection!).

Using the continuous line technique to draw hands adds a fun challenge and keeps your line moving, creating expressive, fun and wonky drawings.

The one rule for the continuous line technique

In continuous line drawing, once your pen touches the paper, you don’t lift it until the sketch is done. This technique results in fluid, expressive lines that look more confident than you may feel. I think that's a cool trick to silence your inner critic, to relax, and let your creativity flow. Here’s why I'm a big fan of the continuous line, or the "oneliner":

Boosts confidence: Since you keep your pen moving, there’s little room for hesitation. Trust your eyes, slow down, and let the line flow.
Improves skills: This technique helps develop your sense of shape and proportion.
Expressive results: The lines are bold, unique, and often quite fluent; imperfection is part of the fun.
Trains your eye-hand coordination: This exercise trains your hand and eyes to work together, building trust in your lines.

Try a one-liner right away

Pick a spot on your hand to start, like a cuticle. Put your pen on paper and trace the shapes that you see with your eyes, slowly, so your pen can follow. Don't lift your pen. If you need to revisit an area, feel free to retrace, or leave the gap - it adds character and lets the viewer’s eye fill in the blanks. You'll practice to embrace imperfection, as continuous line drawings are naturally imperfect; that's part of the fun!

In just a few minutes, you’ll create a loose, expressive hand sketch. You can also try this technique with other objects.

Next week: color

Stay tuned as we explore ways to add a pop of color to these expressive lines!

Materials used in this video:

-Stillman & Birn Beta Series sketchbook

-Staedtler chisel-tip pigment liner.