Artistic Images/ Drawing Tips/ Using a straight edge / Using a straight edge-life

Notice how in real life you can use your pencil as a straight edge by holding it out straight in front of you and closing one eye. Then raise it up against a point you'd like to compare. For example I made a straight edge from the front of the upper bird's beak, to see what falls along that line. As you can see it falls at the midsection of the bird directly in front of it ( or when you are drawing it is better to consider that this bird is directly below him even though in real life he is not below him, he is in front of him. But if you are trying to get your mind to flatten the subject it is best to think that he is below him rather than in front.) Also the second birds head is tucked under, which lines up with that same point.

Next I took the pencil and held it up against the tip of this birds beak, As you can see it falls almost directly through the middle of the bird in front of it. (or when looking at it as a flat surface- the bird lowest on the picture plane). If you look closely you can see the birds head is tucked under, very close to the point where it meets the pencil edge..so that is another thing that runs along this same line. So you have positioned three things on your drawing just by using one straight line.

You can also measure the other way, horizontally. Here, I hold up the pencil at the top so this birds head and notice that the bird directly to the left of it has his head tucked under at exactly the same point. You can also notice the negative space this line forms between the pencil and the birds. Notice the green shapes in between the birds and the pencil edge..this is negative space. draw these shapes correctly and they will help you get a more accurate drawing.

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