Thumbnail Drawings

You can use thumbnail drawings as a shortcut to improving your drawings skills.

What is considered thumbnail size?
Anything that is one to two inches square is considered a thumbnail. You can decide what size squares you would like to draw up on your sheet of paper.

They only take a minute or two to complete and any practice is good practice when you are learning to draw. I try to do a thumbnail sketch each night.

I don't draw from life because it would take too much time to set it up with lighting, arrangement and all the fiddling that we generally need to do.

That would be a deterrent, I would decide I was tired and just go to bed.

On the other hand, if I have some reference material all ready to go, it only takes a couple of minutes to do a thumbnail drawing and I'm finished.

So, gather together some books and even your junk mail. Keep this stack next to your sketchpad so that everything is handy.

Read on to find some tips to help get you going.

Let Your Subjects Find You

Avoid drawing things that don't appeal to you.

Drawing is all about pleasure. Drawing is what you want to do.

You know your subject has found you when:

•   you think "I can draw that."
•   you look at something and you immediately start drawing it in your mind.
•   you aspire to drawing something like that. Stop aspiring, have a go, you will surprise yourself. Even if it doesn't turn out to the quality you would like, you have pushed another boundary and improved existing skills.

If you really want to draw something that looks a bit difficult, pare it down to its simplest form.

One of the benefits of being an artist is that you can omit anything you like from a picture or photo. And vice versa, you can also include anything you want. You are in control.

These thumbnail drawings are the perfect thing to help you with your decision making!

Oh, and don't forget to make a note of where you copied the image from and the date. You can put that information on an adjoining page. (Not on the back, the pencil impressions could ruin your work.)

Show No Fear And Show 'Em Off

Do you recognize this bridge drawing from my first Drawing Critique? Well, here it is again, only this time it's in miniature.

I get a lot of comments like "How did you fit that into that little square?" Really, I can't answer the question. I shrug, I don't know, I just did it. I let my pencil lead the way.

All you need to do is first lightly sketch your image into the square to make sure you're going to fit all of your drawing into that space. This light sketch will save you a lot of time.

I had a couple of goes to fit this cat in, and to get the right proportions.

When I looked at it next day, I thought it was too long in the body. So, I erased his feet and drew them in again, closer to his body.

It's probably still not right but it looks alright to me. I am doing this sheet of thumbnail drawings for me, and I'm happy, so mission accomplished!

What Is A Thumbnail Drawing?

Thumbnail sketches are usually used by artists to quickly capture an impression or an idea, and then they transfer it onto a canvas later on.

It's a good idea if you keep a handy sized notepad with you at all times, so you can sketch anything that takes your eye.

The examples you see here are around 1½ inches square.

Click here if you want to see my thumbnail page up to now.

Here is the remainder of my thumbnail drawings - that now completes my first page of thumbnails.

This is how the whole page looks.

Update 2010:
It has given me great joy to learn that you are inspired by thumbnail drawings.

It's a good idea to cut a gridded page in half because then you won't become impatient to see the finished page (like me!). Half a page is much more do-able.

If you are interested, here is another sheet of my latest thumbnails.

Here is a grid for you to save and print whenever you want. Please see the directions below if you want to keep this grid on your computer.

You can make your own sketchbook to insert the printed gridded pages or you can cut it to size and paste the grid into your current sketchbook.

As usual, you decide whatever suits you the best.

If you think about it, we should do thumbnail drawings before we attempt a larger version of anything. That way, you can judge what fits and what doesn't fit.

By doing rough thumbnail sketches first, you will be completely organized and you'll have a solid foundation for your next drawing.

You donate a lot of time and energy into a detailed drawing, so, if you do the thumbnail drawings as homework beforehand, you will ensure the success of your drawing first time around with minimum frustration.

Find More Creative Activities

I joined the Creative Everyday Challenge which is organized by a lovely young lady named Leah.

There is no pressure of a committment of any kind, but Leah gives you great ideas to explore. I've really enjoyed it.

I decided a quick thumbnail sketch would be my creative indulgence each day, on those days when you just don't get a chance to do anything else.

I find the best time is at night when all is quiet.

With each tiny sketch, I'm taking tiny steps to improve. Just give it a go, what have you got to lose?

When you examine your thumbnail drawings, you are observing your own unique way of expression.