Drawing can be loosely defined as mark-making on a flat surface. Usually, the mark-making device is a pencil and the flat surface is a sheet of paper, but many other combinations of tools and surfaces are possible. As such, sometimes it is hard to categorize a work as drawing as opposed to some other kind of art, such as painting, printmaking, digital media, or sculpture, which often incorporate mark making.
Learning to draw is considered fundamental to learning to produce other forms of visual art. Not only are the skills acquired through drawing useful, but a sketch is frequently the first step in producing new artwork. Drawing is also popular because the necessary materials are cheap and widely available and because the drawing process is fast, direct, and can be done almost anywhere. Drawing is also very revealing as to an artist's ability - his or her understanding of form, grasp of visual poetry, and artistic vision. Master drawings are exquisite, breathtaking, and tell us more about the mind of the artist than a highly polished, fully rendered painting.
Smudging tools are used to move pigment around on the drawing surface, blending or smearing it. The simplest smudging tool is the finger, although care should be used not to damage the artwork with the oils from hands. Cheap (lotion-free!) toilet paper, facial tissues, and Q-Tips can all be used as smudging tools.
As Graphic Designers, we are all creative individuals. I thought that most of you would love to know about all of the fantastic online drawing and painting tools that are available online. Not only are they fun, but they are also quite useful for sketching out some of our ideas. Some of these tools can also be used as design collaboration tools to use with your co-workers, clients, friends, teachers, and family. Enjoy and don
