Illustration Tutorial: 3 exercises to warm up your hand

Learn with Fist the best dynamics to warm up your hand before facing any drawing

If you are looking for a teacher to start drawing without fear, that is, without a doubt, Puño (@puno). He has been drawing since he can remember and, in addition to attending film school and studying audiovisual communication, he makes a living in two ways that he is passionate about: as a children's writer and illustrator, and as a creative educator in Holland, Spain and Colombia .

If what you are looking for is someone who will make you lose your fear of the blank page and help you grab the pencil with will, he is your man. And in these three exercises he is going to demonstrate it to you, don't miss the following video:

1. Dandelions

It consists of drawing a series of straight lines that intersect in the center: its shape is reminiscent of an asterisk or a dandelion. It is a very good exercise to calculate the precision of distances and we will help our wrist to move in all directions without moving the paper or the notebook.

Like all the exercises in this tutorial, you can create a composition so that it not only turns out to be a doodle, but also a small work.

2. Waves in the water

This exercise simulates the waves that are created in water and consists of creating concentric circles that maintain the same distance between them. It is another way to get the doll used to making circular movements and moving in all directions. The most complicated part of this task is getting the circles to be perfect and centered.

3. Depth gradients

It is about making a series of gradients to give a feeling of depth. In this exercise, Puño uses ink, but any other material that allows you to make gradients in all gray could work for you.

Fist makes a forest, but you can apply it to other compositions, such as mountains or a city full of buildings. The key to this exercise is sizes and gradients; That is, the closer that element is to you, the darker and larger it will be, while as it moves further away it becomes smaller and degrades its tone.

If you liked this tutorial, discover more with Puño at "From beginner to superdrawer", An online course focused on artists of any level who encounter difficulties in issues such as perspective, proportions, shadows or color.