World Watercolor Month - Day 23 - Contour Doodle
- Sarah Frey
- Jul 23
- 1 min read
Welcome to Day 23 of World Watercolor Month, friends! Today we are playing with a foundational drawing technique. Contour drawing is essentially outlining your subject with no color or shading, often in one continuous line without picking up your pencil or pen. Blind contour drawing takes this exercise up a notch; you keep your eyes on the subject/reference only and do not look at your paper at all. This practice strengthens hand-eye coordination, encourages you to loosen up, and trains you to draw exactly what you see rather than assuming shapes.
Check out examples & video references below, as well as today's journal questions and mantras!
Pick a subject or a reference photo. It can be truly anything three dimensional. You could even look at yourself in a mirror and do a self portrait contour drawing! Using your drawing medium of choice (graphite pencil, alcohol-based drawing pen, watercolor pencil, watercolor marker, etc) do a quick contour doodle of your subject. I recommend setting a timer and allowing yourself no more than a few minutes. Don't overthink it!
After finishing your doodle, use your watercolors to loosely paint in washes of color. Don't worry about staying in the lines. Let it be loose!
Poke around the Pinterest board for extra inspo!
Journal Prompt:
What happens when I stop correcting and start observing?
Mantra:
Every mistake is a lesson.
Inspiration (Pinterest Board):
Video References:
Comments