One of the most powerful media software used for pictures is Corel Draw. This program has been existing for years now and has been used by a lot of digital imaging masters to create their digital masterpieces or edit their pictures. If you want to learn to Corel Draw, here are the basics that you should know about the program.

What Can You Do With The Program?

What most people do not know is that you can do a lot of things in Corel Draw. In fact, once you learn it, you'll be on your way to mastering a lot of techniques that involve pictures in general.

Illustrations

When you learn this program, you can now have the skill to draw digitally. The computer would now be your playground in creating original images. It may take some time for you to adjust, especially if you are used to drawing by your hand. However, there is no need to worry. In fact, you should be excited and happy since this program actually has a lot of features and allows you to have a lot of other opportunities to have for your image.

The program has the ability to deliver perceptive vector illustration tools which meet today's demands of different design professionals along with aspiring graphic artists. With this, you can get fast results. Whether you are just making a company logo or industriously working on a big project that has a very demanding production schedule. You can create logos; create your own digital painting and many more!

If you are not comfortable with the idea of drawing by the use of pre-fixed shaping tools, you can always get a pen-tablet. In this way, you could still feel as if you are drawing using normal pencil on a piece of paper. This would also give you more control, especially if you want your image to have a really unique rendering that literally has your personal touch.

Photo Editing

If you are an aspiring photographer or simply someone who loves taking precious moments with his/her camera, you are going to love the photo editing feature of this program. Yes, if you get to learn Corel, you can have the ability to edit your photos in the most professional manner. You can create new images with your existing photos. You can even make a digital album, if you want to.

If you want to do minor image enhancements such as balance, contrast, hue, saturation and levels adjustments, you can do so. Resizing of pictures is also possible with Corel. You can also convert your images from one file format to another just by using the program.

These are just some of the things that you can do with Corel Draw.

Where to Learn

Using the program is quite easy. It is user friendly and provides adequate help, if ever you have a question. However, you can only be exposed to the basics if you decide to keep on forever relying to the ?Help' function. This is why you also have all the creative freedom to learn techniques and tips from digital imaging masters that provide Corel Draw workshops.

If you do not have the money or time to attend different workshops, do not lose hope. You can still learn more about the program via the Internet. There are a lot of Web sites out there that provide free tutorials. All you have to do is search.

Bunnies are cute creatures that have become a favorite subject by artists. They are also considered to be challenging too. There are various ways of drawing a rabbit. If you want to learn to draw a bunny, here are some of the basics that you should need to know.

Drawing a Bunny with Its Back on You

One of the easiest forms of bunnies would be the one that has its back on you. This is ideal for very young kids. To start, use a pencil to draw two circles on top of each other. This would be the head and the body of your rabbit. Thus, make the one on the bottom twice the size of the one on top. They should also overlap with each other for about 1/3 of the top circle.

Erase the bottom part of the head so that they would look like solid circles on top of each other. Add a small circle on the lower part of the body. This is the tail. Then add up two oblongs on top of the head. Now you have the ears and the drawing is complete. You can add color if you want. For kids to practice, they can draw many bunnies together.

Drawing a Bad Rabbit

Most bunnies are depicted as cute and cuddly. However, this time around you'll be drawing a bad bunny rabbit, to make things more interesting.

First, create the face. This would include rounded cheeks, a pair of eyes, and one cute little button nose. To give your character an evil and grungy look, you need to do some alterations with the facial features. This can be achieved by drawing menacing and slanted eyeballs. You can also make the teeth a bit pointed, so to make it a little bit scarier than the usual bucktooth rabbit.

Add the ears and other body parts. The ears should be long cylindrical things, which come out from his head's top. They could be sticking up straight in the air or could be nicely bent at haphazard angles. The body must be rounded since they are usually plump.

Finish the body. Do this by drawing a rounded, fat line that would become his jumping hind leg. Also, make 2 thinner legs and place it in front of the chest. Lastly, do not forget the puffy tail to be placed at the rear end portion of his body.

Furnish your work by adding finer details.  Add a few lines on his tail and beneath his ears to make it look like your character has some fur. Do not forget to add whiskers. You can make these straight and alert or crooked for a grungy look. Then, add the buck teeth. Since your rabbit is an evil kind of hare, you can give him fangs instead of placing round shaped teeth. Then you're done!

Drawing a Cute Rabbit

For you to draw a traditional cute version, just follow the same steps as drawing a bad rabbit. However, this time, you should make sure that the features are cute and not scary looking. Do away with the fangs or crooked teeth. Round is the best way to go.

Other features like the eyes and ears should have a cute appeal too. Don't slant the eyes, but instead make them round. Add some glare by placing white spots on the black portion of the eyes. For the ears, try to make them curvaceous rather than angular. Add a carrot and a bow to his neck or ears for added cuteness.

In myths dragons symbolize a myriad of real and imagined terrors, which perhaps originated from the real beasts that roamed ancient forests. But for modern storytellers, it is usually the majestic hero in the story. The best thing in drawing dragons is that you could keep in mind that all those pictures you've seen are all derived from mere imagination only. Thus, there is no right way of drawing a dragon. You get to have all the creative freedom that you want in drawing one.

What Kind?

Before you can start drawing, you should first decide on what kind of dragon is it that you want. What is the environment that shaped your dragon? Is it a green forest or a mountainous desert? If it's one of those mediaeval fire-breathers you might want to consider referencing historical sources. If it's a fantasy creature, then it all depends on the course of your imagination.

Think of its key features. Do you want it as a slender, lizard-like dragon with filmy wings, or do you want it to be a mighty beast that has the arching back and chest of a war horse? Try to think and sketch out rough ideas like these before you proceed.

Be Convincing: Find a Reference

The best way to have a convincing dragon drawing is by having an anatomy which flows together and has some sense in it. Thus, try to make use of real animal anatomy for your reference. Does your character have wings? If so, are they decorative or functional?

Also, think about the skin. Is it the leathery type with fine reptilian scales or is it crocodile rough? How about the color? Do you want it to be in camouflage browns and greens or would you want it in bright rainbow colors? Once you've decided on these things, try to make a sketch or a list of all the characteristics. Then, go and search the Internet for photos. Make sure that you learn from your references and not copy.

Be Realistic: Have a Light Source

The light source of your drawing is also important. Although it is from your imagination, pick out one light source that you want your character to be subjected to. If you have various image sources, also be aware of their lighting. The light source of the crocodile picture you are looking at and that of the snake picture may be different. Thus, be careful and make sure that the shading of your picture would sync with the light source you've chosen.

Pin point if the source is overhead sunlight, the moon, a window or a cave opening. Take note that light waves travel on straight lines. This could help you know where your shadows are. Keep in mind too that light bounces. Thus, there may be some lighted areas within the shadowed areas. If you are having a problem with this factor, go and get some plastic dinosaurs. Use a flashlight as the sun and you'll see the shadows you are looking for.

Fire and Smoke

Another important factor would be the fire and fire-breath, if your dragon has this kind of feature. Do not experiment with flamethrowers just to get this right! It is quite easy to achieve this kind of effect. All you need to do is make use of tones. Give contrast to the smoke and flame by using shades of black, grey and white.

Fire is one of the most beautiful subjects that artists of all medium can have. Being able to draw it with as much proximity, beauty and delicateness as with the real form is considered to be quite a challenge and achievement for many artists. In fact, a lot of people say that once you learn to draw a flame, you are somewhat equipped to draw furthermore complicated subjects.

What most aspiring artists do not know is that drawing a flame could be simple. It just takes much precise observation compared to drawing still life objects like chairs or tables. So, here are the basics of what you should know in order to start drawing a flame.

Get Some Inspiration

Fire is one element of nature that is both magical and whimsical. It could really be addicting and relaxing by just staring at it; so if you want to draw it, then there's no better way to start but by getting some inspiration. No, you do not have to burn the whole house and watch as the flames go up. A mere match or lighter would do. Light up the match and look at the flame for some time. Try to keep the image in your head, just like a movie that keeps on playing back.

Get Shaped Up!

You should first decide what shape you would want your flame to be. At this point, try not to delve too much on the details of your subject or other complicated elements. Just think about the shape. Start exercising your imagination and visualize a shape.

Generally, most aspiring artists that want to master drawing this kind of subject start out by making use of the "S" shape. Thus, the term "S-shaped flame". This is a favorite for beginners since it is one of the easiest to draw. If you decide on using this shape, then it would be your drawing's outer shell.

How About the Internal Structure?

Next, you should think about the internal structure of your drawing. As soon as you have your chosen shape and you have drawn it on your paper, think about what you want to place inside. Visualize a design that you would want to place within your shape. There is basically no limit in choosing a design and there are different variations available for you to play and experiment with.

For instance, you can draw a smaller version of your outer shell's shape. So, if you have an S-shape for an outer shell, then you can place a smaller S-shape inside. You can place only one or even a number of smaller S-shaped flames with different sizes and shapes inside. It is all basically up to you.

Add Some Color

Although flames can be drawn in both black and white, and color, opting for the first one would require mastery of shading. For beginners coloring is recommended. Doing this would give life to your drawing. So, add some color to your flame. Recall what the flame looked like when you lit up the match or when you lit up the lighter. If possible try to light a fire again, just to see the actual colors.

Observe closely. See the difference of the inside portion of the flame with the outside. If you look closely, you would see that the tip is colored blue, in most cases. The core also has this color. However, as you go farther out from the core, you would observe that hues of yellow, orange and red have appeared.

Use your imagination and try to blend these said colors in your drawing. Arrange them as how your model flame looked like.

Roses are one of the most beautiful flowers. However, they are also one of the most difficult to draw because of its complex design. Nevertheless, being able to draw them is considered to be quite an achievement. So, here are the basics if you want to learn to draw a rose.

Materials

You would need: soft pastels, Conte crayon or charcoal; drawing paper; knead eraser; dry towel and damp washcloth for cleaning hands; and cotton swab to be used for blending.

Colors

You should understand that if you want your drawing to be in color, you should practice drawing it on black and white first. It is important that you master it in black and white. This is because the values or how light and dark areas are, are way vital than which colors you want to use. Y

It is possible for you to draw it in yellow or red with green leaves. You can also make it fancy such as pink and orange, or go whimsical and make a blue rose and purple leaves. It all depends on your taste. Nevertheless, it is important that your lines are strong and you have got the correct shading for your picture to look good whatever color you use.

Starting Point: The Swirl

Sketch a swirl. Place this swirl approximately where you want the center of your rose to be.  Your swirl should look like an unclosed circle that has an excess on the end. Try to make it curvy and elliptical in shape. Draw this lightly first using your chosen drawing material.

Petals

Add some petals around its center. Try to keep the lines short where they would be going down to meet the succeeding row of petals. Petals generally involve C shaped and inverted-C shaped lines. C shaped for the left side of the rose and inverted for the right side of the rose.

Try drawing the petal lines lightly first. After you have drawn the lines, that is the time you would shade. You are going to shade by smudging off the lines. Be careful when smudging, so that you won't tear or create a hole on your paper. After smudging, strengthen back the lines. Try to make them strong and dark.

Clean Up

Clean up your drawing by carefully blowing loose dust on it. Be careful that you do not to touch the dark areas. If you do, it would get smudged again. If ever an accident like this happens, squish your kneaded eraser a couple of times. After which, use it to carefully remove the unwanted smudges.

To avoid further damage, it would be better if you press and lift rather than rub like how you would do using a normal eraser. Nevertheless, if the smudge is not right beside a line, you could just rub gently. Each time your knead eraser gets dirty; simply fold it so that the dirty part would be placed inside. Simply stretch and fold for a number of times. For sure you can get a clean surface in no time.

Things to Remember

As a guide you can use a book or a picture of a painting that has roses in it. Familiarize yourself with the rose structure. Observe the petal shapes. Usually, there's a dip midline of a petal. Sometimes a part of it also turns over out. Add these kinds of details to your drawing and you'll have a rose in no time!

Everybody at some point in their life wanted to learn to draw and paint. Just by watching children, you could see that these skills are one of those that entice them during their early years. However, not all people decide to take this goal seriously, especially when adulthood comes around. Nevertheless, if you do want to develop this innate skill, it is still possible. Here are the basics that you have to know.

Drawing versus Painting

One important factor that people do not understand is that drawing is different from painting. Thus, if you want to learn how to draw and paint, this means you have to develop two different skills. Drawing is generally defined as depicting a subject by the use of lines. On the other hand, painting is the art of coating surfaces with paint for artistic or utilitarian purposes.

Thus, the medium you'd be using would be the main difference along with the process itself. Nevertheless, these two disciplines are still related and most often combined to make an art work. Most of the time, drawing becomes a prerequisite of painting; although this is not always the case.

Drawing Basics

For you to start having drawing skills, you should constantly practice your hands and eyes. Do this by sketching. Constantly sketching is the best way for you to learn how to draw more artistically and professionally.

Remember that drawing is developed by constant practice of your hands. This is not improved by merely reading or acquiring whatever book based knowledge that is available. Thus, practice your hand to draw. Be very observant with your surroundings. Try to sketch things or people during your idle time. Doing this is really one worthwhile hobby that could pay off in the future.

Copying is your stepping stone in drawing. Get a model and copy it. It is all right to make mistakes. This is exactly what erasers are for any way. Also, do away with the notion that you need to have professional materials for your work to look good. A simple sketch book and basic drawing pencil and eraser would do.

Painting Basics

On the contrary, painting would entail appropriate materials so that your work would end up nicely done. You would need a couple of brushes that come in different sizes. You also need acrylic paint of various colors, but most importantly, you should have the primary colors, a bigger tube of white and black. However, if you do not want to buy a black tube, you could simply create your own. Do this by combining all the primary colors. 

It is best to start with Acrylic paints because these are the easiest to work with. Thus, the general painting developmental stages would be mastering acrylics first before aiming to learn oils or water color. Also, this kind of paint is easily mixed with water. All you'll need would be a glass or a bucket in which you would put the water in for cleaning purposes. You also use this water to keep your paint moist, it dries up quickly. A pallet is needed too. If you don't have one, you can improvise by using paper plate that has Aluminum foil covering.

To start painting, you have to draw on your canvas first. Draw your subject and other details of the pictures' environment. After this, add on the color using your paint. Keep on practicing by choosing different subjects. Also, try to experiment with the colors you've got.

Make full use of your pallet and create various shades of colors. Continue on sketching and painting like this and for sure your skill would start to develop in no time.

Animals are one of the most common things that you can see, regardless of where you come from. Due to this, they have been a favorite subject to be drawn by artists of all kind. This is very evident with the accumulated works throughout history that showcased various animals from all over the world coming from different periods in time. Thus, animal drawing is one of the most popular kinds of art.

A Complicated Art

If you want to learn to draw animals, you should understand that this is a complicated kind of art. Remember that your subject here is a living being. In fact, the complexity of this form of art is comparable to how hard drawing a human figure is. You do not only have to depict the form of the animal but even capture its essence too. However, the problem here is that unlike people, you cannot really tell an animal to sit still forever until you finish your drawing. Thus, more imagination is needed. 

Here are some of the other things that you should know in drawing animals.

Be Creative Because They Are Unique!

It is important for you to become extra creative when drawing an animal. This is because they are not the same. Each one of them is unique. Thus, you have to approach each in a different manner. This difference of approach is important in all aspects.

For instance, the way you'd approach them physically can be different. You can watch them from afar without being noticed or have a personal close-up encounter or even a one-on-one play session with them. Various ways of encountering animals can have a very obvious on the outcome of your drawing.

The way you draw an animal can be different too. They can be drawn in various ways. You can choose to depict them as cartoons. In fact they can even come out as a mere line or swirl. You can also opt for a much realistic portrait. It all depends on you.

Observe First Then Draw!

Before you can start drawing, it is imperative that you first observe your subject. It is best to see them in their natural environment. If you can't find a live encounter then you can always opt for videos. You can also look at photos or books. As you do this, you would find that there are plenty of styles that one kind of animal could be drawn. Although it is possible to master a lot of styles, it is still best that you concentrate on one style and make this your niche.

To find your niche, gather a variety of materials. By seeing animals in their different forms, you are now being exposed to their basic shapes. If you want to know precisely the basic shapes of your chosen animal, the best way to do this is by photocopying its picture. Once you have a copy, start drawing out basic shapes which you see. Observe how its body's outer lines manage to bring all these shapes together and form the subject.

Start Out With The Basics!

It is best that you start basic. After drawing the basic shapes, you could then build on it by the use of layers. Start adding details by shading and knowing important animal muscles that have become your subject's trademark. Keep on practicing and you'll be able to perfect your drawing in no time!

Anime art is one of most popular fads around the world nowadays. This kind of cartoons is loved by many and it has evolved tremendously as more fans become hooked up in drawing their own anime characters. If you are one of those that want to learn to draw anime characters, here are the basics of what you should know in order to start out.

What Is Your Character?

First, you should identify the character you are drawing. Who is he/she? Is he/she old, teenaged, or a child? Is your character good or bad? Getting to know the features of your character would generally be your guide in being able to draw him/her out of your imagination. Try to have a set of personality characteristics for your character so that you can have a basis.

The General Styles

There are main archetypes used in depicting characters in anime. These could serve as your basis but not your prison in creating your own character.

Cute characters are usually depicted with large eyes, round cheekbones, and closely set facial parts.  Evil characters are usually drawn more 'realistically'. They also have sharp protruding cheekbones and very small pupils. Their eyes more often than not appear to be shady.

Shoujo characters or those girly-girl characters usually have sharp chins and huge expressive eyes. They also have elegant nose bridges and slender bodies. Stupid characters have round heads and bodies. They also have less details and simplistic features. Their eyes are most often tiny; in some cases are just dots. If your character is a fighter, just like those in Dragon Ball Z, he/she would also have simplistic features but with exaggerated body proportions and a small head.

These are the basic prototypes in creating Anime characters. However, do not limit yourself with those stated above. Try to experiment and play around with the features. This is the only way you can make your character your own and not just some plain Anime looking character.

Hairstyle

The possible hairstyles that characters could have are endless. This is the beauty of Anime art. They could have wild, out of this world hairstyles and they would still look good. Generally, hair strands are drawn in clumps. All you have to do is draw grass like shaped clumps of hair just to give their hairdo some form and style. Bangs are common with these characters. The color you can use is not limited to black, blonde, brunette or auburn. In fact, most characters have wildly colored hair such as green, purple, pink and blue.

Eyes

The eyes are usually prominent with Anime characters. This is what differentiates one character from another. If you observe, there are a lot of white portions in their eye. This is so that it would have a reflective appearance. This also makes the eyes more lively and appealing. You can observe this especially with Shoujo characters or other female characters.

There is also no limit with the color used. Some characters even have pink, and purples eyes. Usually, eye color also compliments the hair color. You may see some blue haired characters with blue eyes and purple haired characters with pink eyes. Sky's the limit in choosing eye colors.

Clothing

Most Anime characters are in school uniforms or traditional Japanese costumes. However, there are also characters wearing Western style of clothing. It basically depends on the overall theme of the story.

Caricatures are one of the most popular forms of drawing. If you think this style of drawing is relatively new, it is not. This style of drawing has existed for ages already. In fact, even Leonardo Da Vinci used it! So, if you want to learn to draw caricatures, here are the basics that you need to know.

Getting Started

These are basically portraits that distort or exaggerate a person or thing's essence. This is done to create a very easy and identifiable visual likeness or description of a subject by the use of exaggeration and oversimplification of various characteristics. These could be complimentary, insulting or both. It can also have an intense political purpose or simply be drawn for mere entertainment. Having said the general definition of caricatures, one thing is evident here: it is a very personalized form of art.

A Higher Sense of Observation

Since it is personalized to a very high extent, you should first observe closely the subject you would be drawing. If it's a person then, find out what are his/her features that are very recognizable. Go for the obvious. The observation part in drawing a caricature is the key to making the whole work successful. You cannot rely on a pattern for drawing a caricature. People have varying characteristics, which is why applying a template for all your subjects is not advisable.

For instance, maybe your dad has a big nose; noses are quite popular features that are used in exaggeration. Pick out the features that would make your subject very recognizable.

Don't Mistake It for a Portrait

One thing that you should be cautious of is mixing up a portrait and a caricature. Remember, these two are different. Caricatures are generally cartoon renditions of the subjects being drawn. However, a portrait is a much realistic view of a subject. As soon as you begin learning how these are drawn, you would want to practice with people that you personally know or are close to. You should also have sufficient understanding of the human face's basic layout. You can make use of various techniques too, like foreshortening and proportion. Different techniques in drawing are still applicable in this style.

Seeing Your Subject

You should see your subject in a 360 degree. This means see him/her at different angles and situations. This is considered to be the best way for you to have his/her whole sense of personality. You should also find features that you can minimize, rather than exaggerate. Not all characteristics are exaggerated by making them big. There are times that you just have to make them extra small to attain exaggeration. For instance, if you'll be drawing someone that has a small mouth, you can exaggerate by making his/her mouth even smaller than usual. Doing this is something like reverse exaggeration.

Find Features To Dumb Down!

Dumbing down some features is another technique for your drawing to look more cartoonish. For instance, hair is usually "dumbed down" since you wouldn't really want to draw each strand of it in a caricature. This minimizes the portrait look of your picture.

The Right Way to Exaggerate

Last but not the least, exaggerate However, and do not overdo it. Do not exaggerate features which are not that recognizable in real life. For instance, if your subject does not have a big nose, then do not draw him/her with a big nose. Try to focus on features which could be exaggerated without making your subject unrecognizable.

Cars could be a really cool subject to draw, especially if you love racing and other sports related to it. Nevertheless, may you be a car fan or not, cars are definitely one good subject to draw. This is because they can be seen anywhere and they could stand still for days and not even move giving you more time to draw its main essence. Here are the essentials if you want to learn to draw cars.

Be Familiarized

To start you should first get some exposure to different kinds of cars. Try to look at different pictures of cool cars. Study their shapes along with the shape of their spoilers. Other than shape take note of their colors and graphics. Try to study how extras features work, like butterfly doors and spoilers. Doing this can greatly help you visualize the way and orientation of how you should draw them on different positions.

Get a Model

You should get a model. You can get a book with car pictures, have a real car to draw or even get a toy car. It all depends on your preference. Although it is tempting to have a number of cars to draw in one picture, it is best to start out with just one at the moment.

Keep It Simple

Start making a sketch of a normal shape of a car. Remember to keep it simple. You can do this by using basic shapes. Create an oval to mark as its windshield, have a trapezoid for its hood, sides, and the passenger area. Lastly, add simple circles for the wheels.

Add Some Emphasis

Next, start emphasizing your car by adding some pressure on some of your sketch lines. Try employing progressively darker lines. This can thresh out the shapes you've just drawn in the previous step. Cool cars have dynamic shapes. They usually have flowing hoods or sharp angular hoods. In most cases they also have pretty small passenger seats. For instance, a corvette usually has large flares on its front wheels. However, if you look closely, you'll see that these flares are just simple arcs which flow to the hood and up to the passenger area.

Get Cool and Accessorize!

If you want to have a really cool car, then it is a must that you pimp it up by adding graphics and cool accessories. One example would be a spoiler, which looks something like a fishtail. It comes right off your car's back portion. You can draw this in whatever way you want it to be. However, once you start drawing it, try your best to imagine that the car is moving and the wind is flowing through the spoiler. Draw your spoiler in a way that it looks natural and has the ability to cut through air.

It could also look like a fishtail that is turned on its side to look like as if it was created to push air which forces the car's nose into the ground. Draw this right from the back. It has to be an angular line which transforms into a quite shallow arc. After this, cup a shape under it that would connect it back into the angular line which attaches to your car.

Draw Some Car Art

If you'll be drawing racing cars, for sure there are many graphics on it. If so, remember to draw the graphics directly right on your car. This is so that they would wrap around its body. This gives a much natural look.