There are so many simple little tips and tricks out there that can have a big impact on your artwork and your confidence and I’m a firm believer that if you have helpful techniques, then you should share them with others! So here are some of my little tips…

Tip for Adding Your Signature:

Adding your signature can be a little daunting, and I completely understand why! You have just spent so much time and effort finishing your beautiful piece and now you need to figure out the best placement for your signature and you’re worried about getting it wrong. Well, do not worry because I have a really quick and simple technique to help you decide on the perfect placement.

Using a piece of transparent film, I just buy mine from Amazon, and a sharpie write your signature on the film and then you can move it around your piece to see where it looks best. This technique really helps to take away some of the pressure and worry about whether it will look ok and what size it needs to be.

You can see me using this technique in the video above.

How to Use Scotch Tape and a Kneadable Eraser to Create Highlights:

Both scotch tape and a kneadable eraser are fantastic for creating highlights but both in different ways.

You can use scotch tape to add texture to your piece by lifting some of the pigment and creating highlights. I do this by first removing some of the stickiness from the sticky side of the scotch tape by rubbing it on the back of my hand and then I will gently lay it on the piece and draw on the back, where I want it to lift some of the pigment, to create some really beautiful highlights.

A kneadable eraser also allows you to create highlights but in a much softer way. It’s one of my most used tools and it’s really handy to help blend and smooth areas as it only removes some of the pigment and not all of it.

I explain more about how I use these and also give you a demonstration in the video above.

Where to Start When Drawing Realistic Fur:

I will never say one technique is the right way or the best way but I have found this technique world the best for me and many of my students. My technique is to think about the texture of what I’m drawing first. So, when laying down the first layer, you’re trying to represent any texture and get the shapes in to help give your brain an idea of structure.

This method helps keep those “ugly stages” to a minimum which will help you to feel more confident throughout the drawing process and the other bonus is this technique can be used as your starting point no matter what surface you choose to draw on.

Now that you’re armed with some new tips and tricks, I’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of them out, so make sure to tag me, Bonny Snowdon Academy, and let me know in any of your social posts.