Draw Big! Use That Canvas!

DRAAAAWWW BIIII– cough excuse me. Draw big!

“All right Kanjon now you’re just messing with me. Last time you told me I should draw small. Why is it the opposite now?!” Think about it a little bit: you’re drawing on a big canvas. Standing up, if you’re able. There’s nothing getting in the way of moving your arm, or your pencil, or your whole body to make big sweeping marks on that blank space. You’re not straining to hold your sketchbook, nor trying to avoid bumping your knee, nor having to crouch over a small drawing surface. It’s just you and your art.

In my video about drawing tiny things, I mentioned that it can be useful for warm-ups, studies, and for re-trying anything you feel like you’re having trouble with or just want practice on. That’s still very useful, it helps you practice your visual skills. Now though, we’re talking about the physical aspect of getting those nice smooth marks onto the page. I know I say this a lot, but it’s worth repeating: when you draw with your shoulder, your lines will be steadier and you’ll build up more confidence in your work. The same applies when you also draw big: you can physically lean into some of the marks that you make, and really move your shoulder, or even your whole body around. I know it sounds a little silly in your head, but it’s one of those things you really must try to notice how it helps you. You’ll be able to make more lively curves and motions much more easily on a big canvas. And of course, repeated practice of this will help you as you move back to “regular sized” drawings too.

Big canvas doesn’t mean expensive. This is where our friend called “smooth newsprint” comes in. This is a cheap form of paper, usually recycled, that often comes on a roll. It’s perfect for drawing on, is usually made in pretty large sizes, and is something that’s easy to toss when you’re done. You’ll usually find this at art shops, but it’s not hard to find online either. If you’re going to an art shop there might also be some big sketch pads there; see if those are cheap. Usually newsprint is cheaper. Just make sure you get smooth newsprint: rough can be good for some mediums, but most drawing will be more fun on smooth. You can still use a plain old pencil for this! Nothing fancy needed. If you want to really play around with it, see if you can find some of those stupid-thick pencils with big chonky leads, or use something chunky like charcoal. It’s fun! I think it feels really nice using them on paper too. But use whatever you enjoy, that’s all that matters. You’re working on your drawing skills, not your choice of medium.

Those of you primarily focused on a digital workflow are probably gonna be wondering how to go about this. And… yeah. Unless you have a giant tablet, you’re probably going to want to switch to traditional here. But remember that those skills carry over very easily between digital and traditional art, so give it a try.

You can be creative with some alternatives here. Want to draw on a big chalkboard or dry erase board? Hey, if you’ve got one nearby, do it! Wanna draw in VR? If it’s accessible to you, try it! Personally, I’m quite bad at VR painting, but it’s still fun to try out and I do always feel like I learn things from it. There’s a couple cool apps out there like Vermillion VR, as well as some worlds in VRChat you can paint in with friends. You get a huge canvas with no mess, though drawing on air takes a bit of getting used to.

Like other art strategies, you don’t have to do this. You can keep drawing things at a “normal” size for your paper or tablet. But trying out a larger piece can be rewarding: you will learn to make big broad strokes to capture motion more fluidly, and a lot of the time it’s just plain fun. Maybe go give it a shot today! Try it out. Be bold, be big. Be brilliant. Bye-byeeee~