Light and Shadows

• Copy a subject that is in front of you to create a still-life project. Use anything from an arrangement of shells to an ornament or bowl of fruit. Avoid adding any detail to the drawing at this stage. Go over the drawing, using your desired form of black ink. Use thick lines to create shadows and depth, and use fine lines for lighted areas. Use cross-hatching between areas of shadow and light by drawing parallel, diagonal lines going in one direction and overlapping them with parallel, diagonal lines going in the other direction.
  
  

Experiment With Texture

• Make a line drawing of a subject that incorporates a number of different textures. Create a different effect for each different texture by using a number of methods with your chosen tool, such as dots, vertical lines and horizontal lines. The more marks you include within a particular area, the darker the tone of the image will be. For subjects such as buildings you can choose to add texture to a small number of prominent bricks, rather than the entire wall.
  
  

Sketching

• Sketch a figure of a living creature. Look at a photograph or a pet and use quick strokes to capture the general shape of the subject and its features. Note the bone structure of the creature by including details such as the curve of the shoulders, knees, and spine. Add some texture by perhaps adding soft feathered lines to create fur in the case of a mammal or areas of scales in the case of a reptile. Revisit the sketch to gradually add more accurate detail and shading.
  
  

Create Striking Graphics

• Practice graphic style art by drawing shapes with a thick black outline. You can make your design as intricate as you like by using detailed shapes. An easy way of doing this is to take a pen or ink dipped paintbrush and make shapes on a piece of paper using one continuous stroke. This means that you draw without breaking contact with the paper, overlapping shapes to create smaller shapes within them. Once you have done this return to the design to thicken the lines and add smaller details within each shape. You can also use different colored ink to block color each shape. This is a simple exercise that can create striking artwork, and can be practiced by people of any age or artistic ability.