Welcome to Stop Look Listen Cross. My name is Jonathan and I am an admirer of Art. I enjoy playing with charcoal, pencils, chalk, crayons, photography, 3D software, and just about anything else I can get my hands on to create something interesting. I may not be a professional artist, but I've picked up a few things along the way that I'd love to share.
Are you new to art and don't know where to start? That's okay. At Stop Look Listen Cross you can follow my reviews of art related supplies and tools in the Reviews section. You might also find some useful tips in the Tutorials section. And of course, this wouldn't be an art site without a Gallery. Since the main page will be updating continuously, all previous content will move to their corresponding "EXTRAS" page. News will move to Stories, Reviews will move to Thoughts, Tutorials will move to Tips, and Gallery will move to Images. The buttons at the end of each section on the main page will also provide quick access to the "EXTRAS" page.
The purpose of this site is to offer a little guidance for beginning and intermediate artists. This is a place to have fun while learning about art. Stay motivated, enjoy yourself, keep working on your craft and make artwork that matters to you!
Do you remember what some of your very first drawings looked like when you were just a child? You might look at them now and wonder, “What was I thinking?” Some of your earlier drawings could have been of stick figures standing under a bright sun with fluffy clouds in the sky. Sure, they were far from realistic, but the symbols were easy to read and recognize.
Shapes, symbols and patterns have been drawn by humans for thousands of years. I recommend doing an internet search of ancient cave paintings so you could see what I’m talking about. Now compare those images to your childhood drawings. Did you notice how much they have in common? When you look at a subject, your mind immediately sees and recognizes shapes and patterns. By applying those shapes and patterns to a drawing, we create a representation, or symbol, of that subject.
This brings me to a drawing exercise that I like to call Shape it Up, Draw it Out.
If you’re happy with your artwork you could send a copy of it along with a photo of your subject to the email link, or message us, on our Facebook page (the link can be found at the top or bottom of this page). If you include your Facebook username, we will tag you in the post. It is entirely up to you if you want to remain an unknown artist, but why wouldn’t you be proud of something you created. Remember to respect the Terms of Service with regards to Facebook, I will only post images that do not violate Facebook’s policies. Keep on drawing and Follow us on Facebook if you want to see more exercises like this.
