• Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on trees, most famously on apple trees. The ancient druids revered Mistletoe, which they grew in sacred groves and harvested with golden sickles.

    These days, Mistletoe is a part of a traditional British Christmas. The tradition is that you may kiss who you like if they are standing under the mistletoe. This quaint belief can cause lots of embarrassment at Office parties! The berries are very sticky. The seeds stick to the beaks of the birds that eat them. The birds wipe their beaks on tree branches where the seeds stick to the bark. Mistletoe grows it’s roots into the heart of the wood and lives on the sap of the tree. Lazy, but seasonally beautiful!

    The video shows you how to make a Mistletoe pattern. It’s not quite how mistletoe grows in real life, but it makes a pleasing pattern and most people would never know the difference! After you have watched the video, click the how-to picture and print your own how-to sheet with instructions for making the Mistletoe pattern.

  • The classic Arab Scimitar sword has a curved blade with the cutting edge on the outside. It’s used to slash rather than stab. the weight of the sword and the curve allows the blade to bite deep and works well in mounted combat. Arab design decoration usually comes down pattern or lettering. Although the sword hilt could be smothered in gold and jewels with a matching scabbard.

    Click the step-by-step picture to download a printout sheet to help you draw your own. click the video below to watch Shoo Draw it for you. You can stop and rewind if you get confused!

  • This Wednesday we REALLY have advice about tracing ( it fell off the video last week – Thanksa to iona 147 for this idea) – What’s in the mail? – What happened at the British Museum last week? – Another great Book Review and a round up of the year.

    Some people get very angry and say that tracing is cheating – well, they have their own problems and let them stew in them! When you are learning to draw, tracing is like having a pair of trainer wheels on your bike. You can learn to copy other artist’s styles or learn the relationships between spaces and shapes. All artists trace at some time. I often trace when I’m designing characters and need to keep something from the previous drawing and addd something new, I also trace when I need to arrange elements in an illustration. It’s not cheating, it’s work! Don’t ever listen to anyone who says tracing is cheating, ask them when they last picked up a pencil themselves! Eventually, you will not want to trace because you are so good you can do it quicker without tracing, in the same way you eventually throw away those trainer wheels and trade up to something faster and shinier!

    The book of the week is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are starting out, it’s invaluable, even if you are a seasoned pro, you will have “agh!” moments when things will all make sense at last. The psychology part is quite serious but fascinating. The messages in this book will make sense to all dyslexics who don’t understand why they don’t get with the education system.

    These are my top 5 Videos of 2012!

    5 How to draw Harry Styles 49K
    4 How to draw the Titanic 64k
    3 How to draw a heart of stone – Real Easy 72k
    2 How to draw a hunting knife 108k
    1 How to draw the impossible triangle 141K

    Thanks for all your support in 2012 – I’ll have a bit of a break next week, but the Wednesday Drawing Show will be back on the 2nd of January. Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.