Hi,

Thank you for the purchase of this workbook. Doing simple drawings with pen and ink is a very relaxing and
enjoyable hobby, and with this workbook, you will soon discover how easy it is as well.

“So, what can I draw in limited time I get from my busy schedule” is a question I most often get asked and this
workbook is my attempt to answer it.

The focus in this workbook is on a process with clear steps that can be used to draw quick pleasing landscapes in
short time. Limitless variations on this ‘theme’ are possible and a different pleasing landscape can be easily drawn
from imagination once the steps are understood and practiced. The size of resulting landscapes can be as small as
2 by 3 inches and finished in under 10 minutes in your quick breaks. Or it can be bigger with more elements and
details. The choice is yours. Important thing to understand is that behind anything that looks quite involved as a
final product, there are simple steps that are used to put it together. Same is true with drawing landscapes. Here
we will look at those steps for drawing landscapes in fully illustrative way with hands on exercises. Draw them for
yourself, or in a thank you card for your friends or just doodle them in the margin of your journals. These
drawings will let you relax, get you imagining going and will immensely satisfy you with quick pleasing results.

Do try different activities in the workbook. You can supplement it by additional practice on your own drawing
book. If the initial attempt is not to your liking, then try again. Don’t get discouraged in the beginning and take
break between attempts if you need to. Once you start, you will discover the joy of putting pen on paper and
creating simple pleasing landscapes from your imagination.
Happy Drawing,

Rahul Jain
www.pendrawings.me For more information visit www.pendrawings.me/getstarted 1
This free preview is provided solely for your personal use. All copyright for the content in here rests with
the author. This preview PDF and any content from it can’t be posted anywhere on internet or used in any
manner other than personal use without prior consent of author. You can reach author at
[email protected] for such requests.

First 30 pages of the workbook are provided in this preview to help you get feel for the workbook and
access its suitability for your learning needs. I am absolutely confident that simple, fully illustrative, step by
step approach in the workbook will appeal to all, even absolute beginners ,and help adopt pen and ink
drawing as a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. Lets begin the journey.

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Main Elements in a Simple Landscape:
Lets start by looking at the main elements of drawing a simple pleasing landscape. We will next look at these
elements in detail. Notice how by combining these elements, a pleasing feel is obtained in the drawing.

Sky/Clouds
Background
Distant Element
Tree Line

Ground
Plains

Ground
Contour
Other
Ground Elements
Cover

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Concept of ‘Organic Line’:
An organic line is obtained by holding pen gently and giving pen a gentle movement. It has a soft and mellow
appearance as seen below. In contrast, a ‘hard line’ results when pen is held tight and moved in slow deliberate
manner.

Organic Line Hard Line

When drawing plains

and other elements of
a landscape, always
use organic lines to
draw their outlines.

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Concept Of Different ‘Grounds’:
Depending on how far an object or ground is from the viewer, it is considered as either a background (farthest
out), foreground (closest to the viewer) or a middle ground (in between foreground and background). First step
in a composition is defining how the ground is shaped from foreground to background.

Background
Background

Middle Ground
Middle Ground

Foreground

Foreground
Plain lines used to
define the ‘grounds’

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Step 1: Drawing Ground Plains:
A ‘Plain’ refers to a piece of land that is oriented in a certain way. The ground in our composition is comprised
of different plains that run from foreground to background. A plain is specified by using ‘Plain Lines’. In the
first step, we use ‘plain lines’ to organize the ground into different plains. The plain line that is at the top
(furthest out) is usually the ‘horizon’ and represents far out background. Space in front of plain line closest to
viewer is the foreground.
Plain lines used to
define plains
Most distant plain line
constitutes the horizon (far
out background)
Another Plain in
middle ground

A Plain
Foreground Plain Line

Foreground

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Drawing Ground Plains, Start with Horizon:
In the beginning, it is good to proceed in order from background to foreground or vice versa. Start from the
background by initially drawing a background plain line or ‘Horizon’ .

Some more examples of

A single like this represents distant horizon. This kind of
horizon, or the far out curved organic line works
distance. well for a distant horizon.

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Drawing Ground Plains, Adding Middle Ground:
Next add more plain lines below horizon plain line to create additional plains representing middle ground.

Horizon.

Additional Plain lines.

Continue by adding more such plain
lines to create middle ground plains.

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Drawing Ground Plains, Adding Foreground:
Finally add plain line to define the foreground. This complete the drawing of ground plains.

Use interesting
distribution. Avoid
any symmetry.

Foreground Plain line.

Above you can see how the ground is now

organized into different plains intersecting in
interesting ways. Using plain lines, the white of
paper is transformed into a pleasing set of plains.

Another Example.

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Drawing Ground Plains, From Foreground to Background:
Plain lines and hence plains can be created starting from foreground and going to background as well. In fact,
with experience, you will be able to draw them interactively.

Here plain are created

from foreground to
background. With
experience, you will be
able to interactively
create such ground
forms.

Additional Plains can

be added interactively
based on your desired
feel for the drawing.

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More Examples:
Here are some more examples. Notice that there is a sense of balance between the sides. Keep it bit
asymmetrical to add energy and interest. Avoid symmetric plains as it looks unnatural and unappealing.

These plains feels too balanced.

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Perspective Consideration:
Per perspective, things become smaller as they go out in the distance. Same holds true for plains farther out
closer to horizon. Bigger plains closer to horizon makes it look flat. Plains becoming smaller with distance
reinforces perspective and give sense of distance as well.

This ground form

appears flat as plain
closer to horizon is not
smaller.

Additional plain lines

are used to break it into
smaller plains closer to
horizon. This is now
giving sense of depth.

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Drawing Cross Shaped Interesting Plains:
In the beginning, following approach can be used to create interesting plains. As you get more experience, you
will be able to create them from your imagination on the fly.

Start by drawing the closest foreground plain line

first. Add receding diagonally intersecting plain
lines to define middle ground.

Add more receding plain lines to your

liking. Vary the angle to make it
interesting.

Finally draw the distant horizon.

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Open vs Overlapping Plains:
If a plain line starts from edge of another plain line, then resulting plain is partially hidden behind other plain.
If the plain line is not starting from edge of another plain, then it is results in an ‘open plain’.

As the plain line is not touch other Extending the plain line to edge of other
plain line, the resulting plain doesn’t plain line makes the resulting plain
have a feel of being partially hidden partially hidden behind the plain in front.
behind the front plain.
Other open plains are also added. Such
mix of overlapping and open plains is
usually visually appealing.

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Complexity of Ground Form:
Few plain lines can be used to create ground form with few bigger plains. More plain lines can be added to
create smaller and smaller plains resulting in quite complex ground form. The right level of round form
complexity will be dictated by what other elements you intend to use and focus of your composition. There is
no right or wrong. Experiment with different choices to see their interplay.

This is the ground form we saw before. Here the plains are further sub divided. If ground
This level is sufficient for most drawings. is the main focus of drawing, then such complex
form can be useful.

Later we will also look at use of more curved plain lines to create more interesting ground forms.

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Activity: Drawing Ground Plains:
Following are some starting points. Add more plains to them to finish their ground forms. Draw one of your
own.

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Perspective Rule for Elements on Ground:
Size of an object decreases as it goes out in the distance. Objects in foreground are drawn bigger than same
object in middle ground. Objects in background are smallest. This also depends on the natural size of the
object. A mountain in background is still drawn bigger than a stone in foreground.

Feels Right. Foreground Stone is Feels Wrong. Foreground Stone is smaller

bigger than middle ground stone than middle ground stone and distant trees
and distant trees are small. are bigger than what we expect.

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Make Sure It Looks Natural:
Size of different elements in your drawing should work together and feel ‘natural’. A young tree in foreground
would be smaller than a mature tree in middle ground. So the perspective rule is to help you in drawing
elements at right size, but in the end, the drawing should look natural.

When elements closer to viewer are

Bigger size of foreground elements
drawn smaller, then tend to be perceived
(tree and stone) makes them feel
in middle ground. Foreground here is
very close to viewer.
implied with no elements.

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Perspective Rules: Some More Examples
Study the examples below to understand how size of an object changes as it moves into different ‘grounds’.
Again, there is no hard and fast rule about the magnitude of change in size. Makes sure the drawing looks
natural.

As the foreground stone and tree are moved to middle ground, they are reduced in size.
Bringing the middle ground stone and background foliage closer also increases their size. The
tree line is now in middle ground with implied background.

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Relative Size of Middle Ground:
Space between background and foreground is considered middle ground. Depending on the size of drawing
and your composition, it can be made bigger or smaller. If you have a path leading to the distant horizon, then
a path leading over bigger middle ground to the distance is more appealing. On the other hand, if you are
mainly focusing on the foreground, then to take away the attention from middle ground, it can be made
smaller. Key point to understand is that more space for a ground gives it prominence and there should be
something interesting on it to catch viewers attention.

More space for middle ground. Without

Smaller middle ground. Eyes quickly
anything on it, it currently lacks interest.
travel from foreground to background.
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Hidden Grounds:
Not all grounds need to be visible. If you are focusing on foreground, then elements on it might cover the view
of other grounds. In the case, the other grounds are implied.

With no plain lines, middle ground and Plain lines are added to the sides to give more
background are implied here. visual indication of middle and background.

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Interactive Plain Addition:
New plain lines can be added to create new foreground and other plains interactively. In the following drawing
to left, winter bush is in the foreground. New foreground plains are further added to push winter bush to
middle ground with stones and pine trees now in the foreground.

Adding new foreground plain here pushed earlier foreground to the middle ground.
Interactively add such plain to your drawings to evolve them per your taste.

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Step 2: Drawing Ground Contours:
After plains are drawn, next step is to indicate their surface contour. This further helps to bring out the form of
the plains. In pen and ink, curved lines that are parallel to each other are used to define the contours of the
surface. Curvature of lines indicate the curvature of the surface. Add such contour lines to define the contour
of the plains and hence the ground . This should match orientation of the plain per its plain lines.

Curved Parallel lines

gives the feel of surface
contour.

Notice how by using

contour lines, there
is now a definition
of ground leading to
horizon.
There is a feel for the contour of
plains using contour lines.

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Drawing Contour Lines for Horizontal Plains:
For horizontal plains, the contour lines should be drawn along the plain with change in angle per the change in
angle of plain line. Draw contour lines where there is a discernable change in angle of plain line.

Make contour lines bigger towards the

viewer and make them smaller as it
goes to horizon. This reinforces the
distance and perspective.
Some white can be left
between different set of
contour lines to give it clean
appearance.

Notice how contour lines are

reinforcing the distance and
direction of plains.

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Drawing Contour Lines for Angled Plains:
For angled plains, the contour lines should be drawn as shown below to bring out the curved form of the
ground.

This is an angled
plain as indicated by
angle of plain line.

Use such contour

lines to bring out
the form of
angled plain.
Another example.

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Avoid Overlapping Contour Lines:
Any overlap in contour lines is usually unpleasing. Use shorter lines at transition points as shown below to
avoid the overlap.

This overlap is
usually unpleasing Use shorter lines at
as it doesn’t clearly transition points to
indicate the contour avoid overlap.
due to overlap.

Wrong Right

Taper the length of contour lines. Start small, draw progressively

bigger till the middle of plain and then make it progressively smaller.

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Appropriate Ground Contour Lines to Use:
Horizontal contour lines indicate flatness where as angled contour lines bring out the form of the plain. For
plains with small angles both can be used as shown below based on desired effect.

On the same plain line, using

Horizontal contour lines can
angled contour lines gives
still be use on horizontal plain
emphasis to its rounded
lines with slight waviness.
form.

Horizontal contour lines gives Angled contour lines brings out

a feel of flatness. the angular nature of plain.

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Other Considerations for Ground Contour Lines:
Keep in mind following considerations when drawing contour lines. Lot of this comes with practice. Drawing
interesting ground plains with contour lines is very fun to do and can be attempted in your short breaks.

For plains with high angular contour,

horizontal lines looks odd.
With smaller plains, avoid contour lines as it
looks messy.

Looks Odd.

Plains tend to become smaller and closer

together as they go towards the horizon.

Angular Contour Lines works better.

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Help, I Can’t Do Parallel Lines:
Drawing parallel lines, called ‘hatching’, is a fundamental technique in pen and ink drawing. It is very important
to practice and get comfortable doing it. That said, if you are not currently comfortable with it, then following
approach can be used.

Use dotted lines to lay down initial Connect dotes to create contour lines. They
contour lines. are not as clean as when drawing directly.

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Activity: Drawing Surface Contours:
Practice drawing surface contours for the plain lines below. It takes time and practice. Carry a small pocket
sketch book with you and practice drawing them when ever you get some time.

Yet another example.

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With and Without Surface Contours:
As you can see below, adding surface contours really brings out the definition of ground and makes the
drawing more interesting.

Ground cover without surface Adding surface contours brings out

contours. ground definition and adds to visual
interest.

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End of Free Preview:
This concludes the free preview. In the actual workbook, this and subsequent steps to create quick and easy
pen and ink landscapes are discussed in detail. Following are just some examples of landscapes you will be able
to draw with techniques and inspiration from the workbook.
Pl. visit www.pendrawings.me/vol6 for more information and to purchase the workbook from Amazon.
Start your pen and ink adventure today.

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