One way to help you do contour drawings is to think of a tiny ant moving along the edge you're looking at, going up and over each and every tiny bump.

After a little practice, you can see how different every curve is: how sometimes it is convex, concave, short, long, tight, flowing, and jagged. Each contour line has its own unique personality, if you look closely enough.

Tips for Good Contour Drawings:

• Zoom right in - capture every bend and curve you see. Avoid generalizing. A drawing in which each curve is different is likely a drawing that has been closely observed.

• Work VERY slowly. Speeding will make you lose detail and make your drawing appear "fake."

• LOOK at what your drawing! Spend about 10% of your time looking at your paper, and the other 90% looking at what you're drawing. You'll start making up details and end up with a simple-looking drawing if you don't.

• Following the contour can be tricky in places. It's OK to follow a contour into the middle of a drawing. Stop when it is hard to see the line anymore.

• It's usually best to use long, unbroken lines rather than a collection of short dashes.

Practice Subjects for Contour Drawings:

Medium: Simple house-plants, clothes, household tools and appliances, toys, feet, ears, stacks of marshmallows.

Tough: Crumpled aluminum foil, cut-open cabbages, wood-grain, piles of driftwood, people playing Twister.