Works by Aboriginal artists from western and central Australia. Aboriginal Australian Arts and Crafts

The desire for beauty forced the Australian to cover his shield, club, boomerang with ornaments, draw patterns and images on rocks and stones, and wear jewelry on his body. The artistic aspiration was joined by ideas that endowed some of the decorations and ornaments with supernatural properties and turned them into sacred images.

Thus, the works visual arts Australians are divided into two types: sacred, religious-magical images and ornaments and designs that satisfy aesthetic needs, but are devoid of any religious content. And again, like works of folklore and dances, there is no external difference between both types: they are completely identical in form and appearance the drawings could in one case mean some kind of sacred mythological plot, and in another - have nothing to do with mythology.

Therefore, leaving aside for now the question of the presence or absence of religious and magical significance in Australian painting and ornamentation and focusing only on its artistic and technical side, we can try to systematize the works of fine art of Australians. They can be classified by place of application, by technique, and by style.

According to the place of application, the following groups of works of art are outlined: ornamentation and decoration of the body, ornamentation of weapons and utensils, images on totemic emblems (churinga, vaninga, etc.), images on rocks and in caves.

Body decorations can be divided into permanent and temporary. Permanent decorations were primarily scars on the skin, applied during initiation ceremonies, and sometimes even from childhood. It was mainly men who were subjected to scarring, but sometimes women as well. Scars were most often applied on the chest, stomach, and in some tribes on the back and arms. Ras

the position and pattern of the scars indicated tribal affiliation, sometimes membership in a certain phratry and marriage class, and most of all the passage of initiation rites. The pattern of scars is very simple: usually they are parallel horizontal lines across the chest or short lines in different places of the body. Australians, like most dark-skinned peoples, did not know a real skin tattoo. Temporary body decorations were much more abundant and varied. Australians decorated themselves before various corroborees, festivals and religious ceremonies. Jewelry often covered the entire body and was complemented by a headdress, sometimes large in size and bizarre in shape.

Weapons and various household items were not always decorated. Shields, as a rule, have a relief ornament on the outer surface and, in addition, are painted with ocher. The clubs of many tribes, especially in the southeast, were also decorated. Of the boomerangs, a special ornamented variety stands out - these are products of the tribes of western Queensland. Spears were only rarely decorated with carvings near the tip. Tools, axes, knife handles, troughs and other objects were rarely decorated, but more often they were left without any decoration.

Religious implements (Central Australian churigi, widespread “buzzers”, etc.) were usually covered with ornaments or images of symbolic conventional meaning.

Rock and cave paintings are found different types. Some of them are monuments ancient art, about the origin of which the Australians themselves now know nothing. The other part is the work of modern Australians. According to their meaning, rock cave paintings are divided into drawings associated with religious and magical beliefs, and into simple writings, which in the eyes of Australians do not have anything sacred or secret. But in appearance, one does not differ from the other. The most famous rock paintings are in northwestern and central Australia. The southeastern tribes have a place rock paintings occupied by images carved on the bark of trees and drawn on the ground. They, like the tribes of Central Australia, also made relief figures on the ground that had sacred meaning.

As for the technique of applying the ornament, here you can install several specific types. Spencer and Gillen give the following classification of methods of applying ornaments among the Central Australian tribes, which can be extended to the whole of Australia: carving, burning, painting with ocher, clay and coal, ornamentation with bird or plant fluff. Sometimes two or more methods were combined.

Carved ornaments are most often found on wooden things. The carving tool was a sharp flint or sometimes a possum tooth chisel; The latter, in particular, made carvings on churingas. Scarring of the body can also be attributed to the same type.

Drawings were burned out very rarely; according to Spencer and Gillen - only on magical wooden sticks.

The most common method used was to paint the surface with dyes. Their range was very limited, and the range of colors was equally limited. White clay or gypsum gave white, ocher - yellow and red, charcoal - black. These four colors almost exhausted the range of paints used by Australians. They did not use either blue or green paint, probably due to the lack of natural dyes, and did not even have special designations for these colors in their language, calling them the same as yellow (among the Aranda - tierga , or turga ).

It is very typical for Australians to use down for decorative purposes. The fluff was taken either from birds or plants, usually white, but it was often dyed by mixing it with red ocher. Most often, Australians used down to decorate themselves before a corroboree. They covered the skin of the body, hats, etc. with down, using blood or resin as an adhesive. Whole patterns were laid out on the body with white and colored fluff.

In my own way artistic style Australian decorative art, for all its simplicity, is very original. According to style features, it can be divided into certain types.

In general, Australian fine art is characterized by a conventionally schematic style, with a predominance of geometric and geometrized motifs, in contrast to the realistic and object-based style of fine art, for example, the European Paleolithic or contemporary Bushmen. However, it is not the same everywhere.

According to Spencer and Gillen, good experts in the decorative arts of Australians, it is possible to draw a conditional line from north to south across the whole of Australia, so that the line will run from the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Spencer Gulf and cut the continent into two approximately equal parts: in the western half geometric style, in the Eastern - more objective (imitative). The western half of the continent, characterized by a geometric style, in turn can be divided into the western and central parts proper: in the western half, rectangular figures and zigzags served as the favorite motifs of the ornament, in the central one - concentric circles, spirals and curved lines.

This Central Australian style of ornament is most characteristic. What is remarkable about it is mainly the tendency to completely fill the surface with a pattern. The artist usually took into account the shape of the thing being ornamented. On oblong objects - shields, churingas - they were often applied along the entire length. wavy lines, emphasizing the longitudinal axis of the object; or, on the contrary, it was cut into pieces by transverse stripes of alternating colors, for example red and white. But in many cases the master only sought to fill the entire field with patterns, regardless of the shape of the object. He covered it with rows of wavy lines, concentric circles, etc., filling the free space entirely with white or other colored dots. When decorating the human body, its lines and contours were also taken into account: wavy or gently curving lines and stripes followed the contours of the body or crossed them. Observing the figures of decorated dancers and corroboree participants, one cannot deny the Australian artists a unique, albeit rough taste.

When an ornament covers sacred objects, churingas, or is generally associated with religious and magical ideas, then the elements of this ornament, while maintaining their purely geometric shape, acquire a conventional symbolic meaning: they mean images of totemic ancestors and individual episodes of myths. Moreover, in many cases there is some similarity between the ornamental motif and the depicted object. For example, the mythical snake was almost always depicted as a wavy line or stripe. Traces and paths of movement of mythical creatures wandering around the country were transmitted dotted lines, rows of dots or short dashes; sometimes even realistically individual tracks emerged. The horseshoe-shaped figures that are constantly found in the ornament usually mean a seated person (perhaps by the resemblance to his spread legs). But more often there is no, even remote, resemblance to the depicted object, and the same motif means in one case “one thing, in another - completely other. For example, the favorite motif of concentric circles or spirals depicts a frog on one churinga, a tree on another, a pond on the third, a person on the fourth, and a stopping place for wandering mythical ancestors on the fifth. In drawings not related to a cult, the same motifs may mean nothing at all. It is never possible to determine by the appearance of a drawing alone whether it has any symbolic meaning and which one exactly. Only those who were directly related to this drawing knew this.

It is difficult to say how the connection between individual ornamental motifs and certain mythological ideas was established, for example, concentric circles with images of frogs, etc. It is possible that there was a gradual geometrization of the design, which was once more realistic. It is also possible that the drawing never had a realistic appearance, and an arbitrary connection was made between certain mythological images and their graphic symbols.

In Western Australia, the dominant style of ornament remains geometric, but curvilinear figures are replaced by rectilinear ones.

Instead of concentric circles and spirals, we find here rectangles inscribed one into the other (the sides of which are mutually parallel); angular meanders, instead of wavy lines - zigzags. There is speculation that this straightforward style is further development curvilinear, which, therefore, the tribes of Western Australia have taken a step forward in the visual arts compared to the Central Australian tribes.

In the eastern half of Australia the geometric style is decorative arts combined, as noted above, with subject images. Geometric motifs are more varied, and the compositions are more complex and stricter. The most characteristic patterns are on shields and clubs. Their usual elements are parallel rows of zigzag lines, dotted and linear patterns in a chess composition.

Realistic depictions of objects were rarely found in Australian everyday life. Almost the only area where they are noted is the north-eastern part of Arnhem Land. The Berndt couple recently described not only object drawings, but also wooden plastic figures depicting men and women. The absolutely undeniable influence of visiting Indonesian sailors was felt here; this influence began several hundred years ago, and the production of carved and painted human figures became firmly established in the life of the aborigines.

In other areas, realistic images were very rare. However, when an Australian happened to make them for some reason, they sometimes turned out to be so well executed that one must assume that the Australians have deep traditions of realistic art. Taking a European pencil or charcoal in their hands, they draw on paper* extremely expressive figures of animals, everyday scenes and landscapes, full of dynamics and expression. The best example This style can be illustrated by the paintings of the Aboriginal artist Albert Namajira and the boy artists from the Carrollup School (for about them, see the chapter “The Current Situation of Australians”). These lively, spontaneous drawings contrast sharply with religious and magical images, which are dryly schematic, boring and colorless. When folk art not constrained by conventional religious tradition, it is capable of producing highly artistic examples. In general, Australian fine art is close in type to the art of the Neolithic and partly Mesolithic of Europe. Realistic images also resemble some forms of Late Paleolithic painting.

The beginnings of positive knowledge

In bourgeois literature, backward peoples are often portrayed as ignorant “savages” whose consciousness is so saturated with gross superstitions that they are not even capable of thinking logically and cognizing the real world. This philistine opinion is deeply erroneous, which is easy to see from the example of the same Australians - one of the most backward peoples on earth.

Of course, the religious and magical ideas of the Australians are wild and absurd, but so are any religious ideas of any people, although among the peoples of Europe, for example, they are clothed in a refined, “cultural” form. “I believe it because it’s ridiculous,” famous saying Christian theologians. But in everything that does not concern religion, Australians are able to reason as sensibly and logically as we do. This has been noted more than once by conscientious observers. Teachers in Australian schools who have to deal with Aboriginal children notice that these children make progress in school subjects, not lagging behind their “white” counterparts; comrades; however, it is very rare for aborigines to obtain at least a secondary education, and even less often can they find application for their knowledge, because the path to intellectual work is closed to them.

The accumulation of positive experience and the ability to generalize, to rudimentarily systematize observed facts are confirmed by the ability of Australians to perfectly adapt to the surrounding natural environment.

Australian hunters know their surrounding nature very well. The area through which a given group (clan, tribe) roams, be it a steppe, a mountainous country, a savannah or a tropical jungle, is a home for all members of the group. They know every tree, every rock, every body of water within their nomadic territory. Their knowledge in the field of applied botany is amazing: they know hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, herbs growing in the area, they know all of them beneficial features and how to use them. Some plants provide food (roots, tubers, seeds, etc.), others provide material for crafts; Australians know the technical features of each tree species as well as any forest engineer. The ability of Australian women to process various plants and prepare food from them is amazing: they neutralize plants that are poorly edible and even poisonous in the wild through complex processing. This peculiar practical chemistry can cause surprise. Australian hunters' knowledge of the animal world is no less great: they know all the animals and birds within their area, they know their characteristics and habits, traces and routes of movement. A hunter knows how to find, outwit and catch even the most cautious and timid animal.

The amazing ability of Australians to navigate the deserted desert, to find a road, water, and food in it, has also been noted more than once.

The wandering life of a hunter was by no means, as is always thought, an unconditional brake on the development of positive knowledge. On the contrary, in some respects it favored the expansion of this knowledge. The mobility of Australian hunting groups, constantly communicating with each other, frequent migrations, hikes, expeditions, inter-tribal gatherings, exchange relations - all this contributed to expanding the mental horizons of the Australian aborigine.

It is necessary to dwell separately on the issue of traditional medicine of Australians. The chapter on religion talked about the witchcraft practices of their healers. But Australians also know and use various means of rational medicine. Bourgeois researchers have so far paid little attention to them, being more interested in the witchcraft and magical practices of the Australians. But the work of the Viennese ethnographer and doctor of medicine Erich Drobets, “Medicine among the Natives of Australia,” collected a lot of very interesting material on this topic.

Australians treat their sick, as well as decrepit old people, very carefully, look after them, and, if necessary, carry them on themselves when migrating. These facts, like the entire medical practice of Australians, refute the idea of ​​them as “rude savages”, widespread in bourgeois reactionary literature.

It turns out that some of the medical and surgical treatments used by Australians are quite rational. This is especially clear in relation to the techniques of primitive surgery: they know how to treat wounds, fractures and dislocations well and do it with their own means, without even turning to healers and sorcerers.

Clay, fat from a snake or other animals, bird droppings, resin from some trees, milky juice of ficus plants, stems ground into pulp, sometimes mixed with ocher, etc. are applied to a bleeding wound, sometimes with an admixture of ocher, etc. Human urine and mother's milk are also used to heal wounds. Some of these substances are also used for tumors and abscesses. Drobets indicates that some of these folk remedies are also recognized by European medicine. Dress wounds with soft tree bark. Charcoal, ash, cobwebs, and iguana fat are used as a hemostatic agent. When bones are broken, bark bandages and wooden splints are applied. However, as sources indicate, the period of imposition is not long enough, which, however, is quite understandable in conditions of nomadic life.

Snake bites are treated by sucking, pulling the bitten part of the body, burning the wound, or making a circular incision. For some ailments, for example, headaches, rheumatism, the patient is bled using incisions.

The diseased tooth is removed by tying it with a cord.

Sometimes the pain is relieved by applying leaves of plants containing narcotic substances (“snake grass”, etc.).

There is information, although little reliable, about real surgical operations, for example, for wounds in the abdomen.

Skin diseases are treated by applying clay, red ocher, tincture of certain types of bark, and washing with urine.

For inflammation and feverish heat, cold lotions are used. For colds, rheumatic pains and other cases, the patient is forced to sweat; some southeastern tribes arrange a real steam bath. Having dug a hole, they heat it with hot stones, put raw leaves and branches on them, and build a roof of poles over the hole; the well-wrapped patient lies down there. In some cases, the patient was buried for four to five hours in damp soil, with water added (kamilaroi), or in sand (gevegal, yualai).

For stomach diseases, laxatives (honey, eucalyptus resin, castor oil) and fixatives (various tinctures, orchid bulb, clay, etc.) were used.

The Australian Pharmacopoeia is generally quite rich. They know healing properties very many plants. Walter Roth lists 40 plant species used for medicinal purposes.

The use of many of the traditional medicines mentioned is combined with magical techniques, usually with spells. But this does not prevent Australian folk medicine from remaining rational at its core, because it is built on positive folk experience.

A week ago my brother returned from a long trip. Vitalik lived and worked in Australia for a year. Last night, while visiting, I heard an amazing story about what my brother saw and what amazed him while he was living in Sydney and traveling through the interesting places of this delightful continent.

I would never have thought before that I could be amazed by the paintings of Australian aborigines. My brother became acquainted with local creativity in Uluru. This is a tourist village near the pink rock, considered sacred by the indigenous people. There he managed to attend a master class by a local artist. The craftswoman showed dot drawing technique using the other side of the brush.

Drawing for Australian Aborigines is a kind of meditation. They create their paintings right on the street, sitting with a canvas and a brush in their hand. Focusing on your inner world, they draw colored dots, which subsequently turn into real masterpieces. Works using this technique are fascinating and seem to exude positive energy, captivating views and thoughts for a long time.

And all you need is to listen to yourself and start drawing a cascade of multi-colored dots. But this also has its secrets.

Unusual drawings

Editorial "So simple!" I have prepared for you a selection of bright and unusual Australian Aboriginal paintings. The energy is just off the charts!

  1. Bright colors, laconic expressiveness of strokes, picturesque anatomical details - all this characterizes the painting of Australian aborigines, an acquaintance with which will bring pleasure to true connoisseurs of original cultures.





  2. Do you know what Aboriginal artists look like? In this case, the stereotype as we imagine an artist does not work at all. They look quite exotic, especially from a European point of view.

    Here, for example, is a fairly famous artist from Australia, Jeannie Petyarre. Ginny's work is known throughout the world and has a large number of connoisseurs. And not without reason, because these works of art are truly amazing, you can’t take your eyes off them!


    Thanks to my brother, I now have a reproduction of this painting.



  3. Aboriginal artists paint the world with dots and brushstrokes. It’s as if they create from atoms the most important thing in their life, what has the greatest weight, what they are proud of and what they live in: the country in which they were born, the earth, rivers, sun and sky.



    They also draw people who live nearby and whom they love, they draw women, men and children, the flora and fauna, everything that surrounds them.

    The secret of the paintings' energy lies in the coded symbols, which the artists write down while working on a new masterpiece, turning the subjects into bright ornamental canvases.


    Knowing and understanding these symbols, you can easily “read” works of art.

  4. Here are paintings by Australian Aboriginal artists on display in one of the world's art galleries.


    They have a very special aura! These abstractions give a feeling like communicating with nature - a light breeze, the smell of grass, the chirping of birds... Very irrational, like waves of color.


    Gallery visitors admit that they like to stand in front of the paintings, listening to their inner state.

  5. Australian aboriginal artists painted and continue to paint colorful fish, animals, birds, and sometimes people, while along with external details they also depict internal organs - the spine, esophagus, heart, liver.


    This is the so-called x-ray style, which reflects the interest of Aboriginal people in expanding their knowledge of the anatomy of representatives of the animal world.


    In addition, such a thorough depiction of edible game was a kind of magical effect and ensured success in the hunt.

In case you decide to go on an exciting journey, we have prepared for you a fascinating selection of different countries peace. Take a few ideas with you on the road; an original approach to choosing souvenirs will bring you a lot of positive emotions.

What can you say about these unusual works of art of Australian aborigines? Personally, I don't like the soul ethnic motives!

In addition, having tried to create such, at first glance, primitive works, you understand that drawing with dots is not at all easy. This requires great concentration and a huge internal resource, because such work can only be created in good mood without allowing a single negative thought.

If you are inspired Australian art- share this article with your friends. I'm sure they will definitely find something new for themselves.

Nastya does yoga and loves traveling. Fashion, architecture and everything beautiful - that’s what a girl’s heart strives for! Anastasia is an interior designer and also makes unique floral-themed jewelry. She dreams of living in France, is learning the language and is keenly interested in the culture of this country. He believes that a person needs to learn something new all his life. Anastasia's favorite book is “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Australian Aborigines are called the most ancient culture living on our planet. The English colonists called the local inhabitants "aboriginals", which literally means "from the beginning" (from the Latin "aborigene"). The culture of the Australian inhabitants has been little studied; many mysteries remain for researchers.

The means for self-expression among the inhabitants of Australia are original and simple: wood carving, applying ornaments and designs to the ground, to household items, to weapons, to ceremonial objects, to rocks and trees. Modeling from beeswax and applying designs to the skin are also common.

Most often, in Aboriginal drawings, researchers see scenes from everyday life, but Australian residents draw inspiration for their paintings from myths and legends. The artist experiences everything depicted in reality, connecting himself through visible means with the world of spirits. Such sensitive perception brings the artist as close as possible to the natural phenomena and spiritual heroes depicted in the drawings.

Australian Aboriginal art was intended to convey ideas, and not just take a kind of snapshot of what was happening in reality. Aboriginal art was and remains symbolic in its form. It does not aim to convey complete resemblance to the object, which is why most drawings and intricate patterns seem meaningless to people from other cultures. But for a native they are understandable and filled with mood, experience, and idea.

Surviving drawing of Australian Aboriginal people

In Australia you can find many drawings made on the bark of a tree, most often eucalyptus, as well as on sacred rocks. Not all residents had the opportunity to leave drawings on rocks and trees. The artist was obliged to understand the meaning of the outlines, and this was accessible only to initiates. For example, drawings or lines made with ocher could contribute to a good harvest and an increase in the animal population. Left unattended and faded ornaments could cause drought and bring failure in finding food and other matters.

The number of drawings and art objects varied in different areas throughout the continent. Very few drawings remain in Tasmania - only a few images made on bark and carved on rocks have survived to this day. A smaller number of images are observed in the arid regions of the continent; in such places the designs do not differ in great diversity. This may be due to the fact that it was difficult for local residents to find food and survive in the current conditions. But even here you can find ornaments on the bark of trees, the ground, rocks; the aborigines decorated their weapons and painted their bodies.

Eastern Australia is rich in Aboriginal art, and the area is particularly famous for its tree carvings. The northern part of Australia is a treasure trove of Aboriginal fine art. And the most expressive masterpieces are found on the Arnland Peninsula, where local residents devoted quite a lot of time to creating ceremonial objects, as well as colorful designs on trees and rocks.

It is necessary to especially note the so-called “X-ray pictures”, common not only in Australia, but also in the art of some nationalities

Australian ornaments were second on the list, but then I couldn’t settle on anything specific and missed that month, and now, after two successful, in my opinion, kane, the idea came to mind to make a kane again, inspired by the dot painting of the Australian aborigines.

The traditions of dotted drawings of the Australian aborigines go back about 4,000 years, and they did not come up with this style of drawing for decorative purposes. The fact is that the ancient Australians did not have a written language, and such dotted drawings were used to pass on their chronicles and messages about history, way of life, and traditions through generations. This is why, by the way, there are no words for “art” or “artist” in any of the Australian Aboriginal languages.
For their drawings they used ground stones and earth - many beautiful and brightly colored minerals, ocher, white and orange, are found in Australia.
The Aborigines painted their bodies.

At first, Europeans considered these drawings primitive and not worthy of attention.
Until, in 1971, art teacher Geoffrey Bardon came to the Papuniya Aboriginal settlement.
Bardon was amazed at the conditions in which the locals lived. According to him, it was real hell on earth. In just one year, half the population died there from disease. Papunya was actually home to five different tribal groups speaking five languages. The Aborigines tried to coexist peacefully and find a new purpose in life, because everything they knew was now prohibited. All the colors of life were taken away along with the earth, and they were left with only a half-asleep existence and sad reflections. Everything was run by arrogant white officials “in white socks,” most of whom, as Bardon recalls, didn’t give a damn about the Aborigines.
Some haven't spoken to locals for ten years. As for the 1,500 Aboriginal people, they had no leaders whom the whites would take seriously, so no one represented their interests.
Local residents did not trust whites; children came to school only for the free hot milk.
Bardon noticed that outside school, while chatting and playing on the playground, the children drew patterns in the sand with their fingers and sticks - dots, semicircles, wavy lines. One day he asked them to repeat these patterns, and after some persuasion the students agreed.
And then the adults joined them. Bardon took the drawings to the nearest city, and there they suddenly began to be in demand.
The teacher brought money and new paints to the aborigines. Later it came to cars.
But as we know, no good deed goes unpunished.
The local white administration was alarmed. It turned out that Aboriginal art was worth good money, and the locals, who, according to the administration, should have remained poor, suddenly acquired property and money. And their interests were defended by Geoffrey Bardon.
Then it was decided to turn the aborigines against the young teacher. Moreover, it was not difficult to do this. After many years of hopeless poverty, the aborigines were completely blown away when money appeared. They were told that Bardon was pocketing most of the proceeds.
The Aborigines stopped trusting him and left the settlement.
A year and a half later, Geoffrey left there, having lost many of his ideals and illusions, crushed and broken (he developed a nervous breakdown and was later treated by a psychiatrist), but during this short time he managed to lay the foundation for one of the most amazing movements in painting of the 20th century.

I first learned about Bardon several years ago. I read something art book. I don’t remember the name of the author, or the title of the book, or the main plot, or even in what language I read the book in Russian or English. There was a story about Geoffrey Bardon as a side story that got me interested. I went online to look and was simply amazed by this painting.

PS Katya aka twinsika suggested the name of the author and the title of the book: Victoria Finley "The Secret History of Colors." Thank her very much!

Now in Australia there are more than 50 Aboriginal art groups (and most of the artists live in remote desert areas of the country).
Aboriginal art is now considered the property of the country; it is impossible to simply buy a painting and take it abroad. So basically all the painting is in Australia.

Aboriginal painting is sacred, filled with symbols. They often depict animals that play a huge role in their daily lives.
One such animal is the goanna, a species of large lizard from the monitor lizard family.
The Goanna represents the spirit of rain for many Australian tribes, and the Goanna is also a source of food. Goanna fat is considered a delicacy (they will say yummy, but to me it’s just yuck).

It seems to me that even the “invention” of dot painting was inspired by the Goannas.


Ready kane before squeezing


At Aliya's request, I took several pictures of the process of the "birth" of Kane.

I made a rough sketch of the future kane, placed it under the glass, and began to lay out the drawing on the glass.

First the lizard appeared. I made it while I was “on duty” in Balboa Park, where Polymer Clay Guild Week is currently taking place.
She represented the guild, talked about clay and the simplest techniques to everyone who wanted to listen, showed something along the way, and also wanted to communicate with friends from the guild, see the exhibition (simply amazing, but I was allowed to take photographs only on the condition that I I won’t post anything on the Internet). In between all these distractions, I worked on kane. By the time it was time to get ready to go home, the lizard was ready.

Then I started filling in the background. I wanted to imitate dot painting, so I meditated for several evenings, laying out layers.
The cane is in the fridge now, I'll try to squeeze it tomorrow evening. I'm afraid it won't be possible to save the dots. I don’t know why I spent so much time on them. Well, let's see what happens.

Indians are very interesting people, they have well-developed muscles due to their very active lifestyle. If you are interested in their culture and love to draw, then the question most likely has arisen in your head: “How to draw an Indian?” This people is unique, but, unfortunately, their culture is being forgotten. During the colonization period, many people died. This article will answer your question about how to draw an Indian.

A few facts

Before you learn how to draw an Indian with a pencil, learn a few things about them interesting facts.

Preparatory stage

Do you want to draw an Indian? Step-by-step instruction presented below. You will need the following materials:

  • Pencils different hardness(hard for sketching and soft for filling in color).
  • Sheet of suitable format.
  • Eraser or knead.

First way

For this answer to the question of how to draw an Indian, the cartoon character “Little Hiawatha” is taken as a basis.

Step one. Just above the middle of the sheet, draw an oblong bandage. Below it, draw a face with large cheeks.

Step two. Draw round eyes, mouth and nose for the baby.

Step three. Above the bandage, draw voluminous hair, making it stick out from under it. In the hair, draw a feather peeking out from under the headband.

Step four. Let's move on to drawing the body. First the neck and shoulders, then the plump arms. Now draw the line of the chest and back.

Step five. Draw your legs bent at the knees. He has wide trousers on his legs and his feet are bare.

Step six. This is the end, all that remains is to decorate the resulting drawing.

You can complement the little Indian any way you want. You can draw a tomahawk or a bow in his hand; his body can be decorated with various designs or bandages.

The little Indian is ready!

A little more complicated

This version of how to draw an Indian is a little more complicated and more realistic.

First stage. Sketch out the auxiliary lines along which you will draw the Indian. First, draw a circle that will serve as the basis for the head, then two triangles, one for the chest, the other for the pelvic area. Add connecting lines to outline the neck, arms and legs.

Second phase. Sketch out the shape of the face, keeping in mind that Indians have a pointed chin and a long face. Draw thick eyebrows on your face.

Third stage. Now draw the Indian's hair, it should be long and thick.

Fourth stage. When the head is sketched out, draw slightly narrow eyes, a nose and a mouth. There should be a slight hump on the nose.

Fifth stage. Indians most often wear feathered headdresses. You can draw any headdress you want. In this tutorial, the Indian will be wearing a headband with several feathers.

Sixth stage. Now it's time to move on to drawing the human body. Start by sketching out the shoulders, below outline the torso and draw strong arms. The left hand should be clenched, since later it is necessary to depict a tool there, the right hand should be relaxed.

Seventh stage. You are doing great if you have reached this stage. Draw a bandage on the top of your arm that goes around your arm, you can draw any pattern you want on it. After finishing the bandage, sketch out the Indian amulet.

Eighth stage. Now you need to draw the pants. They should be wide, without narrowing towards the bottom of the leg, with thick fringe on the sides. From below, draw the legs in simple shoes, peeking out a little from under the trousers.

Ninth stage. Now draw folds on the legs to make the drawing seem more realistic. Detail the drawing: draw wrinkles and muscle relief. The Indians led an active lifestyle, do not forget about this.

Tenth stage. This is almost the final step! Remember the compressed left hand? Draw a bow or spear in it. Now, using an eraser or a knob, erase the auxiliary lines from the first step.

Eleventh stage. Color in the drawing. Don't forget about light and shade; one side should be lighter than the other. Determine where the light is coming from and then distribute the shades.

Your Indian drawing is ready!