[jcterminal]

here i am, my first piece on this forum. and what better way than to share something i did while working on my basic skills.



now would be a good time to point critique, before i develop any bad habits.

i'd rather have a solid understanding of the basics and techniques before i attempted something beyond my grasp.

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j.c.terminal
mind
body
soul

[This message has been edited by jcterminal (edited December 17, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by jcterminal (edited December 17, 2000).]

[WICKED]

seem good to me. Just on the sides were the shadow is it should be as dark as the shadow or darker not lighter.
WICKED

[elam]

I don't think there should be that much reflected red on the floor. The shadow seems odd too. here's my interp.


I'm working on the basics myself, so I could be wrong.
elam

[Ben Barker]

In my design drawing class we started from the beginning. Already having art experiece, I bitched and moaned (on this forum even ), and didn't see the point. Well, god damn it, it helped alot.
First of all, I think you should learn how to draw with a more traditional medium, like pencil. It's easy to transer traditional skills to digital work, but not as much the other way. Don't get stuck in a rut, pampered by the convenience of the computer.
I can only tell you what we did in class. And I can recommend you practice practice practice. Even if you know how to do this, it is NOT unnecessary. My teacher was an extreme hardass, but for a reason. I got double perfect scores in high school studio art AP, and I only got one A the whole quarter in design drawing. Be hard on yourself, but fair.

First we started with linear shapes. No rulers!
We went from the cube, to the double cube (twice as wide as is high) in both single and double point perspective. Then the cylinder, cone, sphere and finally the torus.
Here are some examples:

Use line weight (thickness) to denote where the form is closest and furthest from you. Do it all freehand, even if it sucks. You can draw a pretty damn good cicle if you just carve away at it. Use your whole arm, not just your wrist. Break any bad habits you have, as hard as it may be.
Resist the temptation to use a compass or a template. You're only cheating yourself.
Spend plenty of time on it, as much as you need. At least an hour on each drawing. Don't start the next shape until you are done with the one before it. Try to make your cubes cubical, and your sphere not like a pumpkin.

After you truly understand linear shapes, move on to shading.
First, do a graduation scale from 0-10, with 10 being black. Do one with just a soft pencil, like an ebony, and one with every pencil in your box. Get a feel for it. NO RUBBING!
In the same order, cube, double cube, cylinder, etc. Single or double point, or both if you want. Don't rub with your finger or a stump. Try to just use the pencil to get smooth shading. It doesn't have to be totally smooth, just true unto itself.
Remember, there is a core shadow, and reflected light. There is also a contact shadow where the shape meets the ground (except on the sphere and torus, obviously).
Here are some examples:

Of these, I thought the torus was the hardest. It is OK to use models. Like rings from a baby's ring toss game, or 3D renders. But don't totally rely on them. Spend lots of time getting the shading right.

Try to construct shapes with "cuts" in them. Cubes with triangular wedges, or spheres subtracted from them. Do at least 10 cuts on a cube and do a linear drawing. Then do another shaded one. It's easier to do in two point perspective. Draw the cube first, then draw what shapes the cuts are on the surface and take the edges of the cuts back to their perspective point.

Finally, we constructed modified primitive shapes out of Roma Plastilina, a white "clay" material that never really dries. It's pretty cheap, and you don't need a lot. Make a bunch of modified shapes.

Put a strong light on it and draw what you see. Be amazed at how the rules apply in real life so well
Try to use good composition, spread the objects out, have them touch at least 3 sides of the paper. You can put a horizon and an environment if you want. I used a 2h for the (extremely light) outlines, and an ebony to shade. In life, there are no outlines.
Tack your work up on the wall and walk away from it when you critique it.

Work on this, then pick up the tablet. You will be amazed at how much better you are. If you have any questions about specific drawings just let me know, I really generalized here. I could go into more detail if I haven't made any particular drawing clear. Post it when you need crits, hardass style like my prof Happy drawing.

[jcterminal]

ben,

very insightful tips, and i agree with you fully.

but i'm new to this forum, and using the tablet. i've been studying traditional media for over a decade now. i'm just trying to get used to the new tool-set and media.

but all in all, those were *excellent* tips, and it's a nice reminder for value work.

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j.c.terminal
mind
body
soul