Assignment - The Secret of Simple Forms
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Assignment - The Secret of Simple Forms
courseThe Perspective CourseSelected 2 parts (120 lessons)
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Vera Robson
Much to learn...
LESSON NOTES

Understanding Illusions

Creating depth involves techniques like overlap and atmosphere (things fading into the background), which are straightforward. However, foreshortening, diminution, and convergence to vanishing points require practice.

The Key Skill: Simplifying Forms

To master advanced techniques, focus on reducing complex forms into simple ones you can draw in any position. This skill is essential for drawing from imagination rather than copying.

Copying vs. Understanding

Copying details helps you notice specifics but doesn't enable you to redraw in a new position from memory. Simplify the object and practice repositioning it without direct observation.

Drawing Objects in Any Position

Draw the object as a simplified form, like a box, then draw it again in a different position. This exercise helps you grasp the structure and master the line systems that determine perspective.

The Importance of Line Systems

Understanding a box's three line systems is crucial. Once you position a box, these lines solve all other lines. This concept applies to both objects and settings.

Start with Simple Forms

Before tackling complex forms, practice with simple, blocky ones. Objects with many parts can overwhelm beginners. Begin with shapes like blocks, wedges, cylinders, toruses, and spheres.

Notes on Spheres

While spheres are simple, placing precise ellipses on them is advanced. Accurate ellipses stem from understanding boxes. So, mastering boxes first aids in drawing spheres.

Introducing the Blob Approach

Try the Blob Approach, a method of starting with a shape and adding cross-contour lines to define it. This helps you sculpt a simplified version of your object.

Upcoming Lessons

We'll dive into the science of form: orthos, axes, eye levels, picture planes, and more. Experimenting now primes you for these concepts.

Continue learning about Perspective in the premium course!

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ASSIGNMENTS
  1. Choose an Object: Select something relatively simple or box-like in form, such as a household item or a geometric shape.
  2. Initial Drawing: Draw the object in a three-quarter view without focusing on detail. Seek the basic structure as if it were contained within a box.
  3. Repositioning: Without looking at the object, attempt to draw it again from a different angle. This challenges you to understand and mentally manipulate the whole object.
  4. Iteration: Repeat this process at least three times, each time choosing a different position. Aim to show it foreshorten in various orientations.

Don't forget to share your work with the community!

This assignment is designed to help you break down complex objects into simpler, manageable forms, which is a crucial skill for mastering practical perspective.

Deadline - submit by January 20, 2025 for a chance to be in the critique video!

Patryk Makosz
CreativityLogs
I've been doing assignment's when I could. Uploading what I got done now, this was a very humbling asaignment. The theory of the blob approach makes sense but in practice getting everything proportioned is difficult and I still dont understand moving the blob in space. This is definitely an excercise I'm going to be coming back too often. Any tips are appreciated!
@hampop
5d
decided to draw my pencil sharpener. It’s quite boxy as it stands. I decided to simplify it further to an actual box and focus on getting proportions right to the ones I settled on my initial side view sketches.
Carmen Ciumber
from blobs to forms
Kelsey
12d
Here I have some simple forms I found around my relative's house followed by some diggers and planes. I enjoyed drawing the diggers and planes, but I couldn't find forms that I was too excited about for the first simple form assignment. Looking below, I see all of the creative objects people chose and how they broke them down into simple shapes and forms. I'm in awe, and want to get better! Please excuse some of the hard to read pen drawings. I'm trying to use pen right now to prevent myself from erasing and taking forever on a single picture.
Neill Burton
One attempt with an organic shape. A pikachu push that is on my desk. I warped him a little from some angles but not bad. :)
Neill Burton
Started easy went a little more complex I'd like to try something with an organic shape next.
@g_meza
19d
I drew some roller skates and roller blades.
Kelsey
10d
These are great, I like how you explored so many angles to really study the forms
Alianna Madtson
David D
1mo
I made this mallet in support of my other hobby addiction. Love it when the opportunity arises to cross pollinate. I do feel like perspective is a little unforgiving - either you nail it or it looks off. Hoping I can practice enough that I can control the perspective to support the composition!
Milena Radosavljevic
I had a lot of fun with the blobs. Though they are not as intentional and versatile in orientation as I would like them to be, yet :)
Kelsey
10d
Great work, Milena!
Christopher G
Here's my go at it! I chose a chair that I saw on display at Costco, constructed it from six angles, and I wanted to get more practice in with rulers so I tried cleaning it up. I like how the penciled versions look more, but cleaning it up with the ruler was very relaxing :) I was confused by the blob approach at first. I'm used to starting with boxes right away, so mentally I knew the box I wanted and had to figure out the blob that would get me there. As I kept using it I started learning how to mark the blob's center accurately and draw the ellipses I needed, so this worked backwards and helped me learn to draw organic shapes better. I think I especially nailed the blob on the bottom-center chair.
Clément Douziech
First attempt with a simple car, some are finished with a ruler and other free hand. I will do it again after watching the critic.
Lok Lam Ng
2mo
hello, I would like to draw simple form of a rubber duck in this angle first, which other have simplified, but I can not finish . I HAVE TRIED FOR 2 HOURS FOR DRAWING THE HEAD, BUT I COULD ONLY DRAW THE SPHERE ABOVE THE CYLINDER .WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO TEACH ME?
Melanie Scearce
Hey @Lok Lam Ng, my recommendation would be to try putting the whole form in a box and use blobs instead of those more structural cylinder shapes. Getting the right ellipse shape is difficult for this point in the course. Try making blob shapes and giving them more context with cross contour lines like you did with your cylinders. I hope this makes it a bit easier and allows you to draw this duck from the angle you want!
Jules Peppler
Simple object = Simple form
Kelsey
10d
Great simplifications!
Pamela D
2mo
These look great ``Jules
Kevin Lin
3mo
My attempt at capturing the airplane from different angles. I think I've been focusing too much on capturing the areas that budge outside of the boxes rather than simply focusing on the boxes and blobs.
Jay Collum
4mo
Started out pretty rough but the more I drew the better it got. The first two were pencil the second were done in clip studio. Even learned how to rotate a plane on a hinge
Kelsey
10d
Cool and creative, Jay! Is this a usb stick? Great work.
Carlos Javier Roo Soto
I tried combining the Blob assignment with the Line Weight Assignment from the Drawing Basics course. I can still see some proportional errors. But overall I had fun with this one. Clean up still needs work, but I think it turn out fine. Photo quality aside. What do you think of the forms?
Kelsey
10d
These are awesome, Carlos! The forms read super easy to me. The only mild thing I noticed was the front tire looks a bit off in the 3/4 and almost straight on views.
Sita Rabeling
🤩
@vaporsymphony
I enjoyed this assignment as it forced me to think about form and converging perspective lines on an intuitive level. I drew a chapel, a lantern prop from a game, a car, and a security camera.
Carlos Javier Roo Soto
Here're two blobs that had been approached. I don't know if it's because I haven't draw perspective focus in a while, or I forgot some knowledge of this course, the pencil I used, or I was tired from editing a video. OR ALL THE ABOVE, I feel I was too careless and messy with these sketches, and probably didn't help I was doing it under a timer and I wanted to get it done quickly. If you have any observations on what I should correct I missed, please let me know. Thanks.
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