Project - Organizing Line Weight

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

inDrawing Basics

10K

Course In Progress

Assignments 1.4K

Downloads 8

Project - Organizing Line Weight

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

in Drawing Basics

10K

Course In Progress

Assignments 1.4K

Downloads 8

In this project, we'll practice organizing line weight in our drawings.

Level 1 - Trace

Trace over the provided linear version of the photo to avoid getting distracted by proportions. Trace it twice, using two different line weight approaches discussed in the last video:

Hierarchy of importance method - Heavier on the contours of large and important shapes. Lighter on details within.
Shadows and light direction method - Reference the original photo to identify the shadows.

Note: Don't use the depth and form method yet.

Level 2 - Draw from Observation

Level 2 students, in addition to the tracing exercise, try to trace it again, but imagine the light coming from a different direction IF you’re ready for that.

Then, draw from observation, focusing on line weight. Choose objects around you and draw as many as you'd like. If you draw a landscape with a clear foreground, middleground, and background, you can use the depth approach to line weight.

Deadline for submissions to be included in the video critique is next Thursday (4/13/2023)

Sofia Johansson

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Charcoal drawing from observation:

Sofia Johansson

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Invented light source:

Sofia Johansson

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Sofia Johansson

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2nd try on hierarchy of importance because I felt I needed to push it more

Oscar

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1st attempt. I'd appreciate any feedback.

@serhouse

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Level 1 and Level 2 assignments before the demo. I would be grateful for any feedback to the level 2—imaginary light—exercise.

Sofia Johansson

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hey, we picked the same position of the light source! I think yours look really good. Looking at it I'm realizing I could've gone thinner on some of my lines.

Serena Lee

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I love it! You did a great job on organizing the lines!

Martha Muniz

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Nice work, especially w Level 2! Looking solid.

Marcin Ch

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This one was very cool, especially after watching the demo my toolbox expanded by a lot. Please take a look at my both and after the demo and share your thoughts, in case you have time and will be so kind to express them.

@serhouse

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Love how bold the lines have become, definitely looks more voluminous at the second attempt

Daniel

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This was a very interesting project, I didn't understand a lot about line weight besides the basics so it was very insightful. I definitely need more practice and can improve, so feedback is appreciated.

folk

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my attempts before watching the critique part

Lily A

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11d

These are my first attempts before watching the demo—I decided to try them digitally. The shadows and light were a bit confusing at times, but it was fun.

Rachel Dawn Owens

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10d

This looks great!

Dondon

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11d

A photo of an old park.

@notapirate

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12d

Before the demo

Lib

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17d

Before the demo.

Dylan Bragg

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20d

Decided to do these digitally, totally not because I don't own a printer... Really enjoyed doing the light/shadow line weight one. First one is outline, second is light/shadow.

Monil Jhaveri

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22d

I think the values one was pretty hard

Pat Lou

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22d

It was pretty hard to figure out where the shadows and light should go. For the rhino, the light source is from the top right, and for the VR girl, it's from the bottom left. I’d really appreciate any critiques or feedback!

Styrbjörn Andersson

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23d

I tried to blend the hierarchy and shadows/light into this one.

William

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25d

Made two attempts. First being the Hierarchy method, and the second being Shadows and Light. I forgot there was the original photo to work off of, so I ended up imagining the light source.

@sillysniper17

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30d

Contour/hierarchy of importance was nice and intuitive. There's a similar idea in game design, where you put outlines on interactables or what's important, to draw the eye. The reassurance that you can go with your gut when deciding what to prioritize was nice to hear. Shadow was more difficult. I initially made lines in shadow, darker. But, I remembered that lines themselves can represent thin shadows. So I then had to decide when to make lines dark in lit areas. Plus, shadows can naturally transition from dark to light, so practicing that pressure control to make gradients was tricky but rewarding.

Terry D

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1mo

I chose to try the contour and the shadows.

Grant

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1mo

Looks good Terry!

Huda Hijazy

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1mo

Love it!

Melanie Scearce

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1mo

Perfect!

Grant

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1mo

Here are my attempts. The first image is Hierarchy of Importance and the second is Light and Shade. The light and shade attempt was a little confusing but I think I understand what to look for when simplifying shadows to lines. Feedback is appreciated!

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About instructor

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.