Project - Organizing Line Weight

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

inDrawing Basics

10K

Course In Progress

Assignments 1.3K

Downloads 8

Project - Organizing Line Weight

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

in Drawing Basics

10K

Course In Progress

Assignments 1.3K

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)

Lib

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Before the demo.

Dylan Bragg

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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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I think the values one was pretty hard

Pat Lou

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

William

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10d

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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15d

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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18d

I chose to try the contour and the shadows.

Grant

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18d

Looks good Terry!

Huda Hijazy

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18d

Love it!

Melanie Scearce

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18d

Perfect!

Grant

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21d

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!

Osiris

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22d

Here's my assignment. For the last drawing I tried to set up a new lighting scenario.

Melanie Scearce

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21d

Perfect! You could push your light + shadow drawings even more by thickening your line weights in areas that see no light. You’ve used two different line weights here (light and dark), using 3 or 4 line weights based on value can give these more variety creating visual interest.

Lau Dabo

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24d

Here's my assignment, for the third one I tried to imagine the light coming straight from above the rhino... Used the same basic HB pencil for all of it,

Rachel Dawn Owens

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23d

Very nice line weights

Camille Dlb

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24d

Here are all my attempts for this exercice. For the first one, I have been trying the Level 1. I tried to set a new lighting scenario for the next two drawings. In the landscape one, I tried to show depth through weight Line. hope it is alright. If you have any feedback, I would love to read you. Have a nice day

Melanie Scearce

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23d

Moving the light source is a great way to challenge your understanding, great idea!

Bennett Jimenez

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25d

First photo is organized by “Hierarchy of Importance” method. I focused on the outline of the Rhino as a whole and the horn for the heaviest lines, Then a few medium lines for the nose, ears and eyes. Then very light lines for the rest. Second photo is organized by “Shadows and Light Direction” method. Just putting the heavier lines on where I saw to believe the shadows to be! 🙏

Camille Dlb

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26d

I've tried level 2 of the exercise, but I don't feel comfortable enough to invent a different lighting scenario. If anyone has advice or feedback, it would be great. Have a nice day.

Johan de Jong

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28d

I find it again hard to stay on the assignment and not go shading and such...

Daniel Cortes

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29d

@pancakequeue

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29d

For Light and Shadow I started bouncing between a 2B, HB, and 2H pencil, as some of the finer lines are easier to get darker quicker without making the lines too thick and blocking the detail lines next to it.