Project - Simplify from Observation
Project - Simplify from Observation
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Project - Simplify from Observation
courseDrawing BasicsFull course (185 lessons)
$159
assignments 8882 submissions
Vance Viggiano
When you can't decide on Level 1 or Level 2. I thought it might be fun to try it on gray paper. Everyone's work is inspiring! Happy to be learning with you all!
LESSON NOTES

Alright guys, let's jump into the deep end and see how you do! I feel like we've been talking a lot and not drawing enough. So, before we move on to learning about Lines, I want to give you an opportunity to spend some time doing a simplified drawing. You’re going to draw a pear or portrait if you’re doing the level 2 project. I know… A fruit isn’t the most exciting thing to draw, but it’s going to allow you to focus on the process I’m going to show you, instead of being distracted by a difficult subject matter.

This will let us see where you're at with your skills. It’s totally fine if you're at zero. Kind of expected actually. But, you'll identify right away what you struggle with. And you’ll be introduced to a lot of the skills that you’ll be working on improving in this course.

You can draw from the photos I provided in the downloads tab, or find your own fruit and draw from life. Pick a fruit that has an interesting shape you like. Put the fruit on your desk and shine a light on it. Move the light around until you like the balance of light and dark shapes. 

If you don’t want to draw the photo I provided, or you want to do more than one, feel free to find your own photo. Just make sure you choose a photo with a strong single light source that creates a clear separation of lights and shadows. Many moons ago I wrote a blog post about good photo reference.

Make sure you take a photo of it from your point of view, so you can include it when posting your drawing in the community. If you want to be critiqued by me or others in the community, we'll need to see what you were drawing. 

Join us in the premium course to get access to this lesson, full lesson notes, assignments, demonstrations and critiques!

DOWNLOADS
jpeg
level-1-pear-1.jpg
2 MB
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level-1-pear-2.jpg
2 MB
jpeg
level-1-pear-3.jpg
2 MB
jpeg
level-2-portrait.jpg
1 MB
mp4
project-simplify-from-observation.mp4
183 MB
txt
project-simplify-from-observation-transcript-english.txt
5 kB
txt
project-simplify-from-observation-transcript-spanish.txt
6 kB
file
project-simplify-from-observation-captions-english.srt
9 kB
file
project-simplify-from-observation-captions-spanish.srt
8 kB
ASSIGNMENTS

Use the reference photos in the downloads tab or go find your own reference and start drawing! Remember, this project is all about simplifying to clarify.

Make sure to keep these 3 things in mind:

Shapes - Draw your shapes with straight lines
Values - Use only 5 values. 2 in the shadow and 3 in the lights
Edges - Make every single edge sharp!

I'll publish my drawing demos of both levels next Tuesday so you can watch me go through the problem solving process. For a chance to be included in the critique videos, you must submit your drawing to the community by January 26th, 2023, so I can begin filming and producing the critique video.

@jackcraic
I had a go at both assignments once before watching the demo and then again afterwards. I think there is pretty clear improvement, but I definitely think I could do better.
Eric E
9h
I started getting self conscious about the shading, but I powered through!
Ben Kraske
Great work! It'll get easier as you practice more! I would recommend trying to use the side of your pencil more to build coverage, and also to take your time to make sure each pencil stroke overlaps so it helps even out the coverage as well! :)
Christopher Lee
i striggled with the pear but that just means i need more practice lol
Ben Kraske
Practice makes perfect! You've done good on these! Remember for this project to make sure you've got clear shapes for your values. This will help you practice your observation skills, by being intentional with designing the shapes of what you're drawing. Keep it up!
@jdawg
17h
Hello this is my second time compeleting this assignment, I am really happy with the progress Ive made since my first attempt. I think in my first attempt I was rushing to get the piece finished, and it definitely shows in my mark making and in the choices I made. In the second attempt I really tried to slow myself down and take moments to closely observe my references and my drawing. It was really exciting to compare the different attempts and see the areas of improvement!
Ben Kraske
Nice work! The difference is visible and great to see! Your shading got a lot neater and looks good, keep it up!
@etangf
1d
This is my pear.
Ash
20h
I like your pear!
Alexander Rojas
First attempt at the Level 1 project. Any feedback would be very much appreciated 😁. Adding the portrait!
Ben Kraske
Good stuff! All I would note is to watch your values on the pear: the light halftone of it should be lightened a bit, and take another look at the shadows. There's a dark and lighter shadow halftone which will give your pear some more dimension. Nice job!
Monica Zavala
Here is my first go!
Sean Yasnogorodski
Generated a pomegranate image with gemini and tried to draw it :)
@etjohnson
Let me know what you think!
jay c
2d
tried level 2 to try to challenge myself :)
Isadora Conceição Giorgiano
Yes, we have bananas... ?
@dukal
2d
your cat is very funny
Guilherme Ferreira
Hi guys! Here are my first attempt for the level 1 and my second attempt for level 2. I am a level 1 student but I am proud of how much I learned while attempting level 2.
@gnx
3d
My first attempt.
Mitch Legrow
First attempt.
wren randall
First time drawing in a long time. My attempt at the level 1 pear. Learning entirely on an iPad, but I find it hard to keep the values consistent between strokes. Critiques welcome.
Quincy Cooke
Pretty good, Wren!
Quincy Cooke
Level 1 - The Pear. I was in a funk today and almost didn't do the exercise. But, I want to get better, so here it is. I welcome actionable critiques.
Aaron Mascarenhas
My first attempt. Took about an hour. Takeaways: - Was so much easier to keep the strokes as neat as my inexperienced hand allowed with a mechanical pencil than with the regular wood pencils. - Keeping to 5 values is hard! Will try the portrait next. That assignment seems like a much harder value game! I've never done a portrait before. Wish me luck :)
Aaron Mascarenhas
Modified things a bit after watching the demo explanation about how to separate the 5 values. That was helpful!
kari starry
Hi! Here's my shot at the pear
Iris Rosa
I accidentaly aged the boy.
Rising stars chowari
Hello Sir I’ve enrolled in your drawing classes, and I’m attaching my first drawing. This was my first attempt at drawing a real-life object, so I know there is a lot I can improve. I’m really excited to learn from you and improve my skills. I’ll keep practicing consistently and work hard to become a great artist. Thank you for guiding me!
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