Project - Simplify from Observation
Project - Simplify from Observation
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Project - Simplify from Observation
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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.

Bryan Reed
20h
I did 2 pears, one before watching the demo and one after. This is the second
Balázs Tápai
I think I ended up with more than 5 volumes at the end. I tried using 2B,4B,6B,8B pencils and I started the linework with a mechanical pencil.
Balázs Tápai
Tried a second time based on the the level-1-pear-3.jpg
Rob Simmons
Did it mostly with an HB pencil, then realized my dark mid-tone was pretty much the same as my shadow. Went back over the shadows with a 2B. It was hard for me to see the 2 tones in the cast shadow -- it all just looks black to me, so I kind of made it up.
Melissa Dunworth
I did it twice, once before watching the demo video and once after. Not sure there is must difference between the two, but I am trying.
Sunny Lohmann
I wasn't going to do number 2, but decided to take a stab at it. I can see that it's kind of beyond my ability but I enjoyed trying and I'm sure I will now learn more from checking out Stan's version and his critiques.
Sally
3d
It seems I oversimplified the shadow side, among other errors. I enjoyed the lesson and the practice though, and am looking forward to what's ahead.
@sprhnns
3d
Hi, here comes my first sketch. (and steps on the way) In the first (last) you can see that my first sizes and relations were really off. I only got them hopefully better through measuring with my pencil. I found it very hard to get 5 shades that have hard edges with the pencils. I could not really get distinctive separate shades. therefore is very soft – which was not the task and also not what i wanted.
@jerichomamoe
Definitely a lot harder than I expected but loving everything about this course. Any & all feedback is welcome.
Doctor Unstoppable
My first image with a tablet. I ran out of values on the light side. I had to use 6 values for the shape and 2 for the shadow. That's 8 total values. If I had used the lighter shadow value in the shape and planned better I probably could have done the whole image with 6 values total. Also I hope to make my lines more confidant in the next image.
Chloe Stevens
First attempt at the portrait project!
Chloe Stevens
Here's some pears!! Any constructive criticism or feedback is welcome!
Alissa C
4d
Never learned to draw, using Supernote tablet. First attempt. Haven't figured out blending yet on the device - shading obviously needs work. Posting for accountability (but would also welcome feedback)
Alissa C
18h
Here's take 2 after watching the demo. The difference in values isn't as clean...
Josh Hrycek
Hello everyone, Here are my two attempts on the project. The first one was done after watching the project video and the 2nd was done after watching the demo, which I found very helpful. This is my first time sitting down and really focusing on a drawing. All and all, I'm happy with how it turned out. Any feedback would be appreciated.
@fmb
4d
First attempt at drawing in nearly 50 years. Everything needs improvement
Joe
5d
Trying to get back to my Artist journey. Constructive Critiques ALWAYS WELCOME. Thanks
Esteban Aguirre-Garcia
Here are my pre-demo and post-demo attempts. In my first attempt, I struggled to keep the lights separate from the darks while also keeping the values clean. I also didn’t make sure I had enough space for the pear’s cast shadow. Overall I was happy with the simplification of the pear, though I acknowledge that there are certain aspects I still need to work on. In my second attempt, I made sure to leave enough space for the cast shadow, eased into my values instead of trying to get them in one go, and kept them mostly clean. (I think my light halftones could still be cleaner and have less texture.) Overall, I’m proud of my work and will continue to be analytical and intentional with my projects. Any critique is welcome!
Senonni
4d
post-demo pear looks way more clean, it's awesome how you observe and correct things :)
Milena Izabel Almeida Nunes
Feel like my shading needs some serious improvement, but here's my first try. All feedback is welcome
Anshika Roy
Here's my first attempt.
Melanie Scearce
This is perfect! Great shapes 👍 If I nit-picked, maybe there is slightly too big of a jump between the two dark values. 100% black dominates in digital work. It demands a lot of attention. It's personal preference, but I tend to avoid using 100% black when working digitally. If I were to change anything here I would go to a 80%-90% black to soften it just a bit.
@jennarambles
This is my first attempt at a project, I'm pretty pleased with how both turned out, it I'd welcome any feedback 💜
Chuck Ludwig Reina
Nice work! I love how you approached the task.
@esmarieb
Here is my first try. There are some things I would do differently now, such as a lighter outline for my shapes and simplifying some of the shapes even more. Constructive criticism is very welcome.
Chuck Ludwig Reina
Very nice! And I love that you are analyzing your own work. Those are the notes I also would have given. But some big wins too! I think you did a nice job of finding that core shadow on the bottom of the pear. I would see if you could maybe pick it up again above that little patch of light. Keep up the good work!
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