Project - Simplify from Observation
Project - Simplify from Observation
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lesson video
Project - Simplify from Observation
courseDrawing BasicsFull course (185 lessons)
$159
assignments 8641 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
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level-1-pear-3.jpg
2 MB
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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.

Vic Guzman
I don’t think I did great and already see things I would change but my first attempt. One with the flash and one without.
@magnumexpress
First attempt at Level 2, let me know your thoughts!
@batmandraws
This was my first attempt ever drawing anything in my life. I did the one on the left first and then the other one. Both before watching the demo video. Let me know on what I can improve so far. Thanks!
Ash
4h
Very good, Batman! Keep drawing more stuff :)
@theartisticrock
Here's my attempt before watching the demo.
@sam2541
5h
Hello, this is my attempt on pears before watching the demo.
@matt22german
Here are my first and second attempt on the pear....before and after watching the demo. It's been hard judging the shapes and the values of the shadows. Even though I used a wide range of pencils (HB, 4B, 8B) I found it quite hard to control the values. Please leave any advice and critique.
Ben Kraske
Nice work on these, especially getting your shadows darker on your after demo pear. You did a good job on discerning the shapes, and as you keep drawing, portraying values will get easier, especially once you reach the 'Values' section of the course! Experiment with your pencils too, see how light or dark you can get each one, and how layering different pencils may affect the value!
@aaronanthony
Ben Kraske
Nice work! You'll want to make sure the values of the shadows are darker than the halftones. Take some time to observe the shape of the shadows and try drawing it out by following the planes of the pear. Keep it up!
Scott Zelakiewicz
Here we go…. First one I misjudged the shadows and needed another dark tone to separate the cast shadows from the object shadow. Much happier with the second after watching the video. Comments?
Ash
4h
Agreeing with Melanie! The 2nd one is super good. Your pencil marks blend into each other nicely
Melanie Scearce
The second one is a huge improvement! The shapes follow the form in a more thoughtfully designed way. Nice work 👍
@natsfufu
12h
here's my attempt at level 1 and 2 before watching the videos! I was a self taught and digital artist before this course, i decided to give my pencils a try, i messed up the proportions a bit and i only realised it halfway through :p please give advices and critiques i really want to improve, doing this course so i could draw my anime characters better :D
Melanie Scearce
These are great! The course will go more in-depth into proportions and measuring later on, especially in the Shapes section, so don't sweat it too much. It helps a bunch to start very generally, with basic shapes that represent anatomical landmarks and light lines that allow you to move things around as needed, before you spent a lot of time making an eye for example look really pretty. Like I said, as the course progresses, you'll be presented with this information but just move forward with the idea of simple to complex!
Clue
18h
hello first time drawing, and i guess i am not familiar with how to depict shadows and how dark i should draw that shadow and use the same pressure in line. Used HB.
Jonathan Guyman
Hello! Your pear shape is pretty good. I would suggest, if you have them, try using a 4B and a 6B for your dark values, If you don't then you might want to try layering as much as possible with the HB to get your shadows darker. Keep going and take care!
Patrycja Bednarz
Hi! So I did my pear and I have problem with values
Ben Kraske
You'll be learning more about values as you continue the course, so don't worry! For this pear, I think you've done a good job with getting a dark shadow in comparison to the lighter halftone. I'd suggest being more intentional with designing sharp edges for the shapes of your shadows and halftones, like you did for your highlights. For the highlights, I'd just lighten up the outlines so they are the same value as the halftone surrounding it, so it blends in and isn't a hard line dividing the shape. Nice work and keep it up! :)
Ratthew Rattington
It do be kind of lookin like a pear at least.
Ben Kraske
Nice work! Be mindful of making the edges around your value shapes match the value it's neighboring, so it's not harshly divided by lines. Since this assignment only uses 5 values, it will still be a big jump compared to a subtle shading, but it will still feel more natural!
Diane Scrivener
Meh. I like Pear #1 better. Pear #2 still looks flat and like it’s covered in confetti.
Scott Zelakiewicz
I think adding a darker vertical shadow to the left of the reflected light spots may help. The problem with the image (not the drawing) IMO is that it does look a little flat going from top to bottom. Maybe adding another vertical shadow would help accentuate the curve a little and give it move of a 3d feel?
Ben Kraske
23h
I'd suggest adding a lighter shadow to pear 2, like you did with the first. Near the top of the pear, the shadow is a bit lighter than the bottom. It'll give some depth. Nice work on both of these, the shapes of the values and the values themselves are excellent. I wouldn't even worry about the brown parts of the pear, as it's just texture, and not the light or shadow affecting the pear. Nice work on these!
berke beydilli
Melanie Scearce
Hi Berke, this is an excellent pear! Your value shapes are well designed and represent the planes well. Just be thoughtful where you're using that lightest value- I personally try to reserve it only for direct highlights. Using it for a lighter area within a shadow can have the adverse effect of creating the impression of a sharp edge, or diluting the overall 3D effect. Check out the value tool (https://www.proko.com/values). It flattens images according to the number of values you input. It's a great way to check your work. I'd say that value shape in question would be better suited for a second or third lightest value rather than a highlight.
Scott Zelakiewicz
yes, the pear looks great. The cast shadow shape has some curvature to almost making it look like the surface is curving up, and also uses curves for the shape instead of straight lines. Minor points tho. Nice.
Diane Scrivener
Ooo, that’s a good one.
Diane Scrivener
Anyone else struggle with the shadow shape? I felt like that was the hardest part… I must have changed the shape three times. Also, once the photo is attached here (and side-by-side with my drawing), I can clearly see things I should’ve done differently. There is a “D” shape in the dark section on the left. Above it and below it are shapes that are not as dark as the darkest dark… but also not as light as the mid-tone. I drew the shape above but not the one below, even though they are the same shade. I’m not sure if I should have included them (too detailed?) or left them out. And I wish I would’ve angled the top of the upper highlight a little better (and the “D” shape) so they didn’t look so flat. Overall, I like my pear though. I think I did ok on my values. I don’t know how accurate they are, but they are at least distinct.
Chuck Ludwig Reina
First off, this looks really great! Shadow shapes can be tricky, but don't over think them too much. I like to just use the squint test. If it looks right'ish when I squint at it, it is right. In many ways when dealing with value, it is more of a feeling we are trying to convey. Again nice work!
@tibusheth0
My submission prior to watching demo. Probably not even level 0, negative level. Any critique or advice welcome.
Jonathan Guyman
Hi! Good job on getting started. I'm brand new as well. I'm on the pear critique video. So, grain of salt with my advice. Having said that, I think that maybe slowing down and observing more closely what the shapes look like and what the angles of the lines are. Then taking a moment or two to compare what you put down compared to what the reference looks like. But keep going and don't be so hard on yourself. Take care!
Elizabeth Lhotak
Hello there! Here are my attempts for level 1 and level 2 assignment. I drew them before watching the Demos and final Critique videos. (After watching them I see better where I made mistakes and what I can improve in the future)
Jonathan Guyman
This is my second attempt at the pear after watching the demo. I welcome any critiques and the tougher the better. Thank you! Edit: Added the image of my first attempt. Pros: + I feel I slightly improved + I think my shapes are more interesting in this one + I think I did better at separating the dark mid tone and light shadow value wise + I worked on the drawing in longer sessions than the first attempt Cons: - My pencil work got sloppier in the light mid tone - Went off the demo in a couple of places instead of observing - That darn ground shadow sill looks wonky and I erased the outline a few times and could not get it right
Devon Smith
Take your time with the darks, using the side of your pencil, making your stroke go the same direction. You want to add value with layers not pressure.
Abs
5d
Picked up a mechanical pencil on my work break, since any practice is better than none!
Melanie Scearce
Yesss work breaks are a perfect time to draw. Keep doing that 🙌
@alex1246643
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