Project - Simplify from Observation
Project - Simplify from Observation
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Project - Simplify from Observation
courseDrawing BasicsFull course (185 lessons)
$159
assignments 8542 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
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.

@birdartist
I think I’m getting the hang of shading but still not sure if I’m ready to move on
@perspecto25
Pear 1--I enjoy focusing on the contrasts between light and dark/shadows.
Darth Bogdo
Hello everyone! This is my first attempt. Would love some criticism and points of improvement. Maybe better line work could be of use
@mblud
1d
My attempt at the level 2 assignment.
Melanie Scearce
Nice! You have a good value range here. When you’re designing your shapes, try to think less about what specifically it is you’re drawing and more about the shapes that create the illusion of it, if that makes sense. A symbol of an eye has an almond shape with a circle in the middle. If you factor in the light and shadow, you can design shapes that are a bit more abstract, but more interesting, and if they’re well designed they will create the illusion of a pretty convincing eye. I noticed the one eye on the left and the mouth could be worked a bit more to include more of the light and shadow effects, and I think that will create more cohesion with your value shapes overall. Hope that helps! This is a tough one, you did a good job!
Daniel Rodger
Pear 3. Felt like I was doing alright in the shadows but then lost my way in the lights. Still really happy with the effort.
Vic Guzman
Looks pretty good... I always think take a break and go back to it and it will get clearer and clearer as time goes on.
@qwn
1d
Idk something seems “off” 😅
Danny Morales
Wasn't able to properly sharpen my pencils as I was traveling, and as a result the execution is a bit sloppy, but it was a good challenge to learn how to simplify and define values.
Ben Kraske
Nice work designing the value shapes!
@birdartist
I think I’m getting the shapes well but the the shading gave me a bit of trouble
Ben Kraske
I like the shape you've got going for your pear! Remember to be intentional as you design the shapes of the different values! Take note of how the shadow of the pear also curves around the bottom of the fruit and is a kind of shaped like bumpy steps at the point where light and shadow meet. Keep it up!
Corey Walker
(Repost to correct thread) Hello everyone, first post, happy to be here ; ) Before and after watching demo. First attempt, did a few things wrong obviously. Laid down values in the wrong order to build up. Instead of drawing just the outside of the dark shadow inside the pear I drew that and then started adding all the other shapes I was seeing in the shadows which complicated it. I got value 4 too close to value 3 as well, and at one point I was using five different values not including the highlight. Overall it is too dark. Second attempt came out better as information and process was more organized. Any honest critique is most welcome. Thanks!
Alex Dunn
My three attempts at pear 1. I used a 2b for everything and struggled with creating distinct tones, so next time I'll try using a 4b as well.
Ben Kraske
Nice work! For your light values and highlights, I would recommend making the outline for each value the same as the value that surrounds it, so it blends in and isn't a distinct line dividing the two. It will still be a sharp edge. In the demo Stan uses a kneaded eraser to lighten edges that get too dark, that could be something to try for your next project! :)
@floridaestresso
Firs time using something other than a mechanical pencil. Had to redo the first pear as it was way too patchy for my liking and i was winging it way too hard. It's really difficult to differentiate the values between the lighter shadows (used a 6B) and the darker lights (used a 2B).
Ben Kraske
You've got a great start! There's always an adjustment period when using unfamiliar tools, and it'll feel more natural soon. My recommendation for now is to lighten up your second lightest value! There should be a clear difference between the shadow and light on the pear. Keep it up!
Silk Weaver
I tried to do the first pear multiple times, (took longer than I should’ve) but my values still look off. Im bit embarrassed by the sketch, especially when compared it to others on this assignment :(
Silk Weaver
I did the second pear but idk if it’s better or worse
@greyfox
3d
Hello, first try with an onion I had laying around. 2B Pencil on copy paper
Alvi Anowar
I did all three of the pears. The first image has the collection of all the drawings. I kinda wanted to find a pencil to do the experiment. Landed on dry ink. Kinda flat I know but a bit easy. Any advice or suggestions are welcome.
Rome Martin
Just enrolled so I'm new! First time doing traditional art, I've been doing 3D art for quite some time and decided to learn how to draw in order to hone the fundamentals. Here's my pear attempt!
Chloe Sloan
Very new here :) I feel like I had a hard time keeping the lines sharp in between values. Do I need to go darker on my darks to make it more noticeable? Any tips would be appreciated! :)
Vic Guzman
Fantastic in my opinion… I like that you included the flaws instead of ignoring them. I found myself wondering what to do and how to go about shading…. Seems we did similar.
Vic Guzman
My attempt. I need lots of education, tips, and more practice. I’m posting the same drawing with flash on and off. Go easy on me :)
Ben Kraske
Nice value scale and division of your values on the pear!My advice for now would be to take another look at the shadows of your pear, and see where you could lighten some of them to the next lightest value. To me it looks like the bottom of the shadow is the darkest, and it's lighter towards the stem. Keep it up!
@lillian7919
Hello. That was not easy as someone who never learned block drawing and did straight observation. I think this method will help me with a drawing I'm working on. The hair is particularly challenging on the other drawing.
Vic Guzman
This is really great in my onion... the values and the sharp edges. Awesome job.
@queensransom
I tried to draw all three pear images. I didn't think about the layout initially, so the shadow for pear #1 got cut off. I also need to keep my outlines lighter in the future. I look forward to your feedback!
@jose7c
5d
Hi!! Here to upload my work. Probably not the best drawings I´ve made (nor the best photos) , but the concept to draw trough edges an planes is pretty interesting!! I´ve made also a digital one.
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