Structure Basics – Making Things Look 3D

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1.3M

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Assignments 812Lesson NotesDownloads 2

Structure Basics – Making Things Look 3D

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

in Figure Drawing Fundamentals

1.3M

Mark as Completed

Assignments 812Lesson NotesDownloads 2

Start by practicing cylinders and boxes of the things around you. Here you’re using observation and what you know about structure to draw the forms. Then move on to drawing them from your imagination. Can you imagine a box in your mind and draw it exactly how you imagined it?

When you’re ready, get some reference of animals and try to simplify them into balls, cylinders, and boxes. Avoid flat angles. Try to find dynamic angles of the animals in motion. That will be a much more valuable exercise.

Post your work and participate.

pell

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14h

I followed the suggestion of @Rachel Dawn Owens to go larger when studying the basic forms in a figure. I agree. I felt a lot more comfortable having more room to judge proportions and shapes. Of course, daily gesture practice has been helping too. I did start down a couple of sideroads I should have avoided, but the angry locals chased me back to the main highways.

Rachel Dawn Owens

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10h

This looks great!

pell

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This time I looked for the basic structure of the figure with basic forms more closely conforming to the forms of the figure.

Rachel Dawn Owens

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Looking good! Maybe try some bigger drawings too! It will be easier to keep it clear.

pell

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Here's another attempt at finding the basic forms on top of gesture.

pell

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Here's another untimed attempt at finding the basic forms in the figure.

pell

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Here are my first attempts at finding the basic forms in the figure.

Mari Tkachenko

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Here is my 2 weeks worth of progress. I started to make the first sketches and I didn't like what was coming out. Then I went back to studying gestures, namely rhythms. I figured out what rhythm is and how it works, how to draw lines so that they look beautiful and organic. And this helped me a lot, in the end I got a result that I like much more.

เจษฎากร อินต๊ะวิชา

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Meme

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14d

Here are my assignments. I would really appreciate any feedback from the bottom of my heart.

Romy Seally

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18d

This one was very difficult for me.. I may be have to simplify even more ?

Melanie Scearce

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18d

I wouldn't think of it as just simplifying more, but simplifying with more intention. Here's some thoughts to consider while simplifying that hopefully are useful to you. The torso is a good starting point because it can give you a lot of information about gesture and anatomy. It should be just one or two simple shapes. Here I simplified this kiki's torso with one cylinder that started as a bean. You did a very nice job here creating a sense of depth with overlap, especially in the cat. Try to incorporate shape hierarchy -- this idea not only applies to the torso, but also to other forms that build off one another, like a snout on a head and toes on a foot. Think simple to complex.

@pmirko

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20d

really struggled a lot with this one....

@brimarie

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20d

They look great. Broken down to the essentials and very three-dimensional...

@pmirko

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21d

i would have been nice to have a demo of this assignment.....i have absolutely no idea how to approach the structure of an animal. there's no guidelines no reference, just draw some boxes see if it looks like an animal... i've been drawing for over an hour and i have nothing...

Mike Hugh

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23d

Think I over relied on spheres for the form, but a very fun exercise! Going to try using forms like this moving forward.

@lightsdesu

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2mo

This is my attempt

Shayan Shahbazi

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2mo

Mesmerizing.

Robert

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4mo

Stupid me lost the reference pics. Are the forms basic enough? I had a lot of trouble attaching the limbs to the body. Hard to determine which form it was? Would appreciate some tips on that Would appreciate any feedback

Cristian Reyes

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4mo

this assignment really scared me haha but I got through it. It's the hardest thing Ive done so far. Hard to draw the structure when so much is hidden in the pictures and you dont really know the anatomy of the animal. Will be practicing this a lot more.

Robert

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4mo

Good stuff. You executed the exercise as intended. I would take some time to work on your line quality. They look scratchy. Try to draw your lines in one go or go light on the first lines and then do a smooth darker line

@daniel454

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4mo

My very first animal shapes before watching critique. I definetly need more mileage. Feedback or recommendations greatly appreciated. I'm redoing the giraffe after critiques.

@rudysterner

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4mo

Here is my submission for animal shapes. I included the searching lines.

Alek

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4mo

@purpleart

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5mo

Revisiting this course for gesture and mannequinization in anticipation of Michael Hampton's gesture course in February. Had a go at a horse and I must admit, breaking down into shapes helped. Although just as with my attempts at humans, the torso is always too loooong.

@dropfeeling

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5mo

I don't often draw animals so this is great practice for me as I want to get better at them! Some of them turned out rather rough, I'll have to work on them more.

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.