If you're anything like me, you know drawing a circle is a challenge on it's own. You have experienced the struggles of trying to draw a perfect circle and the shame of having to settle for one that looks--well--not like a circle. I've always had the desire to draw, but not being talented in it has restrained me from even trying. In Mark Kistler's book, You Can Draw in 30 Days, Kistler shows that having the right attitude is as necessary, if not more, as having talent; that it is crucial to have when learning how to draw (3). This has motivated me to not only perfect the circle, but to draw a sphere.
To start, I drew a simple sketch of a circle.
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| Step 1: sketch a circle |
Drawing a sphere is not just drawing a circle. Kistler explains: "To draw a three-dimensional picture, you need to figure out what direction the light is coming from and how it is hitting your object" (12). Because of this, I drew and indicated that my light source was above and to the right of the sphere.
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| Step 2: draw where your light source is |
To show that my object is on a solid surface, I cast a shadow opposite to where the light source is.
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| Step 3: shade a shadow off to the side of the circle |
To create a three dimensional look, I shaded inside of the circle. I shaded lighter as the shading curves up toward the light source. This technique is called blended shading. (Kistler 14).
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| Step 4:Shade in circle |
To unify each element of the sphere, I lastly blended each shade in using my finger.
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| Step 5: blend in shades with your finger, add any last details and erase unneeded lines, shading, etc. |
By reading Mark Kistler's book, I now know that when drawing a three dimensional object, to add a light source and shading to show value and shape. Not only that, but Kistler taught me that in order to succeed in drawing, I must believe myself. Although, not everyone may believe this. Do you believe that having a positive attitude is necessity to succeeding in drawing?
Kistler, Mark. You Can Draw in 30 Days: The Fun, Easy Way to Learn to Draw in One Month or Less. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2011. Print.
I think it is necessary in anything to have a positive attitude - if you don't believe that you can do it, then it is really hard to accomplish. If you start a project as a defeatist, it is very hard to come back from.
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs. Robison. I completely agree with you. I feel that having a positive attitude can garner the fortitude to meet difficult challenges.
DeleteI always try to avoid drawing spheres but now I will not be afraid because your blog has some great tips! My friend, who took an art class, showed me how to draw a ball and I guess it's the same, for some reason she told me that there was 3 light sources, like as if the ball is in a corner. Great job! What do use to smudge?
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie! It sounds like your friend showed you how to draw a more complex sphere. The sphere i drew above was a little less complex. To answer your question, i used my finger to smudge. If you don't want to get your finger dirty, you can use tissues or a blending stump.
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