Every week in figure drawing I teach a different drawing approach. Today was straight line measures; which always feels to beginners like they’re getting tangled up in bicycle spokes, but it’s invaluable and even relaxing for returning students. The basic idea of straight line measures is that you use straight lines to measure out the form – even a curved form. I realize how insane it sounds to draw a curved object with straight lines, but straight lines help you get the proportional sizes and angles of a subject with more accuracy than squishy swirvy curved lines. Take a look at this demo gif by Keith Pfieffer, sent to me after class:
Keith Pfeiffer
Keith took four straight lines, subdivided each of those four lines into smaller lines to hone in on the angles, and was able to quickly and accurately describe a curved form. Straight line measures are not the only way to draw, but I tend to use this method when I want to get the angles and proportions right, or make sure I can size the thing properly on the page.
Lendy’s homework sketches; playing with shape, motif, and value
Now that you know how to draw a pear, you can play with tone. Last week I had lessons that showed how value contrast changes the way a viewer looks at a scene. One of the homework challenges was to draw the same composition several times, changing the tones in each. Lendy did a high key, mid key, and low key version of a pear. Quite lovely. The high key pear suffered some bumps and bruises as she tried to figure out how to draw the surface. It looked much better after the eraser turned the once-dark areas into a smokey silvery texture, leaving small remnants of dark here and there.
Pear sketch by Lendy Hensley, High KeyPear sketch by Lendy Hensley, Mid KeyPear sketch by Lendy Hensley, Low Key
There you have it. That’s how to draw a pear. Tune in tomorrow for the banana demo!
In recent posts, we talked about Cezanne’s process. In particular, we talked about the process seen in Cezanne’s drawings. Yesterday, in figure drawing class, we looked at how Cezanne tends to make short marks when he draws. Those short marks accumulate into longer contours and form descriptions, but they don’t trap or the whole object …
This article by Michael Agresta was published in the Texas Observer in 2016. The lynchings have brought it to us again. San Antonio painter Vincent Valdez unveils a monumental work on the persistence of white supremacy in America. A casual art viewer, wandering into the David Shelton Gallery in Houston from this month and encountering …
[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Feel like your subject matter might be too dull to hold attention? Change the attention. [/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][image_with_animation image_url=”3420″ alignment=”” animation=”None”][image_with_animation image_url=”3421″ alignment=”” animation=”None”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” custom_height=”30″][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][vc_column_text]Toilet paper is a subject wound in controversy:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Toilet paper …
Steamroller Printmaking Party Saturday Aug 24, 10:00-4:00 We have a great banjo player, a food truck serving falafel, and a 2.6 ton steamroller. We’re closing down 103rd Street for a printmaking block party! Come cheer as League printmakers make giant prints with a steamroller. Possibly the most funnest thing ever! Kids will get to make …
How to Draw a Pear
Every week in figure drawing I teach a different drawing approach. Today was straight line measures; which always feels to beginners like they’re getting tangled up in bicycle spokes, but it’s invaluable and even relaxing for returning students. The basic idea of straight line measures is that you use straight lines to measure out the form – even a curved form. I realize how insane it sounds to draw a curved object with straight lines, but straight lines help you get the proportional sizes and angles of a subject with more accuracy than squishy swirvy curved lines. Take a look at this demo gif by Keith Pfieffer, sent to me after class:
Keith took four straight lines, subdivided each of those four lines into smaller lines to hone in on the angles, and was able to quickly and accurately describe a curved form. Straight line measures are not the only way to draw, but I tend to use this method when I want to get the angles and proportions right, or make sure I can size the thing properly on the page.
Now that you know how to draw a pear, you can play with tone. Last week I had lessons that showed how value contrast changes the way a viewer looks at a scene. One of the homework challenges was to draw the same composition several times, changing the tones in each. Lendy did a high key, mid key, and low key version of a pear. Quite lovely. The high key pear suffered some bumps and bruises as she tried to figure out how to draw the surface. It looked much better after the eraser turned the once-dark areas into a smokey silvery texture, leaving small remnants of dark here and there.
There you have it. That’s how to draw a pear. Tune in tomorrow for the banana demo!
Pearable:
Why did the pear go out with a prune?
Because he couldn’t find a date.
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In recent posts, we talked about Cezanne’s process. In particular, we talked about the process seen in Cezanne’s drawings. Yesterday, in figure drawing class, we looked at how Cezanne tends to make short marks when he draws. Those short marks accumulate into longer contours and form descriptions, but they don’t trap or the whole object …
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This article by Michael Agresta was published in the Texas Observer in 2016. The lynchings have brought it to us again. San Antonio painter Vincent Valdez unveils a monumental work on the persistence of white supremacy in America. A casual art viewer, wandering into the David Shelton Gallery in Houston from this month and encountering …
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[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Feel like your subject matter might be too dull to hold attention? Change the attention. [/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][image_with_animation image_url=”3420″ alignment=”” animation=”None”][image_with_animation image_url=”3421″ alignment=”” animation=”None”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” custom_height=”30″][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][vc_column_text]Toilet paper is a subject wound in controversy:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Toilet paper …
Steamroller Printmaking Party!
Steamroller Printmaking Party Saturday Aug 24, 10:00-4:00 We have a great banjo player, a food truck serving falafel, and a 2.6 ton steamroller. We’re closing down 103rd Street for a printmaking block party! Come cheer as League printmakers make giant prints with a steamroller. Possibly the most funnest thing ever! Kids will get to make …