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!
[image_with_animation image_url=”8958″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Alex Walker, an Especially Enjoyable student in my Intermediate Studio class, decided to work on making his brushwork more direct and decisive by doing a study of John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Henry James. Since his pilgrimage to see it in London brought the sad news that the painting …
It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend. I’d like to take my Cityscapes workshop on a field trip. Do you know a good spot for urban sketching on the North end? Below are some cityscapes by people. Enjoy! ” load_in_animation=”none Two more spots in my Cityscapes Workshop THIS WEEKEND May 11/12. Ice cream shops are urban, right?
Keith Pfeiffer trained as an illustrator, and recently decided to jump over the fence to be a professional fine artist. His observation based drawings are finely tuned and skillfully rendered, with a focus on line and tone. His sketches are posted on Instagram for very affordable prices. We had just hired him at the League …
People are posting their creative challenges online! You can find them by using the hashtag #salchallenge. You can also find some videos of people pretending to shake salt into their mouths. That’s a different kind of challenge. We don’t judge. I found some interesting drawings posted by marisa_vitiello. Love this wondering line-shape motif! Nice little composition, …
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.
Related Posts
Looking Closely at JS Sargent’s Portrait of Henry James
[image_with_animation image_url=”8958″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Alex Walker, an Especially Enjoyable student in my Intermediate Studio class, decided to work on making his brushwork more direct and decisive by doing a study of John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Henry James. Since his pilgrimage to see it in London brought the sad news that the painting …
Cityscapes
It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend. I’d like to take my Cityscapes workshop on a field trip. Do you know a good spot for urban sketching on the North end? Below are some cityscapes by people. Enjoy! ” load_in_animation=”none Two more spots in my Cityscapes Workshop THIS WEEKEND May 11/12. Ice cream shops are urban, right?
Keith Pfeiffer: Drawings
Keith Pfeiffer trained as an illustrator, and recently decided to jump over the fence to be a professional fine artist. His observation based drawings are finely tuned and skillfully rendered, with a focus on line and tone. His sketches are posted on Instagram for very affordable prices. We had just hired him at the League …
SAL Challenge Pics
People are posting their creative challenges online! You can find them by using the hashtag #salchallenge. You can also find some videos of people pretending to shake salt into their mouths. That’s a different kind of challenge. We don’t judge. I found some interesting drawings posted by marisa_vitiello. Love this wondering line-shape motif! Nice little composition, …