Basic Cylinder
For my third drawing, I will learn how to draw a cylinder from the book "How to Draw Cool Stuff" by Catherine V. Holmes. According to the book, I need to understand that "a cylinder is a three-dimensional geometric form utilizing line and ellipse" (Holmes 22). This tells me that a cylinder is circle that is projected into three dimensions.Steps:
1. Start by drawing two points.
2. Connect the points with rounded lines to make a thin oval. This oval is called an ellipse. "A circle viewed at an angle; an oval" (Holmes 22).
3. Add 2 vertical lines directed straight down from both points.
4. Connect the base with a curved line.
As you can see, this drawing is very quick and easy. When drawing a cylinder, you must understand perspective. This is "The technique artists use to project an illusion of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface" (Holmes 22). It helps to create a sense of depth that allows the object to look three-dimensional.
One thing that was hard for me was shading. I had a hard time making the cylinder's shading look cohesive. The book says you should start with a value scale, which show you the lights and darks of your drawing. Here is an example:
Then you use this diagram to shade the cylinder:
Now here is my attempt:
I can definitely say that it is not my best work. This drawing showed me that I need to improve on my shading. What are ways that I can help develop my shading skills?
Holmes, Catherine V. How to Draw Cool Stuff. N.p.: Library Tales, 2014. Print.
