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Learn and master drawing a cube with three tones and you can draw most anything. Once you get the concept that highlights have highlights and shadows have shadows, the rest is cake.
"When you know the notes to sing,
You can sing most anything"
("Do Re Mi" song from" Sound of Music")
John Cox is a painter, cartoonist, and illustrator for hire. For information about purchasing existing work or commissioning new work, contact him by e-mail at john555cox [at] hotmail.com.
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on July 19, 2012 12:21 AM.
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Comments (8)
Q: "How do you carve a wooden Indian?"
A: "Get a big hunk of wood and carve away anything that doesn't look like an Indian."
Posted by Thunderbottom | July 19, 2012 8:37 AM
Posted on July 19, 2012 08:37
Thanks for the tip. Strange the painfully obvious things we fail to notice... & strange how simple so many things seem once we've mastered them...
... although the biggest impediments I think I've seen to people who can't draw seem to be the failure to realize that shapes have shape & perspectives have perspective.
Posted by Terwiliger | July 19, 2012 1:10 PM
Posted on July 19, 2012 13:10
HEY T
If you sincerely mean that true observation requires going beneath mere surface and perception, I agree. Considering how you see will make a big difference in any drawing project,
Which, of course, takes practice....
Posted by John Cox | July 19, 2012 1:32 PM
Posted on July 19, 2012 13:32
What a concise and poetic description, John! Next onto painting shadows. :)
Posted by Zeroth | July 19, 2012 4:24 PM
Posted on July 19, 2012 16:24
I can draw a mean stick man!
Posted by GarandFan | July 19, 2012 6:20 PM
Posted on July 19, 2012 18:20
"Learn and master drawing a cube with three tones and you can draw most anything. Once you get the concept that highlights have highlights and shadows have shadows, the rest is cake."
John - you say that like it is easy. For me, I don't think so. And yes, I noticed that the "cube" has no bottom.
Posted by Dr. Bob | July 19, 2012 11:23 PM
Posted on July 19, 2012 23:23
Hey Dr Bob
"and the rest is cake," Okay, that is glib. It doesn't take into account HOW each drawing project merges techniques.
But I'll try this: Like zeros and ones make up a binary code that are used for amazing digital creations, I suggest mastering how one determines subtle light and shadow is the "zeros and ones" of classic drawing.
There ain't NOTHING easy about the learning process. But he method is clear enough.
Posted by John Cox | July 20, 2012 1:25 AM
Posted on July 20, 2012 01:25
HEY JOHN
That was pretty much my main point, but I wanted to write it in a way that might be perceived as humorous. I know that in some of my old drawings (of which I have only a few--portfolio was stolen) I got so focused on certain elements that the perspective is warped (in a bad way--not like your drawings here). I've also attempted subjects that I could "see the shapes," but there was something keeping me from accurately rendering the distinctive details so that what I was attempting to draw was recognizable as what it was (or what I intended it to be).
Posted by T again | July 20, 2012 10:19 AM
Posted on July 20, 2012 10:19