Uncomfortable's Thoughts: Constructional Drawing
http://drawabox.com/article/construction
2016-02-01 03:45
Uncomfortable
bumhugger
2016-02-01 06:44
It's great that you brought this up. It's hard to stop trying to replicate detail and getting frustrated instead of taking steps to reconstruct the subject. But, for example, I've noticed it becomes considerably easier to draw from imagination if you know the construction, rather than trying to remember the "final product" and draw that without any steps leading to it.
polygraf
2016-02-01 09:13
I like the term constructional drawing. I tutor a few kids in art and drawing and this is the approach I've been trying to teach. I never really came up with a term for it but now I'm going to start using this.
My basic theory I teach them is that almost everything you could ever want to draw can be broken down into spheres, cubes, and cylinders. We spend at least the first week or lesson on drawing these simple shapes at a variety of angles. Then I show them how to fit the human figure into these shapes. Maybe a bit complicated but it's more interesting to the kids than drawing "boring old fruits and stuff" (their words). Then I teach them observational drawing techniques like measuring and angle sighting. It's been pretty successful so far. I make it a point to keep their very first drawing and show them how much they've improved over time. I never thought I'd enjoy teaching but it's been a good experience, and doing all these really basic exercises has helped me improve and maintain my skill as well.
Good article. Would love to discuss more.
Uncomfortable
2016-02-01 15:40
Back when I was learning the stuff I teach here, our instructor had us draw a random thing he chose for us on a whiteboard, and he took a photo of it for posterity. Then on the day of the last class, he had us draw another completely random thing to show us how much an improved understanding of form allowed us to draw anything with greater confidence and believability. I kind of regret not doing that here from the very beginning, but it's probably too late for that.
I'm glad to hear that you've been having success with a similar approach. I would like to add though that when it comes to human beings, I change it up a little bit, for better or for worse. I start off with constructing a 2D silhouette (a sort of simpler representation of what eventually becomes 3D form). I feel that this allows the student to focus more on nailing proportion before then filling 3D forms into that silhouette.
Tomberri
2016-02-01 09:57
That's really helpful and make things lot easer since most of us, probably all, are drawing using photo reference, it's really easy get focused on details and forget the construction.
Uncomfortable
2016-02-01 15:43
Haha, yes, honestly I always mention that drawing from life is vastly better because of how it impacts your priorities, but I never really expect anyone to actually do it.
[deleted]
2016-02-01 17:00
[deleted]
Uncomfortable
2016-02-01 17:06
That is correct! Except my car's still dirty and my fence still needs painting. Lessons 1/2 teach you both how to use your body and how to construct the most basic building blocks of our constructions. Subsequent lessons put them to use.
ShootyMcExplosion
2016-02-01 19:45
Thanks for this. I've been trying Lesson 3 with great difficulty getting this type of construction down, and this really gets down to what I'm sure I'm doing wrong. I'm doing exams now so it may take a while, but thanks anyway.
[deleted]
2016-02-01 21:47
What I like to do is get a print-out of the image I want to draw, layer a piece of transparent overhead paper on top, and superimpose the general structures onto that sheet. This way your eyes aren't diverted away from the image and it makes practice easier.
Uncomfortable
2016-02-01 21:51
While that may have the advantages you mentioned, I can see it taking away from some aspects of practice. For example, you won't have as much experience with drawing freestanding forms on a blank page. This is more difficult than one might imagine.
Perhaps you might want to consider using this tracing approach as a means to study the form and identify the elements of its construction, before then reconstructing it on a separate sheet.
[deleted]
2016-02-01 22:46
Yes, I saw this reply coming and your response is exactly how people should be using this technique.
Uncomfortable
2016-02-01 15:42
That's an interesting take. I suppose this approach does align itself more with drawing from imagination than traditional observational drawing, since you are using that understanding of the base structure, and then reconstructing it in a way that does use some interpretation and imagination. Ultimately you end up not doing as much of a direct study, but rather reconstructing the object in the way you'd use photo reference in an original illustration. Lets you work more freely, and pull what's needed from the reference, while avoiding the speed bump everyone who does pure observational drawing hits - that is, not being able to draw anything when the reference is taken away.