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Besides the obvious, perfect spheres that form the structure of a ball - whether a golf, tennis, or basketball - there are those objects which partake of the sphere in one form or another. An egg, a nut, an apple, and an orange all have a modified sphere as their basic underlying form (left). Objects such as a bowl, a cup, and a tea kettle can be based on part of a sphere.
Departures from the Geometric Sphere: The departures from the geometric sphere may be quite radical at times, but all the objects in "Fig. B" , below, are based upon it. |
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For example, in the football the sphere is tapered at both ends; in the coffee pot there's one complete sphere and two-thirds of another; and in the helmet the complete sphere is shown by the broken line. Finally the light bulb in "Fig. B" is actually a sphere with a cylinder attached to it.
When drawing any object that's structurally spherical, draw the complete sphere first; then add the required departures that your particular object demands. You should ask yourself the same questions concerning proportion that you ask when drawing other forms. How much does your object depart - flatten, bulge, or bend - from the geometric sphere you first drew as its basis? Gather all the spherical objects you can find and draw them in any size you wish. But I advise you to draw rather large, so that you can swing your pencil freely. |
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Depth and the Sphere: As you draw, remember that a sphere occupies a given space; it is not a flat disc. Hold an apple or orange in your hand and feel its bulk. Try to convey this volume and weight in your drawing. In the demonstrations to the left, I've indicated this three dimensional feeling by the ellipses on the apple and orange, and on the geometric spheres upon which they are based.
I am aware that there is very little explanation connected with this lesson but the idea here is for you to practice these types of forms. Nothing you do will assist you more in your quest to draw than constant and sincere practice. So until we begin to talk about our next form, "Conical Objects", practice, practice, practice. |