Course Highlights


Sketching Spherical Objects

When sketching any object that's spherical in nature, draw the geometric sphere first; then adjust its shape according to the particular attributes of the object. A sphere is basically a three dimensional circle. Modified spheres include most sports balls, fruits, nuts, eggs, bowls and cups.

Circles can be a difficult to draw at first, but like anything, become easier with a few tips and little practice. For starters, think of a circle as two curved lines rather than one. By drawing in a faint line of symmetry, we can draw one side, then when we are happy with this semi-circle, turn the page around and draw the other side.



If it is a large circle, you may want to draw it in stages, using short, faint strokes while rotating the paper. Then, when the circle is more or less constructed, take out the incorrect and unnecessary line fragments with an eraser. As a final step, retrace your work with a smoother, darker line.

If you would like to double check your work or if there's something about your circle that's a little off but you're not quite sure where the problem lies, try this trick. Mirrors can help you identify problem areas. Simply hold up the piece of paper to a mirror and look at its reflection. You will find that the slight imperfections will be jump out at you more clearly from this perspective. Alternatively, rotate your paper and look at it from different angles. This too can help.

Another option when it comes to drawing circles is to practice by tracing the bottoms of different glassware and then going over these circles repeatedly in one fluid motion, helping familiarize your arm with the movement. When you feel more or less comfortable with this movement, try drawing the same size circle right next to its guide. It will not be as accurate or as easy at first, but you will eventually be able to draw well-balanced circles with this relaxed, fluid movement.

Now that we have a circle, we need to draw an ellipse using the line of symmetry to transform this two dimensional circle into a three dimensional sphere. An ellipse is an oval, much wider than it is long. A line of symmetry helps you draw ellipses perpendicular to their central axes. See diagram below.

Putting theory into practice

Create the following objects based on the geometric sphere.

Exercise 1: baseball



Exercise 2: candle



Exercise 3: bowl

Other pages of interest

Establishing the horizon line
Drawing a cube in perspective
Taking drawing perspective a step further
Sketching cube based objects
Sketching spherical objects







 


 

 

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