Week 2

Object Drawing Task

Before we were given this task we were introduced to Structure. I found this presentation quite important as this is an aspect I would have difficulty with but gradually understood the process relies heavily on my ability to observe carefully. The more time I spend in observation, the more detail I can pick up and incorporate in a design to assist the factor of believability.

The importance of inspiration vs reference is another factor I took note of as both can be often confused. Inspiration is simply the ideation of a bigger picture that comes to mind which is often filled with general themes and imagery. However reference is far more specific since it is at this stage that you need to narrow down to the construction of an object and the environment it is in. This involves research in order to accurately recreate these real life scenarios. I really liked the example of a tree explained to us, since nature can be very free form and fluid its often drawn from its branches and leaves however to actually construct it, it needs to be done from its root.

Object 1

For the four objects given to us to draw in perspective I wanted to first do observational studies of them to understand the material, angle and aging after which I drew them in perspective.

study of vanity table

The first object being a table I thought would be fairly simple but upon observing the level of detail on its legs quickly realized it has much more to it than angularity. It had curves and wood carvings. After a bit of research I learned it was a Chateau French Vanity Table made from Mahogany which explained its delicacy.

For the perspectives I made them in Procreate and attempted to draw it in two point but the base was not aligned with the top since I didn’t draw a box first.

process on procreate

greyscale outcome

Object 2

The second object was a Mahogany bookshelf and being this material again meant it required to adhere to the characteristics of being solid, heavy and durable.

study of bookshelf

After doing a study of it I learnt the metal top frame was quite complex and required careful symmetry which my sketch was far from but I did manage to understand the structure of each part of the shelf from its curved side panels to the detailed woodwork of its legs.

I also drew this one in two point perspective with an addition of grey scale values to separate the interior and exterior design. I was most pleased with the outcome of this object because it came closest to the reference image of the bookshelf.

process on procreate

greyscale outcome

Object 3

The third object was the one I wanted to experiment with in third point perspective. After doing a study of it I was able to draw the curved overall shape however my side profile required to be a lengthier in height to accentuate the curved shape.

The lamp in itself was an octahedron with flat surfaces on its top and bottom but angular side profiles which made it even trickier in third point perspective. After my personal tutorial I received good feedback on how it could be improved and that was to widen the mid point of the lamp so its sides touched the box shape and the top and bottom stretched into the two opposite view points.

process on procreate

greyscale outcome

Object 4

The fourth object was the leather couch. The study helped me understand the metal clasps that ran along its base and went up the arms.

couch study

It even enabled me to construct the wheel that attached to a metal bearing before joining the wooden leg of the couch.

I drew this one in two point perspective and found the base faced the same issue as being misaligned like the vanity table which is why I need to practice drawing them from the bottom as opposed to the top in a box.

process on procreate

greyscale outcome

Composition Task

The next task we were given required me to try and apply all I had learnt so far which meant combining perspective and the structure of objects in the context of a room that served as a composition. The brief gave us twelve references of objects with one to be in the foreground and one to be the focus of the room which was - a fish bowl. I made rough thumbnail sketches of the layout since we couldn’t repeat an element that meant each needed to fit into place. I then began drawing the outcome on procreate for a cleaner visual.

process of drawing vanishing points in one point perspective

I played around a bit here with the perspective and decided to make it in one point with the vanishing point being not entirely centred so my window had a more space to experiment with the lighting that could possibly hit the opposite facing wall and shelf over which I placed the fish bowl.

all twelve objects drawn into the room

I didn’t have any strong references to see where the light would exactly fall so this part took a bit of guesswork based on the way light falls in my own room and because of the metal railings on the window I could use that to give interesting angular shadows.