Let's Draw some simple shapes.

Drawing is more than just lines. One of the most important aspects of learning to draw is to be able to draw objects that look three dimensional. You can get really good at this and every single object you can draw can be reduced to its simple geometric forms. So you should practice lots of geometric forms. This is what you will do in this lesson. You should spend an hour doing this lesson.

Drawing simple shapes may seem like an easy exercise and maybe it is easy but it is very important. Everything you draw will actually be composed of a collection of simple shapes. Even figures, creatures and beasts can be simplified to these building blocks of shape.

I have drawn a basic set of simple shapes for you to copy. Try them in different sizes. Then move on to do some simple shapes of your own. You should look around at the things in the room you are currently in and draw objects reduced to their simplest form. What would a book shape be? How about the compute? A picture fram and a lamp. Draw all kinds of things in a simple way. Try to make sure they look three dimensional.

This is your first adventure into making things that take up space take time doing this exercise.

Look at your hand. You can see that it is a complex thing but it can be reduced to a series of simple shapes. The palm portion of your hand is much like a rectangle like the one in the drawing at the left (book shaped) and you fingers are just a series of cylinders just like the cylinder drawn at the bottom of the drawing.

Try drawing your hand just in simple shapes. Don't worry about how it looks. You will get much better at this. It just takes practice.

Do lots and lots of simple shapes. This is all that you are going to do for this lesson and you should spend at least an hour.

Note: If you are feeling really ambitious combine this lesson with lesson on and draw simple shapes but use different line styles and different pencil pressures. Also try drawing the shapes using both pencil holding styles.

Continue on to Fantasy Drawing Lesson Three (Understanding and Using Perspective)

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