Basic Shapes and Fundamental Form

Boxes and Books
I built a tower with the six items so that they turned in different directions. To follow the instructions to draw them as if I could see through them, I concentrated on drawing with line around and through each object so as to make them appear transparent. Early in the drawing I started to extend the outside edges of the objects towards the edges of the paper, with the help of pencil and ruler in an attempt to give myself a clearer idea of the correct angles. I soon found the ensuing mass was starting to become confusing on approaching the middle section, and because the objects were stacked up, I had to erase these extended lines.

The three dimensional complexity of the arrangement, I think looks quite intriguing. I find it almost impossible now to isolate each object from the second one down, as my eye is instantly and unavoidably drawn to the other forms in the arrangement. It reminds me of the optical illusion drawings MC Escher, but of course nowhere near as good.

Check & Log

They appear to be the correct shape and size in relation to one another partly, I think because: after drawing the first edge of each object with the help of a ruler, I used the ruler to slide back to the position I thought the corresponding edges on the opposite side should be in (keeping it parallel), then drew them in, while mindful to retain the same length of line as the first. It did prove also, to be a more technical drawing for me than the following 2 exercises.

The only spaces between objects, form I believe, an interesting series of triangular shapes around the areas where they meet near the ends.

Because of their transparency I wouldn't say the objects look as solid as those which are not.

Boxes and Books

Jars and Jugs
This exercise turned out to be more difficult than I expected. There were several objects, for which I had to resort to measuring with a pencil and ruler to try to get the proportions correct. Some of the edges are thick where I repeatedly went over them to try and improve the shape.
Check & Log
I think their shape and sizes in relation to one another are generally correct apart from:

•  The straight cylinder changes in dimensions and size between drawings 1 & 2. 
• The rolling pin is at the wrong angle in drawing 2 as (a) in reality the jar behind it would be on top of it, or (b) it would be going through the centre of the jar. 

 Shapes between aren’t too bad except for:

•  No. 2 - as previously mentioned, the position of the rolling pin doesn’t quite add up. 
•  No. 3 - the rolling pin and the rear left container look almost as if they are just touching and I don’t think they sufficiently overlap which seems to send the arrangement slightly off balance.

2

They mostly appear to look solid despite nos. 1 & 2 having guide lines in certain places which may detract from this. For instance there are no guides in drawing no.3 and the forms seem more solid to me.

1

   

- the third drawing was too feint to reproduce clearly on here.

Supermarket Shop

I used the paper in a portrait orientation as I wanted to exaggerate the objects vertical emphasis, which I think worked, but it’s a tight squeeze on A3 paper as I also drew them all rather large. The box of green tea on the left of the 1st drawing is too large and squat in relation to the other objects, as is the pepper jar.

In the 1st drawing I think the space is too narrow between the sides of the soya drink container on the right and the pizza box at the back so I widened this slightly on the 2nd (coloured) version. I also think the shapes between the objects help to give a diagonal emphasis, but the arrangement might benefit from moving the tall narrow pizza box further back. In the 2nd drawing I decided to erase and move the bean can as when I studied it after my initial drawing, it was almost on the same level as the pepper jar and I thought it needed more diagonal emphasis here too.

I think the objects look the most solid of all drawings in this section as they are rendered in colour and contain text and motifs. However, at the same time this seems to detract somewhat from the look of 3D form, because of my faulty attempts with the perspective in the text and motifs in many places. As these drawings contain the most texture, this also helps to give them the most solidity. They would certainly have more depth and solidity if I'd used tonal shading and had made some of the objects fuzzier than others – giving more emphasis to just a couple of objects, but rightly or wrongly, as it wasn’t part of the brief, I didn’t use it.
I would say the feeling of depth exists in all drawings in the 3 exercises because:

 The objects are placed at an angle so that one side and the upper surfaces of the boxes and the ellipses in the cylinders are all apparent.

 They also overlap (one object is placed infront of another) at varying heights on the paper so that they appear to recede, giving a foreground, middleground and background.

The feeling of depth would be improved in all exercises if I had made more use of perspective and tonal shading. On reflection, some of the supermarket shop objects look almost like cardboard cutouts, not helped by the fact that, as my tutor later pointed out, the ellipses are too flat at the base. Of the three exercises, I think the boxes and books have the most depth  because of being able to see both through and around the objects, producing a transparent appearance.