Summary

The model is one of the most exciting subjects to draw, but it’s important to stress that our purposes are different than figure drawing classes, which concentrate on the proportions of the whole. The purpose of this class is to apply what you did visualizing the sphere to achieve not just the idea of volume but the illusion. Leonardo da Vinci’s said, “All opaque objects are bathed in light and shadow” to reflect that if the planes are moving in relation to the eye the sense of light and shadow is always fluctuating too. To focus your attention right from the start I want you to do all of the interior light relationships first (using the eraser), then moving to the light on the outer edges of the figure. Then move on to the darker shadows with pencils.

Avoid being too specific. Remember to squint! Doing the whole drawing with the eraser first lets you work out the proportions in a way that’s easy to make changes. This can be hard at first, unlike the way you’re used to drawing figures.