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Alright for most of you, it seems you understand the concept of looking through an object and seeing it as a 3-d form. But Tasmianian Devil, it seems like you might get it, but your drawings are so cluttered I cannot be sure, and Hotcakes your shapes arent even complete shapes, you've tried to give them depth and then just stopped caring about what the actual shapes are. For the rest of you good job, this is something most beginners flat out cannot comprehend. However, you might ask "But Template, you said earlier it isn't practical to do this for every illustration one might make"

That is correct, this is useful for beginners to start understanding how more complicated shapes take up space in a 3-d environment and better help them understand planes and shapes. More experienced artists kind of just have a sense of how to do this without such things, but that takes time and practice. -SO PRACTICE-
Understanding this gets to be very important when you start to use perspective, place things in a background, and for all coloring purposes with light and shadow. You cannot color a 2-d object, because it is flat, it doesn't have depth, no volume. You must understand it in three dimensions to simulate light and shadow on its surfaces and shade it in a convincing way.

Alright the logical progression from simple shapes usually leads to perspective, but fuck that, alot of you guys don't seem to understand something even more elemental and basic.

Remember how all things are made out of those simple shapes? But what are those simple shapes made out of?

Everything you will ever draw or have drawn before will be made of these three things. Call these the holy trinity of drawing, the supreme subatomic particles of all drawings, indivisible and absolute.

The mighty Line, simple, elegant, the particle of choice for so many who would dare tread in the land of the visual arts. They come in many forms but they can be boiled down to two types. Lines with static width and lines with variable width. While in real life there are no such things as 3-d shapes created with lines, its the simplest way for our minds to grasp that something exists that can still be recognized as a 3-d object. Static width lines can be attractive but they usually illustrate unnatural things, a step toward fantasy, it can be quite complex, but those who wish for realism, you must use variable width lines. http://www.quilt-around-the-world.com/sites/default/files/im ages/story/959/martha_washington_line_drawing.jpg Observe how flat and unnatural this looks. Variable width lines are much more effective at giving the illusion of a 3-d form across, with them you can simulate depth in objects. http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lisdjtGvZM1qbmkaoo1_500.jp g Observe how much more realistic that is despite clearly being a cartoon character.
Here's where people fuck up alot, typically newbies lines look like shit. The whole point of a line is to define a shape, when your lines are all fuzzy, blurry and pixelated you lose clarity and things end up looking like cocks. Confused, you blunder about adding lines, seeking clarity but creating only a confused mess nobody understands. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUq5U_LDHrA/TYQAp_r-4nI/AAAAAAAAAJ M/-xVmC3A4HUs/s1600/bad%2Bdrawings%2Bof%2Bfamous%2Bmusicians %2B001.jpg The lines are torn, incomplete, inconsistent, shapes made half thought out, without no rhyme or reason. http://oldprints.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/apokalypse.gif Behold here a master's work, notice how each line serves a purpose, to define a shape, to make thing clear, not muddle it all up. If a line serves no purpose do not create it. Everybody can learn to use lines to create art.

The next particle is the mightiest of them all, the Gradient. Alot of you think of color and take it for granted. Humans see in color and even things without color have value and that is part of a gradient too. We don't really pay attention to it because its all around us everyday. Ever wonder why some artwork looks so realistic that you could mistake it for a photograph? Its because COLOR AND VALUE ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO FORM. FORM IS ALL AROUND YOU, EVERYTHING HAS FORM. If it doesn't have form its intangible and cannot be drawn. The greatest masters of art aren't merely people who take a paint brush and smear some random colors on a canvas until it looks pretty, they are GENIUSES THAT UNDERSTAND SPACIAL CONCEPTS USING COLOR AND VALUE AS A MEANS TO EXPRESS 3-D DATA INTO A 2-D MEDIUM. Thats -why- it works, at the highest level your brain will not be able to distinguish a perfect 2-d drawing from a 3-d object. Unfortunately we cannot make a perfect image. Not even a camera can do it. Yet. Art is a science, and most of it involves understanding the form of something in space. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qjUt6oT1j3c/S8dXF1fWUfI/AAAAAAAAAE w/oaIftOmMVYY/s1600/andrewwyerth.jpg That looks real because all of the value, all of the colors involved are almost perfectly in the places that they would actually be if she was real. It has real spacial data based entirely on the colors, which consists of light and shadow, tint, hue, satuation, form, ect. ect. This is the real shit, and not many get to master it, it requires understanding elements that are extremely complicated. But for the simplest of shapes you may find your current ability adequate at rendering them in a convincing way. To improve in this to the understand the truth of what things really are.

The last particle is not really a particle at all, it is the absence of something. Silhouettes are probably the easiest was to imagine it but everything has it. Negative space. It has alot to do with composition, and it is just as important as what you choose to draw in regards to making an object more convincing. To be honest its not something I worry about right now but it is very important. http://volcanoeditions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/p osfigureground41.jpg Observe how using negative space, this is actually two illustrations. A man with an instrument and a female face.

Observe the cup.

It is GLORIOUS.

You think me mad, a mere cylinder, glorious? I have seen things in this cup that you probably wouldn't yet understand, you are so preoccupied with anime eyes and tits and cocks.

So vulgar the world we live in, most art is a mere puppet show for our egos. Even in the smallest most humble things there exists -wonders- if only you would look and see them.

Try then to master this or any cup since you know your shapes so well, show me you understand it, that you can comprehend it if it is so easy. Look through the cup, inside of it, around it, understand the values, the position, the balance.

Be humbled by it.

What is truth?

Not these. They don't even begin to scratch the surface.

There are giants out there, men and women with great minds, and they see the truth.

At 4/5/12 11:12 PM, Template88 wrote: mind blowing stuff.

Thou's mind hath seen the face of oblivion and hath imploded upon reading of ones very own scripture, I say to thee; thine be no goddess nor angel, yet, thine show knowledge that far surpass this piteous mortal, thou commend thine thread of scripture, for it far surpass what lay before it.

At 4/5/12 11:34 PM, Template88 wrote::

you are so preoccupied with anime eyes and tits and cocks.

So...what you're saying is...if I understand value, I can draw better titties?

I might have to invest in this.

Damn, how do you get your cups to look so smooth and porcelain like?

At 4/6/12 10:44 AM, Lintire wrote:

At 4/6/12 10:33 AM, Opkluu wrote: Damn, how do you get your cups to look so smooth and porcelain like?

Use large soft brushes for smooth transitions. Ctrl-paint guy uses it often.

Hm, alright, next time I'll try them out, thanks for the tip

I would recommend sticking to hard brushes, especially if you're just beginning to digitally paint. If you start off using soft brushes you risk muddying up values and losing a lot of definition in your forms. Hard brush is a method of building confidence and technique.

awesome cup's

Mines handle is off portion and I couldn't figure out the depth just right.
we all have so much to learn from life.

At 4/6/12 03:06 PM, J-qb wrote:

At 4/6/12 02:48 PM, iceimp wrote: awesome cup's
Mines handle is off portion and I couldn't figure out the depth just right.
we all have so much to learn from life.

This is by no means a bad effort, but you seem to have fallen for what cypress-dahlia and I talked about earlier; overuse of the soft brush. Try using a hard brush to give some areas (right edge of the mug, handle) some more definition. I think that would help it look 3d a bit more. reflective (shiny) things tend to have harsh transitions/reflections as well as smooth gradient shading.

Thanks for the advice, I'm giving it a shot however what is the best way for blending, should I just use opacity? The cup below was created using the hard round brush in photoshop but also using opacity of the brush to blend.

YOU COULDN'T AFFORD COLLEGE
YOU TOOK A NIGHT CLASS
YOU MADE A CLAY DILDO
AND SHOVED IT UP YOUR ASS

At 3/30/12 09:49 PM, BlackMist75 wrote: I stuck to 2D shapes. :| I suck at circles. No rulers or compass used

Oh well, its a start indeed :P

Man.. i wish i had a scanner or a tablet i would definitely do this
I admire 3D shapes alot,I sometimes just stare at my furniture or cups to see how wonderful thier shape is.
I started to practice gesture drawing, anyoneelse done that?

Hmmm...... I should really get in on this.

1 & 2

Been wanting to do this for a while but my theory work succcccccksss >:[
But i felt brave and did it ._.

Here it is! :(

FYI They take drugs..

This is a great topic idea, decided to challenge myself with 3 dimensions