Lesson Two, What time is that angle? and the Envelope Please...

Working in class with shells and ellipses






Can you find a line that might be 12 o'clock on the face of a clock? 3 o clock, 4 o'clock?
Can you find any diagonal line around you and determine what time it would be if it were a hand on a clock?
This is the process of opening up to how an artist sees. A trick some Artists do is to overlay an imaginary clock over their subject to determine an angle. Look up at the ceiling where it meets the wall, can you find that angle?
Draw the hand of a clock at 12, 3, 6, 9, OK that was easy
Try 1, 2, 4, 5 O'clock what about 5:30? what about 11, or 11:30?
We can help out our poor confused verbal side of our brain by giving it something to do.....what time is that angle? Assign a specific time to a specific angle, this is an occasion where it might help to name something.
Project look around the room and see if you can determine what each angle is if it resided on a clock face. Determine dead vertical... 12 o'clock and dead horizontal, 3 o'clock, and see how your angle compares with those absolutes.


Hold your pencil out in front of you and practice determining what angle you are looking at. This simple act will serve you well as an artist, keep practicing this until you feel comfortable.
Translate the angle you are looking at onto your page.
“I'm seeing an angle that is 4 o'clock, I am going to draw 4 o'clock on my paper.”
Taking the time to properly see angles is a key to drawing

Term, Vanishing Point means lines that converge.


A Vanishing Point can be on the page or in a lot of cases, off of the page.
Project, draw a corner of your room, including the angles of the ceiling. Do another corner.
Try this with your view finder.


See how the angles define the space of the room, what are the angles? Can you follow them to where the vanishing points are? One on each side? Start at the fireplace and move left and slightly up to make your first line towards the vanishing point on the left side. The ceiling above the fireplace is also part of this vanishing point of this wall. Here is a case where both vanishing points, to the left and to the right, are off the page.

Now try a corner from where you are sitting. Start by squaring off your page and then determine angles.


Classic Single Vanishing Point on the ferry...Lines converge to just above man's head.
Look for vanishing points this week, especially around and inside buildings.



Create an envelope, we are going to mark the basic shape around our subject, using 3 or 4 lines only. This is what is known as the envelope. This is a major but SIMPLE foundation of drawing. Start by squaring off your page, set up a rectangle to set your subject in. Pick something, and draw the major big lines surrounding your subject. Use your new found ability to see angles to see the big construction lines around your subject.

I'm going to concentrate on making an envelope around the two people in front with black umbrellas. Here's how to draw with an envelope. Big loose lines, in red, nothing fancy.....


Come in with general lines, straight or curved depending on what you need to better defining the shape. The second time going over the contour edges of the subject is in blue. You are squeezing in on your contour shape. Do one side at a time, all the way around.

Now I'm ready to continue with the second figure defining edges and even going inside the form to define shapes, umbrellas in this case.
By the time I get to the third time around my subject, in yellow, I'm getting more familiar with the specifics of each little nuance shape that defines it. I probably wouldn't have seen all those little things the first time around.


Project, pick a simple subject.
Square off your page,
Draw the big simple lines around your subject, 3 or 4 max.
Come in with loose lines picking one side at a time to squeeze into your subject.
Third time, slowly work your way around your subject making a nice contour.
Go inside your subject with lines if you feel like it. No need to erase, it's interesting to see your construction lines in place.

BIG TIP
Check back and forth across the form. Where does one elbow sit compared to the other elbow? Is one foot higher than the other foot? Move your eyes back and forth comparing one side to the other. This is another key technique to seeing as an artist sees.


Project, set out something very simple, like fruit or a cup, some pencils, junk in your purse, or car....and use our new technique of drawing the envelope, Slowly work your way into a nice contour drawing, by coming into the subject one side at a time.
If you would like to see the master of the envelope, click here, to Tony Ryder

Last part of this lesson, artist use tricks....
It is nearly impossible to draw an ellipse free hand. If you drawing anything around your house, you will run into an ellipse, ellipses are everywhere.
To draw an ellipse, mark a horizontal line and 90 degree to that, vertical line. Mark the width of the ellipse( of the coffee cup) along the horizontal and the depth along the vertical.
Now draw in one quarter of the ellipse with a nice curve, turn your paper and repeat the shape, turn your paper and repeat so the 4 quarters are even and equal. Erase your construction guidelines, Voila an ellipse that looks right!

Project, Find some ellipses, like your coffee cup, and use our new trick to draw them.

You may run into this situation, an ellipse with vanishing point. If you do, this is what is happening
Try drawing this geometry just so you understand it.
This is the end of lesson two.
Here are some great drawing from our group working with shells. See the envelope and the block in lines, also marking points to orient highs and lows, left and right on a shell shape.