I’m Lost!

This is one of those days in the art studio. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. One of those days where nothing goes as planned. One of those days where even the simplest thing is difficult. One of those days where you just can’t do whatever you’re trying to do.

Or maybe not. Maybe you don’t have those days. Lucky for you. Unfortunately I have a lot of those days, and today has been one of them.

It started with my “Shapes and Forms” project. I reached into my bag of wooden blocks and pulled out a pyramid. Now, I thought I was definitely ahead of the game at this point, having previously learned the difference between a 3-sided prism and a 4-sided pyramid.

I placed my little block on a stand beside my desk and started to draw. I did all right with the basic form, and I even managed to turn the shape into its proper pryamidal form, but then everything went wrong. I’m to blame here. I’m trying to draw in an area that’s not conducive to good results. This area of the studio, you see, has three ceiling lights, thereby casting three distinct shadows from any object I place here. If I were more accomplished and better at shading, maybe I could call this a good art exercise. But as I might as well be back at the beginning — just learning to draw — it’s only an exercise in futility.

Not that I didn’t try. I did. I did. These particular shadows are quite distinct — not the sort of “fuzzy-looking” shadows that I’m sometimes able to draw. No, these three shadows all have clear lines of demarcation. Each has a slightly different degree of lightness. Of course, they cross over each other, and yeah… I tried, but the results weren’t pretty. You’ll note that I’m not sharing my attempt. That’s how “not pretty” it was.

Obstacles, however, should be seen as opportunities, right? How many times have we heard that before? Undeterred, I got online and searched for a tutorial on drawing distinct shadows. I found one that appeared interesting, and I took a deep breath. It also included that frightening word: PERSPECTIVE.

The tutorial — How to Draw Perspective Shadow — is not really about the technique involved in the actual drawing. It’s about helping us understand the “science” behind the shadow, that is, the principles by which we know where a shadow will fall. This, of course, assumes that we have one single light source.

I watched and listened. The instructor begins with a rectangular form (not to be confused with a rectangular shape — but more on that later) and then indicates a light source, creates a horizon line, and marks “The Shadow Vanishing Point” on the horizon line directly below the light source.

I was good so far. What he said and did made sense. He then starts drawing different lines to the top corners if the form, and then lines to the bottom corners, and somehow it all comes together to form a nicely-defined area of shadow, which he quickly fills in.

Just seeing a process like this can be helpful, but unless we try it ourselves, we aren’t really going to benefit from it. Determined to try this “simple method” for myself, I opened a new page in my sketchbook — and yeah, I should have started with a rectangular form. I didn’t. I was so sure I could figure this out that I drew my 4-sided pyramid again.

Wrong move. Even after adding in a single theoretical light source, drawing a horizon line, and marking the Shadow Vanishing Point, uh… yeah. Where do I go from there? I made an attempt at drawing a line, tried drawing a few others — with no idea of what I was doing — and finally just wrote I’M LOST at the top of the page.

I started the tutorial over, determined this time to follow along the correct way. The instructor begins by saying “I drew this simple rectangular box…” On to a new page in my sketchbook. On to drawing a “simple rectangular box”. No, I won’t show you. It was awful!

Drawing simple shapes is one of those little art skills we’re supposed to learn — and be able to do. Of course I’ve had lessons on how to draw rectangular boxes, but I never mastered it. Square boxes I can do. Rectanglar boxes, nope.

Another obstacle, another opportunity, right? I quickly got on line, searching this time for “How to draw a rectangle”. I followed a link, opened a new page in my sketchbook, and followed along with a Wiki How demonstration — drawing two horizontal lines with a ruler, and two vertical lines, and ending up with just what I asked for. A rectangle!

I meant a “rectangular form”. Silly me. I know the difference. So, another search, another tutorial, and finally I end up with something resembling a rectangular form — also referred to as a “rectangular prism”, which left me totally confused.

I re-started the video. I drew lines. I drew more lines.

I got interrupted and spent 20 minutes discussing my father-in-law’s care with my husband. I came back to the desk. I couldn’t find my ruler. I realized most of my lines were wrong anyway, and I said “That’s enough.”

So, my morning project did not go well. It’s definitely been one of those days, and I hope you never have one like it!