Drawing Observation
Pencil Drawing Fundamentals – Drawing Cylinders
Any scene can initially be seen as a composition of a series of forms that are all related to four basic geometric solids: the brick, the sphere, the cylinder, and the cone. In this article we concentrate on the cylinder, i.e., we will detail its properties and its place in the overall scheme of a drawing.
A perfect cylinder has of a circular top and bottom of the same radius which are connected to each other by a circular body also of the same radius. The fact that we are dealing with a circular shape means that we will have to practice drawing curved lines.
To do that, swing your arm from the elbow, and even from the shoulder, if you are working on a large drawing. It may feel awkward at first, but after a while it will you feel quite comfortable and satisfying. Hampering your rendering by working from the wrist will prevent you from acquiring a fluid line sweep.
No matter what the cylindrical object, you must first see the cylinder which underlies whatever clutter the object may have. In the beginning stages it is a good idea to draw a perfect cylinder first, and then make the changes that are necessary to create the actual object. Note that the object will rarely be a perfect cylinder, so modifications will always be necessary. When you have more experience you can dispense with the drawing of the actual cylinder and begin straightaway with the object itself.
One approach to drawing a cylinder is to rough in the entire ellipse (note that a circle becomes an ellipse when seen in perspective – a circle is only a circle when seen face-on) in a counter-clockwise direction. Then you can refine the visible side of the ellipse by accentuating the correct curvature with heavier strokes.
You may find it easier to rotate your pencil in a clockwise manner. Practice both and stay with your preference. The best result is what counts, not the way that result is obtained. Be sure to accurately judge the differences between the actual object and the perfect cylinder. That means accurately observing the changes in curvature, indents, bulges, etc.
When drawing a cylinder remember that at eye level the circular top or bottom appears as a straight line. As the ellipse rises above eye level, or the horizon, its edge nearest you curves up in an arc. That is, you are seeing the circle from below. As the ellipse descends below eye level, the arc is reversed and the edge nearest you curves down. That means you are looking down on the ellipse.
As an exercise, draw a simple glass as many times as necessary to get the ellipses correct. First, you can place the glass so that its top is exactly at eye level, i.e., the top circle becomes a perfectly straight line. Notice that the bottom of the glass, being below eye level, forms an ellipse and the side nearest you will curve down.
Now lower your arm gradually and notice that the top of the glass becomes an ellipse that gets wider and wider as you lower the glass more and more. Finally, when the top of the glass is directly below you, the ellipse becomes the full circle that it actually is.
The purpose of this exercise is to train your eye and hand to observe and render the departures there may be from the perfect cylinder that underlies the shape of the object you are drawing. The height of a stem on a glass and the different depths of the upper and lower ellipses of a glass are factors that must be considered when observing and drawing such cylindrical objects. Remember that as an ellipse nears the eye level or horizon, it gets shallower, and that as the ellipse gets farther away, it gets deeper.
These tips should give you just about all you need to know about drawing objects that approach the shape of a cylinder.
About the Author
Remi Engels, Ph.D., is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter. See some of his work here: Remi Pencil Portraits .
Seeing, Observation and Drawing Part 1 of 3
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