How to Draw Broken Glass

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Transcript of How to Draw Broken Glass

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    D RA WI NG GLA S S

    Jeanette Jobson

    Drawing glass can look challenging, but once it is broken down into small steps, it becomes understandable and easily achievable. Drawing any reflective surface requires the same degrees of observation skills, careful drawing and patience to get realistic results.

    Glass is an ancient substance and was manufactured in open pits, ca. 3000 B.C. until the invention of the blowpipe in ca. 250 B.C. Silica sand is the main ingredient used in making glass, along with other elements to give it properties of stability and transparency.

    LEARNING SECTIONS

    Learn how to see the values and reflections in glass

    Learn the importance of line drawing when drawing glass

    Learn how to shade with varying degrees of pressure

    Learn to define details with shading

    SUPPLY LIST

    Pencils: H, 2B, 4B Kneaded eraser Smooth drawing paper (off white mat board was used for this demonstration) Piece of paper to use as a hand guard Drafting brush or large paint brush (optional)

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    OBSERVATION SKILLS

    One of the most common problems in drawing glass or any other reflective objects is not studying the shapes of shadow and light carefully enough and, instead, drawing what you think should be there, not what is actually before your eyes.

    Look at the glass in this reference photo. I mean really look at it. Enlarge it on your computer screen so that you can see the separation of values that make up shadow and light. Can you see the subtle variations in value throughout the glass and on the edges of the broken sections? These are the areas that bring realism to your drawing and accurately drawing them is one of the keys to success. Do you see the shapes that the reflected light makes on the glass surface and how the shadows form

    curves and lines in differing levels of values?

    Can I teach you to observe? Yes and no. I can tell you what you should be looking for, but it takes time and lots of practice to train your brain/eye/hand to really see the shape of an object and to trust that what you see is what needs to be represented on your paper.

    We often glance at an object but never really see it. We see, for example, a glass. Its clear, hard and holds our drink. But we need to train ourselves to really understand the objects physical characteristics. Its hardness, reflections of light on the surface and distortion if it holds a liquid or object, areas of light and shade, and so on. We need to take time to examine how the areas of light and shade which make up the form and how they make the glass curve; where they intersect and how they relate to each other in forming the whole.

    LINE DRAWING

    A line drawing is the drawing you produce that provides outlines of the object and the shapes of areas of shadow and light within an object. This is also called the master drawing because it can be used to reproduce the lines onto any other surface over and over again.

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    As with all drawings, a line drawing starts with blocking in the overall shape of the subject. This should be done with an H pencil and light pressure as these lines will be erased later. Do not try to get any detail into your drawing at this point. You are aiming for basic shape only, nothing more.

    Now youre ready to add detail and lots of it!

    This is where your observation skills come in.

    Its a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each line indicates the edge of the glass or a shape of shade or light within or on the surface of the glass.

    Using your H pencil and carefully looking at your reference photo, draw the shapes that you see which are made by the areas of shadow and light. Take your time, use minimum pencil pressure and remember to draw exactly what you see in the reference.

    Your final line drawing should resemble the one on the left side of this page.

    At this point you can decide if you want to continue with the drawing on the paper you are currently using or if you want to transfer the drawing to a new sheet of paper.

    When creating a master line drawing, there are often erasures and changes in lines, smudges, etc., so that the final piece may not be as crisp and clear as youd like it to be.

    DRAWING TIP

    A trick to retaining symmetry when drawing an object is to draw a faint line

    down the centre of your object. This provides a

    visual guide to ensure that both sides of the object are

    equal in width.

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    You can solve this by transferring your line drawing to a new sheet of paper using transfer paper, a light box or a brightly lit window. All these methods of transfer

    have been provided in my previous lesson Reflections on Water. If you do transfer your drawing, I suggest that you have another look at that lesson to brush up on transferring your piece.

    SHADING

    Ok, you have your line drawing ready to go. Lines enclose the form of an object but in real life there arent any lines. Look around you and find an object. Its form is outlined by its environment , consisting of light and shade without any hard lines.

    In drawing, as in life, form is created by using light and shade. The degree of darkness or light indicates the shape and volume of the object and distinction between values is created by shading, not by hard lines.

    The line drawing that you have created is simply the skeleton on which you will create the form. It will not be seen in your final

    drawing as lines. All you will see are values that create form.

    You may think that because glass is transparent that it should not have a layer of graphite on it. Wrong! The only areas that will not have a layer of graphite are the brightest highlights of reflected light. In this case, there are vertical stripes of light going down the glass at varying intervals as well as smaller shards of light on the

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    sides and bottom of the glass. These are the only areas of pure white that will be preserved in your drawing.

    Use your H pencil and a light touch, start to create a layer of graphite over the main areas of the glass. These areas will receive additional layer but this first layer acts as a wash of pigment to define the shape of the object.

    It is important to maintain a light pressure, barely touching the paper with your pencil and to create an even layer of graphite. You should not be able to see your pencil lines between strokes. Take your time. This first layer is important, as the smoothness of this layer will affect how the rest of your layers will look.

    Hold your pencil at the far end, this will ensure that you dont press to hard. You can use an almost swinging motion to apply graphite to a large area or use a small circular motion to get an even layer in tight areas. Make sure that you preserve the highlights of the glass and dont outline them. Use your pencil to shade up to the line, making the difference in values create the shape of the highlight or shaded areas.

    Create the edges of the broken glass the same way. Use your values to

    define the shape and carefully observe the reference to see the shapes of light and dark that create the edge.

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    Work your way through the glass, adding the initial layer of graphite to shaded areas to define the shapes. Youll go back over these sections to add layers and create subtle changes in values and darker areas as your drawing progresses.

    DEFINING DETAIL

    By adding layers of graphite, you start to really indicate the curves and form of the glass, making it more realistic.

    Use your 2B pencil to lightly add layers. Use the shapes that you have created to indicate where you should add shading.

    Graduate shading in areas of the glass near the sides to show subtle changes in value. Remember, dont rush it. This will take time so you need to be patient if you want to create realism in your glass.

    The amount of pressure that you use will create darker values but dont press too hard, you dont want to eliminate the tooth of the paper and not be able to add additional layers. Use your layers of graphite to build your values, not heavy pressure.

    Some areas of the glass have very dark values. These are created by the surface the glass is sitting on showing through or the surrounding environment being reflected in the glass or surface. Use your 2B pencil to build your layers and add the very dark areas with your 4B pencil. Dont

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    use the 4B for other sections of the glass. You want to keep the overall illusion of transparency, not create darkness or heaviness in your drawing.

    Add dark values to the broken edge of the glass with your 2B or 4B pencil,. Observe your subject carefully and use the darks only where indicated. They are not visible on all the broken surfaces.

    Within the glass there are very subtle areas of shading that need to be accurately drawn for your piece to look real. Study the areas carefully and use your master line drawing to show you where to shade and to what value level. Use your 2B pencil and light layers of graphite to build the value. Remember to go gradually from light to darker values so that there is no distinct line between them.

    Continue tweaking your drawing and layers of graphite until you are satisfied with the final image. Remove any smudges around the edges or on the paper with your kneaded eraser, give the piece a light spray of workable fixative, then youre done! Youve created glass!

  • Copyright of all images and instructions belong to Jeanette Jobson unless otherwise indicated and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of the artist.

    Email [email protected] Website: www.jeanettejobson.com

    CHALLENGE

    Choose another piece of glass to draw. Try half filling a drinking glass with water and draw that. The reflections that are present in water, glass or metal are all drawn using the same techniques to achieve realism.

    Remember to be patient. Never rush your drawing as it will show in the final result. How long does it take to draw glass? As much time as it takes.