How to Draw an Apple

Stap met stap

1. Stap 1

   Trek'n sirkel effens wyer as wat dit hoog is.

   Start round and correct it later. An apple is not a perfect sphere but it is much closer to one than beginners draw it - most people go straight for the dented top and end up with a shape that reads as a pepper.

   Pas op Drawing the classic 'apple silhouette' from memory instead of the round mass that is actually there.

   Gaan na Slightly wider than tall, and no dent yet.

2. Stap 2

   Druk 'n vlak duik in die boonste, af na een kant.

   The dip where the stem sits is rarely centred, and putting it slightly to one side immediately makes the apple look like a real one rather than a logo. Keep the dent shallow.

   Pas op Cutting a deep V into the top. Real apples dimple, they do not fold.

   Gaan na The dent should be off-centre and gentle enough to still read as a circle.

3. Stap 3

   Laat die bodem ook effens van buite af sit.

   Almost nothing in nature is symmetrical, and an apple leans. Nudging the base a little away from the dent gives the fruit a direction, which reads as weight.

   Pas op Making the outline perfectly symmetrical, which looks designed rather than observed.

   Gaan na Draw a vertical line through the dent - the two halves should NOT match exactly.

4. Stap 4

   Voeg die stam by, leun uit die duik.

   A stem is a short thick tube, not a hair. Give it some width and let it lean - a vertical stem in the middle is the fastest way to make an apple look like a cartoon.

   Pas op Drawing it as a single thin line straight up.

   Gaan na It should be thick enough to have two sides.

5. Stap 5

   Voeg by'n blaar: twee kurwes vergader by'n punt.

   One curve is the top edge, the other the bottom, and they meet at a tip. Attach it to the stem rather than floating it nearby - the join is what stops it looking pasted on.

   Pas op Drawing the leaf as an oval, which reads as a balloon.

   Gaan na Both curves should meet at both ends: base and tip.

6. Stap 6

   Besluit waar die lig vandaan kom en merk dit.

   Everything from here depends on this one decision, so make it consciously rather than letting it drift. Pick a direction - upper left is easiest - and commit. If you have a real apple, put a lamp on one side of it and look.

   Pas op Not deciding, then shading a bit everywhere. That is the single reason most beginner drawings look flat.

   Gaan na You should be able to say out loud where the light is.

7. Stap 7

   Verduidelik die lig wat die meeste direk tref.

   The brightest spot is not on the edge - it is on the part of the surface facing the light most squarely, which on a sphere is inside the form, slightly up and toward the light. Outline it now so you remember not to shade it.

   Pas op Putting the highlight on the outline instead of inside the shape.

   Gaan na The highlight should be surrounded by apple on all sides.

8. Stap 8

   Skadu die kant van die lig, donkerste aan die rand.

   Work in one direction rather than scrubbing back and forth. Scrubbing produces an even grey, which is exactly the thing that makes a drawing look flat, so lay your strokes the same way and build the darkness up in passes.

   Pas op Being too timid. Beginners routinely stop two or three steps short of dark enough.

   Gaan na The darkest area should be clearly darker than the mid tone, not slightly.

9. Stap 9

   Meng die skaduwee na die lig, sodat daar geen harde lyn is nie.

   On a round object the transition from light to dark is gradual - a hard edge would mean a sharp corner. This soft band is called the core shadow and getting it to fade is most of what makes a sphere read as a sphere.

   Pas op Leaving a visible seam where the shading starts.

   Gaan na Run a finger along the transition. You should not be able to point at where it begins.

10. Stap 10

    Laat'n ligter band aan die onderkant.

    Light bounces up off the table and catches the underside. That thin lighter strip is called reflected light, and it is what stops the apple looking glued to the background. It is subtle - lighter than the core shadow, still darker than the lit side.

    Pas op Making it as bright as the highlight, which flattens the bottom of the apple out again.

    Gaan na Three values along the bottom: dark, then slightly lighter, then the shadow on the table.

11. Stap 11

    Voeg die skaduwee op die tafel by, weg van die lig af.

    The cast shadow is darkest where it meets the apple and softens as it moves away. It also anchors the fruit to a surface - without it the apple floats, however well you have shaded it.

    Pas op Drawing it as an even grey oval detached from the apple.

    Gaan na It should touch the apple and be darkest right at that contact point.

12. Stap 12

    Verdiep die donkerste en kyk na jou omvang.

    Hold your drawing at arm's length and squint. You should see a clear lightest area, a clear darkest area, and a smooth ramp between. If everything sits in a narrow band of grey, push the darks - almost nobody pushes them far enough on a first attempt.

    Pas op Lightening the highlight instead of darkening the shadow. Contrast comes from the dark end.

    Gaan na Squint at it. Can you still see three distinct values?

13. Stap 13

    Gaan oor die skets, verskillende maniere waarop jy druk.

    A real edge is not one uniform line. Where the form turns away from you into shadow it is darker and firmer; where the light hits it the edge almost disappears. Varying it is the last thing that separates a drawing from a colouring page.

    Pas op Tracing the whole outline at one weight, which undoes the roundness you just shaded in.

    Gaan na The outline on the shadow side should be visibly darker than on the lit side.