How to Draw a Book

Samm-sammult

1. Samm 1

   Tõmba selgroog lühikese joonena keskelt alla.

   Everything hangs off this. The spine is the hinge, and both page halves are measured from it - which is why drawing it first stops the book coming out bent.

   Vaata ette. Starting with a page and adding the spine afterwards.

   Kontrolli It should be vertical and near the middle of your page.

2. Samm 2

   Joonista iga lehekülje ülemine serv, kallutades veidi üksteise poole.

   These are the edges going away from you, so they converge. Not dramatically - a few degrees is enough. This single detail is what separates a box from a folded rectangle.

   Vaata ette. Drawing them parallel, or worse, diverging.

   Kontrolli Extended, the two lines should eventually meet.

3. Samm 3

   Sulgege iga lehekülg, mille välisservad tulevad teie poole tagasi.

   These are the short edges of the covers. Keep them roughly the same length as each other - the two halves of an open book are the same size, and any difference reads as a mistake rather than as perspective.

   Vaata ette. Making one cover visibly longer than the other.

   Kontrolli Both outer edges should be about the same length.

4. Samm 4

   Ühendage välimised servad tagasi selgroo põhja.

   This closes the two page shapes. Corners must actually meet - overshoot slightly and let the lines cross rather than aiming to stop exactly on the point, because a crossed corner reads as closed and a gap does not.

   Vaata ette. Stopping just short, leaving four small gaps.

   Kontrolli Every corner should be closed or slightly crossed.

5. Samm 5

   Joonista paksus: lühikesed jooned igast välimisest nurgast allapoole.

   A book is a solid, not a sheet. These three short verticals turn the flat shape into a box, and they must all be the same length - unequal ones make the book look warped.

   Vaata ette. Making the three drop lines different lengths.

   Kontrolli All three verticals should measure the same.

6. Samm 6

   Ühinege nende joonte põhjadega, et sulgeda alaosa.

   Now the box is complete. These lines run parallel to the edges directly above them - if they do not, the thickness of the book changes along its length, which is the classic wobbly-box look.

   Vaata ette. Drawing these at a different angle from the edges above.

   Kontrolli Each bottom edge should run parallel to the one above it.

7. Samm 7

   Lisa lehekorstnana kaks või kolm lühikest rida iga serva.

   Pages read as a stack, not a slab. Two or three lines following the cover edge is enough for the eye to fill in hundreds - drawing more just makes it look hatched.

   Vaata ette. Drawing one hard line, which reads as solid wood.

   Kontrolli You should see distinct layers, not a filled band.

8. Samm 8

   Tõmba kerge kõver igale selgroo lähedale.

   Open pages are not flat - they dip toward the spine. Adding that curve is the difference between an open book and two flat cards taped together, and it takes one stroke each side.

   Vaata ette. Leaving the pages perfectly flat.

   Kontrolli Each page should dip slightly as it approaches the spine.

9. Samm 9

   Lisa teksti read lehekülje nurga järgi.

   Text lines run parallel to the top edge of the page they sit on, which means they are NOT horizontal - they lean with the perspective. Drawing them level is the fastest way to flatten a book you have just built.

   Vaata ette. Drawing the text lines horizontally.

   Kontrolli The text lines should lean the same way as the page's top edge.

10. Samm 10

    Varja raamatu külg valgusest eemale.

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

    Vaata ette. Being too timid. Beginners routinely stop two or three steps short of dark enough.

    Kontrolli The dark side should be clearly darker than the mid tone, not slightly.

11. Samm 11

    Lisa varju all olevale pinnale.

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

    Vaata ette. Drawing it as an even grey blob detached from the object.

    Kontrolli It should touch the object and be darkest at that contact point.

12. Samm 12

    Mine üle ridade, mida sa tahad hoida, ja kaota teejuhid.

    This is the step that turns a construction drawing into a finished one, and it is the one most people skip. Press harder on the outline and the features; leave the small stuff light. That difference in weight is what makes a drawing look deliberate rather than traced, and it costs thirty seconds.

    Vaata ette. Going over everything at the same weight, which flattens the drawing back out.

    Kontrolli The outline should be clearly darker than the smallest details.