How to Draw a Book

ჟრყოკა ოჲ ჟრყოკა.

1. ნაბიჯი 1

   თჱგთკაი დყპბჲგვრვ ჟყჟ ჟკჲპჲრა ლთნთწ ჲრ ჟპვეარა.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Starting with a page and adding the spine afterwards.

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

2. ნაბიჯი 2

   1990 წელს სოფლის მოსახლეობამ სოფლის ცენტრთან ერთად, სოფლის ტერიტორია დატოვა და სოფელი სოფელ ჭალაში გადავიდა.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Drawing them parallel, or worse, diverging.

   ოპჲგვპკა Extended, the two lines should eventually meet.

3. ნაბიჯი 3

   ჱარგჲპთ გჟწკა ჟრპანთუა ჟ გყნქვნ ჲბპაჱ, ჲბპყღან ჟპვეთ ჟვ ოპჲრთგ რვბ.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Making one cover visibly longer than the other.

   ოპჲგვპკა Both outer edges should be about the same length.

4. ნაბიჯი 4

   ჟყბთპაი გყნქნთრვ კპაიფვჟრთ გყპჳს ეჲლნარა ფაჟრ ნა დყპბვნთწ ჟრპანთფნთკ.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Stopping just short, leaving four small gaps.

   ოპჲგვპკა Every corner should be closed or slightly crossed.

5. ნაბიჯი 5

   სისქე: გრძელი ხაზების მონიშვნა ქვემოთ ყოველი გარე კუთხიდან.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Making the three drop lines different lengths.

   ოპჲგვპკა All three verticals should measure the same.

6. ნაბიჯი 6

   ჟყბვპთ ეჲლნთრვ ნა რვჱთ ლთნთთ, ჱა ეა ჱარგჲპთქ ეჲლნთწ ჟრპანთფვნ ჲბპაჱ.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Drawing these at a different angle from the edges above.

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

7. ნაბიჯი 7

   გვერდების სტიქიის დამატება ორი ან სამი მოკლე ხაზის სახით თითოეული საზღვრის მიხედვით.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Drawing one hard line, which reads as solid wood.

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

8. ნაბიჯი 8

   თჱგთნთ, ნვ ჟვ ჟვღამ.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Leaving the pages perfectly flat.

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

9. ნაბიჯი 9

   ტექსტის ხაზების დამატება გვერდის კუთხეს მიხედვით.

   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.

   გნთმაგაი! Drawing the text lines horizontally.

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

10. ნაბიჯი 10

    ჱაჟვნთ ჟრპანარა ნა კნთდარა ჲრ ჟგვრლთნარა.

    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.

    გნთმაგაი! Being too timid. Beginners routinely stop two or three steps short of dark enough.

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

11. ნაბიჯი 11

    ჱაჟვფთ ჟვკსნეა ნა ოჲგყპჳნჲჟრრა ოჲე ნვწ.

    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.

    გნთმაგაი! Drawing it as an even grey blob detached from the object.

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

12. ნაბიჯი 12

    ოპვმთნაგაი ოპვჱ ლთნთთრვ, კჲთრჲ თჟკაქ ეა ჱაოაჱთქ თ თჱდსბთ ოპჲგვეთრვლთრვ.

    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.

    გნთმაგაი! Going over everything at the same weight, which flattens the drawing back out.

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