How to Draw a Book

Solis pēc kārtas

1. Solis 1

   Uzzīmējiet mugurkaula kā īsu līniju uz leju vidū.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Starting with a page and adding the spine afterwards.

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

2. Solis 2

   Zīmēt augšējā mala katrā lapā, nedaudz liekties viens pret otru.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Drawing them parallel, or worse, diverging.

   Pārbaudīt Extended, the two lines should eventually meet.

3. Solis 3

   Aizvērt katru lapu ar ārmalu nāk atpakaļ uz jums.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Making one cover visibly longer than the other.

   Pārbaudīt Both outer edges should be about the same length.

4. Solis 4

   Pievienojiet ārējās malas atpakaļ apakšā mugurkaula.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Stopping just short, leaving four small gaps.

   Pārbaudīt Every corner should be closed or slightly crossed.

5. Solis 5

   Izvelciet biezumu: īsas līnijas uz leju no katra ārējā stūrī.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Making the three drop lines different lengths.

   Pārbaudīt All three verticals should measure the same.

6. Solis 6

   Pievienojies apakšā šo līniju, lai slēgtu apakšpusi.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Drawing these at a different angle from the edges above.

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

7. Solis 7

   Pievienot lapas kaudze kā divas vai trīs īsas līnijas katrā malā.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Drawing one hard line, which reads as solid wood.

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

8. Solis 8

   Uzzīmējiet nelielu līkni katrā lapā mugurkaula tuvumā.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Leaving the pages perfectly flat.

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

9. Solis 9

   Pievienot teksta rindas pēc lapas leņķa.

   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.

   Uzmanieties Drawing the text lines horizontally.

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

10. Solis 10

    Sašķiest grāmatu malu prom no gaismas.

    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.

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

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

11. Solis 11

    Pievienot ēnu uz virsmas.

    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.

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

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

12. Solis 12

    Ej pāri līnijām, ko vēlaties saglabāt, un zaudēt ceļvedis.

    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.

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

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