How to Draw a Book

Dingana amin'ny dingana

1. Endrika 1

   Sary ny tsinainy amin'ny alalan'ny tsipika fohy mankany afovoany.

   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.

   Mitandrema Starting with a page and adding the spine afterwards.

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

2. Endrika 2

   Sary ny sisiny ambony amin'ny pejy tsirairay, mihantona kely mankany amin'ny iray hafa.

   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.

   Mitandrema Drawing them parallel, or worse, diverging.

   Jereo Extended, the two lines should eventually meet.

3. Endrika 3

   Hidio ny pejy tsirairay amin'ny alalan'ny sisiny ivelany miverina mankany aminao.

   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.

   Mitandrema Making one cover visibly longer than the other.

   Jereo Both outer edges should be about the same length.

4. Endrika 4

   Mifameno amin'ny sisiny ivelany miverina any amin'ny ambany amin'ny tongotra.

   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.

   Mitandrema Stopping just short, leaving four small gaps.

   Jereo Every corner should be closed or slightly crossed.

5. Endrika 5

   Sary ny hatevin'ny: tsipika fohy miakatra avy amin'ny isaky ny sisiny ivelany.

   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.

   Mitandrema Making the three drop lines different lengths.

   Jereo All three verticals should measure the same.

6. Endrika 6

   Mifandraisa amin'ny farany ambany amin'ireo tsipika mba hikatona ny ambany.

   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.

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

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

7. Endrika 7

   Ampidiro amin'ny alalan'ny andalana roa na telo fohy eo amin'ny sisiny tsirairay ny famenoan'ny pejy.

   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.

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

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

8. Endrika 8

   Sary mikorontana kely eo amin'ny pejy tsirairay eo akaikin'ny tratra.

   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.

   Mitandrema Leaving the pages perfectly flat.

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

9. Endrika 9

   Hampiditra andalana, manaraka ny zoron'ny pejy.

   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.

   Mitandrema Drawing the text lines horizontally.

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

10. Endrika 10

    Avelao ho miafina amin'ny hazavana ny sisiny amin'ny boky.

    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.

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

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

11. Endrika 11

    Ampidiro ny aloky ny faritra ambanin'ny sary.

    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.

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

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

12. Endrika 12

    Mandehana amin'ireo andalana tianao ho hitazonana, ary adino ireo torolàlana.

    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.

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

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