How to Draw a Book

Krok za krokom

1. Krok 1

   Nakreslite chrbticu ako krátku čiaru pozdĺž stredu.

   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.

   Pozor. Starting with a page and adding the spine afterwards.

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

2. Krok 2

   Nakreslite horný okraj každej stránky, mierne sa nakláňajte k sebe.

   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.

   Pozor. Drawing them parallel, or worse, diverging.

   Kontrola Extended, the two lines should eventually meet.

3. Krok 3

   Každú stranu zatvorte tak, aby vonkajší okraj smeroval späť k vám.

   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.

   Pozor. Making one cover visibly longer than the other.

   Kontrola Both outer edges should be about the same length.

4. Krok 4

   Spojte vonkajšie okraje späť do spodnej časti chrbtice.

   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.

   Pozor. Stopping just short, leaving four small gaps.

   Kontrola Every corner should be closed or slightly crossed.

5. Krok 5

   Nakreslite hrúbku: krátke čiary dole z každého vonkajšieho rohu.

   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.

   Pozor. Making the three drop lines different lengths.

   Kontrola All three verticals should measure the same.

6. Krok 6

   Spojte spodné časti týchto línií, aby ste uzavreli spodnú stranu.

   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.

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

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

7. Krok 7

   Pridajte zásobník strán ako dva alebo tri krátke čiary na každom okraji.

   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.

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

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

8. Krok 8

   Nakreslite miernu krivku do každej strany v blízkosti chrbta.

   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.

   Pozor. Leaving the pages perfectly flat.

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

9. Krok 9

   Pridajte riadky textu podľa uhla strany.

   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.

   Pozor. Drawing the text lines horizontally.

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

10. Krok 10

    Zatieniť stranu knihy od svetla.

    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.

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

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

11. Krok 11

    Pridajte tieň na povrch pod ním.

    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.

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

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

12. Krok 12

    Prejdite cez čiary, ktoré chcete zachovať, a stratiť vodítka.

    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.

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

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