How to Draw a Mug

צעד אחר צעד

1. שלב 1

   תחליטי את רמת העיניים שלך ותסמן אותה.

   Everything about the ellipses follows from this. If the mug is below your eye level you will see into it; if it is level you will not. Make the decision consciously now rather than letting it drift halfway through the drawing.

   תיזהר. Not deciding, then drawing a rim that contradicts the base.

   בדוק You should be able to say whether you are looking down into this mug or across at it.

2. שלב 2

   צייר את השפה כאליפסה אחת, בתנועה מהירה אחת.

   Go round three or four times without stopping and keep the best pass. Speed is what makes an ellipse smooth - drawn slowly it comes out lumpy on one side every single time, because your hand cannot hold a curve at low speed.

   תיזהר. Building it out of short careful arcs.

   בדוק It should be symmetrical about its own long axis.

3. שלב 3

   צייר את שני הצדדים ישר למטה, מצטמצם מעט.

   Start exactly at the ends of the ellipse's long axis. A slight taper inward looks more natural than perfectly parallel sides, and it is what most real mugs do.

   תיזהר. Starting the sides inside or outside the rim, which leaves a visible step.

   בדוק Each side should begin exactly at the widest point of the rim.

4. שלב 4

   סגור את התחתית עם אליפסה עגולה מעט יותר מלמעלה.

   The base is further from your eye level than the rim, so it is rounder. Same width, more curve. Getting this relationship right is the difference between a mug that sits on the table and one that appears to be sliding off it.

   תיזהר. Drawing the base flatter than the rim, or as a straight line.

   בדוק Rounder than the rim, and exactly the same width.

5. שלב 5

   תוסיף עקומה שנייה בתוך השפה.

   This thin band is the thickness of the ceramic, and it is what makes the top read as an opening rather than a painted disc. One stroke, following the rim's curve.

   תיזהר. Drawing it parallel all the way round instead of following the ellipse.

   בדוק There should be a visible band between the two curves at the front.

6. שלב 6

   צייר את העקומה החיצונית של הידית.

   Start just below the rim and end about two-thirds of the way down the side. Both ends must touch the mug - a handle that floats beside the body is the most common error here and it is instantly visible.

   תיזהר. Leaving a gap where the handle meets the mug.

   בדוק Both ends of the curve should touch the side of the mug.

7. שלב 7

   תן את העובי ידית עם עקומה שנייה בפנים.

   A handle is a strap, not a wire. The inner curve runs parallel to the outer one and meets the mug slightly closer in at both ends. This is a small change that makes a large difference to how solid the mug looks.

   תיזהר. Drawing the handle as a single line.

   בדוק There should be a visible gap between the two handle curves.

8. שלב 8

   סמן מהיכן האור מגיע.

   Pick a side and commit. A cylinder shades differently from a sphere - the darkest band sits just inside the edge on the shadow side, not at the very edge, because light bounces back up off the table onto the rim.

   תיזהר. Shading the very edge darkest, which makes the mug look flat.

   בדוק You should be able to say which side is lit.

9. שלב 9

   הצלף בצד הספל הרחק מהאור.

   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.

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

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

10. שלב 10

    תוסיף רצועה קלה יותר בקצה הצל.

    Light bouncing off the table catches the very edge of a cylinder, so the darkest band sits slightly INSIDE the outline. Leaving that thin lighter strip is what makes the mug read as round rather than as a shaded rectangle.

    תיזהר. Running the shading right up to the outline.

    בדוק There should be a thin lighter line between your shading and the edge.

11. שלב 11

    תוסיף את הצל על פני השטח מתחת.

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

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

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

12. שלב 12

    תעבור על השורות שאתה רוצה לשמור, ותאבד את המדריכים.

    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.

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

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