How to Draw a Mug

Dingana amin'ny dingana

1. Endrika 1

   Mamaritra ny haavon'ny masonao ary manamarika izany.

   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.

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

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

2. Endrika 2

   Sorohy toy ny elipsy iray ny sisiny, amin'ny hetsika tokana haingana.

   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.

   Mitandrema Building it out of short careful arcs.

   Jereo It should be symmetrical about its own long axis.

3. Endrika 3

   Avy eo dia miverina amin'ny lafiny roa ny entana, ary miverina amin'ny lafiny iray indray.

   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.

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

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

4. Endrika 4

   Mitohy amin'ny fihodinana mankany amin'ny faratampony ny fihodinana mankany amin'ny faratampony.

   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.

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

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

5. Endrika 5

   Ampidiro ny kofehy faharoa ao anatin'ny sisiny.

   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.

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

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

6. Endrika 6

   Mamaritra ny fihodinana mankany amin'ny toerana misy ny rakitra

   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.

   Mitandrema Leaving a gap where the handle meets the mug.

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

7. Endrika 7

   Manome ny hatevin'ny tanana miaraka amin'ny kofehy faharoa ao anatiny.

   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.

   Mitandrema Drawing the handle as a single line.

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

8. Endrika 8

   Mariho ny toerana niavian'ny hazavana.

   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.

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

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

9. Endrika 9

   Avelao ho maina ny sisiny amin'ny tavoahangy mba tsy ho hitan'ny masoandro.

   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.

10. Endrika 10

    Ampidiro ny soratra miloko mamirapiratra eo amin'ny sisiny ankavanana amin'ny sisiny miloko mamirapiratra.

    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.

    Mitandrema Running the shading right up to the outline.

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

11. Endrika 11

    Ampidiro ny aloky ny faritra ambanin'ny sary.

    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.

    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.