How to Draw a Mug

Pass b'pass

1. Stadju 1

   Iddeċiedi l-livell tal-għajnejn tiegħek u jimmarkah.

   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.

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

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

2. Stadju 2

   Iġbed ir-rimm bħala ellipse wieħed, f'moviment wieħed mgħaġġel.

   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.

   Oqgħod attent Building it out of short careful arcs.

   Iċċekkja It should be symmetrical about its own long axis.

3. Stadju 3

   Iġbed iż-żewġ naħat dritti 'l isfel, tnaqqas ftit.

   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.

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

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

4. Stadju 4

   Agħlaq il-qiegħ b'ellissi kemmxejn tonda mill-quċċata.

   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.

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

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

5. Stadju 5

   Żid it-tieni kurva biss ġewwa l-rim.

   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.

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

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

6. Stadju 6

   Iġbed il-kurva ta’ barra tal-manku.

   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.

   Oqgħod attent Leaving a gap where the handle meets the mug.

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

7. Stadju 7

   Agħti l-ħxuna manku b'kurva tieni ġewwa.

   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.

   Oqgħod attent Drawing the handle as a single line.

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

8. Stadju 8

   Mark fejn id-dawl huwa ġejjin minn.

   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.

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

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

9. Stadju 9

   Ilwi l-ġenb tal-mug 'il bogħod mid-dawl.

   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.

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

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

10. Stadju 10

    Żid strixxa eħfef dritt fit-tarf tal-ġenb tad-dell.

    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.

    Oqgħod attent Running the shading right up to the outline.

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

11. Stadju 11

    Żid id-dell fuq il-wiċċ taħt.

    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.

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

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

12. Stadju 12

    Mur fuq il-linji inti tixtieq li żżomm, u jitilfu l-gwidi.

    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.

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

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