How to Draw a Mug

Inyathelo ngenyathelo

1. Inyathelo 1

   Ugqibe inqanaba lakho lemehlo uze uphawule.

   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.

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

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

2. Inyathelo 2

   Zoba umda njenge-ellipsis enye, kwintshukumo enye ekhawulezayo.

   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.

   Ukujonga Building it out of short careful arcs.

   Khangela It should be symmetrical about its own long axis.

3. Inyathelo 3

   Zoba iinqanawa ezimbini ezihamba phambili ezantsi, zithe nkqo phantsi.

   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.

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

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

4. Inyathelo 4

   Vala ezantsi nge-ellipsis ejikelezayo encinci kunephezulu.

   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.

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

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

5. Inyathelo 5

   Yongeza igophe lesibini ngaphakathi kwe-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.

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

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

6. Inyathelo 6

   Zoba umgca ojikelezayo ongaphandle weqhosha.

   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.

   Ukujonga Leaving a gap where the handle meets the mug.

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

7. Inyathelo 7

   Nceda unikezele ngesandla esiqinileyo esinomqolo wesibini ngaphakathi.

   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.

   Ukujonga Drawing the handle as a single line.

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

8. Inyathelo 8

   Uphawu apho ilanga livela khona.

   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.

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

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

9. Inyathelo 9

   Shade the side of the mug away from the light.

   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.

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

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

10. Inyathelo 10

    Yongeza umgca okhanyayo ekunene kumda wecala lesithunzi.

    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.

    Ukujonga Running the shading right up to the outline.

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

11. Inyathelo 11

    Yongeza isithunzi kumphezulu wephepha ongaphantsi.

    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.

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

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

12. Inyathelo 12

    Yiya ngaphezulu kwemigca ofuna ukuyigcina, kwaye ulahle abakhokeli.

    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.

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

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