Object drawing and still life from observation
Domain 2 - Object drawing and still life from observation. The exam tests accuracy of proportion, construction of volume and a consistent light-and-shade system. A convincing still life looks observed: objects sit on a shared ground plane, ellipses behave, and one light source controls every tone.
Core rules
- Measure before you model: compare height to width with a pencil at arm's length, check alignments with a plumb line, and use negative shapes between objects to correct silhouette errors. Build each object from a simple solid: box, cylinder, sphere or cone.
- Ellipses: the minor axis of a circular top aligns with the object's vertical axis. A top ellipse opens as it approaches eye level and closes as it moves below or above; never draw pointed ellipse ends.
- Tonal sequence: highlight, halftone, core shadow (terminator), reflected light, cast shadow, and a dark occlusion where forms meet. The cast shadow falls opposite the light and is usually darkest near the object.
- Edges: keep sharp edges where planes turn abruptly (box corners) and softer edges on curved forms and in shadow.
Worked example
A steel tumbler and a lemon on a table, light from upper left. First set the eye level above the table so the tumbler's top ellipse is open and its base ellipse is shallower. Compare tumbler height with lemon diameter; place the lemon so it overlaps the tumbler's base slightly, proving the ground plane. Mark the light direction, then block the tumbler's cylinder and the lemon's sphere. Put the cast shadow to the lower right, darkest at the contact, and reserve the reflected light on the tumbler's shadow side. Reasoning: proportion is checked before tone; every shadow agrees with one light source.
Traps
Outline-only drawing with no volume; inconsistent shadow directions; heavy black outlines; pointed ellipses; making cast shadows uniformly black; modelling before proportion is correct; drawing a symbol of a bottle instead of the actual bottle.