Draw a Paper Towel with shades

Download image

This is a basic drawing lesson. The early steps in the drawing process are the composition to define the placement for the main shapes, the contour drawing to develop the spaces for the major elements with lines, and the measurement to double-check the proportion to make any adjustments. What is our next step in the process? We are going to add the volume, the three-dimensional feeling, to the drawing.

As we know, light lets us see things, and light creates the light side, the shadow side, and the cast shadow for the objects. How do we present the third dimension on our two-dimensional paper? Let’s take a look at the line drawing and the object. We are going to divide the object into two areas: one for the light side and another for the shadow side. We also draw the line to separate the light area and the cast-shadow on the open paper on the left, and we mark the area for the cast-shadow on the table.

First, we need to check the proportion between the light side and the shadow side and make any adjustments before we move on to the next step. Next, we are going to shade the shadow side and cast shadow areas with darker values. With these new changes to the line drawing, we have created the new virtual dimension. This is only the beginning of our drawing process with light.