Art Unboxed Shapes?

I didn’t understand when I first heard it. In today’s art unboxed, I’d like to talk about shapes. I have always enjoyed painting that is at least somewhat realistic. While I can appreciate the talent that many abstract artists have, I prefer realism myself.

This is why I was initially confused when painters who made barns look like barns, talked about painting shapes. While some who say this may be referring to an abstract painting, the ones I enjoy weren’t saying not to paint objects really. They were saying something that I’d like to unbox on a level where I could understand if I were reading this ten years ago.

First, if you want to draw or paint realistically, the best way to achieve this is to start out with big shapes. Take the rabbit in the drawing above, rabbits used to be so hard for me. They’ve become easier, partially because of practice, but also because I can draw the larger shapes first. Once I get the larger shapes, I can add details to make it look like a rabbit.

For example, the bottom half of a barn is basically either a square or rectangle. The top is a crooked open triangle. Once I get the basic shape, I can add the loft and the doors, the boards of the barn, and even a bale of hay inside. It’s far quicker to draw this way.

That’s the second important point. While drawing or painting is not a race, the sooner you get the project underway, it will be both more enjoyable, and easier to complete. The same is true of most objects you’ll sketch, paint, or whatever medium you choose to use.

Third, it will allow you to draw or paint things that you haven’t had a lot of experience with. It will allow you to be more versatile in your art. The wonderful thing about drawing shapes is, they are found in every object.

For example, a pig and a beagle both have circles in them. Some will take this to a level more detailed than me. They’ll literally draw a circle for the head of the animal, etc, then refine it. That works for them very well. For me, I don’t want to go to that level.

I do want though, when I look at either a landscape or a person to mentally unbox the general shape. That has allowed me to draw everything quicker and more effective, from a rabbit to a desert.