Are the objects in your drawings the correct size and shape in relation to each other?
I found it difficult to get the angles of the rectangular shapes of the books and boxes correct, and I had some difficulties with the elliptic shapes of cylindrical objects though, I think there are some distortions in my drawing. But overall, I think the objects are roughly correct in size and shape, also in their relation to each other.
Do the shapes between the objects look correct?
Yes, I think so.
Do the objects in your drawings look solid?
For me, they do look solid. I had some problems with the cylindrical objects (jars and jugs) – initially I tended to draw “paper objects”, because my lines did not take material thickness into account. This improved over the 4 drawings I made.
Have you managed to create the feeling of depth in your drawings?
Yes, I think that there is depth in my drawings. This comes mainly through positioning of objects in front of each other, so the overlapping shapes create a depth illusion.
Reflections on this project
I think I have made some progress regarding the confidence to draw lines. Initially, I had no orientation on the paper sheet and did not know where the reference point for the objects’ angles was. This improved as I employed a technique of “imaginary baseline”.
As I learned later when I drew 3 tiny objects to prepare the Supermarket Shop drawing, my problem was related to using an easel and having the object to my side, rather than right in front of me. The imaginary baseline helped by mimicking the situation of objects in front of me.
I found drawing the jugs and jars easier than the books and boxes – arranging the objects with distance to each other and having a bit of flat ground as space between them made it easier to get the spaces and shapes correct. It took me quite a while to decide on each arrangement, but this effort seemed to have been worthwhile because I like the composition of the resulting drawings.
I also enjoyed the final exercise which added colour, although I would certainly avoid for the future to draw the details of illustrated packages. For future still life drawings, I’d prefer to select objects with a raw material as their surface, rather than printed packages, or I would abstract from these illustration details in favour of just drawing coloured shapes.
I think it was a good idea to try out some colour drawing materials before actually approaching the Supermarket Shop drawing, because I became surer about the decision which tools to select. For me, some mark-making exercises with a new tool or new technique seem to be really helpful as preparation.
Overall, I realized that I will need much practice, but I’m happy with my drawings so far and look forward to continue.