After teaching students to draw simple shapes like circles and squares for several days to create compositions, the big challenge is to get them to draw three dimensions shapes like a cube. The first lesson many of them can quickly master, which consists of drawing two overlapping squares and adding lines that connect the corners. The real challenge comes when the front face of the cube is not squarely facing the student. In this drawing each face has more of a diamond shape with none of the lines being parallel to the edges of the page. Since mastering this form doesn’t happen immediately for most students I find excuses to come back to drawing this basic building block of a form again and again.
In this class, my students are drawing from historic models of what Orlando looked like hundreds of years ago. Each building is of course a cube shape and the challenge becomes to fit several buildings on the page and then add some detail. Most students can master this sketch after I do a step by step tutorial in which they do drawings of cubes using one point and two point perspective. Sometimes I do these exercises on the white board and other times on my tablet which is hooked up to the large TV screen. Some students do amazing drawings from this session while others still stumble trying to draw the basic form. It is rare that I get to do a drawing of my students at work since they often need notes and advice every few minutes, but this class had some real focus and that is a joy to see.
Elite Animation Academy fall classes are beginning this September 10th. Should you know of a talented middle school or High School student who wants to learn some new creative skills have then contact the Academy. Classes are on Saturdays. I will be teaching a Story boarding class which should help anyone who loves to tell stories.