As a beginner, we dream of drawing advanced products, spaceships, cars…
However, to get there we got to start simple first and learn how to draw basic forms.

You will see how much easier it looks when you ken the behind-the-scenes of a design sketcher. 🙂

The 4 Basic Forms to Learn How to Draw
(in Art and Design) 38:54 min

You want to draw your ideas from imagination,
but you can’t visualize anything in 3D volume?

Don’t worry, we can fix this. 🙂

It all starts from drawing these 4 basic volumes only!
These use simple geometry.

  • The cube,
  • The pyramid,
  • The sphere
  • And the cylinder.

Draw basic forms tutorial
The basic forms cube pyramid sphere cylinder

Timeline

  • 00:11 How to draw basic forms in 3D is easy!
  • 00:28 Sketching Workshop format for beginners
  • 01:01 The 3 basic shapes of Squid Game (Square, Triangle, and Circle)
  • 01:15 How to draw the four 3D forms (Cube, Pyramid, Cylinder, and Sphere)
  • 02:05 Draw from 2d shapes into 3D volumes
  • 02:31 Pyramid form with 4 faces
  • 03:22 The top view of a cylinder is a circle
  • 03:33 When a circle becomes an ellipse in perspective
  • 04:58 Drawing contour lines on a sphere, the easy way
  • 05:58 Add line weight to the cylinder
  • 06:07 Special guest: Lucy!
  • 06:29 The Master cube is the base of any form!
  • 06:43 Download your Designer Starter Kit (Make your first steps in perspective)
  • 06:54 Horizon line = Eye Level
  • 07:27 Take an object to view in front of your eye level
  • 08:09 The 5 primary positions of a product and the horizon line
  • 10:24 How to duplicate a cube in perspective
  • 12:57 How to draw a cube’s contour lines
  • 15:20 Use a cube to draw a pyramid
  • 19:36 With a cube, draw the pyramid from any angle
  • 21:08 Draw a sphere fast and easily with contour lines
  • 27:04 Draw a cylinder and its variations easily
  • 28:26 Assemble basic shapes to create advanced 3d forms

00:11 how to draw basic forms in 3d easy!
how to draw basic forms in d easy

Let’s start the sketching workshop (for beginners)

00:28 sketching workshop format
sketching workshop format
  • I wanted to try this new video tutorial format.
    They are longer though but cover more of the topic.
  • Let me know if you would like to get more of these video formats by email or in the comments! 🙂

The 3 basic shapes: Square, Triangle, and Circle

01:01 the 3 basic shapes (like squid game)
the basic shapes like squid game
  • Basic sketching starts with these 3 simple forms only!:
    They are the cube, the pyramid, and the circle.

01:15 how to draw 3d forms from the square - triangle - circle
how to draw d forms from the square triangle circle
  • Complete this sketching mission today:
    Learn “How to draw 3-dimensional forms (from the three 2-dimensional shapes”).

02:05 draw from 2d shapes into 3d volumes
draw from d shapes into d volumes
  • Visualize the kid’s wooden toy.
  • The 3D volumes have to go through a 2D cutout of the game.

02:31 pyramid form with 4 faces
pyramid form with faces
  • The square becomes a cube
  • The triangle becomes a pyramid
  • The circle becomes a sphere or a cylinder

Master these 4 Sketching tips! (I use them every day!)

TIP
A circle becomes an ellipse in perspective.

03:22 the top of a cylinder is a circle
the top of a cylinder is a circle
  • Take a cup (best if transparent)
  • Observe the top of its cylindrical form.
  • You get a perfect circle shape.

03:33 when a circle becomes an ellipse in perspective
when a circle becomes an ellipse in perspective
  • Tilt slowly the cylinder (the cup)
  • The circle becomes visually an ellipse

TIP 2
Draw “invisible lines” to create volumes fast

04:58 drawing contour lines on a sphere
drawing contour lines on a sphere
  • You need a few seconds only to draw a sphere with this technique.
  • Draw a horizontal ellipse and a vertical ellipse to your circle
  • Spot the front and behind intersections
  • Add a cross for each to show more clarity.
  • Connect the intersections with an arrow.
  • To practice more: How to draw a sphere with the XYZ axis?

TIP 3
Use line weight to clarify your sketches

05:58 add line weight to the cylinder
add line weight to the cylinder
  • TIP: Add line weight to your volumes to show more contrast.
  • Remember to always start your sketches with a line pen pressure.
  • To practice more: How to draw with line-weight?

06:07 special guest: lucy!
special guest lucy
  • Lucy is looking for attention 🙂
  • Don’t get distracted, and keep sketching!

TIP 4
The cube is the “Primary base” to draw anything! (Master it asap!)

06:29 the master cube is the root of any form!
the master cube is the root of any form

06:43 download your designer starter kit
<a rel=noreferrer noopener href=httpswww Thedesignsketchbook Comsign up and receive the ebook the designer starter kit data type=url data id=httpswww Thedesignsketchbook Comsign up and receive the ebook the designer starter kit >download your designer starter kit<a>
  • To learn how to draw a cube in perspective, get your free guide. It’s free!
  • You learn step-by-step how to draw a cube from any angle.
  • Plus many more sketching tips for beginner artists and designers!

How to visualize the “Horizon line” (to start in perspective)

06:54 horizon line = eye level
horizon line = eye level

The eye level is your point of view
The eye level is your point of view
  • The horizon line is also called “eye level”.
  • It is basically from the viewer’s position.

07:27 take an object to view in front of your eye level
take an object to view in front of your eye level
  • Take an object, and place it in front of your eye.
  • That would be the frontal view of your product.

08:09 the 5 primary positions of a product and the horizon line
the primary positions of a product and the horizon line
  • Move the object in 4 directions: Up, down, left, right
  • Draw its position with the horizon line

How to duplicate a cube in perspective (simple geometry)

10:24 how to duplicate a cube in perspective
how to duplicate a cube in perspective
  • We cover a “duplicating tutorial of a square” in 2D first.
  • Then we apply the same technique in perspective to duplicate the exact same cube.

Divide a cube using simple geometry (and create advanced forms)

12:57 how to draw a cube's contour lines
how to draw a cubes contour lines

Start drawing a pyramid (using the cube as a base)

15:20 use a cube to draw a pyramid
use a cube to draw a pyramid
  • We use the cube as a base to draw a pyramid.
  • The cube drawing becomes the “construction lines”.
  • Make sure to draw it with light pen pressure.
    So you can draw the pyramid more boldly to create contrast.
  • To learn more: 6 Tips to improve your quality of lines!

19:36 with a cube, draw the pyramid from any angle
with a cube draw the pyramid from any angle
  • To find the “peak” of the pyramid, trace the diagonals of a face to find its center.
  • Connect the peak to the 4 corners of the opposite face.
  • Try different viewpoints using the exact same technique!
  • It’s magic 🙂

Draw a sphere (the easy way)

21:08 draw a sphere fast and easy with contour lines
draw a sphere fast and easily with contour lines

Draw a cylinder and its variations

27:04 draw a cylinder and its variations easy
draw a cylinder and its variations easy
  • Use this simple technique to draw a cylinder starting with its 2 ellipses.
  • Create variations by twisting the profile.
  • Make sure they are symmetrical.
  • To practice more: How to draw bottles easily

Assemble simple shapes to create advanced forms!

28:26 assemble basic shapes to create advanced 3d forms
assemble basic shapes to create advanced d forms
  • Assemble random 2d basic shapes of your choice (square, triangle, and circle)
  • Use the basic volumes (cube, pyramid, cylinder, and sphere) to draw them in perspective.
  • Note: In perspective, a square could become a cube or a cylinder. It’s up to you!
  • To practice more: How to draw with the “LEGO BLOCK technique”

Level up your sense of 3D observation!

Analyse products around you
Analyse products around you
  • Look around you
  • Select simple products
  • Visualize the basic forms they are composed.
  • For example:
    My GoPro camera is made of a big box.
    The lens is made of a smaller box and a cylinder.
  • To practice more: How to draw a GoPro camera? (Link below)
Draw a go pro camera
Drawing a Go Pro camera with a Ballpoint pen

Simplify the products into primary forms
Simplify the products into primary forms
  • This pan and camera are different.
  • However, they are both made of a cylinder and a box!
  • They are more look-alike than it seems.

SKETCHING ROUND UP

  • Right-Click + Save as… to download the pictures for your notebook.
1- how to draw a cube
how to draw a cube
2- how to draw a pyramid
how to draw a pyramid
3- how to draw a cylinder
how to draw a cylinder
4- how to assemble volumes and create new products
how to assemble volumes and create new products

After completing this beginner sketching tutorial,

Have a wonderful sketching session!
Cheers,
Chou-Tac

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