Curves, Ellipses, and Spirals

Now we’ve covered straight lines, circles and hatching and crosshatching it’s time to have a close look at curves, ellipses, and spirals. The ability to recognize abstract shapes in a composition isn’t much use without the ability to lightly sketch it on your paper close to the correct shape, position, and scale. “Scale” is another thing which you control, it’s your choice how much larger your original is going to be from the reference photo or live scene you are drawing from. It’s usually quite a bit larger than the reference photo, but not always. It’s rarely required to draw exactly the same size as the photo and a poor choice if it’s up to you. Making your original larger (ideally substantially) than the reference photo is good as it allows you more room for the finer details without