You Can Draw in 30 Days - Final Review

The book has lots of instruction using the basics of foreshortening, placement, size, overlapping, shading, shadow, contour, horizon, and density.  These are all important when learning to draw.  There was lots of variety in the lessons.

I did find that some of the lessons were very basic.  They would be a good first step for someone who wanted to learn how to draw.  The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow.  The samples are simple and don't skip steps.  Success should follow easily.  As a former teacher, this would be an excellent resource for elementary school teachers since so many of them have to teach art and have limited skills themselves.

As for anyone advanced, I feel that this book doesn't take the skill level to an advanced format.  I would have liked to see some of that.  It could have been put into the Bonus Challenge sections.  

I will keep this book handy and perhaps ever refer to it for cartooning or sketching ideas.  

Camera Lucida iphone app

A camera lucida is a device that, through the use of mirrors, projects an image onto a drawing surface which then allows the artist to draw or trace that image, because you actually see the image as you draw it.  This allows for an accurate rendition of that object or photograph.

One night, I had saw a program on TV that figured some masters used a device called a camera obscura to help them draw a scene accurately.  This program was called "Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters" by David Hockney.  His theory was controversial because he claimed that artists such as Ingres, Van Eyck, and Caravaggio didn't work freehand, but used a camera obscura and a camera lucida.

http://www.ancientmagicarttools.com/history-the-lost-secrets-of-the-old-masters/


I came across a Camera Lucida on the Lee Valley website when I was looking for some Christmas presents.  I was seriously considering buying one, thinking that it would be a neat thing to try.  

images taken from leevalley.com

Then, when I was checking for iphone apps, I came across a camera lucida for the iphone and the ipad. It cost me $4.99.  I decided to purchase it and give it a try.  I decided on this rather than the actual camera lucida from Lee Valley because it would work with photos on my iphone.  The actual one only works with a still life set up.  I liked the idea of being able to take a photo of a person, a still life, an object, or a landscape and use it.

There were a few things that I had to figure out.  One was, how to set up something so that I could put my iphone up high so that the image projected onto a piece of paper was large enough.  It also had to be a set up that I could look through the iphone screen as I drew the projected image.  I finally found a roll of paper that worked.  I got the idea from the itunes website (https://itunes.apple.com/app/camera-lucida/id362499096?mt=8). 

It worked really well.  The first thing I tried was a photograph of a family member.  It was clear and it was easy to use.  There was a tiny bit of delay in putting the pencil on the paper and having it show on the screen.  I got used to it fairly quickly.  There is a zoom on the app that allows you to get in close to the image to draw all the details.

There are some elements that come with the app that certainly add to it.  You can create a video of your drawing, your can use a grid, outline, and various settings for colour, mirroring, and corner ticks for lining up the image.

There is a website for the Camera Lucida app and I would recommend going through it.  There are videos that show how it works.  http://www.cameralucidaapp.com/about.html

I do recommend this app for anyone who is curious about trying a camera lucida.  Would I use it for my own art?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps if I was struggling to get some detail "just right", I might use it.  I may try to set it up mirroring my iphone with my laptop to see the image.  That way, I could get a much larger image.  If I do that, I'll leave a post later.