The Sphere

The Sphere 

The sphere and the ovoid are two forms that should be  thoroughly studied to aid in the depiction of naturalistic objects  of all kinds—including the human figure.

2009, charcoal on newsprint, 24 x 18.  All artwork this article collection the artist unless otherwise indicated. As opposed to the cylinder, which is curved in only one direction, spheres and ovoids curve in two perpendicular directions

2009, charcoal on newsprint, 9 x 12. Find the midpoints of the four sides of a square, and you will have the points where a corresponding circle touches the frame formed by the square.

2009, charcoal on newsprint, 9 x 12. I drew this illustration to show the six points where the exterior of a sphere would touch the six sides of a corresponding cube.

2009, charcoal on newsprint, 18 x 24. The drawing on the left shows how flat a sphere can look if perpendicular center lines bisecting the sphere are seen head on. The middle drawing shows how depicting one of the lines as a curve implies rotation of the sphere and enhances its three-dimensional shape. The drawing on the right optimizes the effect by tilting the sphere on an axis.

 ( 2009, charcoal on newsprint, 18 x 24. An ovoid viewed with the wide end on the top suggests the shape of a human head. An ovoid viewed with the wide end down suggests the shape of the human rib cage. )

(2009, charcoal on newsprint, 18 x 24. A similar effect is achieved with center lines on an ovoid. showing the center lines on a rotated and tilted ovoid more clearly shows how the shape behaves in a three-dimensional space.)

sphere appears more three-dimensional because the vertical center line is curved, implying that the sphere is turning. In the right-most drawing the sphere not only curves but also tips and tilts, offering the most cliometric illusion of all. The axis also explains the sphere’s position in space. Up until now weave 

only been talking about theory, but now we’ll put theory into practice. Get a white rubber ball and carefully inscribe vertical and horizontal center lines around it and practice drawing the ball in many different positions in space. You will soon appreciate how effective such lines can be in conveying the ball’s orientation in 

space. These examples prove that it isn't the outline alone that makes the form— the center lines give the sphere a three- dimensional appearance. An ovoid is slightly more difficult to draw than a sphere because of its irregular shape. It is the first step toward depicting a naturalistic object such as the

(2009, charcoal on newsprint, 18 x 24. To more easily place features on a human head, first draw the horizontal and vertical center lines, as shown in the drawing on the left. The facial area (which excludes the top of the head from the hairline up) can be divided into equal thirds, with the first third ending at the eyebrows, the next third ending at the bottom of the nostrils, and the last third extending to the bottom of the chin. Additionally, the human head can be divided vertically into five equal parts the width of the eye)

human figure. If the ovoid is oriented vertically so that the widest part is on top, it will resemble a head. If its widest point is on bottom, it can resemble a rib cage. (See Illustration 5.) As with the sphere, vertical and horizontal center lines on the ovoid create the illusion of three-dimensional when the ovoid is turned in different positions. (See Illustration 6.) Depicting the center line on an ovoid is a device artists have used for centuries to suggest the human head in perspective. To practice drawing an ovoid, it might be helpful to follow the same instructions given for a sphere— get an egg (hard-boiled, of course), and carefully inscribe vertical and horizontal center lines. Like a pianist practicing scales or a ballerina stretching at the barre, practice drawing the ovoid in as 

many variations as possible. After drawing the outline of an ovoid or head, the artist should begin to find the vertical and horizontal center lines before determining the smaller sections. The center lines represent the most important measurements and should be established first, and accurately. The smaller measurements will then be correct and fall into their proper places. Let’s analyze the main proportions of the human head. The horizontal center line represents the placement of the tear ducts or inner corners of the eyes. As a basic rule, the distance from the hairline to the eyebrow, from the eyebrow to the base of the nose, and from the base of the nose to the point of the chin are all equal, thus dividing the face (not the entire head) from top 

to bottom into thirds. (See Illustration 7.) The ear is placed in the middle of the head between the eyebrow and the base of the nose. The lower third of the face, from the base of the nose to the point of the chin, can be divided into thirds. The line indicating the upper third marks the center of the mouth. The middle third ends at the beginning of the upper chin. The last third goes from the upper chin to the bottom of the ovoid. The head is then divided from left to right into five equal segments, each one the width of an eye. I have my students do “head gestures” in which the model moves his or her head every 60 seconds, tipping, turning, and tilting. It’s a great test to see if the artist can capture the position of a head in a very short time span

Studies of Heads and Hands by Hans Holbein the Younger, pen-and-ink. Holbein’s unquestionable ability to draw a head in any imagined orientation is on display here. Many—if not all—of the earlier masters had the ability to first draw the figure from their imagination before working from a live model, something all figure artists today should learn to do.

Illustration 8 These drawings of the figure utilize ovoids to demonstrate how the human body can be built using variations on this essential geometric building block.