The Complete Guide to Drawing for Beginners. Yoshiko Ogura

      Terms Used in Drawing

      Axis A line passing through the center of a solid

       object. In objects such as fruits and vegetables,

       the axis runs through the core.

      Backlight Light shining from behind the subject.

      Base drawing The first layer of rough shading that

       enables you to define the general shape and tonal varia-

      tions before you begin to refine the drawing.

      Brightness The degree to which light reflects from an

       object’s surface.

      Centerline A line that bisects a symmetrical object

       being depicted. Alternatively, a line that divides the

       horizontal or vertical halves of a composition.

      Center point A point positioned in the center of the ob-

      ject being depicted. Alternatively, a point in the middle

       of the various elements of a composition.

      Composing The act of mindfully positioning and

       scaling an object or objects on the drawing surface. See

       page 26.

      Composition mark A lightly drawn mark to serve as

       a guide for determining the position of an object at its

       base, used before roughing in the preliminary sketch.

      Contrast The observable difference in adjacent light

       and dark areas of a drawing. Areas of high contrast

       exhibit an intensity that draws the eye.

      Depth The distance from the front to the back of the

       object. Depth in drawings is often expressed by subtly

       blurring and lightening the portions that should appear

       farthest from the viewer.

      Details Final, small, carefully made additions to a

       drawing that make it come alive with realism.

      Diagonal A line connecting the vertices of two non-ad-

      jacent corners of a polygon. Also, for polyhedra, a line

       segment connecting two vertices that are not on the

       same plane.

      Dominant Eye The eye that is used primarily for sight.

       The non-dominant eye plays a supporting role in cor-

      recting focus and comprehending depth perception. To

       determine your dominant eye, hold an index finger out

       while you focus on a distant object. Move your finger

       to cover the distant object, and then close one eye at a

       time. The eye that still sees the distant object as being

       covered up is the dominant one.

      Eye level The vantage point of the viewer. When dis-

      cussing perspective, it refers to the level of the vanishing

       point. See page 56.

      Focus In drawing, it is the part of the image in the fore-

      ground that commands attention and draws the eye.

      Form The shape of an object or group of assembled

       objects. See page 30.

      Free-hand Drawing without the use of tools such as

       a ruler or French curve. This book focuses on freehand

       drawing instruction.

      Golden ratio A ratio expressed as 1:1.618 in geometry,

       which is the basis of the “golden rectangle,” an aesthet-

      ically pleasing shape that has been used in many famous

       artworks, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.”

      Gradation Gradual changes from one shade, color or

       texture to another.

      Highlight The location or locations on an object where

       the most light is reflected to the viewer’s eye. If the

       object is polished, the highlight will be sharply defined.

       If the object is textured, the highlight will be diffuse.

      Inherent color The actual color of the surface of a given

       object, unrelated to the intensity of the lighting.

      Intersection The vertex where the edge of two planes

       of a three-dimensional shape meet. Understanding of

       planes and vertices is the basis of drawing. See page 38.

      Light source The natural or artificial point or points

       from which light is directed toward an object. In draw-

      ing, it is important to determine the light source, and

       understand how it affects shading, highlights and shad-

      ows. See page 8.

      Low Angle Observing the object to be drawn from a

       low vantage point.

      Masking tape Low-tack painter’s tape useful for

       recording the position of an object that is likely to be

       moved before the drawing is completed.

      Mass A sense of volume and weight achieved through

       careful attention given to emulating an object’s obser-

      vable characteristics.

      Measuring stick Any thin rod used to visually measuring

       an object. Most artists use their handy pencil to mea-

      sure. See page 30.

      Natural