Seeing the World in Simple Shapes

A cat, a teapot, a car, a face: they all look complicated. But squint at them and the details disappear, leaving a few simple shapes. Learning to see those shapes first is the secret behind every artist who seems to "just draw" anything.

Everything starts as simple shapes

There are only three basic flat shapes: the circle, the square (or rectangle) and the triangle. Combined, stretched and overlapped, they can describe almost anything.

When you start a drawing, ask: what are the biggest shapes here? A teapot is a circle with triangles for the spout and handle. A cat sitting down is a circle on top of a pear-shaped oval. Draw those first, lightly, and the proportions will be right before you add a single detail.

From big to small

Always work from general to specific:

1. Big shapes: the overall silhouette and main masses.
2. Medium shapes: secondary parts, like ears, a handle, a window.
3. Small shapes and details: eyes, texture, decorations.

If the big shapes are wrong, no amount of beautiful detail will save the drawing. If they're right, even a rough sketch looks convincing.

The silhouette test

A good drawing reads clearly even as a solid black silhouette. Character designers check silhouettes constantly: if you fill your shapes with black, can you still tell what it is? A clear silhouette means your big shapes are working.

Shapes carry meaning

Shapes also communicate feelings, which is very useful in character design and illustration:

• Circles feel friendly, soft, cute and safe.
• Squares feel stable, strong, reliable or stubborn.
• Triangles feel dynamic, sharp, dangerous or energetic.

Look at cartoon characters: heroes are often built from squares, villains from triangles, and cute sidekicks from circles.