Art-ology

Measuring Lengths and Angles in Pencil Drawings

This is another stage of a typical pencil drawing, because you have come to the stage when you need to settle the units on the paper properly and take care of the angles.

Let’s get down to the typical units.

Basic Length Unit – A basic length unit is the length of a line segment of medium size relative to the composition.

1. Life Unit – First, we choose a basic length unit for the real scene you want to draw. For a large life scene you can do this by holding a pencil at arm’s length with locked elbow. Then, with one eye closed, you can measure a basic unit along your pencil using your thumb as a marker.

If you work with a photograph you can measure your basic unit with your pencil directly on the photograph. Let us call this basic length unit the “Life Unit”. Draw this Life Unit on a separate piece of paper.

2. Ground Unit – Now, you also need a basic length for your actual drawing. Indeed, the size of the real scene will usually be different from the one you will realize on your paper. Again, use your pencil to choose a basic unit suitable for your ground and call it the “Paper Unit”. Draw it next to the Life Unit.

How to Use Your Basic Units – Now we can use the Life Unit to measure any length on the real composition. We express these lengths in terms of the number of Life Units. For example, you will speak of this table leg being about half a Life Unit or this hat sits 1.5 Life Units to the left of that umbrella.

Angle Measurement – Angles are measured relative to the horizontal and the vertical. If you work on rectangular paper you can use its vertical and horizontal edges as a reference. The angle you observe in your life composition will be the same on your paper.

Again, you can use your pencil but this time align it horizontally (or vertically) and estimate the angle a particular line makes with your horizontal (or vertical) pencil. Make sure you hold your pencil in a plane that is parallel to the plane of the life scene, i.e., perpendicular to your line of sight. For example, you will speak of this angle being about one third of a right angle (a right angle or a 90 degree angle is the angle between the horizontal and the vertical). The same angle is then realized on your paper.

The above suggestions will give you a good start with estimating lengths and angles in a systematic manner. With some practice, you will be able to do this without thinking.

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