Drawing - Object wrapped on sphere

#1

I’m a brand new animation student and we are working on the ‘falling leaf’ animtions now. Iit is not required but I found myself wondering how to draw a leaf or other object -say a belt- curved around an object (just to give it a natural looking curve if you animate it rolling towards you). I looked up some sphere perspective stuff but makes my head hurt; I’m wondering if anyone has any tips I can try.

For example lay a belt on the ground at eye level with buckle facing you and it recedes away from the viewer in perspective; but now if I want to place an imaginary sphere on the far point of the belt and wrap it I get confused; the belt is drawn receding in perspective until it reaches the ‘equator’ on the far side of the sphere then I have to draw it growing in perspective as it passes that point and wraps around to the front.

It is just a musing. I really just wanted to draw a lanceolate leaf as if wrapped around a sphere so when the wind blows it ‘rolls’ through the air towards the viewer as if taped to the outside of an invisible sphere. Some tests the leaf seems to bend sharply rather than curve as it rolls towards me.

I can get by by looking at a leaf and holding it in various positions but wanted to know if any of you pro’s had tips or rule of thumb you use when you wrap or drape an object like this so it seems to retain the volume instead of being flat.

Hope this is understandable -at work so can’t post a sketch to illustrate what I mean.

#2

I don’t know if I will be much help but if I understand you correctly, if an object (leaf) is wrapped around another object (a ball), it will take the form of the object it’s wrapped around. In this case, the leaf would take the form of the ball. If you are having difficulties with the perspective try drawing through the objects and pretend it’s an invisible wire frame. Take a look at Scott Robertsons sketches on his website (LINK) for good examples of drawing through. When you get a chance try drawing us what you mean.

Good luck!

–Roger

#3

Thanks! I was looking for that site but had forgotten the name of the artist. :slight_smile: I had better luck visualizing it on a cylinder made as wide as the leaf. I also guess it is hard to draw and make it look right with line only if I do it head on - at a slight angle the roundness is more obvious.

Thanks again for the response and link.

#4

What it sounds like is that you haven’t done any still life drawing before. Give it a shot. Just take random objects laying around in your room–ones that you think would be difficult to draw, and then put them in front of you, throw a light on it, and just draw. That is your best training.

#5

You are right - I’m going from being a ‘napkin doodler’ of 46 years to exploring art more formally. Will try some still life and in a few weeks I start figure drawing as well so I understand that should help as well. Thanks.

#6

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