Project - Cross Contour on Organic Forms

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

inDrawing Basics

1.5K

Assignments 403

Downloads 10

Project - Cross Contour on Organic Forms

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

in Drawing Basics

1.5K

Assignments 403

Downloads 10

Level 1

Simple Blobs: Visualize how cross contours wrap around random blog shapes from different angles (add eyes and limbs if you want to make it more fun!)

Ginger Root from Photo: Start by drawing the ginger root from the photos provided in the downloads and then try to invent your own. These are essentially blobs that grow other blobs, like bloated tree branches.

Simple Creatures: Draw seals, sea lions, fish, worms, snakes, sharks.. any simple blobby creature from photo reference. Find your own photos on pexels.com or unsplash.com

Level 2

Complex Creatures: Draw more complex creatures like lobster, shrimp, beetles, etc.

First do the lobster photo I provided in the downloads. Then find your own reference on Pexels or Unsplash.
Start with simple dynamic shapes. Remember what we learned in the Shapes section!
Add the cross contour lines to show the forms. Simplify, but not too much so you don't lose the essence of the form.

Change the Pose: Change the pose a little from the photo to force yourself to imagine the forms instead of only copying.

Deadline: Submit by 05/31/2024 for a chance to be in the critique video!

@aakerhus

•

Trying another one were I try to think about it as "I'm about to slice through the subject" ( Poor froggy :( ) I think it looks good, but I don't feel confident about it.. Don't really know if what I do counts as cross-countour or if I am just enhancing the forms you allready are seeing in the reference, I guess it is a little bit of both?

Ron Kempke

•

Copying is easy. Draw it from another point of view to see if you really understand it.

@aakerhus

•

First go on simple creatures level 1 entry before watching the demo. Tried to find a sweet spot right between not going to detailed, but also not too simply in the forms. Kind of feeling like I have a grasp of how the cross contours goes, but some of those which goes "along" (with the lack of better words) some of the forms doesn't always make sense to me. I don't think the "ant trail"-analogy is working for me (yet). I have marked the cross contours I am most unsure about in red. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Overall I am quite happy witht the end result as the shark really has that 3D-vibe going. Also, I didn't focus too hard on design and interesting shapes, and stuck mostly to the reference as you might see.

Melanie Scearce

•

Nice work here. I think you got the hang of it. The perspective of this reference image threw me for a loop, and there is also plane shift around where the gills are (highlighted in green in my draw-over). I simplified the form and rotated it to try to make sense of it myself. Think of a cross contour like a cross section of the 3D form. If you were to cut it in half, what shape would it make?

@aakerhus

•

The two first are blobs without a reference, and the last one all the gingers gathered on one page. Just going with my gut, but I allready see that I need to draw my contour lines rounder around the edges, especially the ones which goes "along" the blobs, if that makes sense. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Rachel Dawn Owens

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These are looking great! A lot of them are perfect. They look 3d and I dig the texture of the background. There are a few that look a bit flat. Consider the back of the form and feel your way around it. This will help your drawings really jump off the page.

DrawYer

•

13d

These are my attempts before watching the demo, I worked from level 1 to level 2. I started with blobs inspired from torso and pelvis poses (similar to an exercise in the figure drawing course), then moved to seals and “simple” sea creatures, then to insects (and a snake). My first attempts at seals were a bit stiff and felt flat. I feel that sometimes I failed to find a balance in terms of “line density”. I tried to change the poses from the reference, but only did it marginally for the sea creatures. It feels easier to change organic shape that are more curved as I feel less bound by anatomy restrictions. For example when I tried to change some of the insects I was blocked my lack of knowledge on them. Once again, I love the exercise and I like the freedom that organic forms give. I will watch the critiques and try a few more animals. I also saw someone that did a beautiful work cross contouring a head, this is definitely something I want to try. I keep trying various medium, fine liners can be very punitive but also rewarding. Any comments or feedback welcome :)

Valerij Dančenko

•

12d

damn this looks cool af

El Dorce

•

13d

they look amazing!!

Lars Trunin

•

15d

Carlos Pérez

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14d

color palette looks harmonious and the subject cute

Melanie Scearce

•

15d

Wow, this is awesome!

Daniele Olevano

•

16d

@roddangelo

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16d

Rachel Dawn Owens

•

15d

Cool worm!

Carlo Julian

•

20d

@nasim_alchemist

•

27d

gradually got easier to get my hand “around”😅 but once it clicked whole new world opened. I want to cross contour everything…

J. Menriv

•

1mo

Level 1 - Sea Horse from Photo

John Edgeworth

•

1mo

nice

J. Menriv

•

1mo

Level 1 - Sea Lion from Photo

Rachel Dawn Owens

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1mo

Cool seal! I dig the variety in the lineweight

J. Menriv

•

1mo

Level 1 - Ginger Root from Photo

Rachel Dawn Owens

•

1mo

Lovely smooth and 3d form

Luke

•

1mo

It took me awhile to get used to it, but I think I got the hang of it in the end. I tried to tilt the head of a buck, but tilting the antlers was way hard than I was expecting.

Rachel Dawn Owens

•

1mo

Love that lobster. They are all great!

Mint

•

1mo

First three attempts I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to add the cross contour lines just up and down or side to side

Melanie Scearce

•

1mo

Looking good! The cross contours on different axes aren't a requirement to show 3D form but they can help show depth and orientation. This is an example of how you can organize them using your ginger root as an example. By simplifying the ginger root into planes, we can easily find the contours of the x, z, and y axes.

Luis Fidalgo

•

2mo

These are my attempts , i'm liking a lot the concept

@osa

•

2mo

Here are my attempts! The first one shows my ginger root characters.

@taraegan

•

2mo

Wow I love these they’re great! You really were able to capture the form and movement of all the subjects. I do think the dolphin could be improved by using a reference photo where you can see the form more clearly and that will make the cross contour easier. The tail is well executed, but the head and torso could be more refined. Your ginger root character is really well executed as well! I think the top left one would be great to work with as a character because you were able to create defined limbs. This increases its believability as a character because I can easily imagine how he would move around. The other ginger root characters are fun as well! I do have a harder time imagining how they would move around. But you did such a great job with all the facial expressions that it adds nice personality to all of them which makes them feel really alive. The only ones that are hard for me to read are the two top and bottom in the center where their faces aren’t visible. For those ones maybe add some fingers to the hands like you did in some of the others so it’s easier to differentiate the arms from the head and legs.

Ramiro Roman

•

2mo

DOPE

Aleksander Steinsbekk

•

2mo

Hi, I drew some animals. I drew all of them from an different angle except the squirrel. All feedback is appreciated

Rachel Dawn Owens

•

2mo

I love these cross-contour drawings. They are carefully made and have a 3d look to them. I think you could simplify the lines a little more. One trick I like to use is to find the longest axis before I start wrapping the lines. This will give the different forms and more cohesive look. Keep practicing drawing things from different angles. You will learn so much from this exercise. Thanks for sharing.

Amu Noor

•

2mo

I tried to draw each subject from a different angle after drawing it from reference but I struggled especially with the portrait. I felt that the chin looked a bit off but I couldn’t figure out why. Any advice on that?

Rachel Dawn Owens

•

2mo

Wow! These are all extremely high level drawings. Great work moving the subjects around in a 3d space while keeping the forms and proportions consistent. I love these. The portraits are lovely. If you’re looking for what might be off about the last one, it’s just a very minor thing. I think if you added a little bit more to the throat area, it would balance it out more. You’re very good. Thanks for sharing.

@aubrey

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2mo

This was fun, and I think in going to try more different types of animals. I'm already noticing myself getting better at visualizing how the forms are oriented in space. I noticed the eyes on the hawk are a little off and I struggles with the curves of the lobster and getting them to converge properly, the lobster that has one claw was like that in the reference but adding the other claw would have been good practice, But I learned so much!

@juliomarcosbortolon

•

2mo

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.