January 2014 Video Tutorial : Drawing Plastic and Chrome What's the Diff?

Hope I'm not going off topic here but it is a chrome sphere from a drawing done by Gary when showing how to apply a professional shadow, which I've forgot how to as you will see. The point is we were not asked to try and draw the sphere, just the shadows, so I thought I'd try and recreate it, not copy it, redraw it just to see if I could. Had a little bit of trouble trying to draw the black shape but came up with the idea of using the clover mold shape and it worked fine, just a few adjustments. I've posted a picture of both the finished image and an image of the original, also an image showing the shape I used as against the original. Sorry to be so long winded guys but thought it best to explain. It was good practice recreating this sphere and pleasing to see a black shiny sphere I had recreated :D Please excuse the tentacles :D

Stygg

As long as you have some sort of basic understand as to why the upper part of the room reflection does what it does...you have a magnificent recreation there, stygg.

And thank you for sharing the process you invented, too! =D>

Now here's another one for you, and I'm using a free icon from LUK 3V (and the zip file had no readme, so I can't pass an URL along here!):

Attachment 100599

What I see in the upper half of what is clearly a reflective surface (probably plastic) that is also clearly bulging and distorting toward the viewer is:

A few reflector cards and perhaps a softbox, as though the icon is reflecting illuminated objects in a studio, while the floor and upper background are not illuminated. It's quite a nice look if you study this, and it's not all that hard to reproduce as a metallic or plastic sphere.

-g

Gary my understanding of why the upper part of the room reflections does what it does is basic but from what I see, I would say apart from bulging it to sphere like, it lengthens an object out again to meet the shape of the sphere vertically, the bulge being horizontal, it's as if the sphere is trying to wrap the reflection around itself . Probably got it all wrong but in layman's terms, that's how I see it.
Thanks for the new image Gary, will attempt that after I finish the pie chart, which I keep starting and stopping which I'm afraid goes against my ordered things to do which were, chrome sphere, Pinball, Pie chart, boring I know but that's the way I work. I always feel If I complete something I'm doing, there will be something I've learned from it to use in the next learning challenge.:D


Stygg

Hey, that is terrific news, stygg, if you're integrating what you've learned into what you're going to learn.

All I'd want to know is that you understand enough of what's goping on in the reflection that you do no depend on clipart in the future if someone wants you to draw, for example, a 6' honking large pinball in a white room. :)

Here's another example in Xara with vectors, attached.


Attachment 100601


My Best,

Gary

Thanks for the bronze sphere Gary, will have closer look later. Here's my final rendition of the Pinball, I've put your shape back in as it looks far better than the "tentacles" I came up with. I think anyone interested in all the spheres work should have a go at recreating this Pinball as it makes a really good tips and tricks as there's a couple of things you'll learn when you open up the file. It's simple to do but gives a great finish, as well as the satisfaction that you did it! :D

Stygg

I have a screen saver called Webshots that sends me new pictures each day. This one turned up and I thought it was appropriate for this thread.

Water is another reflective phenomenon, thanks for contributing, Grace. I think this thread is just up to getting our collective heads around how a reflective metallic shape looks.

My Best,

Gary

P.S. Here's another drawing. See, it helps to save every one of my 16, 557 Xara files since 1995, even when I thought something was not useful!

Attachment 100628

Just a slight update on #55 I decided I liked it better in just black and white with a couple of alterations to the reflections , they may not be technically the right thing to have applied but I rather like them all the same. I also skewed the four base shapes. :D Sorry to be a pain guys with this sphere but if I don't like something I don't like it until I like it! :rolleyes: Now to get on with the pie chart.

Stygg

I'd say, stygg, to blur the diffuse shadow—because the shadow's reflection into the sphere is blurry— and call it a finished piece of artwork.

Well done!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gare

I'd say, stygg, to blur the diffuse shadow—because the shadow's reflection into the sphere is blurry— and call it a finished piece of artwork.

Well done!
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Cheers for that Gary, did what you suggested and also blurred the white base ellipse while turning off the mold beneath it, nice effect. It's finished now I promise ;))

Cheers Stygg