The Art and Science of Drawing

Primary Volumes

In the previous chapter you learned that all forms, no matter how complex, can be simplified into basic shapes. While this is true, it is only the beginning of the story. To create the illusion of three dimensions we will use the basic shapes from “Chapter 1: Basic Skills” to construct three-dimensional volumes. Making the shift from thinking in terms of flat shapes to thinking in terms of volumes is one of the most important shifts you need to make.

Most people are familiar with the concept of primary colors—that every color imaginable is derived from red, yellow, and blue. For example, green is made by mixing blue and yellow, violet is made by mixing blue and red, brown and black are made by mixing all three primary colors together ...