How to Draw ANYTHING Using Simple Shapes, by RapidFireArt on YouTube. 11 min 4 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 4 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pick a reference photo with a clear, simple subject. Look at it for a minute and ignore the small details.
Find the biggest shape in the subject. A soda can is a cylinder, a bird's body is an oval, a person's torso is a box or oval.
Lightly sketch that main shape on the page. Keep your pencil lines soft so you can change them later.
Add the next shapes around it. Break the head into a circle, the arms into tubes, the wings into triangles.
Check the proportions against the photo. Compare widths and heights and adjust the shapes before going further.
Morph the shapes to fit the subject. Bend and stretch them until the outline matches what you see.
Connect the shapes into one outline. Erase the inner guide lines you no longer need.
Add details last, such as eyes, feathers, spokes or clothing folds, once the base looks right.
Tips and common mistakes
Draw your guide shapes very lightly so mistakes are easy to erase.
Try the same subject twice with different starting shapes to see which fits better.
Step back from your page often to check the overall shape instead of staring at details.
Questions
Do I need special pencils?
No. A basic mechanical pencil with 2B lead and an eraser is enough to start.
How long should the shape stage take?
Only a few minutes. Planning the base quickly saves hours of fixing a drawing later.
Can I use this for faces?
Yes. Start with a circle for the head and light cross lines to place the eyes, nose and mouth.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
