3.
Recognizing and using forms.
a. Pause and look around you and/or outside a window. Break all of these objects into
their basic forms. The building you are in is most likely a series of cubes. A fire hydrant may
be a cylinder with half spheres attached. Note books, furniture, vehicles, people, anything you
may see. Recognizing these basic forms helps develop understanding of your surroundings.
b. An incomplete form is part of one of the basic forms (fig 2-4).
Figure 2-4. Examples of incomplete forms
c. A complex form consists of two or more of the basic forms (fig 2-5). Bypass the
many details (small basic forms) of a subject to see the larger, simpler, basic forms and avoid
getting lost in the concentration on details. Draw simple to complex. Start with large basic
forms and go to smaller forms last. When adding details, remember they are not always
necessary.
d. There are two other kinds of forms, rectilinear and curvilinear. You must draw each
based on what you see.
(1) Curvilinear forms are soft, irregular edged, and are usually found in nature. A
tree, a cloud, mountains, or even a person are examples. You may have to draw a curvilinear
form with imperfect lines to soften its edges.
(2) A rectilinear form has hard edges, is geometrically perfect, and is usually man-
made. Some examples are a house, airplane, fire hydrant, and a tank. Therefore, rectilinear
forms are almost always complex.
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