Set up a still life of three to five elliptical objects with varying heights, such as containers, bowls, cups and/or saucers.

Using your vine charcoal on your small paper practice drawing the ellipses. Remember that ellipse should appear round, not flat like a cigar, or pointy on the ends. Ellipses should be symmetrical from top to bottom, and left to right. When you draw an ellipse make sure the four quadrants are equal. You can draw in some guidelines if you wish.

ellipse with a retange

Keep in mind that an ellipse is wider when it is lower than or above your eye level, narrower at or near your eye level. This means that a cup or elliptical object sitting on the table has a narrower ellipse at the top of the cup and a wider ellipse at the bottom of the cup.

A common mistake that students make when drawing elliptical objects is that they make the bottom of the cup sitting on the table flat. If you draw the whole ellipse as if the object is transparent, if may help you get it more rounded.

right and wrong ellipses

On the 12″ x 18″ charcoal paper compose a drawing based on the still life. Draw with your vine charcoal and shade drawing with your chamois. Erase and refine details as needed. Remember to take a picture of your still life and 1/2 way picture and spray with the spray fix to preserve your work.

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