Maybe it’s because I grew up in a silent movie house. Maybe it’s because I had my nose in a book before I could walk. Whatever the reason, I l-o-v-e LOVE stories! (I think I spent the entire 5th grade on detention because I’d read books in class ALL the time… ) And since the human brain is hard-wired to make meaning out of the information it receives via metaphor and connection to prior knowledge… odds are good that you love stories, too.
Since April 27th is National Tell A Story Day, I thought it would be the perfect day for cracking open the story book. Well, the two-dimensional one, at any rate! Here’s how to draw a Good Enough story book… open AND shut!
When drawing a book as if someone were reading it, you want the hands to look like they are holding the book. That’s why I start with the top of the book first. Then I drop in the head and the hands, and then I finish up the rest of the book. Voila! Hands look like they’re holding the book, instead of added on top of the book.
For the closed book, I set the top line in the first step a little bit off to the right of the lower line… because I like being able to “feel” the edge of the back cover. Honestly, a rectangle can be a book… but adding that back cover adds a bit of satisfaction for the book-lover in me!
The third one is an open book facing the viewer. Add a horizontal line to ground the book image, and it could be lying open on a desk. To my eye, the top of the open book page wants to have that old-school mustache wave … because the pages of a book rarely lie flat when it’s open. That wave plays up that fact.
So there you have it! The next time you want to sink your teeth into a good story book but don’t have access to one, crack open the pen and draw one of your own!
Want to have fun drawing AND inspire others to pick up the pen at the same time? Got something you wish you could draw, but you’re not sure how to approach it? Tweet your drawing or idea to @jeannelking and tag it with #goodenough: it could be featured in an upcoming “how to draw good enough” blog post!
Looking forward to seeing what you draw forth!
