Whether it’s an old tube of paint, toothpaste, makeup, or even tomato paste from the fridge, it’s a fabulous drawing subject. We can turn our everyday clutter into a brilliant way to study layering, depth, and value.
This week, we’re tackling a classic drawing challenge: Overlapping objects and cast shadows.
Don’t let the word “shadows” scare you off! This isn’t about making a perfect, photo-realistic drawing. It’s a fun, low-pressure exercise to train your eyes to look carefully and see value (which is just a fancy art term for how light or dark something is).
Step 1: Gather your tubes. Find 3 tubes of absolutely anything around the house. Stack them up on your surface so they create a messy, overlapping pile.
Step 2: Start from the top. Look at your pile and find the tube that’s sitting completely on top of the others. Draw that one first! Because you can see the entire shape clearly, it gives you a perfect anchor for the rest of your sketch.
Step 3: Build underneath. Next, draw the tubes tucked underneath it. Look at their shapes and proportions in relation to that top tube you already drew.
Step 4: Chase the shadows. Look closely at the shadows the tubes are casting onto each other and onto the table. Notice how they aren’t just one flat, solid color? There are differences in their light and dark values.
Step 5: Layer your values. Grab two different colors, one light & one dark (like the two shades of blue marker I used). Use your lighter color to sketch out the general shape of the shadows. Then, take your darker color and fill in the absolute darkest, deepest crevices where the light can’t reach at all.
Here’s my setup with a few paint tubes and some colorful markers. Notice how blocking in those two distinct shadow tones instantly gives the drawing weight and dimension.
When we look at things quickly, our brains like to give us shortcuts and say, “A shadow is just a dark blob.” But if you really pause and look, you’ll see that shadows change value all over the place!
By using a lighter tone and a darker tone to map them out, you are sneakily training your brain to see the world like an artist.
So don’t worry about perfectly straight lines, detailed tube labels, or clinical accuracy. Keep your linework loose, have fun with the shapes, and embrace the wonky character of your sketch!
Once your overlapping pile is complete, head over to our free Skool community and drop your sketch in the Prompts & Shares tab! I can’t wait to see what kind of tubes you raided from your cabinets this week.
Have fun sketching!
Beth
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