1-5b: (Part I) Sighting & Measuring

Sighting & Measuring-- techniques used to take the visual measurements of objects and the spaces between them.

In this section, we'll learn how to sight & measure with a sighting stick and a viewfinder.

SIGHTING STICK

First- you need a sighting stick.

You can use any thin, straight, stick, such as a barbecue skewer, a knitting needle, or a length of narrow dowel. A pencil will do in a pinch, but you will be able to do more with your sighting stick if it is longer.

1. • 12 inches is a good guideline for length.

   • Choose something thin! When you use a sighting stick to measure, you hold it up between you and the observed subject. The thinner the tool, the less of the subject you cover up while measuring.

Sighting can be used for three main types of measuring in drawing.

1. Angles, actual and implied

2. Proportion, within a subject and between subjects

3. Horizontal or vertical alignment

When you practice sighting for any reason, there are a couple of mechanical concerns to keep in mind.

• For consistency in measurements, you will need to keep your sighting stick at a uniform distance from your body. The easiest way to ensure uniform distance is to hold your arm out straight (fully extended) every time.

• To eliminate the illusion that you are seeing double, close one eye while you measure. It doesn’t matter which one, but it does matter that you choose one and stick with it.

• Since you are translating 3D subjects to a 2D (flat) plane, it is important that you resist the temptation to point your sighting stick outward when trying to align it with something that recedes. When you are looking at your subject, imagine that you are looking through a pane of glass and that your sighting stick is against the glass. Hold your sighting stick parallel to your body and rotate your wrist to the left and right, windshield wiper fashion, until you are able to make the stick align with the subject.

HOW TO USE YOUR SIGHTING STICK (OR PENCIL)

Three Sighting Techniques To Practice With Your Stick

1. Find the Midpoint - divide your subject/shape at the midpoint. The half above the midpoint must fit into the top 50% of your drawing area, and the half below must fit into the lower 50%. Consistently finding/using the midpoint will ensure that each half of whatever you divide will be proportionate to the other.

2. Plumb and Level - using your pencil like a carpenter's tool, you can establish the vertical and horizontal alignments of your subject and transfer them one at a time to our paper.

3. Comparative Measurement - use your pencil to measure the length of one part of your subject, then compare it to the length of another part.

In figure drawing, the head is a commonly-used unit of measure and might be compared to the upper arm length or to the shoulder width.

For non-figure drawings, you would choose a mid-sized, basic unit (relative to the format size). Not too small, not too large. The basic unit can be a whole shape (the shape of a window or the shape of a negative space) or it can be just a single edge (line) from point to point (the top edge of a window). Your choice only depends on what is the easiest for you to see and use.

READ through these slides:

#1 Sighting & Measuring Warmup Exercise

Materials:

• Sketchbook or sheets of blank paper

• Graphite pencils, erasers

• Hard surface to support your drawing

• If you're using loose paper, use clips or drafting/painter's tape to secure your paper to your drawing surface.

• Sighting stick (pencil)

Instructions:

• Watch the following video, and repeat the exercise in your sketchbook (drawing the vase in the video).

• Use sighting & measuring to draw the vase as accurately as you can.

• Write the date on your page when you finish.

#2 Sighting & Measuring: Proportions Between Objects

• Pick two objects of varying size and place them somewhere you can see them (unobstructed).

  • Examples: box and a vase, 2 bottles (different sizes), rock & banana, etc.

• You will draw your two objects using the sighting & measuring techniques from the video.

• Start by making a rectangle or square to use as the "frame" of your drawing (in your sketchbook).

• Take your time, make light pencil marks to start, keep correcting as you draw.

• For those who want an extra challenge- draw 3 objects.

VIEWFINDERS

We will discuss making these at our next meeting, but if you want to get ahead:

Sighting with a Viewfinder and Sighting Sticks has a step-by-step guide for making a viewfinder from drawing paper or cardstock, and tutorials that show you how to use a viewfinder and/or sighting sticks for accurate observational drawings.

https://donnayoung.org/art/sighting.htm