Pure Contour

Artist Statement

This shoe is not mine, but one that I regularly borrow. It's a somewhat professional shoe, something I'd wear to a job in an office if I had one. I like the lines on it, and the way the laces and smaller lines bring out the details and make the piece come alive. I chose this shoe to draw because I prefer it over a running shoe, which has more lines and sporty look, while this is more neutral and clean. I think it is more classic, and the story behind it could be more interesting, less mundane.

I started this piece with an HB pencil, sketching soft, hazy lines. I erased part of the picture and redrew it with the same technique, this time more accurate. Then I went over it with a 4B pencil, finalizing the lines, then again with an 8B pencil to darken the lines and make them more solid.

This was a challenge for me to draw, because I had to turn a 3D object into a 2D drawing. I had to convert the things I saw into shapes that I could then draw. This became harder when I reached the front and back views, where I had to compress the object into mere lines, even though there were many more inches in front of what I saw. I was very happy with the laces on all drawings, because they were detailed and followed the real path like they did on the shoe. My project started as a very rough sketch with basic shapes, but evolved to a clearly drawn, bold-lined pure contour. If I were to add more to this piece, I would go back and redo the lines with an 8B pencil and make sure that they are very clear and not at all sketched.