Drawing angle

[Valray]

A quick question Mike.

Do you draw flat on a table/desk or do you use an easel of some type?
Does having a drawing propped at an angle (book, easel, pillow etc) give any advantage over drawing flat? Is sight/depth of perception affected by the choice especially if my drawing board is flat and my photo is upright or angled.
Thanks.
Val

[Mike Sibley]

Do you draw flat on a table/desk, or do you use an easel of some type?

That's a great question. And, in my opinion, a very important one.

Does having a drawing propped at an angle (book, easel, pillow etc) give any advantage over drawing flat? Is sight/depth of perception affected by the choice...

First, let me say that if you create guidelines before you draw, then angle is not of paramount importance. BUT...

If you draw directly onto your paper by eye alone, and your drawing surface is flat, you seriously risk encountering parallax errors due to perspective. Because the top of the drawing is further away from you, the tendency is to draw it larger, so the overall drawing as you're looking at it appears to be in proportion.

I know this from experience. My drawing board is constantly flat these days, because I'm making videos and the overhead camera needs to be parallel to the drawing... and not filming the back of my head. It is a thorough *bleep* *bleep* to work with!!! One of the problems being that light creates glare from the angled-to-me graphite. That glare ceases to be a problem when I'm looking straight at it, which is what an angled drawing board provides.

SELF-drawing-board.jpg

Me in the good old days. But notice the camera above the board has its own parallax problems.

You can stand to work at an easel, or be seated and have the drawing board at an angle. So, when you look down, the top and bottom of your drawing are equally distanced from you - you're looking straight at it. The drawing boards I use for my workshops have built-in props that lift the rear about 6 inches (15cm), and notched bars under their front edge, so you can drag it part way of a table and, if required, increase the angle.

... especially if my drawing board is flat and my photo is upright or angled.

That's another good point. You need to be able to directly compare the two, So, they need to be at the same angle. If you're old school (me) and use photos or printouts, you can affix them to your drawing board alongside your drawing paper. Problem solved. However, if you're modern (as I see you are ) and draw from a tablet or phone, then you need to find a way to ensure it's at the same angle as your paper. Otherwise, you'll create parallax errors again.

The only partial exception is if you create a guideline drawing to work within before you begin drawing, and have the reference and paper at identical angles. Then parallax is less likely to be a problem. But it IS best avoided.