Cast Drawing In Sight-Size:
An Atelier Manual

“This is the Bible for Cast Drawing.”

-Kim Owens (Amazon Review)

About the book ...

Cast Drawing in Sight-Size is your atelier manual for drawing plaster casts in Sight-Size. That’s true regardless of whether you are currently attending an atelier or even if you’re not. In other words, it is for everyone who is beginning their journey of learning how to see accurately and to draw what they see. It is also more than that. The concepts taught in it are worth revisiting at no matter what stage you are in your studies.

What can you expect from this book? Once again, consider it to be your atelier manual. It takes you through the entire process of drawing casts in Sight-Size, and it does so in the same way as is done at many of today’s traditional ateliers.

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Cast Drawing in Sight-Size:
An Atelier Manual

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At the drawing board.

Atelier training traditionally begins with cast drawing in Sight-Size.

Why Cast Drawing? Casts do not move. That static aspect is what keeps you from chasing the model, which in turn helps you to develop accurate sight.
What is Sight-Size? Sight-Size is an arrangement of the artist, subject, and artwork that allows the artist to see their subject and artwork one-to-one.
Why Sight-Size? It is only the Sight-Size arrangement that gives you a one-to-one view of both your subject and artwork. For the beginning student that one-to-one view is crucial. It eliminates the problem of scale and makes the process of seeing and drawing much easier because your artwork is the same size you see your subject.

The Sight-Size Arrangement - Vantage Point

Viewing the setup from the vantage point.

Inside the book you will learn how to ...

Setup the Sight-Size arrangement.

You will begin with a simple plaster cast. Your cast and your drawing will be arranged visually next to each other as seen from a distant vantage point. All seeing takes place from that vantage point.

Accurately block-in your cast drawing.

Stages 1 & 2 are when you will block-in the arabesque (outline), cast shadow shape, and the bedbug line (shadow line). And since you’re in Sight-Size, all of these shapes will be determined from the distant vantage point.

Accurately mass-in the main value relationships.

Stage 3 is the mass-in stage. You will view the cast while squinting and search for the darkest darks. You will then mass-in the value relationships of the cast shadow, shadow, and background.

Begin to create the illusion of depth by modeling.

Stage 4 is the modeling stage. Modeling is when you begin to create the illusion of depth. You’ll do this by rendering the halftones in relationship to each other and to the whole, being careful not to over-model.

Refine the illusion of depth by turning edges.

Stage 5 is the turning edges stage and it is when the impression of depth is most fully realized. First, you’ll discern the sharpest sharp and softest soft. Then you’ll turn all the edges in the scene relative to those extremes.

Achieve an accurate representation of your cast.

Stage 6 is the final stage of your cast drawing in Sight-Size. You’ll make sure that all the values are relative to each other, all the edges are relative to each other, all the accents are properly placed, and that there is a convincing illusion of depth.

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