How to Use Your Grid.
After you place your grid in front of your still life setup, care-
fully measure and then draw 4" squares on your paper to
mimic the squares on your grid. The goal is to have a propor-
tional grid on your paper to match the one in front of your
still life.
The photo above shows several squares from the grid, which
demonstrates how effectively this tool breaks down the still
life into fragments or small frames of the entire setup. By
focusing on the placement of the shapes of the palm frond
(leaf) within each square, the grid enables you to see the
subject as a series of abstract shapes. This helps you to ren-
der a more accurate and sensitive depiction of the palm
frond. In effect, you are actually zooming in on the plant and
scrutinizing each area to assist you in drawing what you see,
rather than what you think the plant should look like.
It is also very important that once you begin drawing, you
should stand in the exact same spot the entire time when
measuring your drawing through the grid (just like the other
forms of measuring, which are discussed in Chapter 4). Any
slight change in where you are standing alters the view of the
still life in relation to the grid. To ensure that you stand or sit in
the same place each time, you can use masking tape to mark
the position of your feet or the chair that you’re sitting in.
As you continue to draw the shapes that appear in each
square, the entire subject gradually emerges and should be
in complete proportion to reality.
You can use this method to draw your
still life’s actual size. If you would
like to draw your picture at less than
life size, then smaller squares can
suffice as long as you measure them
accurately.