white coffee mug

[brynn]

Hi Friends,
I've embarked on a long term project, which if I decide to take it to completion, might take the rest of my life to finish    Ok, well maybe not quite that long.  Pretty soon though, I'll have mostly finished 3 parts of a series, which is being designed to teach people (who have ADD/learning differences) how to use Inkscape, in a step-by-step, hands-on format.  The 1st 3 parts are Intro, The Inkscape Window, and The Selection Tool and  Fill/Stroke Dialog.

Anyway, I'm just starting to realize that the illustrations and images which will be examples for the students to use, explore and practice with, may be more challenging than writing all the steps in text.

So anyway, I've made a little coffee mug.  At its intended size (100 px height) I think it looks pretty much ok.  But since it turned out....well, not so bad, I may make it into a larger stand-alone image as well.  So towards that end, I wanted to ask for comments. 

Mostly the handle is what's bothering me.  But as often happens when I draw from my memory, without a ref photo or model, I'm not quite sure what seems wrong with it.  I'm wondering if it might look better if I sort of spin the mug around a little, so the handle is more in front?  Or maybe even around in back slightly?

I'm pretty sure I need to add reflections on the top of the handle, and maybe on the rim of the mug too.  And I'll add more  shading and cast shadows for the large one.

Thanks for any comments.   

[Lazur]

Hi.

Here is a quick sketch on how it would look right roughly.
The intersection line might have a bit thinner shape here and there, but the basic is right as far as I can tell.
(direction of the curves, tangent lines, extreme points, etc.)

It would need some descriptive geometry construction for improvement.

[brynn]

Ha, I have those exact same ellipses in my drawing!

Here's my probably final version, for just a quick drawing (rarely I start and finish one in the same day).  Although I still am tempted to bring the handle around to the front.

Comments welcome 

[Lazur]

The cast shadow is way off on the table.
And it would be even harder to construct that, than the intersection line you did not correct here.

The filling of the background and the table would look better adjusted.
It is supposed to add a "frame" to the main object, so it would be better if it was lighter around the mug and not darker.
(likechiaroscuro here)
Also to add depth to the table, the closer part would look better with a bit darker shade.

On the design of the mug.
I'm not drinking coffee so it's just an outsiders opinion, but to me it seems it's a bit out of proportion.
The handle seems too thick to the width of the side and maybe to the overall size too -and the bottom bend doesn't seem right-,
the edge seems too sharp for the lips, and the shape looks too tight for a spoon to stir up sugar cubes.
Maybe the edge's cone shape would look better rounded instead.
They are adding the feel the ellipses look off, the reason why I checked those too with my attachment.

[brynn]

The cast shadow is way off on the table.

Well this is another case where there are 2 light sources -- an overhead light, creating almost like a drop shadow, and then a longer shadow from a window.  I probably could adjust the shading on the front of the mug, to better fit the longer shadow....or lean the longer shadow less over (make it more vertical, where it would hardly be seen).

And it would be even harder to construct that, than the intersection line you did not correct here

I don't know what you mean by intersection line.

Do you think the background should be darker, because of the mug being white?

Yeah, I was a little worried about the rim looking too sharp.  I wanted to soften it.  But I had to clip some shading objects there, and haven't yet learned how to have something clipped, but still make it a soft edge.

"The edge's cone shape..."??  You mean the part that looks sharp?  Actually the top part of it is rounded.  I thought about rounding it all the way over, but I wasn't sure how to make it look rounded by using light and shadow, especially because of the arc shape, and not being able to "bend" gradients.

Yes, it is a very thick and heavy ceramic mug.  I like that kind of mugs    It could hold 12 oz.  It's about as tall as a 12 oz pop can, and a little bit wider, although not quite wide enough for the pop can to fit inside it.  Plenty of room for spoon and sugar.  I would draw a spoon beside it, but that would be an extreme challenge for me, lol!

Ok, I made some quick edits -- made the handle narrower to look more like it's behind the mug, and actually moved it a little behind the mug, straightened up the long shadow some, added a gradient to the tablecloth so it's darker in front.  Still don't know what "intersection line" is though 

[brynn]

I suppose it is kind of an odd shape for a mug.  Normally they would have some kind of curvature on the sides.  But this one has straight sides, except near the top and bottom.  That's probably why it looks a little weird.

[Lazur]

Changed the scenery for more contrast, and added the intersection line between the body and the handle's shape.

Was about to make a construction on the geometry but it seemed too complicated for a quick drawing and changed my mind.
Same with the shading, so it's really for that two gradient at the background.

[brynn]

Made a few more tweaks. 

Handle is narrower yet, which I hope makes it look more like it's behind the mug.  Made shading slightly darker, which I think adds more depth.

Still kind of stumped on highlights/reflections.  Probably could do better if I actually had a mug like this, that I could use for a model.

I also played around with the gradient in the background, to make darker, but just couldn't settle on something I like better than how it is now.  The darker bg does make the mug stand out more, and I did like that effect.  But maybe someday I'll hit on the right gradient.

Edit
Oh wait....table needs more depth too....  And the bg slightly darker.....  Too yellow?  Too saturated?

[Lazur]

Hmm maybe then make it a blender tutorial too?

That is easy to be modelled and rendered, perhaps easier than with inkscape.
To start it, draw the plane curve of the basic solid of revolution, and draw the handle as one open path, with a thick stroke in inkscape, and save it as an svg.

In blender, you can import the svg, and turn it to a good 3D model in minutes.


On the colours, the yellow is warm, implying it's closer.
The blue tones are cold colours, they are adding distance to the look.
For those who not live on a ship the light blues are considered as the sky, and darker warm shades as the ground.
With the yellow background it seems as the white shape is a new sun rising above the sea horizon?

Thus I would change those as did with my previous attachment.

The mentioned effect with the light-shade tones.
Light-distant, dark-close. This rule makes objects "come out" of the image, if you add lighter shades around them at the background.
The white colour of the main object is the real challenge, it would need a bit darker surrounding for more contrast.

[brynn]

Thanks for the tips on color.  In this case, my imaginary white mug is indoors, sitting on an imaginary table, covered with a blue tablecloth, in an imaginary kitchen with a bold, yellow-gold accent wall.  Probably not a realistic paint color for a real kitchen...or maybe it's just poorly lit and looks darker than what it really is.  I think that's it, poorly lit.  That would fit with the lack of realistic reflections on the mug!

In your SVG, those are very depressing colors for a kitchen   

[Lazur]

In your SVG, those are very depressing colors for a kitchen   

Maybe I should have drunk the coffe to see things brighter.