challenge -- draw some kind of container -- bottle, jar, squeeze tube, box

[brynn]

Hi Friends,
Time for a new challenge!  This will be good practice, especially for those who want to learn about lighting and shadow.  Let's draw some kind of container.   It could be a bottle (such as water bottle, catsup bottle, shampoo bottle, etc.); or jar (jar of jelly, jar of honey, jar of makeup, etc.); or for a more difficult challenge, a squeeze tube (tube of toothpaste or tube of ointment).  Of if you need something simpler, even just a box (gift wrapped box, box of tissue, box of toothpicks, box cereal, box of crackers, etc.).

[brynn]

Actually, I just remembered I drew a tiny box the other day.  I'll draw something else new, for the challenge.  And I could improve on this as well.  But just to get the topic going, here's a tiny box.

[brynn]

Ok, I made a shampoo bottle, because that sounded easiest, and I have so many other ongoing projects that I need to finish.  The shape of the bottle is true, but I made up the label.

Comments welcome as always 

[Lazur]

That looks nice!

The only part with the shading I would adjust is at the right bottom of the bottle.
Maybe the alias contour too -is that a thin white outline?


My work will be a basket of cherry.
Adding the right gradients will take some time.

[brynn]

Ah, going with the Van Gogh effect again?  I love that!  I've got an old, long idle project where that technique should help a lot.  Yeah, I can see where the positioning of the gradients must take a long time.  That is one huge basket of cherries!  Yummeee 

I was worried about that bottom right part of the shampoo bottle too.  There's not a thin white line, but there might be a think black line, I can't remember, lol.  But there was a reflection from the surface where the bottle was sitting.  I guess that's not clear though, since I didn't include the table under it, or any background.  I'll darken it a little, because I agree.  Without that context, it doesn't look quite right.  Thanks for pointing that out.

[Lazur]

That kind of style is the best for such -to me at least.
In my humble opinion it looks consistent, no matter if a spot is less detailed or too much thing going on to be drawn right.
I would stick with it, though it's also a plan to try new things with each new challenge.


On the bottle, the bottom shadow now looks too big. Seems the shape is rounded there and it couldn't stand atop a shelf.
Would also try it without that thin outline too.

[brynn]

On the bottle, the bottom shadow now looks too big. Seems the shape is rounded there and it couldn't stand atop a shelf.
Would also try it without that thin outline too.

I think that's because the color is so similar to the blue background of the message.  I'll put it against a white background to show you.  I was mistaken about the thin outline.  I had deleted that before I ever posted it.  What you're seeing must be related to Inkscape's anti-alias issue.

[Lazur]

So it's only a rendering issue. Maybe exporting the image into a larger png and scaling down that in gimp would help it.



Started adding the gradients, alot more to go.

[brynn]

Oh, that already looks nice!  I like the green in the bg -- the shape/form, whatever it is 

[Lazur]

Just finished it, and uploaded to openclipart:


Well didn't bother too much with the z order of the objects.
Now thinking it over the bottom of the busket should have been drawn first, and,
the real challenge would be to hide the front cherries by the busket, then hide the back of the busket by the same cherries...

Will see if I can animate the gradients, as there are only 4 used.

But it was saved with inkscape set to an accurate mode, resulting a 6 MB svg, so first the accuracy has to be decreased.

[Lazur]

A quick recolouring, with a more of an autumn feel:

[Lazur]

Yet another one:

[Lazur]

And a green one too:

[brynn]

I like the coloring of the 1st version best.

There seems to be some areas that didn't get a gradient.  Or that the gradient was removed, because those areas had a gradient in the 1st color version.  The area on left side of basket, near the bottom, is the worst one.  The other areas (right side of...whatever surface that is, sort of looks like a blanket on the ground) (and near top, right of basket) could be considered as "artistic effect".

I don't like what you did to the bg, the originally green gradient.  But maybe Inkscape was going so slow that you had to get rid of those gradients?  But I definitely like the original bg better.

Drawing a basket is really a perfect scenario for your.....we should call it "Lazur's Van Gogh Effect"!

[Lazur]

There is a gap in the first two versions at the left side of the bucket I realised later then the upload.
Had set a dark grey background in inkscape so it didn't shine through as much.
Tried to add a bit of shading there, it may not work so well.


The four base gradients can easily be edited, by the gradient editor.
Didn't change their handles, all four has them set with a same size, so I'm not sure where it made the look flatten.

This kind of style can work well in many cases, as it produces a consistent look, same distortion/difference from the reference scenery.
It can mimmick detailed textures, but takes too much time compared to a graphical style with simple geometric shapes.
If it was for a cubic box I would have used at least a different shape to the pattern along path effect.