Volume

Now we consider the definition of the volume. What is it, why do we see the volume? The volume consists of light, shade and all in between (halftone - halflight, halfshadow).

Let's draw a circle. Inside it we will draw a few circles of different sizes. The largest one, after the main, we shade the darkest color. We need to make a smooth transition to the smallest circle, because this one is the highlight on our ball, that means, the most lighted area.

 

We can do it as in the previous exercise, or we can use the circle lines, as the guide-lines that show the edge of the next tone. The more circles, the more tones, hence the more volume in an image. Eventually, your drawing should succeed to a ball.

I'll tell you a secret - I love balls very much. Of a different kind: glass, metal, plastic, rubber, because each material will have a different highlight and its own light and shadow relations. Different materials have varying degrees of reflectivity. The matte surface does not have such a highlight, as a ball of glass. I make sketches of balls - I indicate the location of the highlight, which depends on the distance from the ball, and the highlights intensity and balls location in space, mark the border of light and shadow.
This can be done from photographs from the internet and just looking around the room. For example: light bulb partly consists of a ball; the glass of the photo lens is also round; it can be a vase or plastic eye of a plush toy etc. Sketches of the different materials are very useful and can be required in further.