FRAMEBURST ACADEMY 13
SUMMARY
All drawings, characters, locations and objects are made from basic shapes. By learning how to draw and practice simple 2D and 3D shapes, you can draw anything step by step either in 2D or 3D. This is known as construction in animation. You do not need to draw perfectly – you just need to understand how to break things into basic shapes and forms. Shapes are mainly 2D shapes and 3D shapes are called forms.
🎬 How Simple Shapes Can Help You Draw Anything (Yes, Anything)
Okay…
Let me tell you something that might change how you see drawing.
Every drawing you have ever seen…
Every character… every object… every location… every scene…
is made from simple shapes.
Not magic.
Not talent.
Not “gifted artists only.”
Just shapes.
🎯What Is Construction In Animation?
Construction in art means:
-> Building complex drawings using basic shapes
Instead of trying to draw something perfectly…
You break it down.
For instance:
A character is not ‘a character’.
Let me explain. It’s actually:
- A sphere (head and eyes)
- A cuboid/eclipse (body, feet and hands)
- Cylinders (Arms and legs)
That is construction.
You’re not drawing.
You are building.
🧠Why This Matters So Much?
Most beginners try to:
-> draw everything at once
And that is where things go wrong or too difficult.
But when you utilize shapes:
- Things become easier
- Mistakes become fixable early
- Drawing feels less scary
You are not guessing anymore
You are constructing.
✏️ Step 1: Practicing 2D Shapes
Let’s start simple.
Practice these shapes:
- Line
- Oval
- Circle
- Square
- Triangle
- Rectangle
But do not just draw them randomly.
Fill the back and front of an A4 paper.
And try this:
- Make small dots first
- Then connect them
For example:
- Place 4 dots -> connect them -> square
- Place 3 dots -> connect them -> you can turn the page -> triangle
- Place 2 dots -> one side to the other -> connect them -> line
- Hover your whole arm -> turning it around -> place your hand down -> circle
This activity helps you:
- Control your lines
- Improve accuracy
- Understanding shape structure
Do not rush this.
Even simple shapes can teach you a lot.
🧊 Step 2: Moving Into 3D Shapes:
Now we level up.
Most things in the world that you see are in 3D.
Turn flat shapes into forms.
- Cube
- Cone
- Eclipse (for perspective circles)
- Sphere
- Cuboid
- Pyramid
- Cylinder
These are not just shapes…
They are forms in three–dimensional space.
Like:
- Adding horizontal circle over another circle becomes sphere
- A rectangle becomes a cuboid like a box
- A triangle becomes a pyramid.
Now things start to feel real.
🎯Why 3D Shapes Matter?
Because everything around you in the world exists in 3D.
If you understand these forms:
- Your drawings will have depth
- Your characters will feel solid
- Your animations will feel more believable
Even simple animations look better with this.
💡 A Simple Way To Apply This:
Look at anything around you.
A bottle. A chair. A smartphone.
Now ask:
-> What shapes make this?
Break it down:
- Cuboid/Cube
- Cone/Eclipse
- Cylinder
- Sphere
That is artist thinking.
🧠One Honest Truth:
Every good artist does this.
They do not draw randomly.
They build step after step.
And yeah…
I’m still improving this too.
Sometimes I look at something and realize:
“Wait… this is just a few shapes.”
That moment?
That’s when drawing becomes more effortless.
Even modeling in 3D animation got easier when I understood this.
🎮 Your Current Level: ‘Just Starting’
Right now, you do not need to draw full characters.
You just need to:
- practice shapes
- Understand form
- Get comfortable building
That’s it.
Your Next Step
Now that you understand shapes and construction in animation…
Next, we’re going to take it one notch further:
👉 How to turn these shapes into your own character
👉 How to design something simple but unique
👉 And how your style slowly starts to appear
This is where things start to become yours.