Cubist Cactus

I like to do some work on cubism every year. I think it's a great way to get students used to sketching objects from different angles. This year I've decide I'll give my students an array of cacti as their source material.

Initially, the students will draw a rectangular grid and then divide it up into four equal sections. My grid was 20cm by 16cm, but these dimensions don't really matter - it could be bigger or smaller.

Then students will make four observational sketches of their cactus, one in each of the grid's four sections. Each sketch should be made from a different angle.

Once students are happy with their pencil sketches, they can go over their lines in fineliner (I used a Derwent Graphik 0.05). After this, all pencil lines (including the original grid) can be erased.

To finish, students can add hatching, cross-hatching and additional line weight to their drawing.