Precautions
Do not remove the “lens cap tube” from the black Delrin Wollaston prism holder rod. Slide the “lens cap tube” back on the prism holder rod to use the Camera Lucida.. Leave the “lens cap tube” covering the Wollaston prism whenever the Camera Lucida is not is use.
Setup
Start out by changing the Camera Lucida by TRI to the drawing position from the storage position in the box it comes in. Do this:
1) Unclamp the Maple upright from the drawing board storage position and clamp it in the drawing position with the clamping knob that is used for either position.
2) With the split upright knob loose, unclip the Wollaston prism holding rod and insert it in a hole in the split Maple upright.
3) Rotate the holding rod until the viewing slot aperture of the prism is on top and horizontal. The wide prism face will then be looking toward the model or scene you wish do draw or paint. Snug (not overtight) the rotational position of the rod with the knob that clamps the prism holding rod in the Maple upright.
4) Start by using the highest position in the Maple upright, the drawing board on a table, and a standing drawing position for the artist.
Drawing
Your drawing will be as seen from the position of the Wollaston prism view that is perpendicular to the drawing board. You should move your model or tilt the drawing board so the view you want is centered on the drawing board. (Note that looking down on a child’s face results in a different emotional content than looking up at a child’s face.)
With the Camera Lucida by TRI you have four eye positions that are very important.
1) Your eye is over the Wollaston prism opening. You see only the virtual image of what is in front of you.
2) Your eye is over the edge of the Wollaston prism. You see the virtual image superimposed on your drawing.
3) Your eye is past the edge of the Wollaston prism. You see only your drawing.
4) You are looking directly at your subject. As you move your viewing position around, your eye-brain produces a better three dimensional concept of what you are drawing. This allows you to better see, understand, and draw your subject.
First
Practice using the first three eye positions. Get used to moving your eye position to see either only virtual, only drawing or superimposed. Notice that you will see only about 1/3 of the drawing at a time. Become used to changing your eye position to see whichever area of your drawing you are working on. Like riding a bicycle, it takes a little conscious thought at first, but rapidly it becomes easy, an unconscious skill. Fifteen minutes practicing using these eye positions in the beginning will go far towards rapidly learning to skillfully use your Camera Lucida by TRI.
Tracing
Using the Camera Lucida usually means that you will start with tracing a few position defining lines in your drawing. As you become more familiar with using the Camera Lucida, you will find the less you try to trace and the more you draw freehand the better your drawings will come out.
Alternating
As your drawing takes shape, you will find that you can alternately look at your drawing and the virtual image for maybe 5 to 10 seconds each. When you look at the virtual image for 10 seconds in the area you want to add to your drawing in, then look at your drawing and think about what you are going to add to your drawing in that area. It is equivalent to the artist without a Camera Lucida looking up at the subject for a short period of time and then over at their drawing and adding to the drawing. Doing this with a Camera Lucida, the virtual image and drawing are seen at the same position at a different time. By becoming aware of what you are doing you should be able to become more skilled at drawing without using the Camera Lucida also.
Flickering
I am going to call a more rapid shift between seeing the virtual image and drawing “flickering”. There is a technique for comparing printed circuit boards where an optical apparatus presents alternate views of a good board and a board to be examined in the same viewing position. When alternate views are seen at ˝ to 1 second intervals, a missing part in the examined board appears to flicker or blink, making it immediately apparent to the examiner. When the Camera Lucida’s virtual image and drawing view are rapidly alternated, the artists eye is drawn to the “flickering” areas of the drawing where more effort will produce the greatest improvement. The same will happen when doing a painting with the Camera Lucida and a “wrong” color area will color “flicker”.
Drawing Mounting
There is a difference in drawing something unmoving like a landscape and a portrait from life where the model will make slight changes in their position.
For an unmoving landscape it is useful to attach your drawing to the drawing board in a fixed position with something like Scotch 3M Draftsman Masking tape. Don’t use the cheap masking tape that will tear off the surface of your drawing and leave sticky residue on the drawing board.
In drawing portraits from life it is better to leave your drawing loose and hold it in position while you draw with the other hand. This way you can make slight changes in the position of your drawing to keep the drawing and the virtual image superimposed while your model changes position slightly. This is better than using words to ask your model to move this way and that to have them move back to their original position.
Practice
Children usually start out drawing stick figures. They do not draw what they see, but a concept of what they see. Learning to draw is, in many ways, learning to remove the concept, learning to see, and learning to represent the elements of what is seen. First representational skills and then informational skills and emotional skills.
As a drawing aid, the Camera Lucida is best used by the artist as a tool for immediately and accurately comparing the subject to the drawing. The Camera Lucida can provide a short feedback loop for the artist to do their own evaluation of their results. If you next try to do the same drawing without the Camera Lucida you will be able to learn more. The additional paths of practice and finding and using a teacher’s help are also very important. After your skill with using the Camera Lucida increases, you will be able to determine when you should use it and when you should not.
Some more comments on drawing with the Camera Lucida by TRI |
