Form Reduction

Form reduction is a very important part of visual communication. I'm actually vegan and don't eat ducks or chickens but was very happy to use these two lovely and adrable cretures as an example. Here I am reducing from sketch to 5x5, 4x4 and 3x3. I decided to use both a 'closed' and 'open' beak for each bird to demonstrate their differences when reducing the form.

Series 1: A Duck

In the 5x5 grid I emphasized the head, beak, body, tail and feet. In the 4x4 I reduced the only the neck in 2 dimensions and I think it is starting to look like a seahorse due to the single beak that has been positioned downward for the duck. Finally in the 3x3 I reduced the body and upper thighs.

Series 2: A Chicken

In the 5x5 grid I emphasized the open beak, large body size, tail and legs. In the 4x4 I reduced the body in 2 simensions and in the 3x3 reduced the body again. Here we can see the advantages of using the open beak shape and how it preserves the characteristics of the bird.