Understanding the Torus
The torus is a "doughnut" shapeโa surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis coplanar with the circle. It is a challenging but rewarding form for artists to master, appearing in rings, tires, and various organic joints like the lips or muscles wrapping around limbs.
How to Practice
- Rotate the torus to observe how the inner and outer ellipses interact.
- Follow the cross-sections (cyan/green rings) as they rotate around the main path.
- Notice how the "hole" changes shape as the viewing angle becomes more shallow.
Key Art Principles
- Cross-Sectional Drawing: Drawing "contour rings" around the torus helps define its volume and orientation.
- Occlusion: Parts of the torus will overlap itself, creating interesting depth cues.
- Complex Ellipses: Every point on the torus can be thought of as part of an ellipse, requiring careful observation of minor and major axes.
Thinking of the torus as a series of circles moving along a circular path is the most effective way to construct it from scratch.