A life ring or life buoy is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in the water, to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. You won’t be in over your head with this simple, low-contrast drawing.
Step 1: Draw a small circle inside a slightly larger circle.
Step 2: Add lines to create 4 bands around the ring. Draw a line connecting the bands as shown. They do not have to be symmetrical.
Step 3: Add a layer of tone to the undersides of the ring to indicate a light source. This means filling in the base of the ring using a curved motion as well as the top part of the inner ring. This indicates a light source coming from above.
Step 4: Add a light layer of tone to the remainder of the ring. The center of the ring should be the lightest tone. Make the bands thicker with line.
Step 5: Blend tones to smooth them. Use a kneaded eraser to highlight the center of the ring. Add a line that follows the contour of the rope and draw diagonals for the rope pattern.
Tip: Contrast in art refers to the arrangement of opposite elements in an image. A highcontrast artwork will have tones that are very light and very dark. A low contrast artwork will have more tones that are between light and dark, called midtones.
