Exercise 07 · Difficulty: Intermediate · About 15 minutes

Two cherries Grid Drawing Practice

Skills: Relative position · Negative space · Stem curves

Compare two fruits at different heights and the curved stems that connect them. Small changes in the space between the fruits and the stems can alter the whole arrangement.

Practice Materials

Use a square frame with 4 × 4 matching cells. Draw on paper while keeping the reference beside you.

Original illustration of two red cherries at different heights with curved stems meeting above them — Reference Image
Observe the whole silhouette before using the grid.
Download reference PNG

Grid Reference

Match the positions where curves cross cell edges.

Blank Grid

Keep the same frame proportions on your paper.

Download A4 worksheet Download Letter worksheet Edit worksheet

The PDF pairs a labeled reference with a matching blank grid. Print in landscape at actual size. Use the worksheet editor to change grid density, choose paper size or export a PNG.

01 — Place Two Separate Fruit Masses

Mark the approximate center of each red fruit. The left fruit is higher and the right fruit is lower. Compare that drop with one grid cell before drawing either contour.

Place a loose rounded envelope around each center. Check their widths independently. The fruits nearly meet around the middle; inspect the narrow gap rather than assuming they overlap.

The centers and connecting guide reveal the height difference between the two fruit masses.

02 — Trace the Shared Stem Junction

Locate the upper point where the stems meet near the leaf. Follow the left stem down toward the first fruit, then the longer right stem down to the second.

Compare the white wedge between them. It widens downward, and the stems curve differently. Draw each as a single direction before adding thickness.

The two stem curves share one upper junction but end at different heights.

03 — Shape the Dips and Preserve the Gap

At each stem attachment, flatten the top contour into a small dip. The stem should enter the fruit rather than end above a perfect circle.

Check the closest edges between the two fruits. Preserve the small visible white gap in this reference; if your contours touch, compare their widths and positions before adding the pale highlights.

The marks locate the stem dips. Compare the narrow white space between the facing contours.

04 — Check Your Drawing

Compare the whole drawing before refining individual cells. Use these checks to locate the largest mismatch.

Are both fruits on the same level?
Lower the right fruit’s center relative to the left and recheck the stem length before changing the outline.
Have the fruits fused into one shape?
Compare their facing contours and preserve the narrow gap visible in the reference.
Are the stems a straight upside-down V?
Follow each curved path from the shared junction. The left stem bends outward more; the right descends more directly.

Practice This Exercise

Make a second attempt on paper. Choose a gridded reference or remove the grid to test the relationships you have learned.

Mark the two fruit centers. Compare their heights and the triangle between the stems.

Reference

Matching drawing grid

The PDFs use the standard grid. For the challenge, draw a square frame on plain paper. Open the editor if you want fewer cells for an intermediate step.

Edit worksheet

What You Practiced

Relative center heights organize paired objects.
A shared junction relates unequal stem curves.
Small negative spaces keep nearby forms distinct.

Keep both attempts and note one correction: what moved, and which comparison showed you where it belonged?

Learn the Technique

Measuring angles and negative shapes →How artists use grids to see proportion →

Continue Your Practice

Apple study →Lemon study →Use your own reference in Grid Maker →

Reference: original DrawGrid illustration. Orange guides describe this reference and should be drawn lightly, then erased. Material source record