Drawspace lesson J03: How to draw a symmetrical item

New team member is in town - Drawspace J03 introduces drawing with a Tracing paper!!! And why, you ask? Because this lesson is all about drawing symmetrical objects.
The method suggests using the paper to draw a simple vase, but since I didn't really understand the method and I don't have any tracing paper, I'll have to make it without.

That's the sketch.

It took me 5 minutes to draw - outline only, no shading or anything, so I decided to draw a chess pawn.

This is it.

And that's the sketch.

After finishing the shading part I've realized that I captured the form all wrong. If you notice, the bottom part is at all uneven and it's non-proportionally large regarding its top! I guess I didn't make as many helping lines as needed. So I sketched it again.

Much better, don't you think?

To keep on the practice I did a sketch of this Chess King.

 I worked slowly and very methodically. Plenty of helping lines and loads of erasing. The result is ok.

Tip of the post: Always, at any times look for the basic form inside the item you draw! Always! The mistake in the first Chess Pawn drawing came ONLY! from the fact that I did a round form first and not the square. You could see how better the right sketch look comparing to the left one and to the original on the photograph. (Yes, I know, I took the picture from another perspective, that's another note for me).

Wow, hell of the lesson, hell of the sketching and hell of the post! I'm so glad to move on to the next one!

P.S. When I opened my chess set I was hit by the chess smell, and it made me wonder: how is it possible that after so many years being manufactured, every single set of wooden chess still have this strong smell of wood and varnish? Incredible!