Drawing

Tips from the SLC: Two Point Perspective

This week you are focusing on two point-perspective, which can be one of the hardest concepts for artists and designers to master. Don’t despair! Stick with it, and soon it will click for you. Schedule an appointment at the SLC if you need some feedback on your drawing!

One of the common questions we get at the SLC is how to fit two vanishing points on one piece of paper. Sometimes when you have roughed in your composition you find you don’t have room for two vanishing points on your paper or your drawing will be too small and it will create too much negative space on either side. The solution to this is to use two additional pieces of paper, one on either side. Be sure to tape the extra paper to the back of your original paper, so your vanishing points aren’t suddenly moving around!

Another thing we see during tutoring is jumping into the details too early. Be sure to focus on the basic shapes and make sure they are in perspective before moving on to the details. For example, when you draw a building, you would start with basic shapes, like cubes and pyramids before adding windows or decoration. This makes the building a little less intimidating, and also helps make sure the object is in perspective before you’ve invested time into details. When you do get to the details, however, remember that those also have to be in perspective. If one feature isn’t in perspective, it will make your object appear incorrect.