Animation Source Forums

I've made my Rendering Guide and my previous Drawing Guide, but I have yet to see a guide on Perspective. So I figured I'd help out the Balto Source Community and create one.

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First, you must prepare your drawing area. Make sure it is clean - free of any eraser residue, loose graphite (from sharpening) or any other debris. Some can cause a "ripple" (or raised area) on your paper when you draw, causing a very dark spot (which you don't want).

What you will need:
-Paper (of course). It works better with one leaf (or sheet).
-Masking tape.
-Your regular drawing tools (pencils, ink pens, colors, etc). Keep everything but a regular pencil aside.
-A large, flat surface (such as an unused, edge-protected pane of glass [Safetty first!], drawing board, or non-plush photograph album).
-A ruler, T-square, and straight edgetriangle. (The T-square and triangle are optional, but will help with buildings, fences, and so forth.)

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Now you can begin. Start by placing your paper comfortably on your surface (I use a pane of window glass with the edges guarded for safety). It helps to have the paper straight and alligned with the edges of the surface (to ensure you'll have as straight of a line as possible).

Once you have accomplished this, tape all four corners of the paper down. Make sure to use only a little bit of tape (no longer than .5 inches long, not wide) to save some. Taping the paper down dis-allows it from moving - also to ensure the quality of your lines. Be sure to tape only the top of the corner - so the viewiers won't be able to see a large white spot later!

Once you have done this, you can start drawing. Begin with a horizon line, which is a horizontal line, about the middle of the paper, but closer to the bottom (you can place this where ever you want it, but the middle is very common).

Once you have finished your horizon line, you can move on to the vanishing point. You can make this point by making a dot anywhere on the horizon line that you can, of course, notice. This, plainly named, is the point in which everything will "shrink." You can have multiple vanishing points, too. Even from the bottom of the page or other various area(s). For scenery, it's best to keep the point on the horizon lines. It can vary with subject(s).

After you've drawn this (as straight as possible!), you can move on to the guide lines (which are the side-ways "V" shape marks). After you have drawn these, you can begin your focal point (or your "subject[s]"). These lines make sure that it/they follow the perspective, so you can have a "pop" to your picture (as well as a 3D effect, if you finish it properly).

Be sure to draw LIGHTLY! I have drawn darker so the lines are visable. The lines you create will be erased later and could be an eye-sore if drawn too dark.

Here I have used two popular poses to demonstrate:


There isn't a lot to know about perspective, but you're welcome to duscuss any good tips, methods, ask questions, and so forth amongst this topic (which is why it's here). I suggest you start perspective "Art Class Style." That is, drawing two settings of buildings (a city/urban and a country). Perspective is used very much in scenery. But, if used properly, can be used with subjects, as well.

Below I have posted some pictures that are examples of perspective. I have also "red-lined" (or drawn in by using red lines) my predicted perspectived horizon line, vanishing point, and guides:



Even the respectable Kay Fedewa and E. Siegal use these methods in The Blackblood Alliance graphic novel. (All artwork and characters shown below are copyright © Kay Fedewa and E. Siegal, used here for example purposes ONLY.)





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Feel free to now discuss any other tips, questions, or methods you may have. I'm sure someone will be appreciative of your help. :]

This is an awesome guide Kirada! I'm sure I'll find this really helpful when doing pics, especially backgrounds. ^^ Kudos to you!

Great guide you have here, Kirada.

I'd like to add two small points for those persistent enough:

-While the horizontal line is most commonly found near the middle of the page, placing the line higher or lower on the page changes the point-of-view of the image (normally in scenery but could be used for subjects). High up on the page would make the point of view look down on the scene. Likewise for the horizontal line being low on the page but looking up on the scene.

-When placing the vanishing point, you're not limited to just the paper. The vanishing point can actually be placed any distance off the page. With a big peace of paper under the paper you're using for the image, you can accomplish this.

Good tutorial. Good to see that someone explained the thingy about the horizon line.

LOVE this !!! Very nicely done Kirada !

The part with the drawing you made of the canine jumping "towards the viewer" definitely helped me see how I could go about drawing those kinds of drawings =)

I never understood how to do that...but now I do ! =] Thanks Kirada !^^

This here topic is very useful and how I found out about perspective when I was starting out. Personally I think it deserves to be stickied. Hint hint, mods.

Anyway, bumping it back up. I do think a lot of you artists who are starting out would find this useful. I know things I used to always get stuck at in drawing before I saw this tutorial. Very nice, Kirada, Great job!

Wow, this makes we wanna draw things at odd angles Very nice job on the guidelines; they make it look SO much simpler. Fantastic article!

And I agree that it should be stickied, Kazzy (another hint, hint). It's the kind of thing that should be seen by many people who would be browsing around the art forums.

Thank you for posting this. It'll really help me when trying to find different angles to draw in.

Thanks for posting this! I myself do a have a few problem with perspective but it's more in traditional art in backgrounds.

I also think this should be sticked for the members who have yet to learn of perspective. It's a very good guide.

Great job Kirada, i think everybody has a hard time with perspective from time to time. Great idea to post this i know it will help a lot and probably even me. I mostly draw on my bed.... yeah *yikes* XD cause i really dont have a large area anywhere to draw ahahah.
Anyways great job.

Do what I do. Get a large book (e.x., mine is a storytelling book), one larger than your paper. And use that. Just prop yourself up comfortably on something (in a chair, on the head of your bed, ETC.). You don't have to have a desk, or lie on the floor or anything. It's just; the more space, the better off you are sort of deal. But it's possible in limited space. Or, get a light table (Hobby Lobby sells good-sized ones for like, $30-something USD. Or, learn and build a simple one of your own, like I did at first.)

Oh so smart, clever you. I shall try those ideas, you built one yourself? How did that turn out? Becuase that sounds like a good idea.

I built my own light table (which was also a great, large surface) myself, yes. It was crude, but very effective.

This is just what I did:

- We had this old, metal table -- the kind with the glass top. But the glass had long ago been broken. Outside, we had some replacement window panes (with metal trim on the edges; this is better because it greatly reduces the chance of accidentally cutting oneself). I set up this table with a simple folding chair, and put the glass over the space where the old glass pane used to be. Then, I used a box (12-24 inches tall), and placed it under the table, where I put a lamp.

The "light table" worked really well. Of course, you don't need the light -- I mainly made this to play with traditional animation. But it works great for a regular drawing table, too. (:

There're other ways to build your own, but I made mine that way because I had a nephew (3) and a neice (2), both who like to play with (and sometimes ruin, as all toddlers do) art supplies. This was simple; I could take it down in a moment's notice, and it was also safer for having the kids around.

great reference!