Simplifying Complex Perspective
Simplifying Complex Perspective
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7:24

Simplifying Complex Perspective

1.2K
Course In Progress

Simplifying Complex Perspective

1.2K
Course In Progress
Marshall Vandruff
When drawing in perspective, I begin by sketching small thumbnails without focusing on accuracy, identifying potential problems along the way. This preliminary work, though unseen, is crucial for getting started. It allows me to establish a solid foundation in perspective before addressing more complex issues. Like any skill, drawing involves various stages of learning—some lessons may be straightforward, while others are challenging, but each is invaluable. Armed with knowledge and practice, solving perspective problems becomes manageable.
Newest
@blazedai
The advice of thinking like you have tools even when working freehand changed the way I look at a piece of paper. Due to a hectic schedule I very very often work in a 5x8 sketchbook with no tools at hand. Thinking like I have a square or a triangle for those fancy perspective tricks is very insightful to me. The cutting a rectangle halfway with a line from the corner to find the next highest corner is entirely new to me. I am excited to learn more from someone who so obviously knows their business both drawing and teaching.
Kai Ju
29d
Question, is there a posting schedule for this course? I keep forgetting to check so I kinda just want a rough time to know when to come see if there's new videos.... Weekly? Every two weeks? Just wanna make sure I don't end up forgetting all about it....
Charlie Nicholson
For now it's twice a week (not counting this week), but we're going to settle into weekly releases soon. There will be one this week, it should be posted shortly- it will be a critique of the assignment of this lesson group.
Phoenix Baldwin
Marshall, this one video highlighted the problem I've run into in every single perspective course I've ever taken. The "subdividing" trick is among only a few things that stuck from my last perspective course. I learned how to identify one, two, three point perspective. But I never fully understood the tools I was being handed. Everything was so lost in the vocabulary and the tricks, without a clear grasp of the wider applications and with NO understanding of how to freehand any of it. Too rigid and disconnected from the rest of the drawing process to integrate those tools into my work.... Here I've two little practice sessions. On the left, I've done what worked for me with figure drawing by doing some timed studies from photos. Just to broaden my visual library and get better at understanding space from photos. On the right, two slower sketches attempting to exercise the perspective learning from imagination...
@conn
30d
Love this! Great approach
Katie
1mo
This sounds like the course I’ve been searching for my ENTIRE LIFE (which is as lengthy as my passion for art). I know a lot of those techniques you were demoing, but as much as I’ve used them, I’ve never really been able to *think* in perspective. But what I’ve come to learn is that being able to think in perspective is the difference between art, and great art. I am so so excited for this.
Liz K
1mo
I spot a syllabus sneak peak! The intro and analysis so far has been a gentle and engaging introduction to perspective. I have a general grasp of perspective, but seeing how you break it down just clicks! Props to your editor too, it's very clearly illustrated with your direction. My work feels like it has plateaued lately so there's nothing like going back to (re)learn fundamentals again. Excited for more to come. :)
@ashfin613
1mo
Thanks so much for putting together this course for us Marshall we are very lucky! Peace and love from Canada.
Léa
1mo
I feel like we're going to learn so much, not just about perspective, but about picture making as a whole. I can't wait !!
Marshall Vandruff
Yeah!
@clickbrick
lets-a-do-this!
Dermot
1mo
Elementary sounds good to me Dear Watson, or is it D'Amelio ? No..... it's Marshall Vandruff ! Thanks for a glimpse into the course. Encouraging, thanks. :)
@vaporsymphony
I'm super excited to set out on this journey. Empowering
Randy Pontillo
I'm strapped in for a year of perspective, HIT ME WITH YOUR WORST RAAAH!
Andreas Kra
I started with some simple shapes and kept adding more details. I learned how to draw stairs in perspective by analyzing Jack Frost's Palace and then tried my hand at a curved slope. I like the final result and how "simple" it remains.
Marshall Vandruff
You are way ahead in your understanding already. Keep up this kind of practice, and the lessons for you will be less about learning, more about refining what you already know. Good work Andreas!
Andreas Kra
I have a question about how to do the dividing trick—specifically, how to correctly divide a plane in space, especially when it converges in both directions. Any tips on how to approach this?
Renee Ing Akana
Marshall, you make me want to put all of my perspective books on a shelf for a while and go on this joy ride into the subject. I love the approach. I have taken your other course which is more "later on" than this one, but I can see that this will solidify everything to perfection!
Marshall Vandruff
Yes Renee. I didn't feel obligated to do this course, mainly because the old one made the points for most students. But I did want to do a course that we could make into a "joy ride" together. Thanks for that thought!
Lanna
1mo
I can’t wait! This course is going to be fantastic!
@blackhand
1mo
I like this. In the kayaking world this would be called practicing hard moves in easy water, or, as one of my coaches likes to say, if you can’t do it in the small stuff, you won’t do it in the big stuff!
Marshall Vandruff
Indeed. Good observation.
Espy
1mo
Whenever I followed perspective courses on youtube in the past, I've noticed a lot of the tutorials tend to jump from learning 1 point, 2 point, and 3 point perspective, to tutorials on depth to like this, and while do feel like i learn how to apply those basic foundations of perspective in that way, I do feel like I am lacking the advanced understanding of perspective to build characters and organic environments using the knowledge of perspective; I just thought my brain wasn't capable of conceiving such a concept! Foundations like learning how to rotate a cube while keeping it consistent, pre-planning, measuring around forms, and learning how to freeform organic forms are lessons I'm really looking forward to in this course!
Marshall Vandruff
Espy, you will get enough "advanced understanding of perspective" to either continue in it like an engineer, or get it into your freehand skills so that you will eventually feel it more than think it. And I bet you know that, either way, you will earn it! Work ahead, but I hope fun too.
Linus Lehmann
My notes from this and the last lesson. (The last two exercises I wrote down are, of course, not specifically mentionend in the video but they are what I will do to practice the concepts discussed. Sorry if my handwriting is hard to read)
Marshall Vandruff
Linus, you've got the first big, comforting lesson: that we seek simplicity to make sense of complexity. It's a maxim for most problems ahead.
@vange
1mo
Thanks Marshall, looking forward to the rest of the course
Gannon Beck
This is good stuff! One thing I realized is that working out perspective problems small and then blowing them up is a good strategy, so there is an added benefit to working at thumbnail size beyond working out problems. The drawings hold up. When I work this way, I only need a ruler not a yard stick, which is nice.
Marshall Vandruff
Good point. Small drawings force big decisions. Also, small drawings can make it easy to dare, like whispering it out before shouting. Thanks Gannon!
Mariah Dolenc
I really enjoy your videos. That is all.
Marshall Vandruff
Thank you Mariah!
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I Write, I Draw, I Teach
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