The Perspective Course
Understanding Perspective(11 Lessons )
Intro to Perspective
Materials
Bonus Lessons
Mastering the Skills(0 Lesson )
Learn the differences between creating art in structured stages and drawing spontaneously. I share methods from personal projects, discussing how stages can help with precision, while spontaneity enhances creativity. Along with tips on thumbnails, vellum tracing, and timed sketches, this lesson helps guide artists on balancing both approaches to improve skill and intuition.
Newest
@conn
4d
Hi Marshall and gang! I love seeing your finished drawing and your working sketches. It gives me confidence not to shy away from drawings that aren't polished and actually develop my skills. Sort of like going to the gym to get good rather than look good while you're there! Then use those skills to execute a finished piece when ready.
I was doing this already a bit with a perspective problem I was working out for my grandmother who paints based on a photo she sent me. I started in pencil and refined in pen to make it more clear for her. It's a subtle perspective looking through a window at a slight angle. Here it is in case anyone can share in the learning or give me any feedback!
Thanks!
Sandra Salem
1d
If you have the pic, I would trace on top with vellum the actual vanishing points to help her position objects in space accurately. This looks like a three point perspective model. The actual vanishing points will be far away from the cropped frame, so maybe a smaller thumbnail demonstrating the overall idea of how perspective is affecting space in this photograph, and then a more detailed one like this one you made for her, with the three axis distortions. That is what I would do, because right now you showed her only a single vanishing point perspective distortion and she will focus on that, missing the other two; that even though they are slightly altering the space, are having an important role when it comes to positioning the objects in space.
Elior Harush
5d
Will you do a shading demonstration sometime? I love how your pencil renderings look :)
•
4d
Elior,
I used to teach rendering many years ago, but no reason to now. When you have Dorian Iten doing the job... you have instruction beyond anything I ever offered.
But thank you. I did enjoy rendering, and I think that one of the secrets to it (apart from knowing how), is to enjoy it.
Maybe I'll demo when we finish all this line work.
@lieseldraws
5d
Hi, Marshall - thanks for the lesson!
I’m really looking forward to learning how to wrap rubber bands around a sphere as I’ve struggled with them when learning the Loomis method from his book, where he compares the head to a ball with a nail running through the axis. I didn’t realize lined spheres relate to boxes 🫢 Everything does seem to come down to drawing cubes…
•
4d
Yeah, it does, unromantic as it seems. Those three axes are the core.
But, deep into this course, you will master the axes first, then the ellipses that spin around them will be sooooo much easier for you.
if you are ambitious to move fast, my 1994 course, or for that matter, Scott Robertson's book HOW TO DRAW, can give you all the info ahead of time.
@ugoduardo
5d
Hi!! Great lesson as always. I want to know if someone could recommend me any drawing books for perspective, thanks :D @Marshall Vandruff
•
5d
I have several pages of reviews here:
https://www.marshallart.com/HOME/reviews/
For Perspective, look under Draftsmanship.
Clayton Trotz
6d
huh, I'm actually really looking forward to lessons on taking risks! I'm always overthinking things and worrying about wasting materials to the point that materials go unused for years.
Mariah Dolenc
6d
I've always struggled with the patience to do several sketches.
Randy Pontillo
6d
When I was struggling with that I realized it was because I was developing my 'dud' sketches too much. Marshall mentioned setting a timer of some kind to limit how long you spend on each idea, and I think that's rock solid advice. It might not be your patience at all, you might just be putting too much effort into a bunch of rough drafts youre probably not going to end up using.
Dermot
6d
Marshall, thanks for your articulate explanation. Your artwork is amazing.
I know this is off topic, but you talk of airbrushing in the past. Could you provide a link so I can visulise what this process involved? Thumbnail drawing looks challenging. It seems you need a good understanding of what you see, to put to paper what you see or imagine. Thanks again.
•
5d
At LightBox we recorded a walk-through of some of my commercial airbrush jobs, mostly with lessons how different the process was then compared to now. The Proko team recorded it. You should see it by end of year.
Randy Pontillo
6d
Hmm, judging from how you worded it, I've been giving my thumbnail sketches too much thought instead of letting spontaneity take over. Truly letting one aspect of your brain take over is unexpectedly difficult.
@bert2
6d
those line drawings of the boar and fox at the end are really beautiful Marshall !
here is a videos of artist working in stages i stumbled upon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qM2vHahcqQ
•
5d
Yeah Yeah Yeah - that's great stuff.
There are so many amazing artists showing their process on YouTube that it can overwhelm you unless you can choose the few that you say "like THAT!" and work their ways into your own process. Thanks for linking.
Carlos Javier Roo Soto
6d
Nice.
Ishaan Kumar
6d
Right off the bat, those illustrations from your advertising days are absolutely stunning. They're precise, realistic-looking and so beautifully rendered! They look so tactile! And it's blowing my mind that you achieved that level of rendering on the photo filter disc image overnight.
One of my profs from my uni days was instrumental in instilling the habit of keeping a sketchbook and drawing regularly within it. I have a sketchbook but I'm nowhere close to as regular as I should be. Additionally, I run into the problem of doing the opposite as you describe in this video with sketchbook drawings which is to do less thinking and be 'uncareful'. I tend to want to get it right as soon as I put pen to paper but I realise now how futile a mindset like that is.
I'm so grateful for videos like these as they not only teach process and technique, but also discipline.
•
5d
Thank you Ishaan.
Yes - they were tactile, and it took a complicated, messy studio to make the images come out clean.
And you have extracted the valuable lessons here, the hard ones you may need to balance your process.
@blackhand
6d
I feel like sketchbook “tours” on YouTube have contributed to the precious sketch issue. Very few people show their less than perfect iterations, unfortunately.
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I Write, I Draw, I Teach
