How You Do Perspective

JeffW. · 02-20-2009, 04:46 PM

After reading Nick's excellent perspective technique. (http://www.digitalwebbing.com/forums...=137377&page=3)

I thought it would be interesting for all of us to post how we tackle the daunting task of perspective. I'll go first.

I needed a way around taping my page down (since I bring my pages to work and draw at lunch) and using huge awkward rulers and I devised a method that seems to work for me. Here goes:

Step 1 is just to draw what looks right. Like Nick said, it's important to just "look correct" first and worry about the perspective lines later. So I first do a pretty loose sketch of what I want. Keeping perspective in mind, but not being a slave to it right now.

The I'll scan that rough sketch in and in your favorite drawing program (mine being Freehand) start building your perspective lines. Since I'm working in the computer I don't have to worry about how far my perspective points are, they could be 5 feet away and it wouldn't matter. Can you imagine trying to use a 5 foot ruler?

And I end up with this:

Which is my perspective grid laid on top of my sketch. From there I simply tape it in place on the back of the page I'm working on and simply use the light box to finish the drawing. Since I don't like dealing with long awkward rulers, I just use a triangle to trace my lines.

And there you have it. It's a pretty crude example but I think you get the point. Since I don't have the page taped down I can turn it however I need to and take it with me if I need to. I also don't have a bunch or lines to erase when I'm finished.

Now let's see your perspective tips!

xombey · 02-20-2009, 05:02 PM

that is so cool. but do you feel like youi're cheating? i'm sure renaisance artists would have embraced this wholeheartedly.

i'm actulally gonna print this out so i can refer to it.

JeffW. · 02-20-2009, 05:10 PM

Cheating? No I don't feel like it's cheating. I even tried Google SketchUp for a while but it ended up being more work than it was worth.

xombey · 02-20-2009, 05:14 PM

oh and if i knew how. i'd give you pts for doing a loose sketch, rather than a lose one, which is one of my pet peeves

Wushuboy · 02-20-2009, 05:28 PM

so is there an option like that in photoshop or painter? th at's quite a great way to do it

William Blankenship · 02-20-2009, 06:56 PM

Very cool, thanks for sharing your technique.

Sleepbringer · 02-21-2009, 12:01 AM

This is great. I'm poring over perspective books these days trying to figure it out and jumped into this page. Thought i had a simple 2 point perspective going on, but it just doesn't look right. Suggestions? Can do your magic grid and show me what it "should" look like? The shot with the back of the girl.

The 2nd panel is a 1 point perspective (with all the cars), any ideas just for making it look better? The scan actually makes it look horrendous, ug.

Thanks!
Ben

Nick Pitarra · 02-21-2009, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xombey

that is so cool. but do you feel like youi're cheating? i'm sure renaisance artists would have embraced this wholeheartedly.

i'm actulally gonna print this out so i can refer to it.

It's not cheating if you already know what you're doing. It's smart. You use the computer as a tool just like your ruler. He's using it to define what he imagined. My problem with sketchup is that people who have no idea what they're doing and aren't imagining anything will just go in and move the camera around and print. Not very creative. The way I do it, and the way Jeff Dub does it are exactly the same. I could just as easily expand the canvas of the rough I do in Photoshop(the expanded canvas represents the drawing table), then use the pen tool line to draw straight lines out to the vanishing points. Then resize the canvas back down and print out the grid and work ontop of it like Jeff. But for me I like working on the blueline grid on the original because it just sits better with my approach. We are doing the exact same things. He used the computer to make his grid and I use a ruler. How we get the grid isn't as important as imagining an environment and then knowing/using the rules of perspective to develop it. I've built a grid or two in photoshop for fun, just exploring making a grid, and I make it about as fast by hand. I listen to one song per perspective point, so after three songs on my ipod i have my grid on the final board. I'll add more to this thread a little later with my own process.

~nick

jimmybott · 02-21-2009, 05:39 AM

I saw this technique Jeff posted years ago posted by Freddie Williams II and even though I'm all for using anything that makes my process quicker I didn't like this method. Just from personal choice, I'm not condemning it as a tradtionalist or anything. I draw all my perspective out with a ruler. I have a 1m long metal ruler and if that isnt long enough I have a peice of 2x1 batton at about 4 foot long. I tape my board down then I used to use peices of tape with X's on them to mark my vanishing points, that was until a little while ago and Jake Bilbao mentioned his drawing pin method at the vanishing points. I was a little worried I would end up continually stabbing myself on the little blighters and get blood on my art board. But I've been cutting the ends off the pins and no heavy blood loss just yet

. So thanks Jake if you read this. You made my life a little easier.

JamieRoberts · 02-21-2009, 06:22 AM

I read 'Perspective for Comic Book Artists' by David Chelsea and followed it rigidly. Recently, I forgot completely because I rarely use backgrounds in my work now. Time to re-learn.

WSmith · 02-21-2009, 06:41 AM

This is why I never accomplished more than simple sketching. I simply do not have the patience. I can rough out a panel with rough perspective; I do that well enough to show an artist what I am thinking, but I get frustrated when I strain for more.

I really admire you guys and the effort it takes to plan and lay out your work. It is a different effort to write what the mind's eye sees, but bringing it to life and doing it correctly is phenomonal.

Nick Pitarra · 02-21-2009, 07:56 AM

Ignore the spelling...and aweful handwriting...here's a quick overdraw of a panel of yours sleepbringer. Hope it helps. I always let my figure's determine the horizon line and then find out the perspective from there. Here's how I'd break it down, just going off of one figure you can find your perspective.

JeffW. · 02-21-2009, 08:33 AM

Man, Nick, you explained that perfectly. Nick's exactly right, the most important and first step is figuring out where your horizon line is, then everything kinda goes from there. As you can see on my example, Nick and I put the vanishing points almost in the same spot according to your drawing. I think the problem with your cityscape is that the perspective points on wither side seem to be moving from building to building. Once you figure out where your PP's are every building should follow those lines. Unless of course a building, or box, or anything is tilted. In that case, you move your PP's but still stay on the same HL.

Nick Pitarra · 02-21-2009, 08:48 AM

Much better Jeff Dub! I explained all that and you did it in one drawing!

. But yeah...we are seeing it the same way, having the figure come first is the same as when I was saying have the drawing/rough come first on the three point perspective. Make the perspective work for you, use it to figure out and flesh out what you were naturally thinking. That's always my approach. And once you get the basics of perpective down...atleast in my case, the perpective does the drawing for you.It tells you when things are too big/too small in relations to one another, it tells you how far something is tilted or if it's not tilted,how far something is in the distance, it tells you hulk it taller than wolverine. It's really everything. And once you have that control over it you can move the camera where ever you want and draw the same scene from any angle imaginable. And then you really are the director of your own comics story. It's a priceless drawing tool.

DJ Keawekane · 02-21-2009, 11:44 AM

Wow! That's alot of explaining. I basically just rough it in the layout stage, marking the vanishing point and when I blow up to the big size I keep the vps marked so I know where it is and they usually end up looking ok.

But I will say Jeffs method is way better for 3 point perspective. The vanishing point for the point downside is usually so far away I'll just use an 11 x 17 paper and actually keep all the lines- actually creating a grid just for consistency because it can all get thrown off at this point and things get thrown off. Buildings swaying all over the place. It actually took awhile to learn that one. Way too many mistakes before I realized where I was screwing up. Before I used to set that vp too high and it would show.

I know it may be a bit late for me now, but does anyone know a good book for perspective?

02-20-2009, 04:46 PM	#1
JeffW. I always finish what I st Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,154	How You Do Perspective After reading Nick's excellent perspective technique. (http://www.digitalwebbing.com/forums...=137377&page=3) I thought it would be interesting for all of us to post how we tackle the daunting task of perspective. I'll go first. I needed a way around taping my page down (since I bring my pages to work and draw at lunch) and using huge awkward rulers and I devised a method that seems to work for me. Here goes: Step 1 is just to draw what looks right. Like Nick said, it's important to just "look correct" first and worry about the perspective lines later. So I first do a pretty loose sketch of what I want. Keeping perspective in mind, but not being a slave to it right now. The I'll scan that rough sketch in and in your favorite drawing program (mine being Freehand) start building your perspective lines. Since I'm working in the computer I don't have to worry about how far my perspective points are, they could be 5 feet away and it wouldn't matter. Can you imagine trying to use a 5 foot ruler? And I end up with this: Which is my perspective grid laid on top of my sketch. From there I simply tape it in place on the back of the page I'm working on and simply use the light box to finish the drawing. Since I don't like dealing with long awkward rulers, I just use a triangle to trace my lines. And there you have it. It's a pretty crude example but I think you get the point. Since I don't have the page taped down I can turn it however I need to and take it with me if I need to. I also don't have a bunch or lines to erase when I'm finished. Now let's see your perspective tips!

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

02-20-2009, 05:02 PM	#2
xombey Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,055	that is so cool. but do you feel like youi're cheating? i'm sure renaisance artists would have embraced this wholeheartedly. i'm actulally gonna print this out so i can refer to it.

02-20-2009, 05:10 PM	#3
JeffW. I always finish what I st Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,154	Cheating? No I don't feel like it's cheating. I even tried Google SketchUp for a while but it ended up being more work than it was worth.

02-20-2009, 05:14 PM	#4
xombey Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,055	oh and if i knew how. i'd give you pts for doing a loose sketch, rather than a lose one, which is one of my pet peeves

02-20-2009, 05:28 PM	#5
Wushuboy Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 169	so is there an option like that in photoshop or painter? th at's quite a great way to do it

02-20-2009, 06:56 PM	#6
William Blankenship Inconsequential Nobody Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Blankenship estate. Posts: 2,118	Very cool, thanks for sharing your technique.

02-21-2009, 12:01 AM	#7
Sleepbringer Earthbound Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bay Area, Ca Posts: 154	This is great. I'm poring over perspective books these days trying to figure it out and jumped into this page. Thought i had a simple 2 point perspective going on, but it just doesn't look right. Suggestions? Can do your magic grid and show me what it "should" look like? The shot with the back of the girl. The 2nd panel is a 1 point perspective (with all the cars), any ideas just for making it look better? The scan actually makes it look horrendous, ug. Thanks! Ben

02-21-2009, 05:39 AM	#9
jimmybott jimmybott.deviantart.com Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,629	I saw this technique Jeff posted years ago posted by Freddie Williams II and even though I'm all for using anything that makes my process quicker I didn't like this method. Just from personal choice, I'm not condemning it as a tradtionalist or anything. I draw all my perspective out with a ruler. I have a 1m long metal ruler and if that isnt long enough I have a peice of 2x1 batton at about 4 foot long. I tape my board down then I used to use peices of tape with X's on them to mark my vanishing points, that was until a little while ago and Jake Bilbao mentioned his drawing pin method at the vanishing points. I was a little worried I would end up continually stabbing myself on the little blighters and get blood on my art board. But I've been cutting the ends off the pins and no heavy blood loss just yet . So thanks Jake if you read this. You made my life a little easier.

02-21-2009, 06:22 AM	#10
JamieRoberts Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 3,689	I read 'Perspective for Comic Book Artists' by David Chelsea and followed it rigidly. Recently, I forgot completely because I rarely use backgrounds in my work now. Time to re-learn.

02-21-2009, 06:41 AM	#11
WSmith Prodigal Son Returning Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: DFW TX Posts: 0	This is why I never accomplished more than simple sketching. I simply do not have the patience. I can rough out a panel with rough perspective; I do that well enough to show an artist what I am thinking, but I get frustrated when I strain for more. I really admire you guys and the effort it takes to plan and lay out your work. It is a different effort to write what the mind's eye sees, but bringing it to life and doing it correctly is phenomonal.

02-21-2009, 07:56 AM	#12
Nick Pitarra Illustrator Extraordinair Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: TEXAS-The Best Damn Country in the United States Posts: 1,277	Ignore the spelling...and aweful handwriting...here's a quick overdraw of a panel of yours sleepbringer. Hope it helps. I always let my figure's determine the horizon line and then find out the perspective from there. Here's how I'd break it down, just going off of one figure you can find your perspective.

02-21-2009, 08:33 AM	#13
JeffW. I always finish what I st Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,154	Man, Nick, you explained that perfectly. Nick's exactly right, the most important and first step is figuring out where your horizon line is, then everything kinda goes from there. As you can see on my example, Nick and I put the vanishing points almost in the same spot according to your drawing. I think the problem with your cityscape is that the perspective points on wither side seem to be moving from building to building. Once you figure out where your PP's are every building should follow those lines. Unless of course a building, or box, or anything is tilted. In that case, you move your PP's but still stay on the same HL.

02-21-2009, 08:48 AM	#14
Nick Pitarra Illustrator Extraordinair Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: TEXAS-The Best Damn Country in the United States Posts: 1,277	Much better Jeff Dub! I explained all that and you did it in one drawing! . But yeah...we are seeing it the same way, having the figure come first is the same as when I was saying have the drawing/rough come first on the three point perspective. Make the perspective work for you, use it to figure out and flesh out what you were naturally thinking. That's always my approach. And once you get the basics of perpective down...atleast in my case, the perpective does the drawing for you.It tells you when things are too big/too small in relations to one another, it tells you how far something is tilted or if it's not tilted,how far something is in the distance, it tells you hulk it taller than wolverine. It's really everything. And once you have that control over it you can move the camera where ever you want and draw the same scene from any angle imaginable. And then you really are the director of your own comics story. It's a priceless drawing tool.

02-21-2009, 11:44 AM	#15
DJ Keawekane shushubags alter ego Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 305	Wow! That's alot of explaining. I basically just rough it in the layout stage, marking the vanishing point and when I blow up to the big size I keep the vps marked so I know where it is and they usually end up looking ok. But I will say Jeffs method is way better for 3 point perspective. The vanishing point for the point downside is usually so far away I'll just use an 11 x 17 paper and actually keep all the lines- actually creating a grid just for consistency because it can all get thrown off at this point and things get thrown off. Buildings swaying all over the place. It actually took awhile to learn that one. Way too many mistakes before I realized where I was screwing up. Before I used to set that vp too high and it would show. I know it may be a bit late for me now, but does anyone know a good book for perspective?