How to use vanishing points in your drawing?

In the previous article of the ChibiSketch series, I showed you what are the different vanishing points that can be applied in a scenario drawing.

When we talk about perspective, in general we tend to be very afraid of making a mistake when applying it in a work. This may be due to the fact that it is a more exact drawing structure than, say, colors and lighting. Consequently, it is easier to perceive errors.

This time, we are going to look at some techniques to take away your fear of vanishing points, so that you can apply them with more confidence in your illustrations. We will also understand that perspective drawing is not limited to scenarios, and that you can start easily and with beautiful results.

Horizon line and vanishing points – a little review

Before continuing with the advice in this article, let’s briefly review what we have seen in greater detail in the previous article. To draw perspective, we generally need two basic elements: the horizon line and the vanishing points.

The horizon line is, as you can guess, a horizontal line in the drawing, where all the vanishing points of the drawing will be positioned. It can be anywhere in the scene, even out of frame, and it will help us to position the objects properly, so that we can see them from above, below or from the front.

A drawing can have one or more vanishing points, and it is they who will determine the complexity of the environment, and the position of the elements in the scene. Forcibly, all the lines of the drawing will go to those points.

The importance of a scene in a drawing

When we start drawing, we usually focus too much on the characters, on their anatomy, and that they look good and aesthetic.

However, as our drawing unfolds, it is important to consider the following: good illustrations tell little stories, and all stories should have a place where they unfold. These can be from great kingdoms and beautiful mansions, to a small room, a table or a sofa.

The background of an illustration is just as important to a story as the character itself. Do you think, what would Batman be without Gotham City, or Finn and Jake without the Land of Ooo?

I understand that the mere thought of drawing a super detailed scene, with giant buildings and exaggerated paraphernalia can be very intimidating. Therefore, you can start with something easier.

An illustration suggestion that is effective for practice, and can have a good result, is to position your character in front of a window with some landscape. For that, you can make good use of the horizon line, and you can also dare to use parallel perspective (which only requires a single vanishing point) so that you get used to building scenes. You can also play around with your character’s position within a room, and you can use your own room as a reference.

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Exploring the vanishing point with characters

When we talk about perspective and vanishing points, we must also think about the characters in the scene. I don’t know if you had already thought about it, but the human figure is also in perspective.

Therefore, I advise you to stop seeing your character in a flat way, and start thinking of him as a three-dimensional being. Both your character and his environment can be deconstructed into geometric shapes.

This makes experimentation much easier: you can position your character’s hands closer to or farther from the camera, direct it towards their eyes or their feet, try it all! For that, you can use the horizon line to guide you, as well as the guide lines that go to the vanishing points.

Perspective drawing is extremely useful for creating worlds in the creative industry. In the area of ​​concept art, there are people who are specifically dedicated to the visual development of animation and video game scenes.

If you are interested in learning more about stage design, you can take a look at this course on digital painting backgrounds for animation. Don’t forget that we have a 10% discount code on any Domestika course: CHIBERIANOS-WAIFUS.

Finally, we learned that vanishing points don’t have to be used in a complex way to be effective and result in a nice illustration. In addition, we also saw the importance of a scene in a drawing, and how to apply perspective in character illustration using vanishing points.

I would like to know about you, do you feel comfortable using the vanishing points? Do you know how to use them, or are you still learning? Tell me about your experience in the comments! 🙂