It’s been a long time! Going on vacation is fun but always a bit destabilizing when you come back. Things finally feel back to normal since our return from Japan. I was able to paint a drawing I finished before we left. I call it “You + Me”. It’s a special drawing. It’s the first time I’ve ever drawn a picture in perspective. It may not look like it but it is.
I discovered perspective drawing shortly before I started and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. I still have a long way to go to draw properly in perspective, but I’m up for the challenge. Everyday I’m either watching a video on perspective drawing or practicing it. And everywhere I go I’m observing whether something is in 1-point or 2-point perspective. My kitchen, for example, is in 2-point perspective based on where I’m sitting now.
But do you know what has been the best part about perspective drawing?
Grids!
Learning to draw on a grid in perspective has been a literal game changer. Seeing where things are in a 3D space is so helpful. When I practice drawing on a grid, I feel like I’m building my drawing with Legos. I recently bought some new tools to help me learn to draw in perspective: grid paper (for practicing 3D shapes), perspective grid paper, and a nice 12 inch triangle ruler.
But I also want to master drawing my own grids by hand. And so everyday for a week I taught myself how to draw a grid in 1-point perspective. Now that I’ve done that, I am moving onto 2-point perspective. I’ve decided to focus only on mastering drawing in 1-point and 2-point perspective only to keep things simple for now.
I can’t wait to see what drawings I create as I get better with perspective drawing. To think I started learning to draw in perspective just to create backgrounds for my doodle characters. Now I’m more focused on the backgrounds than the characters. But that’s not a bad thing. I have new ideas for my characters too, but I don’t think they will be the centerpiece of my art anymore. I don’t know where my art is headed but I think it’s a good thing I’m flexible about direction and not stubbornly clinging to one way of doing things.
Watch me paint it on Youtube!
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