What an AMAZING way of explaining how to observe. I was only searching for some watercolors techniques to make a few cute drawings on my Christmas cards… 😅 I ended up whiling to become an artist/architect 😂 Thank you Stephen.
I cannot believe in my over 20 years of learning art, in all the classes ive taken, nobodys taught me how to find the eye line/horizon line in a picture and what to do with that!! I feel like this video has changed the game for me and im not even finished it yet, thank you!!!!
I'm 66.I've taken all kinds of art courses.Photography drawing painting ceramics.Oh my gosh, I studied design for theater for sets.I made movies in hollywood and this is news to me
Students who are willing to learn can NOT fail to learn. The failure is the teachers fault for failing to properly teach the information competently to the student..... Well done sir... You are a good teacher.. Lesson learned.
Thank you. That’s kind. There are teachers that aren’t helpful in their approach or their content for certain students, but a willingness to work hard and persevere is a huge advantage. Thanks for your thoughts. 😀
This video is a huge help for me because it explains clearly, through examples, the WHY. I am a person who needs the why to really internalize understanding. Thank you so much!
Well said. I'm the exact same way. Every other perspective video I've watched just says "draw the perspective lines" "make a vanishing point" "draw the boxes" etc. No explanations of why or what's going on.
You are absolutely right: NO ONE explains this in any YT video re perspective. It's not easy to grasp, I must admit. But by 'rewinding' the vid two or three times on the particularly difficult points one gets the point. You make a lot of sense in your explanations. I think this have helped me a lot. Perspective is no picnic in the park, not even if you use 'pointillism' to draw that park. I'm adding this: your last two drawings comparing a building with correct foreshortening with the wrong one (a square window at the distance) helped me see the error better. Thanks.
Thanks Lou. Yes, I think the videos where I do comparison drawings are particularly helpful as sometimes we learn better through visual demonstration. Maybe especially if we’re artists!😆 I really am surprised how limited most of the UA-cam videos on perspective are. But possibly a lot of them are not made by artists themselves, so don’t realise the unanswered questions they raise for artists. 😀
This is hands down the best video on perspective that I've seen. I went to art school, foundational skills were breezed over. I never grasped perspective but I am going over the fundamentals once again and trying to relearn. I can't overstate how helpful this has been for me. Something clicked, finally. I have been overwhelmed by perspective for years, I didn't even try anymore. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you. I will look for fans. I'm not an artist but a writer who wants to dabble in motion/cartoon design. The normal way of teaching perspective is impractical for me. I searched for "perspective made easy" to find you. After listening just now I went to the kitchen and looked around me. I saw fans! But..I figured out that I can't see horizontal lines. But what I can* see is lines that make angles of less than 90 degrees with the vertical or horizontal. I can see the intersecting angles. Knowing that perspective is fans will easily help my cartoon design attempts. Without needing to understand what point of perspective it's called.
There might not be an actual horizontal line at eye level, but it will be (theoretically) in between the two lines that angle in different directions. I’m glad the video was helpful 😀
The best explanations of perspective I have ever listened to. Stephen Travers is, by far, the best instructor on line. His explanations with numerous samples and demonstrations make the concept very clear, especially the fan and compression examples. After all these years, and I am no spring chicken, the light bulb finally came on. I will definitely incorporate in my artwork. Thank you.
I am 72 and just started learning how to draw anything at all early last year! I was just trying to draw a building in my town, and was extremely frustrated for exactly this reason. I couldn’t figure out how to make the lines end up worthy needed to be. This was very helpful!
Fantastically fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome perspective secrets, knowledge and teaching!! You are very kind and generous. Xxxxx❤❤❤❤❤❤
I'm blown away 😮... that was a master class in perspective drawing, and the foreshortening exercise was a game changer... I can now give some life to my desire to draw buildings! You're a phenomenal instructor!!! Thanks for sharing your talent for art and for teaching!!
i want to be a mangaka (japanese comic artist) if i pursue further in art, and ive always been obsessed with drawing people, but that was mostly the extent of my skill. lately ive been trying to draw the space around these said characters, and its always been quite confusing to me, but with simplfying it with the help of this video studying pictures became easier. i still have a lot to learn, but this helped me study the pictures in a more meaningfull way, thank you for sharing your collected knowlige on this subject wich takes years to learn and use. thank you for the help to me and other people. this is a big step my way as an artist, i wish others good luck on their journey too.
Ooo, that sounds cool, do you also intend to learn Japanese then? My dream job would be working being a concept designer for Nintendo games, so I plan to be almost fluent when I graduate art college from self study.
The fan analogy is such a great teaching device -- I always found the insistence that you should always locate your vanishing points in order to draw accurately very frustrating. I always felt, well what am I supposed to do when the scene I want to draw has vanishing point dozens of centimetres off the page?? Am I not allowed to draw those scenes if I don't have a very big ruler and a dozen sheets of paper? I find your explanation of how you think about your perspective angles very practical and refreshing. Great work as always.
Thanks for this comment. I wondered if the video was just too long for anyone to see it through. But this way of understanding perspective is how I approach it when I draw These 3 points are my focus. Glad it was helpful. 😀
Really enjoying watching these videos.Things are FINALLY starting to make sense (with your clear explanations and drawings). Now I will get doing practice. Thank you very much.
Out of all the art classes I’ve taken there has never been a point where I felt I really understood perspective. This makes me feel like I’ll never look at it the same way ever again in the best way possible. Thank you
I wish I had more than one “like” to give. Your explanations demystify perspective in a very practical way, without needing trigonometry in the process.
Thank you. I always felt like perspective drawing looked so rigid and mathematical. I don't know why but everytime perspective got involved, it didn't feel like drawing. With what you do it feels much more natural and understandable and easier to implement in a drawing without starting to pick a rule and put the points on the line of sight and etc.
That’s excellent Briana. I have three perspective playlists you might find helpful, and a few on why so many perspective videos are often not so helpful for artists. 😀
What an absolutely amazing video! Every second is full of information, I've seen MANY videos by now on perspective, seen many courses, but you take the cake sir! My utmost respect to you, thankyou so much for sharing this knowledge ❤
Absolutely the best video on perspective I've seen. I'm going to check out all your vids. I get tripped up with this all the time. This gives me the knowledge and (with practice) the skill to figure out what is wrong with one of my "wonky" paintings. I love the ending You can't draw what you haven't seen.
The fan is mind-blowingly simple at finding the eye-level/horizon line! I have of course used the star-shaped vanishing point rulers and the like, but this is such a clear-cut, straightforward way to measure angles just when walking around and practicing observation - and therefore much more immediately useful when gauging these lines on references that aren't quite textbook. This is invaluable, thank you!
My pleasure. Glad it’s been so helpful. I have a few perspective playlists if you’re interested in more on this topic from me. Have fun with your drawing. 😀
I have always had an artist inside me but never had the time or opportunity to learn even the most basic skills...until now. For an old beginner, this is, by far, the best and most helpful instruction on this VITAL component of the learning/creating journey. Thank you so much! kl ♥♥♥
This is the first time I have seen anyone mention eye line. Most perspective videos will talk about the horizon line, but as you have shown, the 2 are not the same thing. Very well done.
@@stephentraversart It will. There have been some drawings I have done where I ended putting the horizon line below the eye line. I knew it looked right, but I was unsure why. Other times I felt having to rely on the horizon line really constraining because of how far off a page it would have to be. I suppose I should have figured it out. Anyways... I am happy that you shared this nugget of knowledge. The clouds have parted :) On a side note, I worked with an artist who started out working doing architectural drawings... he told me what they had to do for perspective is tie string some times across the room. Thanks again!
Stephen, this was so helpful! I have known next to nothing about drawing in perspective and when I look up videos or articles they don’t help me because they talk in drawing jargon and presume I’m an accomplished drawer. Thank you for breaking it down so I can understand it.
Hey there. That’s very kind. After teaching in schools for 3 years in my youth, voice problems put an end to it. This has reminded me I am just as much a teacher at heart as an artist. 😀
i have learnt these principles myself over the years, but i have to say you're a master of simplification. i'm sure to many who watched this video, this is a springboard to understanding the subject, well done!
Stephen Travers Art: 2:02: Holy Smokes! That's it! That clarifies nicely how to find eye level involving multiple complicated perspective convergent points. I wish someone had explained it to me this way when I was in college. Thanks for posting, dude.
Your video takes my hand and guides my blind mind into true sight. To really see as it is, brings insight and confidence. Drawing can be fun! Gratitude for your kind way of giving this to us.
This is so helpful! I've been drawing my whole life with very little instruction and this made so clear what i've been trying to figure out!! Thank you STEPHEN!
Splendid video and title so clear and concise. Was starting to think I was a nincompoop for not fully grasping this essential skill and translating it into my drawings. Gamechanger now I have the idea of the fan lodged in my noggin. Thank you so so much. Also thankful to the algorithm that recommended a vid of yours last week, better late than never.
Fantastic news for both of us! I have several perspective playlists if you’re interested in more of my ways of presenting perspective. All the best with your new understanding. 😀
I love how you end your video by encouraging us to have fun with our drawing. Sometimes, practicing the mundane basic things can be overwhelming and stressful, but it's important to remember that we picked up our pens in the first place because drawing brings us joy ❤️.
On my all years in art and with a lot of teachers, they never showed me an easy and razonable way to make a background, I really love this explanation. English is not my first language, but, your explanation was perfect for me, that easy to understand. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video. Every perspective video I've come across are the same, drawing squares with clearly labelled vanishing points. I just wanted something practical that would actually help with me drawing objects and landscapes that didn't involve rulers, protractors and tape. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
This is the most valuable information when learning about perspective view, eye level is the key. Thanks for posting this explanation.👍 And yes parallel lines never meet.
THANK YOU! I am currently painting an underwater scene and I was looking at perspective and composition and stumbled upon your video. I paint landscapes as well, so this was extremely helpful. I was trying to find perspective with waves/ripples knowing that they get further apart and larger the closer they get and the opposite the further they are (smaller and closer). I think even though waves are more organic, spontaneous (not the word I want to use) I could still use this formula as a guide, if that makes sense. I have tried to paint buildings so many times and would get so discouraged bc of perspective. I would know something was inaccurate but I could never put my finger on what it was.. but I understand one of the main problems now. Thank you!
Thank you Stephen - you have explained perspective in such easy terms. I've just watched a few videos of your but I'm going to keep watching. Thank you so much. I/m hugely grateful. Sue from Sydney
INCREDIBLE!!!! The most useful art video I've ever seen! Thank you so much, you've done such a brilliant job of making a difficult concept so easy to understand in 20 minutes. Wonderful.
That’s great to hear Andrés. Please tell your friends😀. I think part of the problem is that perspective videos are not designed for artists and don’t answer the questions artists have. I have a few perspective playlists if you want to see more on this. All the best with your drawing 😀
@@stephentraversart thanks! I’ve been a professional photographer for over a decade and just getting back into drawing for the first time since I was a kid. I think these concepts will help me in my photography as well. And I just shared on Facebook :)
Just wanted to say that this video was extremly helpful in understanding how I can convert what I see in real life to a drawing on paper. All of the concepts you explained were super clear. Awesome
This is one of those videos that exposes that one simple concept that nobody ever mentions that leads one to believe that a) everyone is just making it up and b) I can do this too.
My brain just exploded. I've been drawing for a long time and one thing my drawings lack is backgrounds. Most of my drawings are an image floating in the middle of the page. They are good images and proportional and everything but I get lazy as far as background to return but now I'm starting to see it is my biggest weakness and I want to start having background but I want it all to make sense. I have watched a lot of videos and perspective and have drawings the use perspective I've never gotten deep into it. And one of the reasons why is as many videos as I watch one of the main questions that never gets answered is how do you figure out where to put your Vanishing points and the horizon line. Just like the artist all just know where they go and they show you you put a vanishing point here you put a vanishing point there and you draw your drawing but I've always figured there's some kind of math like geometry back it accurately determine where these points go so it's not guesswork. Where to find the horizon line portion of the video has answered so many of my questions already. I just watched an hour-long video of the massive perspectives and I walked away more confused because I'm not a mathematician. I understood the basic principles of everything he was saying but I didn't walk away feeling like I knew where to place Horizon Lines or vanishing point even though that's what the whole video is supposed to be about. Good job on this video I will watch more for sure my first one but will not be my last
Really glad this has been so helpful Cameron. I have a recent video that explains why I think this issue with so many perspective videos exist. You might find it interesting after all this trouble with some of them. All best now with your drawing. 😀
thank you a million ive have hated perspective since I can remember, but now I think I can do it correctly and make everything look 3. Dimensional, it was a lot easier than how other people explained it. Thank you!!!!!!!❤😅
The fan and compression tipps are fantastic! I just screwed up the proportions during a sketch thanks to not adequately placing the windows further away. The details looked great, yet the overall impression was incorrect because I had stretched the building along the vanishing points. I will redo that sketch now with more confidence! Thanks for this wonderful tutorial 🙏🏻
This was SO helpful Stephen ! Absolutely the best video I have seen on perspective drawing.....and I have seen a few 😊 you brought it down to my eye level...thank you so much.
Another wonderful *and* helpful drawing video! I especially appreciate the multiple examples. Though I sometimes think "I know this part, get on with it" I'll then find a part that needs more explanation for me to internalize it. And then I'm truly grateful that you continue with additional explanations. Plus, it reminds me to have patience, another thing I know I need to work on. You have marvelous teaching as well as drawing skills, and I thank you for sharing them with us.
This was great! I appreciate your teaching style Stephen. I am a painter and would like to get better at adding perspective and depth to my art. This really helped me understand the logic behind perspective. Thank you.
Wow! This video was so helpful. In art school/ classes they teach the theory of 1st, 2nd and 3rd perspective but never teach you how to apply that to your actual art practice when you it comes to filling in details. How can you even get into 4th and 5th perspectives or multiple perspectives without knowing how to add details within those foundational boxes? That tip at 18:28 is invaluable.
I came across Ernest Norlings book perspective made easy by happenstance, the concept of “eye level” changed everything for me, especially when I realized that the horizon line is not the same as eye level. The horizon could be eye level, but it may be above or below.
very helpful man, biggest challenge for me is trying to convince my mind to look at something as a 2d image rather than a 3d object and this helps me improve at that by seeing the lines
Great. Yes, I visualise the 2D shape first, for accuracy, but then I focus on the 3D form, particularly edges and surface, so I can capture a sense of realism. Cover all my bases. 😀
@@stephentraversart Appreciate the response. I hope to get to that second 3D step soon to capture the realism because my current art looks quite flat. However, I’m still trying to perfect the 2D step. I was doing a drawing of a house with a reference using 2 point perspective and the house had two parts to it, a main rectangular prism and a secondary one as well. I could not for the life of me figure out the angles for the secondary smaller rectangular prism, but this video immediately made me realize how to fix it. I figured out where the horizontal line is and now it is very clear.
I'm writing this before watching this; I've always found it hard to learn perspective until just looking through Rafael Araujo's works, the way he breaks down everything with a geometric grid seems to have made it click for me I'll add to this if I find anything relatable in the video
I have recently begun to draw and paint again after quite a number of years. I applied what I learned in this video to a neighborhood drawing this evening, and was not displeased with the result, considering that I don't normally draw buildings. Almost never, in fact. I just want to comment on how you end your videos with " ....whatever you draw .... have fun." I want to comment that this evening's exercise was painful in the extreme, but I pressed on. I left out a few things at the end because I just could not go on with this particular drawing. (Actually, it was probably quite a good point that I stopped at. Another skill is knowing when something is finished.) The upthrust is that I was Not having "fun" as when I'm doing a pencil portrait that I later realize did not come out right. Still, the level of fun would have been pretty high during the portrait drawing process. So, in order to learn, stretch boundaries, and progress, we will sometimes be doing an exercise that is not outright "fun." G'day, mate! LOVE your channel and teaching.
Thanks. Yes, fun is a lighthearted word that may not accurately reflect how we feel during the struggle, but I think satisfying would cover all situations as something to experience. Sometimes times in the struggle is even more satisfying than than when we’re coasting. Thanks for your kind words. 😀
This is exactly what i thought the problem when i draw environment! I just cant figure it out whats wrong, why its feel like something missed. Thank you for explaining this, you saved our lives 😂
I think i'm I'm going to have to watch this about 10 times it's got good information.It's simple.I understand the language.I'm just gotta fit it all into the concept
Glad it was so helpful Desmond. I have a few perspective playlists if you want more. And if you could tell your friends who draw about my channel that would help me out. All the best with your drawing 😀
What an AMAZING way of explaining how to observe. I was only searching for some watercolors techniques to make a few cute drawings on my Christmas cards… 😅 I ended up whiling to become an artist/architect 😂 Thank you Stephen.
That’s great Natalia. I hope you check out some of my other videos and playlists. 😀
HOLY SHIT, FINALLY SOMEONE WHO CAN EXPLAIN PERSPECTIVE WITHOUT IT SOUNDING LIKE GEOMETRY CLASS
Love your enthusiasm! Thanks 😀
I cannot believe in my over 20 years of learning art, in all the classes ive taken, nobodys taught me how to find the eye line/horizon line in a picture and what to do with that!! I feel like this video has changed the game for me and im not even finished it yet, thank you!!!!
So great to hear. Be careful how you use your newfound power!😆
This is the best breakdown of perspective I have ever watched! Thank you so much! New sub. 😊
❤ omg I love this video so much. I been trying to learn this for longer than I'd like to admit lol 😅
I'm 66.I've taken all kinds of art courses.Photography drawing painting ceramics.Oh my gosh, I studied design for theater for sets.I made movies in hollywood and this is news to me
@@alysononoahu8702🤣
Students who are willing to learn can NOT fail to learn.
The failure is the teachers fault for failing to properly teach the information competently to the student.....
Well done sir...
You are a good teacher..
Lesson learned.
Thank you. That’s kind. There are teachers that aren’t helpful in their approach or their content for certain students, but a willingness to work hard and persevere is a huge advantage. Thanks for your thoughts. 😀
As one great athlete once said,it's impossible to fail if you never give up, it's OK to fail as long as you fail less next time 😊🎉
Hear hear, so many poor teachers blame the student, its a cop out on the teachers part
This video is a huge help for me because it explains clearly, through examples, the WHY. I am a person who needs the why to really internalize understanding. Thank you so much!
That’s great to hear. A have a few perspective playlists if you’re interested in more on this from me. All the best with your drawing. 😀
Well said. I'm the exact same way. Every other perspective video I've watched just says "draw the perspective lines" "make a vanishing point" "draw the boxes" etc. No explanations of why or what's going on.
You are absolutely right: NO ONE explains this in any YT video re perspective. It's not easy to grasp, I must admit. But by 'rewinding' the vid two or three times on the particularly difficult points one gets the point. You make a lot of sense in your explanations. I think this have helped me a lot. Perspective is no picnic in the park, not even if you use 'pointillism' to draw that park. I'm adding this: your last two drawings comparing a building with correct foreshortening with the wrong one (a square window at the distance) helped me see the error better. Thanks.
Thanks Lou. Yes, I think the videos where I do comparison drawings are particularly helpful as sometimes we learn better through visual demonstration. Maybe especially if we’re artists!😆 I really am surprised how limited most of the UA-cam videos on perspective are. But possibly a lot of them are not made by artists themselves, so don’t realise the unanswered questions they raise for artists. 😀
🤣
This is hands down the best video on perspective that I've seen. I went to art school, foundational skills were breezed over. I never grasped perspective but I am going over the fundamentals once again and trying to relearn.
I can't overstate how helpful this has been for me. Something clicked, finally. I have been overwhelmed by perspective for years, I didn't even try anymore. Thank you for sharing!
This is so encouraging to hear. I’m really glad my approach has resonated so well with you. No stopping your drawing buildings now!👏
Thank you. I will look for fans.
I'm not an artist but a writer who wants to dabble in motion/cartoon design. The normal way of teaching perspective is impractical for me. I searched for "perspective made easy" to find you.
After listening just now I went to the kitchen and looked around me. I saw fans!
But..I figured out that I can't see horizontal lines.
But what I can* see is lines that make angles of less than 90 degrees with the vertical or horizontal. I can see the intersecting angles.
Knowing that perspective is fans will easily help my cartoon design attempts. Without needing to understand what point of perspective it's called.
There might not be an actual horizontal line at eye level, but it will be (theoretically) in between the two lines that angle in different directions. I’m glad the video was helpful 😀
The best explanations of perspective I have ever listened to. Stephen Travers is, by far, the best instructor on line. His explanations with numerous samples and demonstrations make the concept very clear, especially the fan and compression examples. After all these years, and I am no spring chicken, the light bulb finally came on. I will definitely incorporate in my artwork. Thank you.
Thank you, that’s very generous of you to say. I love turning on lightbulbs. All the best with your drawing 😀
I can't believe how much understand things after a few minute. You are truly a fantastic teacher.
Wow, thank you! So generous of you to say. 😀
I am 72 and just started learning how to draw anything at all early last year! I was just trying to draw a building in my town, and was extremely frustrated for exactly this reason. I couldn’t figure out how to make the lines end up worthy needed to be. This was very helpful!
How great to hear. Glad to have helped. Keep at it and all the best. 😀
Fantastically fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome perspective secrets, knowledge and teaching!! You are very kind and generous. Xxxxx❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you Laura. It’s encouraging to hear the videos are so helpful 😀
I'm blown away 😮... that was a master class in perspective drawing, and the foreshortening exercise was a game changer... I can now give some life to my desire to draw buildings! You're a phenomenal instructor!!! Thanks for sharing your talent for art and for teaching!!
i want to be a mangaka (japanese comic artist) if i pursue further in art, and ive always been obsessed with drawing people, but that was mostly the extent of my skill. lately ive been trying to draw the space around these said characters, and its always been quite confusing to me, but with simplfying it with the help of this video studying pictures became easier. i still have a lot to learn, but this helped me study the pictures in a more meaningfull way, thank you for sharing your collected knowlige on this subject wich takes years to learn and use. thank you for the help to me and other people. this is a big step my way as an artist, i wish others good luck on their journey too.
What a great comment to read. Thanks for the encouragement with my videos. So glad to have helped and all the best with your drawing journey 😀
Ooo, that sounds cool, do you also intend to learn Japanese then? My dream job would be working being a concept designer for Nintendo games, so I plan to be almost fluent when I graduate art college from self study.
@@Ajia_No_Envy yes, my friend is helping me learn the grammar and she often likes to teach me their culture!
The fan analogy is such a great teaching device -- I always found the insistence that you should always locate your vanishing points in order to draw accurately very frustrating. I always felt, well what am I supposed to do when the scene I want to draw has vanishing point dozens of centimetres off the page?? Am I not allowed to draw those scenes if I don't have a very big ruler and a dozen sheets of paper? I find your explanation of how you think about your perspective angles very practical and refreshing. Great work as always.
Thanks for this comment. I wondered if the video was just too long for anyone to see it through. But this way of understanding perspective is how I approach it when I draw These 3 points are my focus. Glad it was helpful. 😀
Or a vanishing point 5 feet off the paper. I used string tied to a chair for that one lol, but I really wish I had known an easier way.
Powerphail, I completely agree.
@@stephentraversart I'm sure that it could have been shortened a bit, but I think that it's still great.
Fanalogy
Thank you so much! This is by far the most simple way I’ve see perspective explained. This made it all click for me!
Great to hear. Have fun with it. 😀
Really enjoying watching these videos.Things are FINALLY starting to make sense (with your clear explanations and drawings). Now I will get doing practice. Thank you very much.
Out of all the art classes I’ve taken there has never been a point where I felt I really understood perspective. This makes me feel like I’ll never look at it the same way ever again in the best way possible. Thank you
Wow. What an encouraging comment for a teacher to hear. Thanks for sharing this with me 😀
I wish I had more than one “like” to give. Your explanations demystify perspective in a very practical way, without needing trigonometry in the process.
Haha. Thanks Gabrielle. I’m glad you’ve found this so helpful. All the best using it with your drawing. 😀
everytime I got confused about perspectives, I revisit your channel. Master of perspectives.❤
How great to hear. Thanks😀
What a fantastic video. Made everything I've been struggling with much clearer. Thanks Stephen.
So great to hear. Thanks Elizabeth 😀
Thank you. I always felt like perspective drawing looked so rigid and mathematical. I don't know why but everytime perspective got involved, it didn't feel like drawing.
With what you do it feels much more natural and understandable and easier to implement in a drawing without starting to pick a rule and put the points on the line of sight and etc.
I’m really glad what I said connected with your drawing approach Naël. I hope it’s fruitful putting it into practice. 😀
I was scared of perspective all these time while drawing!! I was running away from this...but this video change the fame for me 😀 thank you so much ❤
So good to hear. Glad to have helped 😀
Thank you for the excellent video! This is the explanation I was searching for!
That’s excellent Briana. I have three perspective playlists you might find helpful, and a few on why so many perspective videos are often not so helpful for artists. 😀
This is hands down the best explanation of how perspective works I’ve ever seen. Excellent teacher, thank you so much for sharing!
Such high praise Les. Much appreciated 😀
This is the best explanation of perspective that I have seen. It completely breaks it down in a way that is so easy to understand. Thank you
We should always go with easy to understand. Thanks for telling me 😀
What an absolutely amazing video! Every second is full of information, I've seen MANY videos by now on perspective, seen many courses, but you take the cake sir! My utmost respect to you, thankyou so much for sharing this knowledge ❤
Love your enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing this All the best with your drawing 😀
Absolutely the best video on perspective I've seen. I'm going to check out all your vids. I get tripped up with this all the time. This gives me the knowledge and (with practice) the skill to figure out what is wrong with one of my "wonky" paintings. I love the ending You can't draw what you haven't seen.
So great to hear Art. Now for you to have fun with it!😀
I FINALLY GOT PERSPECTIVE TODAY. !!! I THOUGHT I NEVER WOULD. THANK YOU.
Wonderful! I’m glad to have helped. Have you seen my perspective playlists?🤔
The fan is mind-blowingly simple at finding the eye-level/horizon line! I have of course used the star-shaped vanishing point rulers and the like, but this is such a clear-cut, straightforward way to measure angles just when walking around and practicing observation - and therefore much more immediately useful when gauging these lines on references that aren't quite textbook.
This is invaluable, thank you!
My pleasure. Glad it’s been so helpful. I have a few perspective playlists if you’re interested in more on this topic from me. Have fun with your drawing. 😀
@@stephentraversart Most certainly! I will make sure to go through your backlog of videos
@@thesunthrone "much more immediately useful when gauging these lines on references that aren't quite textbook". Aye! Well said.
I have always had an artist inside me but never had the time or opportunity to learn even the most basic skills...until now. For an old beginner, this is, by far, the best and most helpful instruction on this VITAL component of the learning/creating journey. Thank you so much! kl ♥♥♥
It’s always great to hear this Kathleen. Thanks, and all the best. 😀
I am not an artist but I have wondered about this since I was a child! This makes so much sense now, thank you!
So happy to have helped. 😀
This is the first time I have seen anyone mention eye line. Most perspective videos will talk about the horizon line, but as you have shown, the 2 are not the same thing. Very well done.
Eye level is quite widely used Kelly, and now you can see how much more useful it is. Hope it helps your drawing along. 😀
@@stephentraversart It will. There have been some drawings I have done where I ended putting the horizon line below the eye line. I knew it looked right, but I was unsure why. Other times I felt having to rely on the horizon line really constraining because of how far off a page it would have to be. I suppose I should have figured it out. Anyways... I am happy that you shared this nugget of knowledge. The clouds have parted :)
On a side note, I worked with an artist who started out working doing architectural drawings... he told me what they had to do for perspective is tie string some times across the room.
Thanks again!
Stephen, this was so helpful! I have known next to nothing about drawing in perspective and when I look up videos or articles they don’t help me because they talk in drawing jargon and presume I’m an accomplished drawer. Thank you for breaking it down so I can understand it.
Gday Stevo. Your ability as an artist is matched by your ability to teach. Thanks for your videos!
Hey there. That’s very kind. After teaching in schools for 3 years in my youth, voice problems put an end to it. This has reminded me I am just as much a teacher at heart as an artist. 😀
i have learnt these principles myself over the years, but i have to say you're a master of simplification. i'm sure to many who watched this video, this is a springboard to understanding the subject, well done!
I believe a good teacher makes things seem simple, so this is what I love to hear. Thanks 😀
Stephen Travers Art: 2:02: Holy Smokes! That's it! That clarifies nicely how to find eye level involving multiple complicated perspective convergent points. I wish someone had explained it to me this way when I was in college. Thanks for posting, dude.
It’s always encouraging to hear this. I don’t know why all this is always made to sound so difficult in so much teaching. 😀
It's ridiculous how well you explain these practices.
Thanks Marcus 😀
I've watched a number of explanations of perspective but none as clear as this one. Thanks a thousand times!
That’s so encouraging to hear. Thanks Trish, and all the best with your drawing. 😀
thank you for making perspective make sense beyond just the hypothetical! i feel like I'm finally starting to actually understand it.
Exactly what I was hoping to do. Thanks for telling me Keegan😀
Oh my ,such a brilliant way to explain the horizon line. I struggle with this all the time. Thank you!
Great to hear Jim. Thanks 😀
Your video takes my hand and guides my blind mind into true sight. To really see as it is, brings insight and confidence. Drawing can be fun! Gratitude for your kind way of giving this to us.
Thanks Pam. It sounds as if you’re in a great place to push forward with your drawing. All the best with it, and yes, have fun. 😀
This is so helpful! I've been drawing my whole life with very little instruction and this made so clear what i've been trying to figure out!! Thank you STEPHEN!
Wonderful to hear Sasha. Thanks for sharing this with me 😀
Splendid video and title so clear and concise. Was starting to think I was a nincompoop for not fully grasping this essential skill and translating it into my drawings. Gamechanger now I have the idea of the fan lodged in my noggin. Thank you so so much. Also thankful to the algorithm that recommended a vid of yours last week, better late than never.
Fantastic news for both of us! I have several perspective playlists if you’re interested in more of my ways of presenting perspective. All the best with your new understanding. 😀
I love how you end your video by encouraging us to have fun with our drawing. Sometimes, practicing the mundane basic things can be overwhelming and stressful, but it's important to remember that we picked up our pens in the first place because drawing brings us joy ❤️.
extremely helpful video btw🌷
Yep. When it gets tough it’s a good reminder, certainly for me it is. 😀
😀😀😀
Why I love UA-cam!
Thank you, all the best, excellent tutorial 👏🏻
Great to hear. Glad to have helped. Please tell your friends for me. 😀
On my all years in art and with a lot of teachers, they never showed me an easy and razonable way to make a background, I really love this explanation. English is not my first language, but, your explanation was perfect for me, that easy to understand. Thank you!
Thanks. Great to hear this. Please tell your friends who draw about my channel and help me as well. 😀
Thank you so much for this video. Every perspective video I've come across are the same, drawing squares with clearly labelled vanishing points. I just wanted something practical that would actually help with me drawing objects and landscapes that didn't involve rulers, protractors and tape. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
What a fantastic video! I love how you distilled the most important perspective principles into very practical methods!
I love your enthusiasm Carolin. Thanks for your kind words. Above all I want to be practical for our drawing experience. 😀
This is the most valuable information when learning about perspective view, eye level is the key. Thanks for posting this explanation.👍
And yes parallel lines never meet.
Absolutely Yasir, thanks 😀
THANK YOU! I am currently painting an underwater scene and I was looking at perspective and composition and stumbled upon your video. I paint landscapes as well, so this was extremely helpful. I was trying to find perspective with waves/ripples knowing that they get further apart and larger the closer they get and the opposite the further they are (smaller and closer). I think even though waves are more organic, spontaneous (not the word I want to use) I could still use this formula as a guide, if that makes sense. I have tried to paint buildings so many times and would get so discouraged bc of perspective. I would know something was inaccurate but I could never put my finger on what it was.. but I understand one of the main problems now. Thank you!
Thank you Stephen - you have explained perspective in such easy terms. I've just watched a few videos of your but I'm going to keep watching. Thank you so much. I/m hugely grateful. Sue from Sydney
I’m so happy to hear that Sue. Thanks for sharing 😀
The fan method,well all of this video has been a game changer for me. This has helped me tremendously, Stephen. Thanks!
It was a game changer for me. 😀
Thank you for such a great explanation. Finding the horizontal makes so much sense. And I'm trying the X's to find the center point of a building.
Always great to hear. Thanks 😀
INCREDIBLE!!!! The most useful art video I've ever seen! Thank you so much, you've done such a brilliant job of making a difficult concept so easy to understand in 20 minutes. Wonderful.
That’s great to hear Andrés. Please tell your friends😀. I think part of the problem is that perspective videos are not designed for artists and don’t answer the questions artists have. I have a few perspective playlists if you want to see more on this. All the best with your drawing 😀
@@stephentraversart thanks! I’ve been a professional photographer for over a decade and just getting back into drawing for the first time since I was a kid. I think these concepts will help me in my photography as well. And I just shared on Facebook :)
The best perspective video i’ve seen! Thanks!
Kind of you to say Billy. Please tell your friends 😀
I’ve heard a lot of good teachings on perspective, but I understood yours the best!
Very generous of you to say. Much appreciated 😀
WOW THIS IS THE BEST AND MOST SIMPLE WAY IVE BEEN TOUGHT ABOUT PRESPECTIVE
TYSM SIR
Just wanted to say that this video was extremly helpful in understanding how I can convert what I see in real life to a drawing on paper. All of the concepts you explained were super clear. Awesome
Encouraged to hear this. Thanks 😀
This is one of those videos that exposes that one simple concept that nobody ever mentions that leads one to believe that a) everyone is just making it up and b) I can do this too.
The secret is out Alexandros. Use it wisely!😆
You really do a great job simplyfying the art fundamental that I have always struggled the most with. Thank you.
That's always great for a teacher to hear. thanks for sharing.
Amazing explanation. Thank you so much for an amazing and priceless video😍😍🙏🏻🙏🏻
My pleasure 😊Thanks for your enthusiasm 😀
This has been impressively helpful. Thank you!
Thank you. That’s very kind of you. ☺️
My brain just exploded. I've been drawing for a long time and one thing my drawings lack is backgrounds. Most of my drawings are an image floating in the middle of the page. They are good images and proportional and everything but I get lazy as far as background to return but now I'm starting to see it is my biggest weakness and I want to start having background but I want it all to make sense. I have watched a lot of videos and perspective and have drawings the use perspective I've never gotten deep into it. And one of the reasons why is as many videos as I watch one of the main questions that never gets answered is how do you figure out where to put your Vanishing points and the horizon line. Just like the artist all just know where they go and they show you you put a vanishing point here you put a vanishing point there and you draw your drawing but I've always figured there's some kind of math like geometry back it accurately determine where these points go so it's not guesswork. Where to find the horizon line portion of the video has answered so many of my questions already. I just watched an hour-long video of the massive perspectives and I walked away more confused because I'm not a mathematician. I understood the basic principles of everything he was saying but I didn't walk away feeling like I knew where to place Horizon Lines or vanishing point even though that's what the whole video is supposed to be about. Good job on this video I will watch more for sure my first one but will not be my last
Really glad this has been so helpful Cameron. I have a recent video that explains why I think this issue with so many perspective videos exist. You might find it interesting after all this trouble with some of them. All best now with your drawing. 😀
This lesson is absolute pure gold, thank you!
You're very welcome!😀
thank you a million ive have hated perspective since I can remember, but now I think I can do it correctly and make everything look 3. Dimensional, it was a lot easier than how other people explained it. Thank you!!!!!!!❤😅
A comment to make any teacher smile. Thank you. 😀
Thank you for posting this video. It was most informative and I feel a lot more confident about how perspective works.
Excellent. What I hope for. 😀
This is so helpful. The way you explain, it makes easy for us to understand thank you.
That’s wonderful to hear. Thanks 😀
The fan and compression tipps are fantastic! I just screwed up the proportions during a sketch thanks to not adequately placing the windows further away. The details looked great, yet the overall impression was incorrect because I had stretched the building along the vanishing points.
I will redo that sketch now with more confidence! Thanks for this wonderful tutorial 🙏🏻
Thanks Alex. This is really great to hear. Sounds like you’ve understood exactly what I was trying to say!👏
Took a lot of my doubts away, thank you so much!!
That’s great to hear. 😀
This was SO helpful Stephen ! Absolutely the best video I have seen on perspective drawing.....and I have seen a few 😊 you brought it down to my eye level...thank you so much.
The simpler something can be said the better. 😀
Stephen, I'm so happy to have found you....I was beginning to think I'd never get it! Thank you.
I’m glad too! Welcome aboard 😀
WOW - literally life changing. Thank you.
WOW - that’s great to hear!😀
Best explanation ever and I’ve heard hundreds
That’s so great to hear Colleen. Thanks for telling me. (Please tell your friends as well😀)
Your explanations are wonderful and clear. Thank you for making these videos.
Appreciate the encouragement. Thanks 😀
Another wonderful *and* helpful drawing video!
I especially appreciate the multiple examples. Though I sometimes think "I know this part, get on with it" I'll then find a part that needs more explanation for me to internalize it. And then I'm truly grateful that you continue with additional explanations.
Plus, it reminds me to have patience, another thing I know I need to work on.
You have marvelous teaching as well as drawing skills, and I thank you for sharing them with us.
Haha. That’s great to hear. Yes, I fear repetition has a bad name in these fast-paced days, and yet it is such a reliable teaching aid. 😀
This was great! I appreciate your teaching style Stephen. I am a painter and would like to get better at adding perspective and depth to my art. This really helped me understand the logic behind perspective. Thank you.
That’s exactly what I was wanting from the video. Thanks for sharing Jordan. 😀
When you explain forshortening... I get it. Thank you. Finding this has changed everything.
That’s brilliant to hear Sue. All the best with your new discovery 😀
Wow! This video was so helpful. In art school/ classes they teach the theory of 1st, 2nd and 3rd perspective but never teach you how to apply that to your actual art practice when you it comes to filling in details. How can you even get into 4th and 5th perspectives or multiple perspectives without knowing how to add details within those foundational boxes? That tip at 18:28 is invaluable.
Yes, it is a useful tip. I use it often. Thanks Gigi. I’m glad you found it so practical. That’s always one of my biggest aims😀
@@stephentraversart Of course! I'll definitely be sharing and watching more!
I’d completely forgotten that trick for finding the halfway point. Much easier than doing math!
Absolutely. I have a few perspective playlists if you’re interested in more from me on the subject. 😀
Nothing new for me but for those who still need to understand this, it’s a great video.
Thanks for the comment Cris. 😀
That was so helpful. Thank you. Best explanation of perspective I've seen.
That’s always encouraging to hear. Thanks Peter. 😀
I did learn something from this video. Thank you sir very much appreciated.
Glad to hear it😀
I came across Ernest Norlings book perspective made easy by happenstance, the concept of “eye level” changed everything for me, especially when I realized that the horizon line is not the same as eye level. The horizon could be eye level, but it may be above or below.
Yes, such a better word to use to understand the concept. So much less confusing and self explanatory 😀
The best explanation ever! Thank you!
My pleasure Eva. I have a few perspective playlists if you’re interested in more on this topic from me. Have fun with your drawing. 😀
very helpful man, biggest challenge for me is trying to convince my mind to look at something as a 2d image rather than a 3d object and this helps me improve at that by seeing the lines
Great. Yes, I visualise the 2D shape first, for accuracy, but then I focus on the 3D form, particularly edges and surface, so I can capture a sense of realism. Cover all my bases. 😀
@@stephentraversart Appreciate the response. I hope to get to that second 3D step soon to capture the realism because my current art looks quite flat. However, I’m still trying to perfect the 2D step. I was doing a drawing of a house with a reference using 2 point perspective and the house had two parts to it, a main rectangular prism and a secondary one as well. I could not for the life of me figure out the angles for the secondary smaller rectangular prism, but this video immediately made me realize how to fix it. I figured out where the horizontal line is and now it is very clear.
This is brilliant. I'm back to sketching and plein air again thanks to this video
Fantastic Lewis. Have fun and success in your drawing😀
I'm writing this before watching this; I've always found it hard to learn perspective until just looking through Rafael Araujo's works, the way he breaks down everything with a geometric grid seems to have made it click for me
I'll add to this if I find anything relatable in the video
Hope it’s helpful for you. 😀
@@stephentraversartgeometry ain’t my thing 😂
What a clever tool. Thank you for sharing. I understand this.
Glad it was helpful Jasmin. I have a few perspective playlists if you’re interested in more on this topic from me. All the best with your drawing 😀
This makes so much sense now! You explained this brilliantly 👏 thanks!
Great to hear. Thanks for telling me. 😀
I have recently begun to draw and paint again after quite a number of years. I applied what I learned in this video to a neighborhood drawing this evening, and was not displeased with the result, considering that I don't normally draw buildings. Almost never, in fact. I just want to comment on how you end your videos with " ....whatever you draw .... have fun." I want to comment that this evening's exercise was painful in the extreme, but I pressed on. I left out a few things at the end because I just could not go on with this particular drawing. (Actually, it was probably quite a good point that I stopped at. Another skill is knowing when something is finished.) The upthrust is that I was Not having "fun" as when I'm doing a pencil portrait that I later realize did not come out right. Still, the level of fun would have been pretty high during the portrait drawing process. So, in order to learn, stretch boundaries, and progress, we will sometimes be doing an exercise that is not outright "fun." G'day, mate! LOVE your channel and teaching.
Thanks. Yes, fun is a lighthearted word that may not accurately reflect how we feel during the struggle, but I think satisfying would cover all situations as something to experience. Sometimes times in the struggle is even more satisfying than than when we’re coasting. Thanks for your kind words. 😀
This is exactly what i thought the problem when i draw environment! I just cant figure it out whats wrong, why its feel like something missed. Thank you for explaining this, you saved our lives 😂
That’s so pleasing to hear. All the best with your drawing 😀
I think i'm I'm going to have to watch this about 10 times it's got good information.It's simple.I understand the language.I'm just gotta fit it all into the concept
Try watching the video I’ve just posted Quick Drawing Tips 3, it overlaps here. 😀
Thank you! Now I suddenly understand perspective so much more!
Exactly what I was hoping for Chris. Thanks for telling me. 😀
simply mind blowing stuff ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Thank you Stephen👍
My pleasure!😀
Absolutely excellent way of dealing with this evergreen difficult topic. Really very well done. Congratulations!
Glad it was so helpful Desmond. I have a few perspective playlists if you want more. And if you could tell your friends who draw about my channel that would help me out. All the best with your drawing 😀
I’m so happy I found your channel thank you
I’m very glad you did as well. 😀
Superb teaching video. I was looking for perspective and found your very easily understandable video.
Thank you!
Great to hear Catherine. Please tell your friends who draw for me. 😀
This is beautiful. I love it, so simple, so reassuring, so methodical, it teaches so well.
Wonderful to hear. Thanks😀
this is the best perspective vid I’ve ever seen
I love hearing this Josh. Please tell your friends as well! Hope you see a difference in your drawing. 😀