Most of us can remember being told that in order to draw a face we have to divide an oval into four quarters. The eyes should be halfway down; the ears in-line with the eyes; The mouth a quarter of the way up etc. While this might not always result in drawings good enough to hang in The Louvre, it certainly aids our attempts. And it shouldn’t be surprising that artists use all kinds of similar techniques to aid their drawings!

This is because drawing isn’t just something that you can be automatically good at. While we can stare in awe at the draughtsmanship of Michelangelo and Edgar Degas, Maggie Hambling and Rembrandt, artists’ works aren’t just drawn up free hand: they are often the result of method, technique, practise, and what are essentially drawing hacks.
How to Draw Perspective

Perspective is at the heart of how our eyes see and process the world around us. It gives a sense of depth and space to physical objects and turns what would be a two-dimensional drawing into a life-like three-dimensional piece. Using perspective in our drawings helps us create the illusion of space on paper. 

Perspective is made up of two fundamental principles. First, there is the horizon line. This is the easy one and is simply a horizontal line that separates the land and sky. It should be the first mark you make on paper. 

Second is the vanishing point. This is the point where all parallel lines in your drawing must converge. Imagine, for example, that you are looking down a street lined on each side by terraced houses. The lines of the roofs and the lines of the pavements will all centralise as they get closer to the horizon and meet at the centre of your vision. The point that they meet is the vanishing point. All parallel lines should follow the direction of the vanishing point, and all vertical and horizontal lines can be worked out by placing them in between parallel lines. You can place the vertical edges of your houses in between the parallel lines of the roofs and bottoms of the houses.

Practice by going to a terraced street nearby and draw the houses diminishing into your vanishing point.

Try looking at these sketches of Venice by Canaletto. Notice his use of a horizon line and vanishing point in order to give a sense of perspective. 

Shape and Volume

Almost everything in the natural world can be drawn using four basic shapes: the square, the triangle, the circle, and the rectangle. We can construct all three-dimensional shapes using these four basic shapes. A coffee cup is a three-dimensional circle (sphere) chopped in half; a table is a rectangle with the underside taken out; a soup can is a cylinder etc. 

In order to create realistic depictions of these shapes, we need to be able to draw these basic shapes from different angles. When a coin is flipped in the air, it gives us different angles of a circle at different points. Sometimes we see it face-on, as a perfect circle, but at other points, its circular shape appears squashed. This squashed circle is called an ellipse and its exact shape can be worked out by placing it in between parallel lines receding to a vanishing point, as discussed above. 

Once we can draw these shapes from different angles, we can use them to depict anything. Look at this example of Luca Cambiaso’s Fighting Figures. Try to identify the shapes he used and have a go at drawing similar characters in different poses.
Tone

Having an understanding of tone, light, and shadow enables you to give life and depth to your drawings. It is generally accepted that there is a visible scale of nine tonal values plus white. Draw a rectangle and divide it into 9 even boxes. Start at the first box and fill it in with a very light tone. Slowly get darker until the last box is almost black. 

Look at this painting by John Nash. Note how the trees get progressively darker as they get further away. Try drawing a similar scene and filling in the trees with three tones from your scale of nine tonal values. Notice the depth that it creates on the page. 

Light and Shadow

Light and shadow are critical parts of exposing form in drawing. Using this in your drawings requires use of all the skills highlighted above. Draw a cube using the rules of perspective highlighted above. Now, draw a small circle at the top right hand side of the page. Imagine this is the sun. Colour in the facets of the cube that might be hidden from the sun and leave blank the facet that is facing the sun. Can you see how the image immediately gains depth and realism? 

You can use the tonal scale highlighted above to help you with different tones of shadow..

Look at Edward Hopper’s ‘House by the Railroad’. Note how he has used shadow to emphasise the different facets of the house. Can you identify where the light source is coming from?

Habit (Practice)

Pablo Picasso died on the morning of 8th April 1973. At age 91, he had been up until 3am burning the midnight oil. And what was he doing? He was painting! In order to really get good at drawing, or any art form, it is critical to practice. Try to develop a routine, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you go a week without drawing, it doesn’t matter too much. But remember that every sketch improves your drawing ability in some way, whether that be your spatial awareness or co-ordination, or just the way you hold the pencil. Stick at it and you will reap the rewards.

Of course, the best and most effective way to improve your drawing skills is to enrol on a course under the guidance of a professional art teacher. Whatever level you are at, you can benefit from our Drawing and Painting programme.

Or explore our Art Faculty’s page for a wide range of art courses, including drawing, painting, and architecture.