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HOW TO USE T

PERSPECT
& DEPTH
BY MIKE HERNANDEZ

PERSPECTIVE &
THROUGHOUT H
TYPES OF PERS
FORESHORTEN
DEPTH OF FIEL
ATMOSPHERIC
& DEPTH PERCE
SHADOWS
SHAPES
BREAKING THE

TUTORIALS
DOWNTOWN D
BY DEVIN ELLE KURT

JUNGLE RUINS
BY NATHAN FOWKES

OLD MINING TO
BY ORENJIKUN

NIGHT WARRIO
BY GUWEIZ

GALLERY
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ
NATHAN FOWKES
ORENJIKUN
GUWEIZ
HOW TO USE
THIS BOOK
Welcome to Artists’ Master Series: Perspective &
Depth.mainsections:
three This book
thetheorychapters, contains
thetutorials,and thegallery.

WerecommendthatyoubeginbyreadingthroughMikeHernandez’s
introductorychaptersonPerspective&Depth(page8 topage81 )to
expandyourknowledgeandunderstandingofthesefundamental
topics.Perspective&DepthThroughoutHistory (page10 )explores
how
theyhavebeenusedinartworkthroughtheages.TypesofPerspective
(page 16 ) discusses the various different types of perspective that
can be used to create the illusion of depth and realism, covering one-
pointperspectiveallthewayuptofour-pointandabove,inadditionto
schematic view, worm’s-eye view, and bird’s-eye view.
Foreshortening
DepthofField(page34 )exploresalternativemethodsthatcanbe & used
to create a sense of distance without the need for measurements and
vanishing points, including looking at the placement of focus in the
foreground, middle ground, or background for storytelling
purposes.
Next, Atmospheric Perspective & Depth Perception (page 44) examines
therolethatwavelengths,colour,contrast,value,lightreflection,and
the Fresnel effect play in achieving the illusion of depth. Unpacking
how shadows can be used to create a believable object in space,
Shadows(page56 )unpacksartificialandnaturallighting,formand
cast
shadows, linear and radial lighting, measuring shadows in
perspective,
parallelperspective,andviewingshadowsintheabstract.Shapes
(page66 )exploreshowperspectivecanbeusedtochangetheappearance
ofshapesinascene,withsectionsdiscussingdepthcues,primitives,and
theuseofgrids.Tofinish,BreakingtheRules(page74 )suggestshowthe
established rules and principles can be intentionally broken to
produce
certainartisticeffectsortochallengeconventionalrepresentationsof
space,withsectionsondistortingperspective,includingmultipleorno
vanishing points, and flat, isometric, and curvilinear
perspective.
ThefourTutorialsthatfollow,byDevinElleKurtz(page84 ),Nathan
Fowkes(page134 ),Orenjikun(page168 ),andGuweiz(page202 ),canbe
treated as standalone projects, but you will benefit from reading the
knowledge and terminology shared in the introductory chapters
before
startingthem.Eachtutorialartisthastheirownuniquestyle,creative
background,andskilledapproachtocreatingperspectiveanddepthin
Image © Mike Hernandez

Perspective in art is the fu

techniquethatallowsartistst
three-dimensional space on
dimensionalsurface.Itdepict
objects appear in relation to o
creating a sense of depth, di
realism.Whetherusinglinear
to
establish vanishing poi
convergence,
applyingisometricperspectiv
stylizedapproach,orexperim
unconventional metho
comprehensive
yetsimpleunderstandingofp
is essential for artists seeking
convincing and dynamic sens
their
art.

RNANDEZ
PERSPECTIVE

& DEPTH

THROUGHOUT

HISTORY
Perspective in art has evolved through time from simple application
sophisticated
techniques.Ithasplayedapivotalroleintransformingtwo-dimensionalpain
intoimmersive,realistic,andimaginativevisualexperiences.Thischapterw
a
lookathowperspectiveanddepthhavebeenusedinart,fromEgyptianhierogl
contemporary digital
artwork.
THE EVOLUTION OF
PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH
IN VISUAL ART
Invisualart,perspectivereferstothetechniqueusedtocreatethe The earliest known forms of persp
illusion of depth and three-dimensionality on a two-EgyptianandMesopotamianart,su
dimensional
surface, such as a canvas or a piece of paper. It is an aspect
andof symbols(01). These cultures de
Westernartthathasevolvedovercenturiesandvarioushistorical emphasized their importance, rat
periods,anditsrootscanbetracedbacktoancientcivilizations. realism.

01 This image of an Egyptian hieroglyph carving shows an example of early perspective and depth thro
of foreshortening. Notice how the right arm is placed over the left arm, suggesting the subtleties of dep
PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH THROUGHOUT HISTORY
04 This etching of The Last Supper by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci shows a clear example of h
PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH THROUGHOUT HISTORY
 TYPES OF

PERSPECTIVE
Thereareseveraltypesofperspective,eachofferingauniqueapproachtoach
the illusion of depth and realism. The different types provide artists and des
witharangeoftoolsandtechniquestoconveydepth,space,andrealisminthe
Dependingontheartisticintentionandvisualeffectrequired,artistscanchoo
most suitable perspective method to achieve their
goals.
THE HORIZON LINE
& PICTURE PLANE
Whenstudyingdepthandperspective,therearemanyaspectsofFor the purposes of our discuss
mathsandtheorythatmayatfirstseemdauntingandintimidating perspective,
youshouldalwaysbeginwithaknow
totheaveragelayperson,leadingthemtoavoidthesubjectmatterline, or eye level, refers to a physica
altogether.Agoodwaytomakethesubjectmoreapproachableis sky separates from land or water.
tobreakdepthintofoursimpledimensions:one-,two-,three-,and
viewer’seyeswhenlookingatanob
four-point (also known as multi-point) scene.Knowingwherethehorizonl
perspective. measuringpointforperspectiveand
in the
artwork.

Horizon line
TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

It’s also important to consider that paintings or drawings are

workingwithinapictureplane(02),whichislikeaglasswindow
through which the viewer sees the subject. The scene beyond the
pictureplaneiswherethevolumeanddepthoriginates(03).

Subject
of painting

Picture plane
(Canvas)

e
Con

Ground plane

02 Here you can see the horizon level as it pertains to the viewer standing eye level to the picture
 Picture plane

Horizon

Picture plane

Horizon

Picture plane

Horizon

Picture plane
TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

SCHEMATIC VIEW
Let’s start with a cube in what is called theIt represents a 90-degree angle from the apply several p
‘schematic view’. This offers the face of viewer’s eye. In order to see more views ofHowever,
fromthisschema
only one side of an object at any given view.theobjectsimultaneously,youwouldneedsquarefaceofthec
to

Horizon line

04 Schematic view of a cube placed in our view, below the horizon line, without an
established vanishing point. As there is no perspective, this is considered frontal plane view.
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
When introducing a single vanishing
pointsomewhereonthehorizonline,this
createsameasuringpointthatallowsyou
to see another side as well as the top of
the square, creating a cube(05). This is Vanishing point A Horizon line
one-point
perspective.
Withone-pointperspective,onlyoneside
converges to the horizon, while the face
remains schematic, or square. By
following
the lines connected to the corner of the
square,youwillobservethecubebecome
increasingly smaller as the lines stretch
into the distance and finally meet at the
vanishingpointonthehorizonline.

One-point perspective has its benefits.

For example, you might want to show an
undistorted view of the face of a building,
whilealsoshowingitsdepth(06).Thisis 05 The first vanishing point on the horizon reveals two oth
importantifthefocusofyourartworkisthecreating a cube in one-point perspective and an image with
object or building in the foreground
needing
to be facing the viewer, in order to convey
proper proportion and storytelling. It’s Sometimesalittleperspectivecangoalong
also
a good option for artists who have little toway in conveying depth. Another
no understanding of complex advantage of one-point perspective is the inherent
perspective.
TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE
Ifyouintroduceanothervanishingpointonthehorizonline,across Fromahumanpointofview,wetendto
fromthefirstpoint,thisprovidesthesecondmeasurementneeded ourcomfortablerangeofvision,whichd
tocreatetwo-pointperspective.Nowthecubetakesonadifferent distortion.Thisrangeiswhatisknown
dimension where you no longer see the square faces of the box, but
willbediscussedonpage80
ratherdistortedsidesthatcreatevolumeanddepth(07). vision, you minimize distortion and r
introduce too many dimensions and
Two-point perspective presents an object from the side with two where
two-pointperspectiveusuallymakess
vanishing points. It provides a realistic view of the object, asrather
it an average that can help you to
shows the item edge-on, as you would typically view it. Two-point
simple, calm
perspectiveisoftenusedtoproducerealisticdrawingsofanobject. appearance.
With its more neutral sense of distortion, it’s often favoured by
contemporaryoutdoorpainterswhowanttocaptureasimpleand
neutral composition in landscape
(08).

Vanishing point A Horizon line

TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
Addinganadditionalvanishingpointforty-fivedegreesvertically Another advantage is its ability to con
to the horizon line provides another measurement and createsFor example, if you were standing at th
three-point perspective(09).Boastingyetmorebenefits,three- upslightly,three-pointperspectivewou
pointperspectiveprovidesthemostrealisticfeelingofdepthand distortion in volume
dimensionforanobjectinalifelikescenario.Humanstendtoseethe (11).
worldfromawide-angleview.Three-pointperspectiveconveys
that
viewmostaccurately,withoutoverlydistortingthecomposition
(10).

Vanishing point A Horizon line

11 This digital painting by
Devin Elle Kurtz is another
example of how to use
three-point perspective
in a scene. Notice the
convergence of left and
right horizontal lines from
the buildings, as well as
the convergence to a
single vertical vanishing
point on top. Find the
tutorial on page 84.
TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

FOUR-POINT
PERSPECTIVE & ABOVE
Most art and design work stays within the confines of one-, two-,
pointormulti-pointperspectivebyadd
orthree-pointperspective,asmovingbeyondthiscausesfurtherpoint45degreesabovethehorizonline
distortion and what is called ‘fish-eye view’. Sometimes theormorepointsarebyfarthemostcomp
inclusion
of distortions created by four-point perspective (or higher) isadditional mathematical calc
justified,
suchasinproductionworkwiththeuseofmultiplecamerastylesfor m e a s u r e m e
filmandentertainment.ThepurposeoftheseshotsinfilmwouldAs beformypersonalhistorywithperspec
tocramasmuchinformationintothesceneaspossible(12). animatedfilmsandaplein-airpainterin
rarelyeverfelttheneedtoventurebeyon
The same effect is evident when looking through the peephole ofOne-,two-,andthree-pointhavetypical
a door. To produce this type of measurement, you would use four-
 Vanishing point D

Vanishing point A Vanishing po

Vanishing point C

Vanishing point D

Vanishing point A Vanishing po

TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

WORM’S-EYE VIEW
Ifyouweretoforcethethreepointsofthree-pointperspectivecloser Anotherexampleofhowtouseworm’s-
together,whileplacingtheviewer’seyelevelonthefloor,thiswould theheromotif.Theterm‘hero’doesmore
createwhatiscalled‘worm’s-eyeview’(15).Thisviewyieldsmuch character. It also conveys a sense of hi
heavier distortions. Very rarely would you see this type of viewWhether
in the painting is of a building, t
a landscape painter’s artwork, as it requires you to lie on the floor
pointperspectiveinworm’s-eyeviewca
with your eye to the ground, looking up. You could, however, use heroic
thismethodtocreateamorestylizedfeelinascene(16),suchasina shape.
moviewhereacharacterisexperiencingvertigofromstaringupat
the city skyscrapers towering above them. Worm’s-eye view
would
helptocapturethatsenseofdizzinessandoverwhelm.

Vanishing point C

Vanishing point A Horizon line

TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
Theoppositecanbeachievedwhenlookingdownonanobjectfrom Anexampleofbird’s-eyeviewusedinfi
anelevatedviewpoint,describedas‘bird’s-eyeview’(17).Thisangle lookingstraightdownintoacitystreet
is
useful when artists wish to establish a greater scope and scale ofas
anisoftenseeninsuperheromoviessuch
environment.Examplesofthiscouldbefigureslookingdownover bird’s-eye
a view can also be achieved in
clifftop(18),orapersonoverlookingthecityfromtheirhighbalcony. point
perspective,wherethescenetakesonth

Vanishing point A Horizon line

TYPES OF PERSPECTIVE

Four-pointthroughtosix-pointperspectiveisbestusedwhenyou eye view can also be achieved in two-p

wantachieveatrulydynamicsenseofdepthanddistortioninascene, view
hasalimitedsenseofdistortion
which is why it’s rarely used in contemporary outdoor painting. inbird’s-eyearetypicalinlong-lenssho
It’s the least realistic way in which we view the world through our
onpage214 .
eyesduetothelimitationsofourconeofvision.Interestingly,bird’s-

19 The illustration above is an example of bird’s-eye view using two-point perspective. Notice the parallel v
 Normal eye level

20An example of the three basic levels, illustrated in two-point perspective.

FORESHORTENING

& DEPTH OF FIELD

Whileforeshorteninganddepthoffieldaresometimesthoughtofastheeasier
impactful options, because they don’t involve mathematics or measur
vanishing
points, this is simply not true. Both take practice to achieve and can be used
impressive
artwork.
FORESHORTENING
Foreshorteningcanbedescribedasthesimplestformofdepthin lengthinthepictureplane,creatin
art.Itcreatestheillusionofdepthandperspectivebyshorteningan Putsimply,foreshorteningishowa
objectthroughtheuseofoverlappingformsandlines(01).Objects when viewed from a sharper
angle.
or figures are depicted at an angle that appears to shorten their

Horizon line

01 This illustration is a good example of how objects layered in space create a sense of depth and persp
FORESHORTENING & DEPTH OF FIELD

Raiseyourarmsoit’spointingstraightout far away. Most of what you see in everydayoverlapping eac

in front of you. By looking down the lengthlife is viewed with this foreshortening, as nature,
youmayobserveh
of your arm, starting from your shoulder, everythinginfrontofyoutypicallyoverlapsone another as
you will notice how the various muscles the other objects beyond. For example, distance
and anatomical parts overlap each other whenwalkingdownastreetyouwillnoticeas it is overlapped
andcompress,makingyourhandappear buildings, signs, and storefront shapes creatingtheillusi

02 This digital painting of sea cliffs in Scotland (above left) shows how simple and effective foreshortening
layering of larger cliff shapes in the foreground to smaller ones in the distance. This is a very simple and eff
perspective and depth. If we break down the scene into primitive shapes (above right), the effect is more a
EXAGGERATE PROPORTIONS
With foreshortening, objects or body parts closer to theExaggeratingproportionsinpers
viewercanappearlargerthantheywouldinreality.Don’tdrama, and personality to yo
beafraidtoexaggerateproportionstoemphasizethiseffect. artwork.

3
2 1
FORESHORTENING & DEPTH OF FIELD

DEPTH OF FIELD
Depth of field is another important factor in how we perceive Once your finger is in focus, look pas
distance.
Objects appear to us as in-focus or sharper in the foreground, and
objects beyond it. Now try focusing o
distant and out of focus in the background. The human eye can anythingbeyonditsimultaneously.Yo
generally only focus on one detail at a time, therefore we only becauseoftherulesofhierarchy
articulatedetailsthroughhierarchy.Photographersalsorelyon
theseprinciplesthroughthetechnologyofthecamera.Azoomlens As artists we can use this tool to under
andvariouscamerasettingswillallowthephotographertofocuson of enhancing our subject matter in a p
objects near or far away. This allows the photographer the ability
couldpaintthesubjectintheforeground
to gain a sense of depth and staging of the subject. The eye hassharpness,
the while painting the backgr
depth
ability to do the same, but at a more accurate and faster speed. and focus. Watercolour or gouache a
technique to make the edges of objects
One way to test this theory out for yourself is to place your finger
maintainingharderedgesintheforegr
in front of your face and with both eyes open, focus on your finger.
thesoftereffectofobjectsappearoutoff

Horizon line

Softer

Soft
THREE FIELDS One intimate form of storytelling t
In general, depth of field can be broken up into three fields:
make the foreground and backg
foreground,middleground,andbackground.Theforegroundishierarchy
to the subject in the middle groun
typicallysharp,themiddlegroundsoft,andthebackgroundsofterphotography as ‘tilt–shift’, whe
s t i l l(06). This is not a hard-and-fast rule, however. Inbackground
perspectivearegreatlyaltered
cinematography,
photography,andanystyleofartorstorytelling,youcanplaceyour viewer in the foreground scene, pee
focus anywhere within these three whilekeepingthedistantdetailsouto
fields.

06 This image comparison demonstrates how depth of field can enhance a stronger sense of depth in
into three simple fields, with the foreground being the sharpest in focus, the middle ground a little softe

Horizon line

Out of focus

Out of focus In focus

FORESHORTENING & DEPTH OF FIELD
A great tool in Adobe Photoshop is the Iris filter, found in the Filter
sharpandinfocus,setagainstaveryo
menu under the Blur gallery. This filter will focus on any part ofBoth
the examplescanbeseenincinema
paintingyouchoose,blurringoutfromthecentreofinteresttocreate focus’.Thisiswherethecameramov
ashallowdepthoffield.Asimilaryetslightlydifferentmethodcanthe be foregroundtofocusingonthebac
foundinmacrophotography,wherethesubjectintheforegroundis

Horizon line

Out of focus

In focus
FORESHORTENING & DEPTH OF FIELD

As an artist working in the worlds of both production art and fine Incinematographyforanimation,how
art,Itendtousethesemethodsunilaterally.Forexample,itwoulduse be of depth extremes by pushing and
difficult to justify the use of a macro effect in an outdoor landscape
apart than is seen in contemporary o
painting, as it’s unlikely that I’d be painting something so close-up.
viewers’attentionfaster
When landscape painting outdoors, I tend to stage my focus on to make the audience look where you w
subjects with more articulation and harder edging, while usingcontemporary outdoor painting, the
brokenorsofteredgestocreatethatsenseofpush-and-pulldepthappreciate in thefirst,second,andthirdre
ascene(12). playapartinoutdoorpainting.

12 This image is a good example of how a traditional painter can use depth of field in plein-air painting. I p
image outdoors in the High Sierra within a creek setting. The scene was very busy with lots of scattered tre
lighting, but I wanted to keep the middle-ground creek in focus while maintaining the scope of the forest.
loosening up my strokes and losing details in the foreground and background, giving the scene a tilt–shift-
ATMOSPHERIC

PERSPECTIVE

& DEPTH

PERCEPTION
Thischapterwilldiscussthetheoriesandpracticalitiesofatmosphericperspe
it pertains to depth perception through colour, contrast, value, det
simplification,
andgrouping.Ashumans,wedependontheseattributesinordertoperceivede
distancebeyondtheperspectiveofshapes.Atmospherecreatesasenseofhiera
that inform us of the depth in front of us. Ever since the day we were born, w
calibrating our distances and awareness in space based on these
principles.
ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE
& THE ILLUSION OF DEPTH
Atmosphericperspective,alsoknownas
aerial perspective, creates the illusion
of depth by the definition of objects
appearinglessclearandlesssaturatedthe
furthertheyrecedefromtheviewer.The
methodgoesbackasfarasthePompeiian-
style frescos(01), dating as early as 30
BCE,andLeonardodaVinci’slessonson
painting(02)wherehestated:‘Colours
become weaker in proportion to their
distancefromthepersonwhoislooking
atthem.’PolymathssuchasLeonBattista
Alberti also wrote explanations of the
effectsofatmosphericperspective.Oneof 01Villa de Livia, jardin (v. 30 av JC). Fresque, Museo Nazion
the strongest contributors to This fresco from Pompeiian art demonstrates an early unde
atmospheric
perspectiveisthemanyparticlesintheair. of atmospheric perspective through contrast and colour.
Theseparticlescanrangeanywherefrom
the microscopic to the granular,
including
elementssuchasmoisture,fog,dust,smog,
and
chemicals.
ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH PERCEPTION

As light rays pass through these particles, drivingdownaroadandcanonlyseeobjectsphotographers,

they have a scattered effect that tends withinthirtyfeetinfrontofyou.Thiseffectenhancethis effect by usin
to create a more opaque quality in thebecomesexaggeratedwhenyouincrease bokeh.Bokehisan
atmosphere.Thedegreeofscatteringwill the brightness of light by turning on yourblurryeffectfoun
depend on the amount of particles in the full-beam headlights; as a result, the light a photograph
air. Think of a foggy day where you’re becomes more scattered and opaque. (03
Artists,

03 This painting captures how moisture particles exaggerate the effect of light scatter in atmosphere, cre
 THE SCIENCE OF
WAVELENGTHS
Another aspect of atmospheric depth is the
science of wavelengths. The sky is made up Shorter blue
of many coloured wavelengths. Among wavelengths
those
coloursareblueandredlightphotons(04).
Blue light has much shorter waves, with
wavelengths between around 450 and 495
nanometres. Red light has longer
wavelengths
of around 620 to 750 nanometres. Between
thesetwowavelengths,bluelighthasahigher
frequency, and therefore it carries more
energy
than red light. When light passes through
these wavelengths, different effects are
created
basedonthecorrespondingcolouroflight.As
bluelighthasthehigherfrequency,itwillalso
have the greater degree of light scatter. This
is why the furthest and darkest objects tend
tohaveabluishcastonthem,whereaslonger
redwavelengthsoflightscattertheleastand
showuponlighterdistantobjects.Thereason
for this is the blue cast is lost in the light values
04 This image illustrates the wavelengths of both blue a
in the distance, revealing the weaker red left blue, are diffused by the atmosphere more than longer re
behind in the highlights cast. The longer red wavelengths travel further through t
(05).
The sun, as we know it, burns reddish-yellow,
but it emits all spectrums of colour through a Red wavelengths
processcalledRGBlight(red,green,andblue),
whichisadditivelight.Whenyouaddallthree
of these colours together in light, it creates
white, and therefore sunlight is white. The
reason we perceive it as warm light is due to
the weaker and shorter wavelengths of
yellow,
orange, and red trying to pass through the
bluescatterinthesky.Thelongerwavelengths
of yellow and orange that pass through our
atmosphere without much scattering or
absorption are what are left over. When the Blue wavelengths
sunisatitsbrightestanddirectlyaboveus,the
ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH PERCEPTION

COLOUR, CONTRAST,
& VALUE
Throughcolourperspective,warmercoloursappearclosertotheMostforegroundcolourswilleventual
viewer’seyesduetotheabsenceofatmosphericparticlesscattered violet shade in the distant landscap
hierarchy
by blue light. Among the weakest of these warm colours is yellow,
ofdepththroughcolour
sinceitscoloursaturationpointisaroundeightytoninetypercent moresaturationandtypicallygrabyou
valuerange,soittendstofallofffirstintheforeground(06).Thisis weusenature’shierarchiesofcolourto
whycolourslikegreensandorangesholdtheirfullestsaturationin closesttousandofmoreimmediateimp
theforeground,thenrecedeintogreyerandweakerversionsinthe will have more colour and attention in
distant blue scatter background. All colours, warm or cool
(07). saturationastheyrecedeintothedistan

06 These two gouache paintings convey how particles create a sense of haze and fall-off from
foreground to background. Notice the lack of contrast and colour in the distant mountains.

Atmospheric colour perspective

08This painting of Keyhole Arch, Laguna Beach, illustrates how all colour loses its saturation and contra
as it recedes into the distance. Notice how all of the colours eventually turn towards a violet-grey-blue h
ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH PERCEPTION

Contrast and valu

establishing
hierarchiesinperspe
ofscatteredparticles
and colour, lighting
atmosphere throug
fewer
particlesoflightscatt
objectsthatappearcl
foreground objects h
bluewavelengthstha
up
indarkervaluessuch
object appear close
contrast
betweenlightandda
thedistance,therear
between the viewe
making
theshadowsappearl
Thiswillalsomakeob
from the viewer’s
eyes.
In art, we can reinfo
throughdistantcont
andhighlightsmuch
theywouldactuallya
known for doing thi
someofhissunsetpa
10 This digital painting by Nathan Fowkes is a great example of how to use atmosphere and dis
a method known a
atmospheric perspective in a scene. Notice the use of higher contrast value and colour
in the foreground versus the higher key of colour and contrast in the background. contrast’wherethev
This establishes depth and perspective through the use of hierarchy. thesameasthehighl
as sunlight and shad
and cool
temperature.
 Details will also
atmosphereduet
You will typica
foreground
objects;theywillt
morecomplexint
of objects will ap
simplifyinthedist
is also due to the li
handlingtooman
brain is designe
hierarchyandimp
of
the same importa
mindsareconstan
landscape in fron
in at once. It woul
open and tryi
simultaneously.
Youneedtofocus
atimeinordertor
it fully. Thankful
to help us by esta
throughatmosph
(13

12This digital illustration shows how depth can be achieved by loosening

details and textures as the landscape recedes towards the horizon.
ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH PERCEPTION

LIGHT REFLECTION &

THE FRESNEL EFFECT
Another aspect of perspective worth studying is its relationshipangle,themorethereflectionoflight.A
to light reflection. One of these attributes is known as the ‘Fresnel
bestandingatthesideofalake
effect’. In general, the Fresnel effect is the observation of lightlake, the water appears transparent
reflectiondependentontheangleinwhichitisviewed(14).The towards the horizon, however, the surface app
steepertheangle,thelessreflectionisvisibletous.Theshallowerthe creatingastrongersenseofdepth

Steeper vertical angle, Longer glancing angle

weaker reflection, and yields stronger reflection
more transparency

Stronger reflection
on edges
Reflective

Transparent
ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH PERCEPTION

Thisphenomenoncanalsobeobservedinthesky(17).Whenlooking photonparticles.Inotherwords,wealm
atthedistanthorizon,thelightgatherstocreateanopaquequalityofofouterspace,butthebluescatteringo
light. When you look straight up at the sky, with the sun at an angle,
preventsthat,insteadpresentingasada
you will see a darker, bluer sky, suggesting less gathering of lightcreates
or astrongsenseofdepthtowardst

Darker and more

transparent
Gathered
reflection
 SHADOWS
Asanartistorphotographer,whenstrivingforvolume,form,anddepth,were
useofshadowstocreateabelievableobjectinspace.Lightinghasmultipleeff
howweperceiveshadows,dependingonthetype.Thischapterwilllookattheo
typesoflightingthatneedtobediscussedinrelationtoperspectiveanddepth:n
and artificial lighting.
FORM & CAST SHADOWS
Naturallightingisthesunorsunlight(01).Artificiallightingisany homedecorlighting,streetlamps,c
lightformcreatedbyhumans,oranylightthatisnotproducedscreens. by Therearetwotypesofshado
the sun(02). Artificial light sources include candles, torches, of lighting: form shadows and
lamps, shadows.
SHADOWS

Form shadows fall within an object, on its surface, while cast reflect onto the object, therefore movi
shadows fall outside of an object. On a form shadow, there is a core
anotherobject,suchasthefloor.Youcan
orterminatorpointwherethelightandshadowaredivided(03).This oftheterminatorcastontothefloororo
iswhatcreatesthatsolidarchitecturalstructureoflightandshadow direction,whichcreatesthecastshado
inlandscapes.Theterminatorisalsowherethelightcanno longer ‘mimic’oftheobjectitiscastingfrom.

Form shadow

Te
rm
in
at
or

Cast shadow
SOFT & HARD EDGES
Shadows can have soft or hard edges, depending on the powerful light source, such as th
light source and the surface. Soft shadows are often seen in also play a role in drama. H
diffused lighting, such as a lamp light with limited reach, dynamic look, while softer sha
whereashardshadowstypicallyoccurwithaconcentrated,towardsromance.

Hard cast shadows

A. This gouache painting shows how natural light, such as sunlight or, as seen here, bright
reflected moonlight, creates hard and sharp cast shadows in the landscape.

Softer shadows
SHADOWS

LINEAR & RADIAL LIGHTING

Nowthatyou’refamiliarwiththebasicdifferencesbetweenthelight Linear and radial light usually only ap
sourcesandshadowtypes,youcanmoveontohowtomeasurethem source light and the directions or dist
in perspective. To do this you must first understand that there are fromtheobject.Whenusinglinearligh
only two types of lighting in perspective. One is radial lighting andshadow lines will be parallel to one an
theotherislinearorparallellighting(04). castshadowswilldistortinafan-likedir
Thecloserthelightsourceistotheobje
All lighting is radial to begin with, which is to say that light radiates
This is why the sun’s lighting appears p
in all directions, like a star. The sun is a star that radiates linesdistance
of fromanythingonourplanet.T
lightfromallsides.However,whenyoutakeoneverysmallsection thisexampleisfromabird’s-eyeviewof
of those light rays directed towards our planet, you only receiveinaasunsetenvironment.Takenoteofho
limited range of lines. We perceive this small range of light raysare as in a crowd. The best way to demons
parallelorlinearlight,seemingtoshineinonlyonedirection(05, betoplacemultipleobjectsaroundana
06). This is due to the larger size of the sun in comparison tothe ourdistortions of each individual sha
very small planet and the vast distance between them. Artificial directionsofalltheshadowsastheyrad
light,
such as from a light bulb, is radiant like the sun, and we seethe it as
lightsource(07).
radiantratherthanlinearduetoitssmallersizeandcloseproximity.

Linear or parallel lighting Radial lighting

06This digital painting of Roman architecture is another good example of natural sunlight creating par
SHADOWS

MEASURING SHADOWS
IN PERSPECTIVE
Tomeasureanykindofshadowinperspective,youshouldalways pointscontinueontothegroundplane.Y
start with a ground plane, as this will allow you to create vanishing
thecastshadowmeasuringpointonthe
points from which to measure objects and lighting. In the case bottompointsofthecube,andthenpas
of sunlight, you would start with a point above the ground plane withthelightsourcelines.Onceyoucon
to create the primary light source (the sun). This will act as thecreatesthemapfortheformandcastsha
measuringpointforyourlightdirection.Fromthereyouwilldraw
averticallinedownto thegroundplane.This will bethemeasuring When measuring for fixed or artificial
pointforyourcastshadow.Onceyouhavebothofthesepoints,you orindoorlight,youcanfollowexactlyt
canconnectthemtotheircorrespondingpointsonanobjectandsee exceptyoudon’tneedtomeasurecastsh
howitwillcastashadow(08,09). plane. You would find this measurin
verticallyfromthelightsource,thenpl
Forathree-dimensionalexamplethatisn’ttoocomplex,let’slookat onthegroundplanebehindtheobject.T
a cube(10). From the light source (sun) point, you can draw a linelightissomewherewithincloseproxim
thattouchesalloftheoutsidetoppointsofthecube,thenfromthose opposedtoaplaceonthehorizonthatin

Primary light source (sun)

Vertical
measuring line
to ground plane

Light ray direction line

One-
dimensional
object plane
Shadow area

Cast shadow direction line

 Primary light source (su

Vertical measuring
line to ground plane
Light ray directio

dimensional
object plane
Cast shadow direction line

Shadow area

09 This image represents lighting a one-dimensional object in two-point perspective by measuring the

Primary light source (sun)

Vertical measuring
line to ground plane

Light ray direction li

Three-
dimensional
object plane

Cast shadow direction line

SHADOWS

PARALLEL PERSPECTIVE
A simpler method of drawing shadows cast by sunlight is to use directionallinesforcastshadowdirecti
is
parallel perspective. This method doesn’t require you to find the
thatyouwillbeconnectingthesepoint
vertical measuring points like before, rather you are only usingpointsofthecubetogetthedimensions
parallel directional lines for sunlight direction and paralleldeterminetheformandcastshadowsha

Cast shadow
direction
VIEWING SHADOWS
IN THE ABSTRACT
Understanding the science of light and shadow in perspective isshapes,forexample,couldpointina
essential for an artist to learn, but in order to comprehend a better
a subject matter. Cast shadow line
senseofdesignaesthetic,beauty,andstyle,thisisonlythebeginning. stabilizerstoconveyexcitementorc
It’s important to look at light and shadow as a way to make literal edgewasbusyoruninterrupted.Sha
sense of our environment, but it’s also essential to view shadows form and depth by layering them ov
in the abstract. Most people who will view your artwork are more cheat this effect by having an unjus
interestedintheaestheticandappealingaspectsoftheimage,rather largemiddle-groundorforegroundo
thantheliteralsense.True,artisintheeyeofthebeholder,butyoudimension.Theviewer’seyewouldn
as the artist need to know that you can break or enhance the rules balanced
in in the scene or in the con
order to make your artistic casting the shadow was off screen,
statement. do
As a designer in the animation industry, I found it very useful tothat.
be
abletocreateartandenvironmentsthatcommunicatedthestoryIt is also important to consider the
withmoreaccuracyandtone,butthenwhenIwouldpaintfromlife, mapping out shapes in a scene. A g
I would sometimes feel limited by what was in front of me. I began mean
to or golden ratio. There is som
takethelessonsIhadlearnedasastorytellerinanimationandapply golden ratio, but in simple terms it i
them to the real world; which is to say that I always tried to create
thirty
a ratio.Theseratioscanbepushe
narrative or be intentional with my outdoor variousvisualdynamics.Forexamp
painting. toeightypercentshadowwillhavea
Looking at shadow shapes in the abstract helped me to take sceneadifferentmood
advantage
of tools I could use in storytelling or to direct the eye. Cast shadow
 SHAPES
Thischapterwilldiscusshowshapescanbeusedtoinformtheviewerofthepers
anddepthpresentinascene.Weviewandunderstandtheworldasvariousdi
shapes, from big to small, complex to simple, geometric to organic. When a s
placedinascene,perspectivecanchangeitsappearanceandmayevencreate
distortedfeaturethatinformsuslessaboutthesubjectitselfandmoreaboutth
ofthesceneandwhereoureyesaredrawnintospace.
DEPTH CUES
If we were to dissect the various different shapes that make upfrom
a complextexturesandinstead
landscape and think of them more as flattened puzzle pieces,suchastrails,pavements,streets,bu
rather
thanvolumetricshapes,wecanexplorehowtheabstractshapes movinginonedirection
informusaboutthedirectionandmovementtheviewer’seyecan tothepathofleastresistance,which
takeintoandthroughthecomposition.Theseareknownasdepth a
composition.
cues(01, 02). In landscape or city scenes, the eye is drawn away

Vanishing
point

01 This illustration of a rock in one-point perspective is a good example of how shape cues inform us of
while the side creates distorted shapes that point towards the horizon. Simple shape changes like this a
SHAPES
Perspective will enha
theseshapestowards
example,whenageom
perspective turns aw
revealingtheothersi
point on the horizon
to the picture plane w
the other side that va
changesitsshape.Th
arrow-likemovemen
horizon. This also
shapes,
suchastreesandcloud
SHAPES

PRIMITIVES
A useful exercise to train your eye to notice these cues in organic
we can reveal a simple structure of form
shapes is to break them down into primitives, such as squares, perspective,creatingmoredepthandvo
triangles, and rectangles(06). This reinforces a better sense of apply
this method to all of the natural and am
architectureandstructureinanorganicscene,helpingtoinform willalwaysyieldastrongersenseofdes
perspective(07). Clouds are a perfect example of an ambiguousAnother bonus to simplifying shapes
subject matter for structure, as they often lack straight lines and
visual grammar – a set of rules or gui
easy-to-read shapes. This is because we see the world in its literal
and interpret what you see. A further
sense, rather than applied design. By applying design to cloud communicateaformofstylizationinon
shapes,

06 This gouache painting is a good example of how to break down forms into simple primitives,
such as squares, rectangles, triangles, and cones, to help create a better sense of dimension in a scene.
START WITH SIMPLE SHAPES
SHAPES

GRIDS
Gridsareanotherveryusefultoolforcreatingandunderstanding forms,plushowtheyrelatetooneanot
depthandperspectiveinalandscape,whilealsoenhancingform of how a grid can be useful in a com
andvolumeinshape.Theyarealsohelpfulinunderstandinghow mountainterrainwithtrees
tomeasuretheforeshorteningofobjectsandtheeyeballingofratios
inthedistanceandlargerintheforegro
inspace.Byplacingsimplegridsinasceneanddissectingthemintoin the grids as measurements of how
planes,theyrevealalotofinformationabouthowtheformchanges ratio. This ratio can be applied to all ob
directionandmovement.Agridrevealsthevolumeandsimplicityandof
people.

09 Here I’ve taken a gouache painting and applied grids to illustrate form, depth, and dimension. Notice t
from smaller grids in the background, to larger ones in the foreground. This creates a better sense of foresh
Grids can also be useful in enhancing movement and direction in
applyingthemtotheformsinanima
perspective(11).Largelandmasses,suchasmountainsandhills,can which creates leading lines for the v
sometimesseemambiguous,butwiththehelpofgridstheycanactlines as can be used in art and cinema
pathwaysfortheviewer’seyeinascene.Bytakingsimplegridsand subject, in
storytelling.

11 This illustration is another good example of how grids reinforce depth and movement in a scene. Not
 BREAKING

THE RULES
Intraditionallinearperspective,thereareestablishedrulesandprinciplesthat
use
tocreatetheillusionofdepthandthree-dimensionalityonatwo-dimensionalsu
However,artistssometimesintentionallybreaktheserulestoachievecertaina
effectsortochallengeconventionalrepresentationsofspace.Thereweremany
mycareerasaconceptartistthatIfoundmyselfdepartingfromtheestablishedp
andtechniquesofperspectiveinordertoachieveanartisticstatementorstyli
Thischapterwillexploreafewwaysartistscanbreaktherulesinlinearperspe
DISTORTING
THE PERSPECTIVE
Artistssometimeschoosetobreakthetraditionalrulesoflinearto create a sense of unease, or to em
perspective as a form of artistic experimentation. They maytheircomposition.Thistypeofdisto
distort
or manipulate the perspective to create a unique and visuallyofartistssuchasSalvadorDalí,who
compelling composition. This can lead to interesting and perspective’tocreatedreamlikean
visually
striking artwork. Artists may also deliberately distort (01).
perspective

01 The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dalí demonstrates how compelling and innovative an
manipulating and distorting the rules of traditional perspective. Notice the dreamlike quality that this im
BREAKING THE RULES

MULTIPLE OR NO
VANISHING POINTS
Artistsmightalsousemultiplevanishing
points, or even create scenes with no clear
vanishing points at all. This technique
creates a simultaneous sense of disorder
andrhythmandcanfeelotherworldlyand
unique
(02).
Another useful technique I was taught
whenIfirststartedworkasaconceptartist
at DreamWorks was how to split a single
vanishingpointintotwodifferentpoints.
This allows the artist to open up a scene,
such as a city that appears too narrow or
too deep(03).Bymovingthepointsapart,
the artist has room to stage action in the
foreground,suchasacharactermoment
wherethebackgroundneedstofunctionas
abackdropratherthanthefocus.
Single vanishing point
BREAKING THE RULES

FLAT, ISOMETRIC, &

CURVILINEAR PERSPECTIVE
Anothermethodusedinstylizedartisflatperspective,whichrefers representationofspace
toasimplifiedorflattenedversionoftraditionallinearperspective.
perspectiveforsymbolicorexpressive
Inthiscase,artistsmaychoosetousesomeelementsofperspective, depth can convey a sense of focus and a
but simplify them to create a more stylized or less realistic
theartwork,suchascolourorcomposit

04 This is a simple example of how flattened perspective can be used to convey a quick stylistic read with
volume. The only perspective cues used here are overlapping objects that create that subtle foreshortened
05This illustration also captures how flattened perspective can be utilized to create an
artistic statement. Notice how all of the perfect parallel lines convey a stylized look.
BREAKING THE RULES

Isometric perspective is a form of perspective used primarily in

Anadditionalwaytoenhancevolumea
technicaldrawing.Unliketraditionallinearperspective,which of curvilinear perspective. One of the
uses
vanishing points to convey the illusion of depth, isometricperspectiveistheuseofthe‘coneofvisi
perspective
maintains consistent angles and dimensions for all three axes of
area in front of you that you can see cl
length,width,andheight(06).Althoughisometricperspective ofthisconeappearmoredistortedandcu
isn’t
commonlyusedintraditionalart,becauseitisprimarilyassociated to understand and work within this co
witharchitecturaldrawings,thereareinstanceswhereithasbeen of depth and space in the artwork. Ano
incorporatedintoconceptart.Whenthishappens,itistypicallyused curvilinearperspectiveisthatitcancre
tocreateanabstractorstylizedeffectinartisticexpression. dynamismincompositions
dynamicflowinascene,whichcanadde

06 This demonstrates the use of isometric perspective in order to achieve a plan-like view of
Vanishing point A Vanishing poin

08Here curvilinear
perspective is used to
create direction and
dynamic movement
in a scene.

EXAGGER
PROPOR
Making certai
largerorsmalle
reality can conv
emotion.Bypla
canappeardispr
Image © Devin Elle Kurtz

I always aim to create illustrations that

feel visceral and alive, with an immersive
qualitythatpullsviewersintotheimageand
holdstheirattention.Lifelikeperspective
and depth are key tools for achieving this.
In order for my illustrations to feel like real
and believable spaces, they must contain
convincing perspective and a true sense
of
depth.
Throughoutmyyearsasaproductionartist
painting environments for both
animation
and games, I’ve developed a number of
speed and efficiency tools for the purpose
ofachievingthemaximumartisticimpact,
whileworkingatthe(sometimesfrantic)
pacethatmanyproductionsrequire.This
tutorialaimstotakeyouthroughanumber
ofthesedigitalefficiencytechniques,and
to hopefully make painting complex city
sceneryfeellessdauntingandmoreeasily
achievable. Buildings are largely just a
collection of boxes and rectangles – the
mostbasicofthree-dimensionalformsand
theeasiesttoputintoperspective.Withthe
right tools and knowledge, anybody can
learn
to construct an appealing city scene out of
thesesimpleshapesandforms.Iwillbeusing
ClipStudioPaintfortheinitialconstruction
drawing,followedbyAdobePhotoshopfor
theremainderofthepaintingprocess,but
youcanfollowalongwithyourprogramor
medium of
choice.
LLE KURTZ
TUTORIALS

01 GATHERING face, horizontal shafts of light beam that leave me f

REFERENCES through
alleyways, and the whole city glints with inspired
by the scale and
On the Saturday night of San Diego goldandblue. aroundme.When
Comic-Conthissummer,Iwalkedthrough yourprojects,wh
downtown San Diego with a group of When I set out to gather references forto walk through t
friends.
One of them commented that the golden this project, I looked for a few things inWhatdrawsyoui
hour scenery looked a lot like a ‘Devin Elleparticular: I wanted to capture buildings the environmen
Kurtzpainting’–andhewasright!Nestledinreflecting in the windows of other aspects ofthespaceyou’re
thehazymistofthesea,downtownSanDiego buildings, structures casting shadows feelingfullofawe?
is one of my favourite locations to explore onto one another, and window towers
for inspiration. Towering skyscrapers reflecting glimpses of skies out of frame
reflect
different pieces of the sunset sky on every(01a–d). These are all city characteristics

01a
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

EXPLORE ROOFTOPS FOR

UNIQUE REFERENCE PHOTOS
If you have the chance to visit a large city, try to find a skyscraper rooftop that
youcanpubliclyaccess.Thisfreshperspectiveofthecityscapewilllenditselfto
exciting reference material, so bring a camera (or your
phone!).

02a 02b
TUTORIALS

03 SETTING UP A
PERSPECTIVE GRID
Havingselectedthemotherandbabydragon
concept(02c),ItakeitintoClipStudioPaintfora
drawingpass.Youcancreateaperspectiveruler
inClipStudioPaintbyselectingLayer>Ruler>
Create Perspective Ruler. For this piece, I use a
three-point perspective grid. A collection of
lines
willappearonthescreen.Thehorizontallineis
the horizon line. Start by dragging that line to
whereveryourhorizonshouldbe.Inthiscase,
it’sdownbelowthebottomofthecanvas.Next,
you can adjust the two points that sit along the
horizon: the vanishing points (VP1 and VP2).
These are the perspective points present in a
two-pointperspectivegridandtheyalwayssit
alongthehorizonline.Ifyou’reunclearabout
wherethehorizonshouldbeinyourdrawing,
youcanplacethesetwovanishingpointsfirst
usinglinesinyourthumbnail,andthenconnect
them to locate the horizon. Drag the lines
radiating out from the VPs to roughly match
up to your thumbnail. Finally, drag the third
perspectivepointintoposition.Herethethird
VP is placed a great distance off the canvas in
the sky – this will create drama, but not too
severeofanup-shot(03a,03b)! VP1 VP2

PERSPECTIVE
RULERS IN CLIP
STUDIO PAINT
AlthoughIpaintinPhotoshop,this
yearIstartedusingClipStudioPaint’s
intuitiveperspectiverulerstobuild
the
majorityofmyperspectivegrids.It’s
easytoswitchtheruleronandoffwith
thevisibilityofthelayeritoccupies,
whichisuseful.Idon’talwaysmatch
theperspectiveperfectlywithevery
line, particularly when drawing
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

04
BASIC BU
If the perspective
nonsensical to ma
experiment.Place
somewhereinthe
seehowthesketch
theVPsandtryaga
is too flat or too se
anintuitionforho
impact the pers
drawing.
Onceyou’resatisf
looks, it’s time to
thethumbnailan
cuboid building i
will have a set of
set of lines that c
lines that converg
getting confused
use a different c
converging lines
startseparatingth
goalistoeventual
whichVPanyline
evenwhendrawin

04
04An early block-in sketch of the cuboid buildings, colour-coded for clarity.

LEARN TO SEE PERSPECTIVE

BY DRAWING OVER PHOTOS
Ifyoustruggletoseeandunderstandperspective,trytracingdirectlyontop
ofcityphotosandfollowingtheperspectivelinesuntiltheyconverge.Find
TUTORIALS

05 CUTTING CORNER
Composing with box forms is an easy
Boxes are the easiest form to put into
spiceupyourboxyskylineandintroduc
shapes, you can carve out sections of
planes and more unique
silhouettes.
Draw two parallel lines in perspectiv
bottom,orsidetosideontwoadjacentpl
endpointsofthoselines
A. B. yourboxformatadiagonalangle
efficientlycraftallsortsofinterestingbu

C.

05a
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

A. B. C.

06a An example of adding a curved face to a box.

use reference points on the horizon line. Use this technique to add
diagonalslantsormakeabuildingwithfive(ormore)sides(05a).

You can quite easily find the midpoint of any plane in perspective
bydrawinganXfromcornertocorner(05b).Thistechniquecan
be used to carve out planes or sections in a proportional way, or to
divide buildings into even sections
(05c).

06 DRAWING A CURVED BUILDING

It’spossibletoaddacurvedfrontfacetoaboxtoo(06a),whichcan
betranslatedontoacurvedbuilding(06b).First,cutaverticalplane
outofsomewhereinthefront-middlesectionoftheboxbyfollowing
theperspective(A).Tocreateasubtlecurve,cutoutashallowsection.
For a deep, round curve, cut a plane further into the middle of the
box. Second, drag a circle out using the Shape tool in your chosen
software, then use the Rectangular Marquee to cut the circle in
halfanddeletethebottomhalf.SelectTransform>Distort if using
PhotoshoporProcreate,orTransform>FreeTransformifusingClip
Studio Paint, and a bound box will appear around your half circle.
TUTORIALS

07 SKETCHING
THE DRAGONS
As I sketch the dragons, I envision them
inthereal,three-dimensionalspacethey
occupy. I want the mother dragon to cut
throughthebuildings,forcingviewersto
recognizethedepthinthescene.Overlapisa
keytoolfordepictingdepth.Imakesurethat
she’snestledamidstthebuildings:infront
of distant buildings and behind
foreground
structures.Overlapsinbusycityscenescan
bechallengingtoachievewithoutcausing
tangents (places where two lines
awkwardly
touch and make the spatial positioning
unclear). Whenever possible, try not to
create overlap at the very edge of a form.
Themorebreathingspaceyoucangiveeach
overlap,thebettervisualclaritytherewill
be.Generally,trytoavoidoverlappingright
in the middle of a form. A 30:70 or 20:80
distribution will, in most cases, feel more
organic and appealing. Finally, avoid
placing
objects too close to one another without
overlap. The tension can become
distracting
and produces a flattening
effect.

08 PAINTING A
VALUE KEY
I use Photoshop to expand my initial
thumbnailintoafullvaluekey.Thegeneral
formulaIfollowistodecreasethecontrast
and narrow the range of value as objects
recedeintothedistance.Intheworldaround
us, the space between objects is full of fog,
debris,andotherparticles.Thefurtheryou 07The finished sketch, depicting the dragons flying through t
are from an object, the more particles will
be in the air between your eyes and the
object. These particles cause distant Imethodicallydecreasethecontrastand Sunlightcutsthro
objects
to present with lower contrast, fewer narrowthevaluerangeofeachsubsequent thedistantbuildi
details,
and fuzzier edges within spatialplaneoftheenvironment,withthe and middle-grou
shadows. mostdistantbuildingssimplifyingintoa mostly
inshadow.Thisse
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:
TUTORIALS

Colour key 01

09a
09aColour key 01: painted 09bColour key 02: created using a
directly from the line art. gradient map with little to no paint on to

09 PAINTING COLOUR KEYS If youwant to tryexploring colour usin

 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

Colour key 03

09c
09cColour key 03: I used a gradient map initially, 09dColour key 04: painted
before finishing by painting directly on top. directly from the line art.

Afterexperimenting,I’mhappiestwith09c,anddecidetomove
TUTORIALS

USING BOXES TO CONSTRUCT

MORE CITY FORMS
This tip will show you how to use basic boxes as guidelines
four corners of the bound box match
to sketch all kinds of unique forms in perspective. All you
fourcornersofthetopandbottomplan
needisalittlegeometricknowledgeandtheTransformtool. Now,ifyouconnectthetopandbottom
Theseskillscanbeusedtoaddset-dressingandpersonalityto acylinderinperspective.Youcanco
your detailsoutofacylinder:roundbuildi
cityscapes. nameafew.Usingthe‘X’techniquet
Startingfromafairlyevenbox(A),usetheShapetooltodragpage90 ),youcancreateacone-shape
outaperfectcircle,andthentransformthatcirclesothatthe intoawatertower(E).

A. B. C. D.

If you carve a slanting triangular section out of the top Using the ‘X’ technique to fi
of a long box(F), you can construct a rubbish bin(G). narrow box(H, I) will allow you to co
sign
(J).

H.
F.
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

You can easily place complex forms in perspective byeachcornerfollowingtheperspec

transformingtheflatversionofthecomplexfaceontobotha letter from a giant sign that cou
thebackandfrontoftheboxitoccupies(K),thenconnectinggenerouslycoveredinbirddroppi
(L).

K. L.

Ifyoustrugglewithconceptualizingthewayforms canbeHere I use the Curve tool to creat

‘carved’ out of a 3D box, try playing around in the free web(M).IusethePush/Pulltooltocarve
versionofSketchUp.YoucanusetheRectangletooltodraw andwatchasthenewcarved-outfo
outarectangleonthegroundplane,thenusethePush/Pull ofmyeyes(O)!
tool to pull it up into a building. Next, use the Curve or Line
tool to make a cutaway shape on a plane of your choosing.
TUTORIALS

10
10 The sky gradient is established using the Gradient tool. 11 The distant buildings are blocked in u

10 SETTING UP MY LAYERS 11 BLOCKING WITH

THE LASSO TOOL
With a finished sketch, value key, and colour key ready to use, it’s
timetopaint.Ilowertheopacityonmysketchlayerandbeginwork, I love using the Polygonal Lasso too
starting by setting up folders: one for each general plane of the it’s exceptionally speedy. I click on ea
image. At the bottom of my layers is the sky folder, then the distant
complete the lasso shape, and then f
buildings,thenthemamadragon,followedbythemiddle-ground appropriatecolour.Keyboardorbutton
buildings,theforegroundbuildings,andfinallythebabydragonat upthisprocess,allowingmetoinstinct
thetopofmylayerstructure.Whenorganizingmylayers,Igenerally In Clip Studio Paint, the rectangular s
put the ‘closest’ object at the top of my Layer menu, while putting
automaticallyfollowingyourperspect
theobject‘furthestaway’,whichisoftenthesky,atthebottomoftheprocessofblockinginbuildingsinpe
Layer
menu.
Keepingthedifferentspatialplaneslayeredandgroupedlikethis
is immensely helpful when painting an image with a lot of depth.
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

12
12 The initial colour base pass of the buildings, all painted using the
13Lasso
The initial
tool. colour base of the drag

12 SETTING UP DEPTH WITH HUE For example, with the mama drago
Hue can be used to indicate depth and create a feeling of distance,the body very purposefully. It allow
inadditiontothevaluestructure.Groupingthespatialplanesofthe dragontosilhouetteneutral-coolag
environmentintogeneralhuefamilies,distinctfromoneanother,topthirdofherbody,thewarmcream
helpstovisuallyseparateeachlayer.Eveninthisverysimpleblock- andwarmlyagainstthecool,darker
in stage, there is already a sense of the depth. The most distant zone
separation all the way around the d
oftheimagegroupsintolightwarms.Themiddlezonegroupsinto graduates colour drastically from t
midtonecools.Theforegroundgraduatesintorich,deepwarms.the colour of the mama dragon is m
Thesehuecuesaidthevalueandsizecuesinestablishingaclearread buildings she passes behind, to stay
ofthedistanceanddepth. formula for
depth.
The baby dragon is easy to silhou
13 BLOCKING IN THE DRAGONS foreground building, but I have to
I pull colours that are already found within the composition to
shadowed wing. The cool versus
TUTORIALS

14
14 The windows of the curved building blocked 15 The windows have been curved to
in as a flat facade using the Line tool. match the face of the building.

14 ESTABLISHING THE 15 TRANSFORMING W

WINDOWS FLAT I use Transform > Warp to warp the wi
Throughout the rest of the block-in process, I will be establishing
of the building. Warp transformatio
flattowerwindows,andthenusingTransformtoputthemintothe master.
You can practise using the technique d
correctperspective.Thistechniqueisperhapsthemostimportantusefulforlayingflatpatternsontoanyn
foracceleratingthecity-buildingprocess.Drawingwindowsin surfaces, such as cylinders or rippli
perspectiveoneatatimeissluggishandmonotonous.It’salsoharder fabric.
to design unique window patterns in perspective. Blocking It’s important to keep the scale of each
windows
inflat,withoutperspective,allowsyoutodesigncreativelyusingthe draw the windows. If the windows ap
Rectangle tool or Line tool. Afterwards, you can accurately placeit will disrupt the depth of your paint
your window tower into perspective all at once using too wide or too narrow, it will interru
Transform. your image. This can take some pract
Thistechniqueworksforanynumberofflatsurfacesinperspective; I recommend painting studies of phot
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

16Windows are added to the middle face of the tower.

TUTORIALS

MAKING WINDOW BRUSHES

IN PHOTOSHOP
In this section, I’ll be explaining how to create window white background. Next, select th
brushesinPhotoshop.TheprocessisverysimilarinbothClip Option+Command+Shiftanddragt
StudioPaintandProcreate.Windowbrushescanbeusedto window repeatedly, until you have
savetimewhendrawingouttheflattowerwindowsforcities. windows(B).Thiswillbeonerowinyo
Ihaveasetoffreecitywindowbrushesforallthreeprograms thebaseforyourbrush.Now,selectt
availableonmyGumroadstoreifyouwanttoexperiment MarqueetoolandselectEdit>Define
withpre-madebrushes.YoucanfindmyCityBrushsethere: Namedialogueboxwillpopup.Name
tamberella.gumroad.com tosaveyourwindowstamp.Next,yo
theBrushmenutoturnitintoausabl
Start by using the Rectangle tool to create a single window
BrushSettingstoopentheBrushpane
(A). This window should be pure black against a pure

A. B. C.
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

SelectBrushTipShapetogettothispageofthemenu(C). Repeatthesesamestepswithavari
Temporarilysettheangleto90degrees.Youwillchangethe configurationstobuildyourownu
angle back to 0 later, but you need to adjust it now in order
brushes.Varythesize,shape,and
to see the spacing of the brush in the brush panel. Next, drag
rowtocreateendlessvariations
the bar under Spacing until the rows of windows separateofwindowbrushes,blockinginas
fromoneanother.Youcancreateawidegaporanarrowgap. Lock the window layer to add refl
Once you’re satisfied with the spacing between yourwindows at night
window
rows, reset the angle to 0 degrees. Click the + at the bottom
(G).
rightofthewindowtoopenthedialogueboxtosaveandname
your
brush.
Now, you can hold Shift and draw in a vertical line to easily
createawindowtower(D).Finally,useTransform>Distort
putitintoperspectiveinyourpainting(E)!
to
TUTORIALS

17 MAINTAINING THE
LAYER STRUCTURE
IrepeattheTransform>Distortprocesson
the left and right faces of the tower. I keep
each of these transformed window
columns
on their own layer, clipped to the base. It’s
keytokeepthingslikewindowslayeredout,
sothattheycanbelockedandpaintedwithin
at various stages of the process. I try not to
merge anything until I’m fully satisfied
with
mycompositionandamonlymakingfinal
touches. This may be a challenge if your
computerortabletstruggleswithlargefiles.
If you need to merge layers to keep your
softwarerunningsmoothly,trysavingout
selections or silhouettes
instead.

18 REFLECTIONS
IN WINDOWS
IusethesameTransform>Distortprocess
to add a unique pattern of windows to
the building in the lower right of the
composition. Next, I block in reflections.
Windows are not perfect mirrors, so the
scenery that they reflect is distorted and
discoloured compared to the source
material.
They reflect a warped version of reality,
whichallowsyoutobecreativeandusetheir
reflections to the benefit of the
composition.
Theycanreflectcoloursentirelyoutofthe 17 The tower is now fully covered with windows.
frame of the canvas, allowing you to add
fresh, contrasting colours if the
composition
needs them
(18a).
Because each window is its own surface,
thereistypicallysomevariationbetween
whatisreflectedinonewindowcompared
toitsneighbour(18b–e).Replicatingthis
uneven, disjointed quality by selecting
a handful of windows and moving or
recolouring them can very quickly add
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

18b
18bPhoto reference: Note the condensed, highly warped appearance 18cPhoto reference: Window
of reflections in curved buildings. Observe how the reflected concave or convex will create
hues are warmer and darker than the source material. reflections that stretch oddly

18d
18d Photo reference: This building has narrow 18e Photo reference: The win
sections of glass that cover walls, plus wider sections vary in the lit areas versus the
that open transparently into the offices. Note how is darker than the windows on
the reflections vary between the two sections. lighter than some of the reflec
TUTORIALS

19 PAINTING A
FLAT FACADE
Thistutorialhasalreadycoveredflattower
windows that are distorted into
perspective
(page102 ).Youcanalsousethistechnique
with entire building facades. It’s much
easier
to proportionally design a flat building
facade than to try to draw all the details
individually in perspective. When
working
flat,youcanusetheSymmetrytooltomark
out distances. Hold
Option+Command+Shift
to easily copy out parallel elements on the
samelayer.It’seasiertofocusondesignand
creativity when working in flat
perspective.
Here I paint a facade for the building on
the lower left. I keep the windows on their
ownlayer,aswellasthecolumnsandcross
elementsthatwillneedtoseparatefromthe
mainsurfacetoreadwithaccuratedepth.
Now I can group the entire painted facade
into one layer group, and then transform
that layer group into perspective while
retaining the layer
structure.

20 TRANSFORMING
THE FACADE INTO
PERSPECTIVE
I use the Transform > Distort technique 19The flat facade is blocked in.
tomovemyfacadeintoperspective.You’ll
noticethatitlooksveryflatandunrealistic
at the moment, like a facade painted onto a
building,ratherthanarealonewithdepth.
At this stage, take note of which elements
of your facade need to nudge in or out in
order to create a feeling of depth. Here the
windowsshouldnudgeleftanddowntosit
deeperintothewall,whereasthecolumns
shouldnudgerightanduptocomeforward
fromthewall.
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

21a
21aThe facade with depth added to the windows. 21bThe facade with depth added to

22a
22a The building before shading. 22b The building with shading, crea

21 GIVING THE building(21b).Ialsocopywindowsontothe

FACADE DEPTH twosidesections.Youcanrepeatthesesteps
Giving the windows depth is a multi-stepwith any number of elements in order to
process.First,Iduplicatethewindowlayer. create depth and
volume.
I select the copy on top and clip it to the
original window layer with a clipping
Next, I fill the base window layer with a22 SHADING
mask.
darkercolour.Finally,Iselectbackontothe THE BUILDING
lighter window layer on top, and with the I follow the perspective grid to fill out the
arrow keys I nudge that layer down and torest of the building(22a), then begin my
thelefttosituateitdeeperintothebuilding.shadow and light pass. Alongside
TUTORIALS

23
23 A close-up of the rendered buildings in the 24 A close-up of the building with arch
distance, with added roof elements. transformed into perspective. The flat ve

23 RENDERING THE 24 VARYING THE DE

DISTANT BUILDINGS I use a similar process with these arch
Next,Irenderoutthemostdistantbuildings.Ikeepthemrelatively windows in step 21, first clipping them
simple, including only enough detail to make them feel real and nudging them over using the arrow k
populated.Theheavyatmosphereandbrightbloomingsunwilllarger,Iincludeadarkreflectionofthe
simplify these buildings considerably by the end. I add some roof skyreflectionalongtheouterrightrim
structuresacrossvariousbuildingstoo.Littlenoisydetailsonaroof leadingsitsontopofthereflectionswith
can add a lot of realism to a city skyline. I maintain the very narrow
colourvariation,itmakesthewindows
valuerangeinthedistantbuildings,asIwantthemtositbacksolidly
intothedistance.Considera‘lessismore’approachwhenrendering Throughoutyourcityscapes,trytovar
your distant buildings. Too much contrast and detail will breakshapelanguage.Thiswillhelpyourcitie
theillusionofdepth,pullingtoomuchattentionfromyourmiddle interesting.Itrytogiveeachbuildingau
ground and shape,andproportion.Thesmallerbui
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

25a
25a My current painting progress in colour. 25b The painting in greyscale, which

25 CHECKING THE
VALUE STATEMENT
Pause to check your values from time to time to ensure you’re
stayingontrackwithyourvaluegoalsforthepainting(25a).Itcan
be easy to get lost and ‘lose the plot’, especially when working on
an environment as complex as a cityscape. I keep a layer filled with
pure black set to the Colour blending mode at the top of my layer
structure. This allows me to easily check my values at any time
duringthepaintingprocess.Ifindthisdigitalgreyscaleconversion
processtobealotmoreaccuratethanusingtheDesaturatefeature
or the Saturation
slider.
When looking at my current progress in greyscale, it feels in line
withmygoalsfortheimage(25b).Thedistantbuildingsilluminate
TUTORIALS

26a
26a A detail pass across the curved office tower.
26b A close-up of a reference photo I took of a curved buildin

26 DETAILING THE 27 DETAILING THE M

CURVED BUILDING WINDOW TOWER
UsingreferencephotosofcurvedbuildingsfrommywalkthroughNext, I detail the main tower. I add
SanDiego,Iaddareflectedbuildingandsomeotherreflecteddetails
middle face, using reference photos a
tothecurvedtowerontheleft(26a).Ilookcloselyatmyreference thesereflectionsmightrippleandwarp
andnoticethatvariousbitsofthereflectioncurvediagonallyacross
windows. I also include subtle indica
warped windows(26b).Idomybesttomimicthiseffect,selectingreflectedbuilding.Littledetailslikethis
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:
TUTORIALS

USING LIGHTEN LAYERS FOR

ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE
Ifyoufindthatyou’restrugglingtoseparatethespatialplanes Ifyouwanttotrythistechnique,firs
ofyourenvironment,tryusingtheLightenblendingmode.andwindowbrushestoblockinarou
Thisblendingmodecomesclosesttoportrayinghowfogand suretokeepeachbuildingonitsownl
atmospheretrulyinteractwithreal-lifedistantobjects. building at the bottom of your Layer
The
technique will allow you to first paint your scenery usingbuilding
a at the top of your Layer men
fullvaluerange,thenaddatmosphereontoptosuggestdepth. totheLightenblendingmodetoeacho
Finally, fill the Lighten layers with
IndiagramA,thebuildingsareallpaintedwithasimilarvalue resemblesthegeneralskyandatmosp
range,whichflattensthecomposition.IndiagramB,Iuse back to front. Use a light version of
Lightenlayerstocreateafeelingofdepthintheimage.Note lightenthemostdistantbuildings,th
howthehighlightsmostlyremainintact.Thisisfairlytrueto colourasyouapproachtheforegroun
howfogandatmosphereinteractintherealworld. varioushuestotryoutdifferenteffect
with

A. B.
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:
TUTORIALS

28a
28a & 28b The first (28a) and second (28b) paint pass across the mama dragon.

28 PAINTING THE MAMA DRAGON

othersurfacevariations.Iusebounced
To render the mama dragon, I begin by taking the colours already below to illuminate anatomical detail
present in my block-in pass and use them in a detail pass acrossandthe body.Thelowerwingisdetailedthro
dragon(28a).Next,Ifollowwithapassintensifyingthecoolshadows alone.Subsurfacescatteringdescribes
andwarmlight(28b).Iwantthedragontoappearasacolossalfigure that
appearswithinsemi-translucentmate
withintheimage.Acreatureatthisimpossiblylargescaleneedstosurface be andisscatteredwildlyinside.Th
handleddifferentlythanacreatureoftypicalscale.Anorganicform thetranslucentmembraneofthedrago
this large will inevitably contain a great deal of texture and detail.
fins. You can observe this in your own
Duetothedistance,andthereforetheatmosphericperspective,this against your
detail must only be hinted at in my painting, particularly in the fingers.
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

29 RENDERING A
CLOSE-UP SUBJEC
Renderingthebabydragoninthefor
opposite of what I’ve done for the m
Wherethemamadragon’sshadow
baby dragon’s must expand into s
rendered
crevices(29a). I include lots of tiny
highlights. I render the skin folds
andwhisker-likelinesonthenosean
illuminates the thin membranes o
DuringthisrenderingprocessIalsoe
encouragingasleekandaerodynam
each body part with a wide range o
thedragonclosetothecamera,asitd
interference.Thisvalueandcolourr
the painting
develops.

29a
TUTORIALS

30 DETAILING A
MASSIVE DISTANT
SUBJECT
Painting a subject that is both very large
and very distant presents some unique
challenges. If your silhouette and form
appear too simple, the scale of the subject
will not read correctly, so a degree of
silhouette complexity and overall noise
must
be present. However, if that noisy detail is
giventoomuchvaluecontrast,theillusion
ofdistancewillbebrokenandyoursubject
will not settle back into the atmosphere.
Therefore, you must be careful to include
noisy silhouette changes and details, but
they must be placed and coloured very
strategically in order to achieve a proper
impression of distance and
scale.
I’ve already mentioned the efficacy of
detailingalongtheterminatorline,andyou
cannotethevariousdetailsI’veplacedalong
the divisions between light and shadow
forms.Theoverallsilhouetteofthesubject
is another handy location to add
indications
of small details. I break up the dragon’s 30aA close-up of the detail in the mama dragon’s silhouette a
silhouette with a variety of silhouette
details(30a)–particularlydetailsthathint
atthedragon’sage,suchaswearandtearon
thethinnermembraneofthewings(30b).
Thevaluediagram(30c)showshowthe
valuesarehandleddifferentlybetweenthe
mama and baby
dragon.
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:
TUTORIALS

31 A close-up of the trees and telephone wires at the bottom of the painting.
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:
TUTORIALS

32
32 An example of the various silhouettes I save as alpha channels in this illustration.

32 SAVING SELECTIONS and then general selections for the for

OF SILHOUETTES andbackgroundplanes.If,forinstanc
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

Before

33a
33a The painting before my adjustments. 33b The painting after my adjustme

In Photoshop, you can select all of the pixels present on a layer33 by MAKING COLOU
holdingCommandandselectingthelayerthumbnailintheLayer WITH SAVED SELE
menu. Select all of the objects or subjects that you want in your first
I use my saved selections to make h
savedselection,andthengotoSelect>SaveSelection.Theselection areasofmypaintingusingadjustme
will now appear as an alpha channel on your Channels panel, moreaboutthesetechniqueson
whichyoucansummonbyselectingWindow>Channels.Repeat
this process until you’ve saved out every selection you’d like to be
My primary goal is to bring more
able to pull up easily. To reselect a saved selection, hold Commandpainting is currently too neutral i
andthenselectthethumbnailofitsalphachannelontheChannels createseparationandvisualimpactt
panel.Now,youcaneasilyreselectyourmajorsilhouettesanduse sky feels too dark, so I use a Levels a
adjustmentlayerstoeasilyshiftthehue,value,andcontrast. useselectivecolourtoleanthehuesa
gold,tocreatemoreseparationbetw
Ifusingadifferentdigitalpaintingprogramthatdoesn’tallowyousky to behind. Next, I push the cyans a
TUTORIALS

LOSING EDGES WITH TEXTURE

Softening or blurring out-of-focus edges is an incrediblygoingoverthemwitharakebrush,gra
usefultoolforcraftingdepth.ButifastandardGaussianblur kind of textured brush. Any brush th
or airbrush doesn’t suit your style, you can soften edges by
silhouettewillallowyoutosoftenor‘l
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

34b
TUTORIALS

ADJUSTMENT
LAYER TECHNIQUES
Thelasttentotwentypercentofmypaintingprocessnearly adjustment layer by clicking on the
always involves making hue, saturation, and value circle atthebottomofthelayerpanel.
changes
tosavedsilhouettesusingPhotoshop’sadjustmentlayers.
In Step 32, I detailed how I save out selections that I useMyto favourite type of Photoshop ad
reselect the major subjects and objects in my paintingsSelectiveColourtool(A)
easily.
Inthissection,I’llexplainhowyoucanuseadjustmentlayers (reds, yellows, greens, cyans, blues
to balance and finalize your neutrals,orblacks)andthenmanipu
paintings. justthathuefamily.Selectacolourfro
Adjustment layers are one of Photoshop’s greatest thendragthebarsleftandrighttoma
features.
They allow you to make non-destructive changes to yourYoucansetyourchangestoRelativeo
colourandvalue.Thechangesyoumakewillbetiedtoalayer I select
inyourLayermenu.Youcanswitchthisadjustmentlayer Absolute.
offandon,decreasetheopacity,changetheblendingmode, Let’s experiment by making some
or mask areas out with a clipping mask. You can create an dragon painting(B). First, I try a glo

A. B. C.
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

selectingtheneutralsanddecreasingthecyan,increasingto push the dark tones darker. Th

themagenta,anddecreasingtheyellow(C),weendupwith youtolightenordarkenyourmidt
alovely,purple-tintedscene(D).Iquitelikethisversionof rightallowsyoutolightenyourlig
theimageandnearlycontinueinthisdirectionwithmyfinal bottomallowsyoutopushallvalu
painting.Sometimes,playingaroundwiththistoolleadsthelefttrianglepushingvaluesligh
me
todiscovernewcolouroptionsformypaintingsthatIhadn’t pushing values darker. This soun
previously intuitive when you experimen
considered. yourself.
Second, I try using one of the selections to adjust one area For example, if I want to darken
ofthepainting.HereIselectjustthesilhouetteofthemama foreground, I can select them w
dragon. When you select an area first, and then create the deselect
thebabydragon,andthencreateal
adjustmentlayer,itwillautomaticallyapplyalayermaskso totheshapeofthebuildings
thattheadjustmentlayeronlytouchestheselectedpixelsmidtones to the right to darken th
I decide to create a more graphic, solidly warm silhouettevaluesdarkerusingthebottombar
(E).
forthemamadragon,somethingsimilartomypieceDragonricherforegroundbuildings
Migration, which you can view in the gallery section of this (K).
book( page259 ).ThiswouldbeamoregraphicdepictionofYou can use these adjustment lay
distance and scale than the direction I choose for my final issuesinyourpainting.Ifdistantst
painting. Here I select the neutrals, decrease the cyan,sitting back into the atmosphe
increase the magenta, and increase the yellow desaturate
them, lighten them, and narrow t
(F, G) . couple of minutes. If your focal po
Now let’s try an adjustment more specific to depth andcontrast, you can lean the hue tow
perspective.Perhapsyouhaveaforegroundsubjectthatcolourofthesurroundings,orinc
feels too light in value to sit solidly in the foreground. Using
withLevels.Irecommendyouexp
aMultiplylayertodarkenitmayfeelflat.Instead,tryusing ofadjustmentlayerstoo,suchasC
a levels adjustment(H).Lookatthethreetrianglesontheand Brightness/Contrast.
topbarfirst.Theleftmosttriangleonthetopbarallowsyou
TUTORIALS

35 A close-up of the baby dragon with the added blue highlight.

 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

36A close-up of the foreground, with an additional detail pass.

36 FINAL TOUCHES ON I add a subtle dark rim around the d

THE FOREGROUND painterlybrushonaMultiplylayer.
Now I begin a final detail pass across the foreground. I spend aincreases
lot thecontrastaroundthedr
oftimesittingbackandexaminingifthescalingandcomposition forward in space. This is a techniqu
are reading in the desired way. I notice that the windows on my masterful oil paintings. I also add a
TUTORIALS

37 FINAL TOUCHES ON
THE BACKGROUND
Moving from the foreground to the
background,Ifindthatthemamadragon
still ‘pops’ forward a bit too much for my
liking.IuseaSelectiveColouradjustment
layer to push the neutrals ever so slightly
furtherfromblack,injusttheshadowmass
ofthemamadragon’sbody.Withthatfinal
push, I feel that she sits solidly behind the
middle-ground window tower. I also use
a grainy scattered dot brush to indicate
somenoisyatmosphericairdebrisinfront
of her shadowed lower wing and body.
I sharpen the edges of her silhouette in the
highlightareas,andsoftentheedgesinthe
shadow areas. Finally, I paint a few more
specularhighlightsonthewindowtowerto
add some interest to the open blue space it
occupies.Whiledoingthis,Inoticethatthe
reflectionontherightfaceofthetowerfeels
nonsensical and distracting given the
angle,
so I mostly paint it out, leaving some vague
indications of colour and
shape.

38 COMPOSITIONAL
ELEMENTS
Let’s take a moment to discuss the
compositionofthisimage.Myintentionis
for the viewer’s eye to be drawn to the baby
dragon first. I’ve used both value contrast
and detail contrast to accomplish this. 37A close-up of the background, with an additional detail pas
Thebabydragoncontainsthehighestlevel
ofvaluecontrast(visualcontrastbetween
lightanddarktones),whichautomatically right, but our eye path is interrupted by
draws the eye. The noisy, detailed the dark face of the office building on the
silhouette,
full of little pockets of lighter and darker bottom right. This vertical form
colour, works together with the value encourages
the eye upward, and we follow the lower
contrast to establish the baby dragon as a winguntilwereachthemamadragon.The
primary focal swoopofherupperwingthendiscourages
point. theeyefromstrayingoffthecanvas,andwe
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

1
TUTORIALS
 DEVIN ELLE KURTZ:

39a & 39b Examining the near-final image in pure value and hue.
TUTORIALS

THE FINAL PIECE

Ihopeyou’veenjoyedthistutorial
andthatyou’velearnedacouple
of new techniques that you can
carrywithyouasyoucontinueon
yourartisticjourney.Mostofall,
Ihopethatifyouhavepreviously
found the prospect of painting
in perspective a little daunting,
you can walk away feeling even
slightly more confident that
doing so yourself is achievable.
Remember:citiesareonlyboxes,
the most basic of forms, and the
easiest to put into perspective.
With the right knowledge, and
some useful digital tricks,
painting
acityscapeisachievableforartists
ofanylevel.

Downtown Dragons. The final painting.

Image © Nathan Fowkes

Creating the illusion of depth is one of my

all-timefavouriteartistictechniques.As
we
compose pictures, we are not simply
creating
aplaceordepictinganevent,wearecarefully
designinganemotionalexperienceforour
audience.Whenitcomestocreatingdepth
and perspective in a piece of artwork, we
must build a powerful sense of presence to
drawtheviewerin.

For this project, I will be constructing a

scene that takes us through many layers of
foreground,foliage,andarchitecture,and
intoadeepbackground.I’llshowyouhowto
setuptheperspectiveandhowtoimplement
techniques to create the illusion of depth
whereitisneededmost.
FOWKES
TUTORIALS

01 SETTING THE
HORIZON
Agridthatshowsaperspectivepointofview
(POV) is a good place to get started. This
example is a standard two-point
perspective
set-up.Ialwaysbeginwiththeeye-levelline,
which is also the horizon line, and decide
where it will be placed for the scene. I place
it lower on the page, as we will be looking
up into tall architecture and trees, but I still
wantenoughspacebeloweyeleveltoshowa
significant ground
plane.

02 AN INITIAL IDEA
And here’s my first idea – which, of course,
meansI’mlikelygoingtorejectit.Ioriginally
thoughtitwouldbefun(andagreatdisplay
of perspective) to include a lot of vertical
architecture and trees, with a lone figure
intheforegroundforscale.Theremightbe
a little footbridge for a stream and pond,
sotheperspectiveofreflectionscouldalso
be shown, but in the end I abandon this01Two-point perspective layout that begins with the eye-level
idea. I feel it’s a little too generic to suit the
interest of you, the reader, and it would
needasubstantialdownwardperspective
for
variety.

03 LOOKING DOWN
Adeep,downwardviewisnotascommonas
someotherperspectivesusedinart,butit’s
onethatartstudentsmaywanttoaddtotheir
repertoire.It’srarerbecausewegothrough
most of our lives viewing the world at eye
level,wherethehorizonwouldbeinviewif
therewasnothingobstructingit.Formost
of us, a steep downward view is reserved
for occasions when we’re hiking in the
mountains,lookingdownfromacliff,orin
some other potentially dangerous
 NATHAN FO

03
03A three-point perspective POV layout, featuring a downward view.
TUTORIALS

05 This is my Photoshop layout and the typical brushes I use for digital painting.

05 SOFTWARE SET-UP06 WARMING UP 07

IwillbepaintingdigitallyinPhotoshopfromSince I’ve not yet been satisfied with my Lookingcloserat
this point forward. Digital painting is the perspectivesketches,IdecidetobreakawaycanseehowIuse
idealmediumforcommercialillustration and have a little fun, playing a bit of hookyactivityinthefore
and production work, as it is efficient for fromthisproject,butatthesametimedoingand colours beco
makingchangesandadjustmentswhen something to help me get into it more. I lovemore groupedintotheb
receivingnotesandrequestsfromclients. landscape sketching, especially places notice some dar
The digital brushes I use are fairly simple, filled
with mood, and I figure a moody, misty foreground–allo
and many of them come as standard with swampland will be a great study in depth. to help push this
Photoshop.Theymostlyresemblechalkor Itaketheopportunitytoexperimentwith to the passive di
a flat paintbrush and use pen pressure to principlesthatwewillgomuchdeeperinto absolute blast an
determinetheopacityandthicknessofthe later in this chapter: edges, temperature, aroundcreatinga
 NATHAN FO

06A warm-up study, practising techniques in preparation for the project.

TUTORIALS

08 An expanded version of the mid-eye-level perspective grid.

08 EXPANDING THE VIEW the grid to allow for a high perspective

Idecidetousethesameperspectivegridfromstep01forthisproject.
deeplyintothegroundplane.Thiswill
 NATHAN FO

09A very simple layout drawing to begin an exploratory colour comp.

09 A SIMPLE START out the image from there, beginnin

Now let’s get going on the idea for the final image. I’m preparingDespite
for mysimpledrawing,Idohav
TUTORIALS

EMPHASIZING DEPTH
A painting must translate the three-dimensional world theedgessofter.Mostnotableisthew
intosomethingthatfeelsconvincingonatwo-dimensional colours to the front, while using coo
surface.Thatmeanswecan’tsimplydrawandpaintthings back.Heattendstovisuallycomefor
the way they really are – it just doesn’t work. My processvisually
is recede.Ihavepulledoutallth
touseeverytrickandtechniqueIcantomakethecloserareas feel three-dimensional. It was
advanceinthesceneandthefurtherawayareasrecede. dimensionally
with painting tools in Photoshop, b
completely
Takealookattherustycoinonthetopleft:wouldacoinreally 3D.
look like this? The truth is that I have heavily cheated it.
Takeacarefullookateachoftheothe
I’veusedseveraltypesofcontrasttodifferentiatebetweenthatI’veutilizedthiseffectofadvanci
theadvancingandrecedingedges:valuecontrast(relativewherever possible throughout the
lightness or darkness), temperature contrast (warm Without
thistechnique,thescenewouldfeelm
versus
cool), texture contrast (rough versus smooth), and edgeconfusing. Further edges might feel
contrast (soft versus hard). Note that the receding edgeforwardandthenthewholeimagefa
is the exact opposite of the advancing edge – the valuewants
is
darker,thetemperaturecooler,thetextureremoved,and that.

Advancing edgeReceding edgeAdvancing edge

Receding edge
 NATHAN FO

10 BLOCKIN
Aswegetstartedwith
myterminology.I’mr
as a ‘comp’. This term
‘comprehensive sket
was
theproof-of-concept
an art director or pu
When roughing out
thingsverysimple,so
silhouette as if it’s ma
emerald pool in the c
a surreal, alluring qu
alsoverypractical,as
waterandyetalsofee
coloursintheforegro
thepoolissimplybrow

11 COLOUR
It’snowtimetostartb
also keeping the vari
organizedbytreating
10 There is no rule abo
10 Initial simple block-in to begin the colour comp. first; it just depends o
scene. For this image
an overall shadow b
light into it. When a
shadow, I will often c
addressingonelights
is light from the sk
light down onto the t
indicate this. The gre
nowaswell,bridging
ofthepoolandthebr

Ihavealsoroughed-i
vividbackgroundora
intuitive to the idea t
and cool colours
competing
needs for this paintin
nearly at the top of
the very top is visual
TUTORIALS

12 FOREGROUND
& GEOMETRY
There are two major additions in this step. First,
asimpleforegroundtoprovidetheimagewithan
additional layer of depth. A foreground like this
cansometimesdoublethesenseofspaceanddepth
in a scene. The overhang is an arch shape to unify
with the shape of the dome and the windows in the
middle ground. Second, I add a sense of geometry
anywhere I can. Crafting a top plane, front plane,
and side plane into objects and structures
intensifies
the quality of form and depth. At this point, front
and side planes consist of the local colour of the
objects(thecolouroftheobjectitselfregardlessof
anylight)andcoolerlightfromtheskyilluminating
thetopplanes.Notethateventhoughthepaintingis
veryloosesofar,Iensurethatallstructuresfollow
the perspective
lines.

13 ADDING THE LIGHT

Andnow,theadditionoflight!It’stimetoadddirect
sunlight and the light that bounces into adjacent
shadows. We have already discussed the 12Adding a foreground and geometric planes into the s
usefulness
of cool skylight from above, and bounce light is
equallyimportantbecauseitilluminatesplane
changesintheshadows.Italsocreatesaluxurious
glowofwarmthforthescene.Thesunlightcomesin
from the right at about a 45-degree angle, and this
does three things: it clearly defines the front and
sideplanes,itilluminatesthetopplanes,anditgives
anicediagonaltothecastshadows.Diagonalangles
can add a bit of action to a scene and, as I’m hoping
for a strong sense of engagement in this image,
everylittlebithelps.
 NATHAN FO

14For the final comp step, I add multiple types of contrasting visual interest.

14 VISUAL INTEREST this foliage can be employed to convey a

This is the last step of the comp, so it’s time
great deal of layering and depth. I have
TUTORIALS

A QUALITY OF PURPOSE
Everypaintinghasapurpose,whetherit’stobehyperreal, distractions that will work agains
completelyabstract,oranywhereinbetween.Everylinepurpose of the painting we’re work
youdrawandeverystrokeyoumakeshouldbedesignedto anintriguingenvironmentfilledwit
servethatpurpose,especiallywhencreatingperspective easy to drift off course and let distrac
and depth. The moment you lose that sense of purpose and
complicated
startmindlesslyputtingindetailsandcontrasts,youcreate environment.
 NATHAN FO

16 This simple and somewhat abstract close-up is an example of three important ideas at play: edge, te

16 EDGE, TEMPERATURE, complete disappearance of edges fu

& OVERLAP Asfortemperature,theheatinfronta
TUTORIALS

17 STRUCTURAL BLOCK-IN
Withthecompcompletedtooursatisfaction,we’re
ready for the big time! Here’s a simple geometric
layout to ensure you are absolutely clear on the
formandperspectiveofthescene.Thisblock-inis
created for you, the reader, to allow you to clearly
understand the structure of the scene. A block-in
like this is very useful for teaching purposes, but is
not usually part of my process. As you’ll see in the
next step, a pencil-style drawing is how I like to
workoutwhereI’llbegoingwiththefinalimage.

18 QUICK LINE SKETCH

Here is the rough line sketch of the scene. I try to
include just enough information to make sure I
know where everything goes, but without
cluttering
to the last detail. I also make sure that I have clean
lines that carefully follow the perspective of the
sceneforclarity.Theforeground,middleground,
andbackgroundarealsoclearlysuggestedhere.
Forexample,Ineedtoshowthattheplatformatthe
base of the stairs is in front of the domed pavilion,
17 A simple block-in to show the geometry and perspec
andthattherearebackgroundstructuresbehind
that. The foreground is indicated with a darker
colour to keep it separate from the rest, and I add a
slight blur to it because that’s really fun to do!
 NATHAN FO

TEXTURE CONTRAST
Designing texture is a critical part of creating depth in an
even if it exists in the real-life sce
image.Youmighteventhinkofitintermsofwherenotto try to design it to your advantage
puttexture.Thereisvisualinformationeverywhere,but do.High-contrasttexturestendto
our
paintingsareneverabouteverything–theyalwayshaveaspace,whilelow-contrasttexture
quality of purpose. You emphasize the elements that oftexture)tendtorecedeinspace
enhance
thatpurpose,andde-emphasizetheelementsthatdon’t. broken-up colour and value, as
You should avoid mindlessly applying texture section.
everywhere,

Here are three examples of a foreground and B.

middle ground where significant texture contrasts have
been added to help them come forward in space.

A.

Colour contrast as texture

Value contrast as texture

Advancing area
TUTORIALS

19 PREPARING FOR COLOUR herehowthedappledlightcarefullyfoll

There’sreallygoodnewsbeforewestarttointroducecolour:theearly perspective and recedes into the distan
shadowblock-inforthecomphasalltheinformationweneedtoget effect into the painting where
appropriate.
going. I take that same layer and overlay the line drawing on top.
Thiswillsetusupbeautifullytobeginworkinginmoreinformation,
especiallyforthedirectlight. 21 LIGHT IN PERSPEC
Here’sasecondwaylightfallsacrosssur
with the perspective, as in the previo
20 LIGHT SHOWS FORM dappledlightlieflat.Theystillconveyde
 NATHAN FO

20
20Light falling across surfaces will conform to perspective. 21In this perspective grid, the dapple

22These are strokes and textures made by speciality Photoshop brushes that I’ll be using to lay in the li
TUTORIALS

23 ADDING LIGHTING
Here is the image with the first lighting added.
The light hits all of the planes that face to the right,
as well as the top planes that are not otherwise
obstructed. However, the obstructions are
hugely
important.Thisisasceneofbeautifulruin,lushly
overgrown; the foliage and fallen blocks have a
majorimpactonwherethelightisandwhereitisn’t.
Thisisofgreatvaluebecauseitallowsustoaddlight
whereverwewantandavoiditwhereveritwould
createadistraction.NotethatIamusingscattered
lightanddappling,asshownintheprevioussteps.

24 LIGHTING QUALITY
Thisclose-upshowsthequalityoflightmoreclearly.
I really enjoy approaching light like this because
it’s suggestive of form and detail without having
todoanexcessiveamountofrendering.Notethat
theshadowshavetwoaspectshere:formshadows
andshadowscastontoadjacentplanesandobjects.
I really must emphasize the usefulness of this
approach;youcanbequick,loose,andexpressive,
and as long as your strokes of light follow form23The light is laid in and carefully designed to follow de
and perspective, they will feel right. This is how aand perspective, as well as to create visual interest.
painting can feel both loose and finished at the
same
time.

25 CREATING DEPTH
IN FOLIAGE
Nowthattheimageisreadyforfoliage,letmeshow
youtheprimarytechniqueIwilluse.Thisissimply
aPhotoshopbrushwithalittlescatteredplacement
sothatitturnswiththedirectionofthebrushstroke.
It has a thin textural shape that’s hard and opaque
on one side but soft and transparent on the other.
It would take you about two minutes to make a
brushsimilartothis.Thesignificantaspectforthis
purpose is the overlap; as I stroke side to side from
backtofront,thebrushcreatesanextraordinary
feeling of depth, and I plan to capitalize on this
 NATHAN FO

25This will be my primary technique to create depth in the foliage through overlap.

26 ADDING
The painting is now
you can see the folia
wrapping around th
This
wrap-around is imp
foliagebehindsomet
towardstheviewer,y
This is also a situatio
shadow colour is gre
foliagestrokesoverit
it will feel like there
TUTORIALS

CREATING DEPTH WITH OVERLAP

Youmightbesurprisedbyhowusefulsomethingassimple aremovingsignificantlyawayfrom
as overlap can be. Placing one thing in front of another thequalityofoverlap.Iamdoingthes
automatically creates a quality of depth, so I constantlyentirety of this demonstration, m
emphasizethisideainmywork,layeringasmanyelementsbuildings and
in
frontofoneanotherasisreasonable.Inthisdemonstration, foliage.
the final painting has some thirty levels of major overlap. Lookatthetopareaofthepaintingsect
Thechallengelaidoutatthebeginningofthischapterwas: I was careful to start the foliage behi
howdowecreatetheillusionofathree-dimensionalworldon itwrappingaroundinfront,thencom
atwo-dimensionalpage?Overlapispossiblytheeasiestofall covertheplatform.Theplatformthe
the techniques listed in this chapter and yet it’s equal in its
to the steps; you can see the indicatio
three-dimensional foliageinfrontofthesteps.Fromthe
authority. behindthemiddle-groundblocksand
Takealookatthegraphicmadeofsquaresbelow(A).They way tothefront.That’saboutfourteenlay
aresimpleandgrey,withnosignificantqualitiesofcontrast, doesworldsofgoodfortheperception
and are all exactly the same size – yet they still feel like they

A.
 NATHAN FO

27Introduction of the foreground as a framing element.

27 ADDING THE FOREGROUND

TUTORIALS

28 The addition of birds into the scene and enhanced layering throughout the image.

28 BUILDING MORE DEPTH I also enhance the general overlapping

I touch up some of the foliage and architecture shapes, and add
adding
a darker tones behind the dom
 NATHAN FO

29Plane changes in the foreground, middle ground, and centre pavilion are more clearly defined.

29 PAVILION PLANE CHANGES to the top planes and side planes i

Tomovetheimagetowardsastrongfinish,thecentralpavilionneeds
ground; the top planes and foliage a
TUTORIALS

THE DESIGN OF CONTRAST

FOR DEPTH
Asartists,somuchofwhatwedoinvolvesdesigningcontrast, putthem,wherenottoputthem,and
so I keep a little list in my head of what I consider toYou
be will see throughout this t
foundational contrasts: value, shape, edge, colour hue, foundational
contrasts are especially utilized to
colour
saturation, and texture. I am constantly considering depth.
where to

30 THE PAVILION
UP CLOSE
Here’s a close-up to better show what was
discussedinthepreviousstep.I’mtryingto
findthatbalancebetweenlooseexpressive
paintingandcreatingenoughstructureto
feelcomplete.Noticethewarmbouncelight
inthearchedundersideofthedoorwayand
the underside plane of the overhanging
structure. I combine that with the
shadowed
side planes on the left of the pavilion to
create a clean definition of front, side, and
undersideplanes–everythingweneedfor
a complete sense of form. Then there’s the
domeatopthestructure;eventhoughitfalls
into shadow, the cool sky light helps the
form to appear
rounded.
Takeagoodlookatthestacked,illuminated
effect of the foliage. Form, form, form, and
depth, depth, depth – that’s what it’s all
about here, even if my technique is a bit
rough and
scratchy!
 NATHAN FO

31The finesse stage is where I remove small distractions and add small enhancements.

31 FINESSING I conduct a ‘search and destroy’ to remove

TUTORIALS

32 EMBOSSING EFFECT
This is a crop-in on a Photoshop embossing
layer.Idon’toftenusethislayereffect,because
it can easily start to look too artificial, but since
this image is all about depth, I decide to pull out
allofthestopsanddemonstrateanytechniques
thatcanhelp.Theembosslayercreatesaquality
ofthickness,similartotheeffectofusingathick
impasto in an oil painting. The effect will be
masked onto the final painting very
selectively;
carefully manipulated so it’s strongest in the
foregroundandintheilluminatedareas,but
diminishes down to nothing in the distance.
If a uniform emboss layer was dropped over
theentireimagewithoutanydesignthought,it
wouldgivethepaintingaflattenedlookinstead
of adding
depth.

33 ADDING THICKNESS
Here’s an area of the painting with the emboss
layer applied. You can see how it adds a bevel
to the texture, with the illusion of light hitting
the upper side of the textures and a small drop32 Close-up of a Photoshop emboss layer, to be applied ve
shadow on the lower side. This effect adds a
thickness to the texture of the painting that
helpsittoadvanceinspace.Noticethattheeffect
is much diminished in the shadows and in the
deeperdarkerareasI’vetakenitoutcompletely.

34 TEMPERATURE
& LAYERS
Beforerevealingthefinalimage,thesenextfew
steps will take you through some close-ups of
importanttechniquesinaction.Inthissection
of the image, notice how there is much more
heatandcolourcontrastintheforegroundand
middleground,transitioningbacktoamuch
coolercolourpalettebehind.Thistechnique
provides an area of visual interest in the front
that pops forward in contrast to the more
 NATHAN FO

34
34Detail view of the pavilion area.

35
This area of the p
textures used in t
ground. Observe
noticing where t
becomesmeanin
whereas it can be
selectively. Notic
texture in the top
but is absent in t
maintain the sim
while
still providing for
TUTORIALS

CREATING DEPTH
WITH TEMPERATURE
Distantobjectsusuallyappearcoolerincolourthanthoseadvancing in the painting. I’m takin
closertotheviewer;thisisbecauselightfromtheskybounces appears naturally, but I’m design
aroundandinfusesintotheatmosphere.Thiseffectisoften emphasis.
referred to as ‘atmospheric perspective’. Our eyes andNowtakealookatthetwocrop-inso
brains
areveryusedtothiseffect,soweinherentlyfeelthatobjects Inthetop-leftimage(A)
withcoolercolourtemperaturesandlowercontrastsarearelowerincontrastandcoolerinte
far away, and therefore that objects with warmer colourwhilepainting,addingthegreenskyf
temperaturesarecloserto let that disturb the quality of atmos
us. crop-inexampletotheright
Take a look at this landscape study from a trip to the jungles
and it covers a lot of distance (a goo
of Central America(C). It shows a misty, humid from foreground to distant backgro
withalotofatmosphericperspectiveinthedistance.Note
environment that
this quality of distance is conveyed
howthedistantmountainsbecomeincreasinglycoolerthewarmcoloursandcontraststhatpop
furthertheyrecede.Thejungleenvironmentalsocontainsinfusecoolcoloursintothedistantpla
many warm local colours in the foliage, and I was able naturally
to fallsintotheshadowytopp
emphasize that quality to produce the effect of theto my
foreground advantage.

Receding temperatureAdvancing temperature Receding tem

A.
 NATHAN FO

36Cast shadows used to show the form of the stairs.

36 FORM THROUGH SHADOWS

TUTORIALS

37 An alternative night-time version of the painting.

37 DEPTH IN THE DARK thetacticsaresomewhatdifferentaswedon’thave

 NATHAN FO

38 MORE C
LESS CONT
Thisisaversionwith
value contrast. I find
with warmth and ric
goodexampleofhow
can change the dept
depthisgreatlyreduc
reduced.Thisversion
decorativequalityth
Iwouldn’tcallitbette
it’sgoodtobeversatil

39 UNNATU
COLD LIGH
Occasionally I like
environments.Thise
awarmenvironmen
unrealbecausethelo
the light source are
actually occurs in na
38 supernatural–aworl
38 A version with more colour contrast and less value contrast. showsthatevenwhen
the techniques used
depth
arestillvalidandstilld
ofthesealternatives
creatingexperiment
an artist’s skill set an
designchoicesinthef
TUTORIALS

THE FINAL PIECE

I now switch focus back to my main piece in its intended
variation.It’salmostthere,butbeforecallingapainting
complete,Iapplyafewfinaltechniques.First,Ifliptheimage
horizontally to see a mirror-image view. When you’ve
been
looking at a piece of work for a long time, it’s worth doing
this to get a fresh look – anything that isn’t working will
thenbecomemoreobvious.Second,Ialwaystryto‘sleepon
it’ and take a fresh look the next day, if time allows. I almost
alwaysnoticethingsthatneedimproving.Inthispainting,
therearesomeplanesthatdon’tquitereadinperspective,so
Igivetheseclarity;thisusuallymeansadefinedfrontplane,
sideplane,andunderplane.Therearealsosomeharshedges
intheforegroundwithtoomuchcontrast,causingthemto
calltoomuchattentiontothemselves.Ialwaystrytokeep
inmindthecentralpurposeofanimage,andforthispiece,
it’s about an overall sense of depth and perspective, not a
focus on foreground elements. I also sprinkle a few little
white birds here and there for visual interest, and to give
thepaintingfurtherlifeandmovement.NowIcancallthe
painting
complete.
Image © Orenjikun

Perspective is an absolutely crucial

fundamentalinmydrawingandpainting.
Iloveusingwide-anglelensestoshowmore
information on the canvas, and as a result,
I delve into a lot of distorted perspective.
Portraying depth and distance in my art
helps me to develop a sense of space in
the scene to tell stories and strengthen
narratives. I’m particularly interested
in studying how depth can help to create
cinematic
compositions.
In this piece I’ll be emphasizing the use
of one-point perspective and will aim to
portrayasenseofdistanceusingthissimple
approach. I’ll be using Photoshop to draw
and paint digitally, exploiting the tools
digital
painting offers, such as duplicating flat
assets
and distorting them in
perspective.
UN
TUTORIALS

01 GATHERING
REFERENCES
The first step of creating a composition is
togatherreferencesandinspiration.Itook
this photo when visiting Sovereign Hill, a
historicoutdoormuseumwithpreserved
buildingsandmachineryfromitstimeasa
miningtownduringthegoldrushin1800s
Australia.Ilovehowthelighthitsthefacade
ofthebuilding,highlightingtheintricate
ornamentationandfeatures.Thereisalso
anopportunitytoexerciseintermediate/
advanced perspective techniques with
the
complexity of building
facades.

02 INTENTIONS
Tosupplementmyownphotos,Iresearch
onlinetofindmorereferences(02a),asI
would like to extend the composition to
a really wide pan(02b). Before starting
an artwork, I must carry out extensive
research to clarify the intention of the
piece, be it through colour, mood, subject
matter,compositionandlayout,emotion,
location, or whatever specifics I intend to
portray.Althoughnotadirectreferenceof
the location and features, some other
photos
I took can be used to reference colours,
lighting, textures, and
materiality.
This piece is not intended to be an exercise
inbackground/environmentdesign,but
rather an attempt to capture the essence 01Photograph of Sovereign Hill from my phone, capturing a b
of the light. As such, there won’t be a lot of
emphasisondesign,butrathertryingtouse
theexistingbuiltenvironmenttocompose
the image in an appealing way, through
shapes, textures, and
light.
composition. I deliberately choose a
03 THUMBNAIL simpler,
wider-anglecompositiontoprovidemore
 ORENJIKU

02a
02a & 02b Additional photographs for lighting reference and inspiration.
TUTORIALS

04 COLOUR ROUGH
Next I paint out a rough colour sketch with
largeshapesandplanes.Ikeepitsimpleand
clear,withperspectiveinmind,thinking
aboutthehorizonlineandvanishingpoint.
I don’t let the perspective overwhelm the
process at this point, as I want to let my
compositional instinct be the priority.
Keep
thetexturesandcolourtransitionsbasicto
capture the simplest shapes and colours.
At this stage, you should focus on how the
thumbnail reads to see if the shapes and
coloursappearasintended,andonselling
the dimensionality of the forms and
masses.

04A basic blockout of the composition with reduced values

and tones to focus on composition and clarity.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
Startoutassimplyaspossible.Don’toverwhelmyours
 ORENJIKU

05
05The light source is coming from the left of the composition.
TUTORIALS

07 The basic compositional layout, extended from the initial study, keeping the colours and shapes simple

07 EXTENDING THE SCENE 08 PERSPECTIVE GR

OnceI’mhappywiththecolourstudy,Icommittothecomposition Once I’ve roughly laid down the large
and extend the canvas. Quickly and loosely, like before, I paint out
a vanishing point on the horizon and l
thelargeshapesandquicklydescribethevolumesofthebuildingsIn to almost any composition set in th
graspthelargerpicture.Themainturningplanesaredepictedwith perspective
playsalargeroleinthecomposition.It’s
flat shapes of colour. The aim is to lay out the volumetric spacethe ofperspective,evenwiththemostsim
thecompositionwhilekeepingthegraphicreadinmindonthetwo- smallest deviation away from it can be
dimensional plane of the andwilllook‘off’.Heretheverticalpers
image. above the horizon line, since the horiz
Consistentshadowsandlightingremainapriorityasnewelements indicatingthatthecameraistiltingup
are added without direct lighting reference. It’s important tofor the horizontal perspective as I int
portray
these new elements as believably as possible to marry thenaturalistic, pseudo-curvilinear
composition style.
together. This step is the real first layout of the composition – feel
free to chop and change at this stage to find an appealing breakup
ofshapes.Youcanfreehandtheperspectiveatthispoint,butkeep09 in LEADING LINES
mindhowobjectswouldlookastheyrecedeintothedistance. Followingtheperspectivegrid,Iquick
lines’ of the buildings so that they rec
vanishing point; for example, the angl
left, and the placement of the blue dec
FREEHAND PERSPECTIVE These are some of the lines that natu
Startingwithaperspectivegridearlyonintheprocess, throughthecomposition.Toquicklyn
especially when finding the composition, can be hill, there will be another vanishing po
restrictive.Tryexpressingthenarrativeandmoodof groundplane;however,thiswillrequir
 ORENJIKU

08A grid overlay to correct the perspective going forward.

09 Correcting the study to fit the perspective grid.

TUTORIALS

YOU ARE PROBABLY NOT

FORESHORTENING ENOUGH
Many artists have a tendency to draw foreshortenedDevelopingagraspofthisconceptcan
features
onlessofananglethantheyreallyhave.Taketheorthogonal freehandperspectivedrawing.Toco
these
facade design(A). If you were to depict it on an angle, you
kindsofelements,youcanfindrefer
mightdepictitlikediagramD.Itlooksright…ordoesit?Theperspectives. You can also quickly v
featuresarenotforeshortenedenough,indicatingthattheforeshorteningbyputtingtheflatdes
facadeiswiderthanoriginallyplanned,morelikediagramviewingyourmonitoratanangle,to
Thecorrectamountofforeshortening(C)isactuallymore
B.
extreme than your instincts may tell
you.

A. Orthogonal facade design. B. Incorrect facade width.

 ORENJIKU

10 Adjusting the composition, shifting slightly to the left to help achieve balance.

11 The greyscale breakdown of the foreground, middle ground, and background, showing balance and

10 COMPOSITION SHIFT 11 DEPTH & SEPAR

Idecidetoshiftthecompositionslightly,toaddmoretotherightside, Creating a clear separation of foreg
as the left building is looking too large and monolithic.background is a simple but effect
Incorporating
more of the buildings that catch light on the right of the canvas
composition.Theoverlappingofthe
brightens the image and brings the vanishing point towards thedistanceandscale,andtheelements
TUTORIALS

12a 12b
12a Facade with edge detail 12b Detail of bevel added to the door 12c
added to create thickness. to describe ornamentation. with added volum

12 BUILDING selectivewithwhereyouadddetail,asitcantofindappealing
UP DETAIL not only affect the contrast and option
I continue to describe more shapes and composition
oftheoverallpiece,butalsohowthedepthofofthetilesbasedo
forms
whileadheringtotheperspectivegridsetin thepieceisperceived. Although it looks
step 08. Adding details to the planes, just as it lacks the perso
simple faces, helps to solidify the drawn freeha
and add form and dimensionality to the 13 ROOF CORNER
perspective inconsistent
spacingandangle
buildings(12a–c). The windows and Theserecedingrooftilesaretricky-looking ‘wonkiness’thro
awnings
alsoadheretoperspective,strengthening elements to draw accurately, but the senseofcharacte
the
indication of depth and process
is actually quite simple. The group of tiles notanexactscien
volume. recedes towards its own vanishing point on personal taste
Scaling the amount of detail according to (13a),independentofthemainvanishing go too far, the re
the distance from the camera is another point for the overall painting. You can drawing,butgett
way you can build a sense of depth in space.‘eyeball’thetilesandplaywithspacinguntil layerofexpressio
As objects recede into the distance, they theresultfeelsright. willsetyourpiece
lose focus. When painting digitally it can
be tempting to zoom in really close and Smaller elements like these offer greater
adddetailtoeverything,butyoushouldbe opportunitytoplaywithshapelanguage
 ORENJIKU

13b
13bAccurate representation
of tiles in perspective.

13a 13c
13a Vanishing point, guidelines, and 13c Adding interest
scaffolding for the tile detail. with a bit of ‘wonk’!
TUTORIALS

15 A revised drawing that makes corrections to the perspective and structure.

16 An additional drawover for the sloped ground and gutters, as well as some more set-dressing.

15 PERSPECTIVE canbethedifferencebetweenanamateur- in line with the f

CORRECTIONS and a professional-looking slope. The sloped
I want to create a new sketch that correctsproduct. itself
from the level d
the perspective and centre-lines of each on the right of the
major structure. Since this step is on a 16 THE GROUND PLANE on the left side is
new layer that will be used as a guide,Next I wish to delineate the second depictingtheune
I adhere strongly to the grid to represent vanishing point for the ground plane, slope,andaslightc
the perspective as correctly as possible. which is actually sloping down since the theinclinebecom
Therewillbeanopportunitylatertobreak site is situated on a hill. The slope is quitetheslope.Onceag
away from it, but I want to lay out the most
subtle and difficult to portray, so I need sketch,asitwillh
accurate pass to be accurate to ensure that various cues inthenextstage.
first. are clear to communicate this visually.
I check that orthogonals adhere to the The second vanishing point is vertically
perspective grid, that centre-lines are
constructedcorrectly,thatobjectsscalein
linewiththecharactersandotherelements
 ORENJIKU

17 PERSPECTIVE canvas. As you extend the ‘cone of vision’

DISTORTION beyond 60 degrees, forms on the edge of
For an image to follow linear perspective, the cone will begin to distort, similar to the
the horizontals must be perfectly principleofafish-eyelens.(Formoreonthe
horizontal,
since the view is treated as if the viewer is‘coneofvision’,seepage190 .)
looking straight on towards a vanishing
point, eliminating the existence of the We can execute this effect in a more
secondpointofperspectiveonthehorizon freehandwaytomaketheformslookmore
line. However, due to the width of this accurateandpleasingtotheeye,simulating
canvas,andhencethewider‘camera’lens, the real-life scenario of observing a scene
a few optical corrections must be made (17a). In real life, to observe a scene this
towards the left and right edges of the wide, you would be required to look to the

17aSlight adjustments to the horizontal perspective to mimic curvilinear perspective.

TUTORIALS

18 FLAT FACADE ASSET I do this by transforming the corners o

For drawing and painting highly detailed facades and buildingperspectivegrid(18b).Thisflatdesigndo
surfaces, you can leverage the editing capabilities of digitallevelofdepth,butplottingthesedetails
software.
Inthiscase,Idesignaflatassetforthetallestbuilding(18a)andwarptoaccuratelyconstructthoseextrusion
itontotheperspectivegrid,toaccuratelyplotcomplicateddetails. dimensional forms later
(18c).

18a Flat facade design.

 ORENJIKU

VP2

A. Constructing a slope in perspective.

SLOPES &
IN PERSP
Stairs and slop
construct
inperspective.A
achievedbyaddi
point directly in
below – the orig
depending on w
B. Slope in perspective. going
upordown

Toconstructaslo
adheringtothese
andhaveallothe
the first vanishi
(B)
Toconstructsta
ofthestaircaseas
edged) form, ad
vanishing point
formwiththenu
Next, find the sl
thesecondvanis
line with the firs
the risers, the slo
first vanishing
C. Constructing stairs in perspective. cross-
section of the st
extrudethistoas
TUTORIALS

19 BUILDING UP THE FACADE coloursrequiredtoachievethem.Theu

I apply the flat design asset to the facade and replace the old sketch,
todelineatethedifferentfacesandcurv
but keep the colour information as a base for when I start to paintthevolumeandstructureofthecolumn
the details. Now I can address the three-dimensional facade
elements
mentioned in step 18. I isolate the facade and paint a single column
in detail. This is my chance to get fancy with the rendering and 20 DUPLICATING CO
implementfinerdetailsthatwillcarrythroughtothefinalproduct. The facade features six identical repe
Theimage’scolourpaletteiswell-establishedatthispointandcan save some time by fleshing out a single
be used to inform the finer details and the subtler transition six of times. It can be useful to duplicate
 ORENJIKU

21a & 21b Completed facade detailing, with lighting and shadows painted over.

process,solooktoutilizetheassetsyou’vemadewheneveryoucan, 21 TILES & BOARDS

evenfromotherpaintingsyou’vecreatedinthepast.Thistechnique Atthispointoftheillustration,mos
is extremely quick and efficient, as the result produced is a very
detailsarefleshedout.Thenextstep
TUTORIALS

22 BOW WINDOW of the lines, you can see how they con
Thebowwindowdetailoftheshopfrontisnotorthogonal,meaning canvas,andasthewindowsturn,thevan
that the intersections are not at right angles and therefore not and further away. Drawing with this
adhering to the vanishing points laid out in the three-point keepournon-orthogonalelementsstru
perspectivegrid.However,itdoesstilladheretoavanishingpoint perspective
– setinthepiece.
a second one along the same horizon line. If I pull out the projection

22Structural sketch for a turning form in perspective, with three points of perspective on the horizon line.

23a The flat asset for a wooden board texture.

 ORENJIKU

24aThe flat asset for a roof tile texture.

24b The texture asset transformed into perspective and applied to roofing.

23 WOOD PANEL TEXTURE 24 ROOF TILE TEXT

Icreateanassettohelpmetextureanyplanesconstructedwithwood It can be a challenge to design pat
panels(23a).Theselinesareanindicationofshadowsbetweenthewithoutmakingthemoppressivelyd
crevicesofwoodenboardslinedupsidebyside.Astheboardswrap to
creatingmoreinterestistospliceinar
around the building, they describe its contour, accentuating itswithrhythmsofspacingandempha
shape
andvolume(23b).Itcanbesimpletodrawperfectlineswithperfect lines here are spaced unevenly and
spacing,butforthesakeofvisualinterest,trytocreatetexturedlines directionoranother,providingamo
and vary the spacing between Whentransformedintoplace,thetex
them. the object, enhancing the direction
The spacing is irregular but maintains a rhythm that is pleasingdetailed
to butnotoverwhelmingtextu
the eye. It can be a tricky balance, as too much variation can appear
applytextureisverymethodicaland
TUTORIALS

25 SIGNAGE ASSETS 26 PEOPLE & DETAIL

Building sign designs with text can be very difficult to draw Adding
in more people to the compos
distributing
perspective. This is where the technique of warping a flat asset
interestandvariouspopsofcontrastin
becomes especially useful. Like before, I transform the text byand uninteresting. Don’t forget th
draggingthecornersoftheboundingboxtomatchtheperspective composition
furtherthanwhatyouobserveinreality
grid(25a), and then scale the text into the right position on elementsandset-dressingtofilloutaco
the building foliage,lamppostsandelectricalwires,o
(25b).
Aspectslikearcs,curves,andspacingareallsimplifiedwhendrawn
orthogonally(25c), and the time saved is especially important
when
doingclientwork.Italsoallowsyoutodesignmorecomplexityand
add more
detail.

25a Transforming the bounding box to the perspective grid.

 ORENJIKU

26A close-up of the composition, further character additions using simple shapes and colours.

27a The initial colour-blocked ground plane lacks planar information.

27b & 27c The textured ground plane, introducing complex colour transitions and directional planar

27 TEXTURED BRUSHSTROKES
In order to avoid obfuscating the read of the ground plane, I use a
directionaltexturetodepictthesubtletransitionintheshadows.
TUTORIALS

THE CONE OF VISION

The cone of vision is the extent of the vision of a viewer, out
By extending the cone of vision, th
ofafull360-degreerange.Youcanvisualizethisasaviewer thedrawingbecomeclosertogethera
stoodinthecentreofacircle,witheachordinaldirectionSo, as whenthree-dimensionalformse
avanishingpoint.Thetypicalpersoncanexperienceclearcone of vision, they will begin to dis
visionwithina60-degreesegment(A).Witha60-degree in perspective, you don’t always
of vision, you can only view one vanishing point at a time,
cone 60-degree cone of vision, but it’s im
with the others being outside of the cone of vision, or in image
a distortion and how it contrib
drawing sense, off the and storytelling
canvas. (B).

1 vanishing VP
point only

Canvas

60º

VP
60º

Canvas
 ORENJIKU

Canvas

VP1

60º
Cone of vision
90º vanishing point

B.60-degree cone of vision.

Widening and narrowing the cone of vision has the samecurvilinear perspective to depic
effect
aschangingthelenslengthofacamera,sowhenthinkingnaturalistically
of and develop mo
compositioncinematically,youcandrawonknowledgeofto
TUTORIALS
 ORENJIKU

28 SIZE & SCALE 29 SMOOTHING SH

To indicate the depth and scale of a composition, you can use Textureandedgescanbejarringifthe
repeated identical objects that recede into space. This image hasedges are overly sharp, they can cr
lamp posts, for example, to which we can relate the scale of other
draw attention to areas that are uni
objectsinthescene.Thewoodenhandrailsarealsousedtothiseffect, the intended focal points. Adjust th
solidifying the read of space and depth throughout theandcontroltheviewer’seyes,statin
composition.
Thedistributionofpeoplethroughoutthespacealsocontributescomposition.Texturecanalsohelp
to this perception, and these important cues all work in tandem to
oftheobject,withthedirectionofth
relatethesize,scale,anddistanceofalltheelementsinthepainting. to the direction of the wood grain, c
Addedset-dressingalsohelpstofilloutthecomposition. describing the materiality
(29b).
TUTORIALS

30 Drawing and painting volumetric clouds in perspective.

 ORENJIKU

31bAdjusted value and tones to indicate ‘atmospheric perspective’.

30 ADDING CLOUDS of the blue sky visible on the right to allow

The clouds must also be painted in a waythe complexity of the facade to stand out.
that continues to accentuate the Controllingdetailisanimportantelement
perspective
of the piece. Remember to regard clouds of creating an effective
asthree-dimensionalvolumes,focusing composition.
in
particular on the bottom plane of a cloud
that we see from the ground. By simply 31 ATMOSPHERIC
depicting the bottom planes of clouds EFFECTS
adheringtoperspectiveandscalingthem Atmosphere can be used to add a sense of
TUTORIALS

32 Adding more framing elements to the composition.

 ORENJIKU

32
Iintroduceafewm
to increase the ran
the composition
closer
tothecameracanh
immersion into th
create a cinem
compositions.
Much like how in
exposure and val
detail,increasing
theelementsshow
depth.Toframeth
I decide to add foli
some more set
elements.

33
Ambientocclusio
form in an ambie
ambient light can
crevices or where
most
of the people and
are enveloped in t
(33a)
shadow region
occlusion
shadows where
ground
(33b)
object, and forget
theobjectfeellikei
32
TUTORIALS

34 LIGHTING EFFECTS sky,orwherethesundirectlyhitsthebui

A subtle but effective finishing touch is the addition of light bleeds
an airbrushed glow to the area on a sep
and glow. Depending on the strength of a light source, the light canlayer to a blending mode such as Linea
often ‘bleed’ into its surroundings, appearing as a glow, and can dependingonthequalityoflightyouwa
haveanetherealquality.Lookforareasinthecompositionwhere servetobreakupharderedgesandredu
you have a strong light source, such as the brighter left side ofdrawing
the too much attention
(34b).
 ORENJIKU

34bThe roof in shadow, with light bleeding into it from the bright sky behind.

CHARACTERS IN PERSPECTIVE
When adding characters into the composition, it’s thecharactersatapproximatelych
important
that their size and scale stays relative to each other, even
that all of the characters adhe
at different distances from the viewer. This can be trickychildrenorothersmaller(orbigge
to eyeball, but here is a mathematical tip to help keep your
scaleconsistentrelativetothecha
characters accurately placed in reference,whichwouldinthiscase
perspective. the
Establish the relation of characters to the eye-level orfront.
horizon
line.Inthisexample,thehorizonlinecutsthesilhouetteof
TUTORIALS

FINAL REFINEMENTS
At the final stage of a painting, it’s good to re-evaluate the
asathumbnailcanhelpdirectyoureff
distribution of detail in the entire composition. Whencomposition, and contrast are wor
 ORENJIKU

Old Mining Town.

Image © Guweiz

As someone who loves drawing in a more

realistic and physical style, learning to
manage perspective and depth has been
reallyimportant.Theyarefundamental
to conveying a precise, visually cogent
compositiontotheviewer,makingthepiece
that much more believable and
convincing.
I love using perspective with dynamic
camera
angles, as they really bring out
extraordinary
ways to present my subjects and unlock
numerous options when finding a good
composition.Depthisaclosecompanion,
enablingthefullthree-dimensionalspace
within the piece to be brought to life on top of
a solid perspective
framework.
For this tutorial, I will be drawing a full
illustration consisting of both character
and
environmentalelements,withafocuson
showing how perspective and depth play
their
partsthroughouttheillustrationprocess.
We will also look at various techniques on
howtoapproachbuildingperspectivefora
complex scene or subject, as well as how to
implementandapplytheconceptofdepth
at various stages. Beyond making use of
perspectiveanddepthasjustguidesorrules,
wewillalsoexplorehowdeliberatechoices
incompositionandsubjectscanmakeuseof
these core concepts to enhance the
piece.
TUTORIALS

PERSONAL STYLE EARLY P & D

CONSIDERATIONS
COOL FACTOR
IMAGINATION PREMISE

SHAPES &
READABILITY PLANNING
BASIC VALUES
& STRUCTURE
REPRESENTATION SKETCH DRAFT LIGHTING
OF SUBJECTS
CONCEPTS
DYNAMIC MOVEMENT

PERSPECTIVE & DEPTH

PERSPECTIVE
CONSIDERATIONS
VALUE DRAFT
· VISUALIZATION
TECHNIQUES
· VISUAL APPEAL & CHARACTER ENVIRONMENT
READABILITY ILLUSTRATION & SETTING
· EFFECT OF POV
POSITION

PAINTING MID-POINT
ADDING DEPTH
MOVEMENT
OVERLAPPING
FORMS RENDERING
FORESHORTENED
FORMS

· POSE POSITION DESIGN CONSISTENC

· CHARACTER DESIGN ADJUSTMENTS OF LIGHTING
· SMALLER DETAILS
ALMOST DONE

VISUAL HARMONY OF ELEMENTS PERSPECTIV

FINAL RENDERING
MICRO-LEVEL DETAILS

· VISUAL DENSITY
· ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVE CUES FINISHED PAINTING!
· ADDITIONAL DEPTH CUES

01The planning process can differ very much from artist to artist; some may prefer jumping
straight in, while others lean towards building up a solid reference board to start.
Isthereaplaceinthecompositionwhereyoucanapplyperspective representationoftheirsurrounding
deliberatelyasawaytoaddimmersion?Forexample,usingaclose- the best of your ability will be the ma
up or angled view to create a more intimate feel with the subject, or
usingawideviewtocapturethedramaticscopeofthescene? Beyond the basics, it’s also a chance
downplaceholdersforfutureeleme
Isthecompositionideasufficientlyfleshedoutwithenoughvisualanareacouldbeusedforshowcasin
elements for there to be a sense of depth and space? For example,markitdown.Iflotsofdynamicmov
having multiple elements overlapping and layering over each a specific part of the composition, y
other
naturally in the scene can be great for implying realistic depth.If there’s a chance to add authentic
Weather and lighting effects can also be tools to further reinforce
architectureinthesurroundings,yo
thiseffect.Youmightalsoconsiderforeshorteningasawaytoimply
depth,andbyextensionthinkaboutwhichelementsofthepieceare Therestofthepaintingprocessheav
suitedtothisparticularmethod,andwhichelementsarenot. theoverarchingframeworkatthiss
aroughbutrepresentativesketchw
Fundamental aspects of perspecti
02 THE FIRST SKETCH relevant,
but right now you need to set up a c
Thepurposeoftheinitialsketchistocapture,asquicklyaspossible, yourtimelateron.
the major elements of the composition that you thought of in the
previousstep.Forexample,puttingdownthemainsubject,arough
TUTORIALS

03 INTRODUCING VALUES 04 LOCAL VALUES

While line drafts are very time efficient, they lack the abilityThink
to oflocalvaluesasasortofbasebr
fully depict comprehensive forms. A value draft can fill in that individualmaterial.Forexample,thea
hair,
information gap and allow you to really get a clearer visual readand
on elementsinthebackgroundcaneac
thecomposition.Thisisespeciallypertinenttosituationswhere
you
don’tyethaveacompleteideaofhowyouwouldliketheendresult Local
to value is not a fixed ‘brightness n
look.Beingabletogenerateaquickpreviewcanbeincrediblyhelpful is determined by its relative brightnes
inclarifyingyourownexpectationsanddirectionforthepiece. material within the composition. As
relationshipsbetweenthematerialsar
Avaluedraftalsoprovidesplentyofsupplementaryinformationcolouredfabricreceivesabrighterloca
aboutthestructuralformsofoursubjects,andsetsthegroundwork you’rereadytogo.
for building good perspective and depth. It also provides a
timelyopportunitytomakeanymajorchangesnecessarybeforeWiththisknowledge,youcanstartputti
committing to a more precise and time-consuming portion ofof values that will work well for the il
the workflow. For example, if the initial value draft exposes anydown what you already have in mind, a
problems, such as the composition lacking depth or being hard to thiscase,Istartbygivingthecharacter
read,youcanimmediatelyimplementsolutionstofixthem.These armour,anddarksectionsoffabricund
solutionscaninclude,butarenotlimitedto:adjustingthelocalvalue arrangementfeelsvisuallyunbalance
ofcertainfocalelementstoelevatecontrastintheregion,fadingout valuescheme.Byreversingthevalueso
backgroundobjectswithlightingtoreducetheirvisualweight,or overallvalueschemefeelsalotweightie
evenmovingmajorcompositionalelementsaroundtoimproveareasofbrightnessmarkingoutthefabr
the
thumbnail’s
clarity.
You can approach this stage by thinking of values as two separate
typesthatcometogether:localvaluesandlightingvalues.
04aThe initial trial of value combinations, which feels a little too bright across the character’s silhouette
TUTORIALS

05 VALUES FROM LIGHTING Toindicatetheovercast,stormyscenet

For now, tuck away your local values and turn your attentiona weak, diffuse light from above, with b
towardscreatingasimplebutaccurateoveralllightingscheme.The thecharacterthatarewetwithrain
twomaingoalsherearesimple:findingalightingset-upthataddssome to softocclusiontotheuppertorsoa
the existing layout, and making that lighting set-up clearlyareclosetogetherandlessexposedtolig
readable.

05a The isolated effect of the sky light.

05cThe effect of strong side lighting.
TUTORIALS

Horizon line
Eye level

06A few examples of planes that are parallel to the ground and therefore have vanishing points on the ho

06 REFINING THE SKETCH: subjects – such as the character, the sta

PERSPECTIVE buildingsandwallsinthebackground,a
Now that you have a workable overall draft ready, you can begin rain or fog – all link to the orientation o
tomeaningfullytackleperspective.Beginwiththehelpfulhorizon
line,definedsimplyastheperspectivevanishinglinefortheground. The directly forward-facing point of v
Every group of parallel edges that is also parallel to the ground will
viewer’s eye level on the horizon line.
havevanishingpointslocatedonthissameline. angled down, or up at a significant a
naturallyleaveourfieldofview.
As with any other set of perspective guidelines, the relevance and
usefulnessofthisstepderivesfromitsassociationwithkeyvisual With this simple guideline, you will b
elements within the composition. In this case, the horizon line and adding elements to the scene in a m
is immensely helpful as major elements in the scene will almost allowingyoutoproceedeffectivelywith
universally be aligned to the ground surface. The positioning of a
senseofspaceanddepth.
 Character
background

Middle ground
(environment)

Character
middle ground

07There is depth within the forms of the character (starting from the extreme foreground with the swo
also within the background (using the buildings and far mountains as distance indicators).

07 REFINING THE SKETCH: dominantelementsyoucanseeinthe

ADDING DEPTH so you have to be mindful of this fu
A useful tip to remember is that you can only display as much elementstothescene.
spatialdepthinyourillustrationasyouareabletovisiblylandmark.
Youmayhaveagrandiose,spatiallyvastcompositionyouwishto Similartodrawingaboundingboxu
convey,buttoactuallyexpressit,youneedconcreteelementsdrawn need recognizable markers at each
to perspective, to scale, and placed depict. For example, you can show
strategically. front of the viewer, and then anoth
Taketheexampleofasceneoverlookingahugemetropolis.Inorder other end. Ideally, you would in
to convey the scale and depth of the city, you can’t simply draw alandmarks
across
few this space to further reinfo
nearby buildings in detail and expect the audience to fill in the rest.
Theselandmarkscouldbeanything
It’seasytoleaveoutthingsinthefardistanceasyoufocusonvisually toamountainrangeonthehorizon.
TUTORIALS

Freeform
movement

Movement
of pose

08Movement lines can help to visualize or plan for dynamic motion in the composition. A good rule of thu
is to plan for movements that loop around to each other without pointing directly away from focal areas.

08 ADDING DYNAMIC MOVEMENTAsintheexample,youfirstneedaninna

Dynamic scenes can be crafted in many different ways. Besides
advantage of these effects – such as a p
applying the common technique of including various forms inexertingandmoving,ratherthanbeing
motion,youcanalsoincorporateperspectiveanddepthcuesinto subject,suchastheirposeandthebillo
said motion to create an even more immersive basisofthisscene’sdynamiceffect.
composition.
Byadoptingaclose-upPOVtothecharacter,youbringinperspective Having the character’s movement
distortion that becomes an asset, as you can use it to visualizedimensional
space,ratherthanjustasingleaxis,isag
movement across depth. For example, imagine comparing aeven more dynamic. By having elemen
distant view of a runner with a close-up view. The former presents
notonlymovingalongthecanvasinth
information matter-of-factly, whereas the latter is focused on‘outof’thecanvascanaddgreatlytoasce
speed
andactionbyshowingexactlyhowthebodyismovingacrossyour in conjunction with the close-up per
view in three-dimensional visualizes
these elements moving across layers
space. depth.

‘S’ CURVES
09a & 09b To strike a balance with your ease of painting, you can make use of layers to temporarily

09 PREVIEWING EFFECTS Therefore, it is beneficial to start ac

We’reoftentemptedtothinkofenvironmentaleffectslikerainand buildthecoreofthecomposition.We
fog as finishing touches that come right at the end, rather thancharacter
an byusingsharphighlightsa
aspecttotackleearlyon.Addingtoomanyvisualelementstooearly off these areas into our POV. To acc
TUTORIALS

AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE
ON PERSPECTIVE
One-,two-,andthree-pointperspectivelayoutsaretermsThese guides can be attached to any
most beginner artists have heard. Naturally, you mightelementwithinthecomposition–fo
tend to see them as predefined models with which to planand a walls in an indoor setting, or t
composition. While these examples are helpful as outdoor
templates,
theuseofperspectiveandvanishingpointscanextendwell setting.
beyond the basics you commonly see Thecatchisthatmostelementswith
used. to be at different distances away, me
In order to go beyond the basics, though, you have to numberofvanishingpointswouldbe
understandthesignificanceofeachvanishingpointwithin everyaxisofdepth.
the grand scheme of the composition. The core concept
to start from is thata vanishing point is as relevant as theImagine facing a wall directly head
compositionalelementsthatmakeuseof.it closest
tilebeinginthemiddle(D)
edge, being further from your POV
A simple example would be that of a box – its respective square, will have visually smaller
vanishing point is relevant because a large proportion oftiles.
its defining edges recede towards that point. If you have However,thefurtherawaytheentire
many boxes that are all aligned with that point, the scene the weaker this effect. To give an ex
‘becomes’ a one-point-perspective composition(A). centre tile of the wall is one unit awa
iftheboxesareindisarray,thenthatspecificvanishingpoint
However, edge tiles are each two units away, th
becomesarbitraryandalotlessintuitiveasananchor(B). size will be massive. If the centre is 9
and the edges are 1,000 units away,
If we introduce major visual elements that align with the distortioncaneffectivelybeignored
vanishing point, that point now regains its significance,entire wall at essentially the sa
despitetheexclusionofminorelements distance.
(C). Thesameprincipleappliesinillustrat
When considering a realistic POV, you can think oftoignoreveryminorperspectivedist
vanishing
pointsassimpleguidestohelpvisualizehowthingsbecome when drawing the aforementioned
smaller as they move further away relative to the viewer. at a moderate distance). However,
much closer POV with a wider lens,

VP1 VP1
toaccountforthedistancedifferencesalongthewallitself,approach, the perspective distor
therefore needing much more distortion. Extreme distinctaxes,allowingyouto‘over
distortion
acrossaflatplanecanbedifficultandunintuitivetocalculate perspective lines. Rectilinear len
and same
purpose of straightening out cur
depict. work
best when shooting subjects at
To make things easier, you can introduce more ‘obvious’angles.
directions of perspective(E). If you pick a clear angle of

Fixed wall Fixed wall POV view

To centre
CLOSE-UP VIEW To periphery
(wide lens) (~27% further)

Fixed wall Fixed wall POV view

DISTANT VIEW To centre

(normal lens) To periphery
(~4% further)

FRONTAL VIEW HIGH-/LOW-ANGLE VIEWCOMBINED ANGLED V

TUTORIALS

Added foreshortening cues

Pauldron moved forward

10While individual fixes during this phase should be relatively minor, given the rigorous planning process,
the sum of their parts can develop and improve the composition as a whole significantly.

10 REFRESHING THE COMPOSITION

11 CHARACTER: OVER
Interspersingsomefree-paintingintoanorganizedprocessisanWhile we often strongly associate dep
excellentwaytomakeadjustmentsflexibly.Duringthisprocess,environmentalelements,theyarealso
it’sequallyimportanttoreviewthechangesoccurringthroughout illustratingcharacters.It’salittlelessin
thepieceasitistomoveforwardwithimproving thecomposition. gridsandvanishingpointswiththemo
Lookoutforfundamental-levelmistakesthatneedfixing,suchas present in a character, which can mak
perspective-related errors. Check for misaligned edges, here.
excessive or A helpful method for tackling perspe
insufficient foreshortening, or depth lost during the drawing
process. character’sformintomanageablebloc
In this case, you may need to tune the brightness of the highlights
uppertorso,forearms,andupperarmsa
that you have just added to their respective materials, or to more
of best fit’. In turn, these simple guide
accurately represent the underlying forms. The character’s of drawing their represented forms in
forward
shoulder and pauldron could also be enlarged in line with the accurate relation to each
perspective view, given their proximity to the viewer’s other.
POV. However,ifyoujumprightintoworkin
As you make these changes, it’s helpful to constantly observe and
individualboxes,thingscangetoverwh
compare ‘before and after’ stages to see how they impact the bigstart
yourself off on the right foot, consider
picture.Forexample,anattention-grabbingelementononesidecharacterasawholewithasingle‘boxofb
 Hand
Head

Upper
arm
Forearm

r
ulde
Sho
Tors
o

Character best fit frame

Frame vanishing point

TUTORIALS

(Medium distanc

(Extreme close-u

12 CHARACTER: PERSPECTIVE POVbesoclosethattheforegroundelem

Your recently established grid and vanishing point alone are not
tooverpowereverythingelse
(B).
enough to accurately draw the character in perspective just yet.
 7 3

6
2

5 4

13 Overlapping forms in the character’s pose are indicated by 1–7, from front to back, and areas with he

You may find it feels more intuitive to paint organically first, Ifwemustlightthecaveman,wecan
gradually locking in perspective as the draft develops, but it’s also
light source that’s ‘in frame’, and ide
possibletotakeamoretechnicalapproachbysettingupguidesand angleoflighting.Correctlyplacedlig
framesbeforedrawing.However,thelatterapproachcomesattheintended spacing and depth p
costofbeingabletoquicklyandflexiblyaddideas. composition.
Second is the character level, wh
characterasagroupofforms,much
13 CHARACTER: DEPTH the perspective
When considering the concept of depth in relation to drawingview.
characters,youcanseeitattwolevels. Iliketothinkof‘overlapping’and‘fo
tools that can be used to arrange the
First is the macro level, where the entire character is one singleYoucaneitherposeordesignthechar
entity within a complex scene. In this tier, your goal is to properly
eachother,creatingadirectvisualde
depictthecharacterattheircorrectphysicalpositionbyusingthe asforeshortenedformsextendingto
rightvisualcues.Forexample,acavemanstandinginadarkforest Eachmethodhasitsownstrengths,
foregroundshouldnotbebrightlyilluminatedbyfarawaylights.verywell-roundedwaytoadddeptht
Otherwise,theimagecouldbecomeconfusing,asthedistantlight
TUTORIALS

14a & 14b Before and after adjustments: 1) stronger occlusion on cuirass, 2) darkened fabric material,
3) sharper reflection, taking into account contour of pauldron, and 4) adjusted forearm and hand pose.

14 CHARACTER: LIGHTING The aim now is to assess the characte

Now that you have a good understanding of how the charactertweaking
is lighting strength and loca
drawn in proper perspective and depth, it’s time to revisit your
composition(14a,14b). For example: i
lighting set- occlusionfactorforthetorsoareatobet
up. facingportion;darkeningthefabricpor
Thisscenewillhavethreelightsourcestoaccountfor:theovercast a more cohesive value block; and adjus
lighting,whichhitsthecharacterevenlyfromabove;theambient less evenly reflected to account for th
forms.
light, which comes from the overcast sky being reflected by the
surroundingsontothecharacter;andfinallytheaccentorsidelight, As you paint, you may spot mistakes
whichisfromaseparatesourceofilluminationthathighlightsapart Forexample,theleadingforearmandh
of the character’s more
 3

LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS
Overcastlightingmightbecomparativelysoft,butitisstillbright
enoughforlighttobebouncedofftheground,nearbybuildings,and
evenraindropsandfogontothecharacter.Thebestwaytoexpress
this effect is usually by adding a soft, weak light cast upwards and
fromthesideontothecharacter.

Withahighlyspecularsurface,thesesameareasmightdirectly
reflectthesurroundingsasanimage,ratherthanjustbesoftlylitby
diffuse
TUTORIALS

Hairband

Eyepatch

Qulited fabric

Scarf

Emblems

15Introduction of multiple new textures, patterns, and objects on this first detail pass; more of the complex

15 CHARACTER: feedbackontheperspectiveatvarious
INTRODUCING DETAILS These can add clarity to the drawing p
Now that you have a solid foundation for the character, you can
anchors with which to check that pers
begin exploring options for developing the visuals shown.
further. Second,onasmallerscale,texturesand
Detailing is necessary when you need to create something that amoresubtlebutequallyeffectiveopti
issufficientlyinformation-denseandpolished.Thisprocesscanorseamsalignedinperspective).Youc
involve adding texture, patterns, or entire elements to make the
aboveelementsdirectly,suchasthequ
subjectmoreinteresting.Beyondthebasic‘fillinginofemptyspace’, whichisaverysuccinctwaytoconveyt
thereareplentyofopportunitieswithinthedetailingprocessthat
youcanseizetoreinforceperspective,oreventoaddanothertierSingle of motifs like the one on the pauld
depth to the be used to directly indicate the perspe
composition. attached
First,considerintroducingcontour-followingelements(suchasto.
the
hairband,eyepatch,scarf,andarmwraps),whichprovidedirect
16 The basic structure of the face is broken down into perspective with upper- and lower-facing surface

16 FACES & PERSPECTIVE Recall the one-point grid from ea

Thefaceisoftenanaturalpointoffocusforcharacterillustrations, information it provides, you can fig
yet it can feel disproportionately difficult to approach given itsshouldappearfromyourchosenPO
apparent complexity. Rather than trying to figure it out in a single
from the left (our view), we should s
leap, look at the face as yet another group of forms that need to and
beslightly less of the far cheek. As
understood and then drawn in fromthelessvisibleside,weshouldb
perspective.
Youcanbreakdownthefaceandsubdivideitintorelevantshapes, You can apply this similar deductio
justasbefore.First,identifytheforehead,nose,andearsasthemost
thenose,eyes,cheeks,brow,andfor
prominently protruding forms. Second, subdivide the slight asymmetry to account
remaining
surfacestoaccountfortheeyes,cheeks,andmoutharea. perspective.
TUTORIALS

17 The first painting pass over the facial features can be a big jump from the previous stage;
the change in how the face reads will naturally require further tuning and adjustment.

17 FACES & DEPTH Foreshortening is a lot more self-expla

Recallhow‘overlapping’and‘foreshortening’aretwotechniquesthat the sides of the nose, edges of the
usedheretodepictdepth.Understandingoftheseconceptsisequally cheekbones,andbottomofthecheekall
relevanttotheprocessofdrawingaportrait.Overlappingformsmay from this perspective. To reflect these
belessself-evidentinthiscontext,asfacialfeaturesrarelyobfuscate accurately, make sure to light these
each other from the front view, but there are some subtle key areas
consistentwiththeexistingthree-light
of up.
note.
18The movement of hair in the depth axis is difficult to clearly portray at this stage, but
can be temporarily indicated with strong curves, especially towards the tips of strands.

18 HAIR movementlookorganic.Thenatura
Thenextchallengeisdrawinghairinmotion.Tostart,youcanthink toaddfurtherdepthcueswithinthes
of hair almost like a helmet sitting on top of the head and sharing
much of the same perspective grid. In many cases, the apparent Toavoidexcessivemessinessthatc
perspectiveofthehairactuallyconveysmuchoftheinformationthe visual flow, I find it helpful to
onhowthecharacter’sheadispositioned.Asthischaracter’shead organized towards the axis of mo
is slightly lowered from this POV, in a bracing pose, you shouldmedium
andsmallstrandsaddedinlater.Thev
correspondinglyseemoreofthetopofherhairaswell. defineandanchorthemovementdir
TUTORIALS

CREATING A MULTI-
VIEW BREAKDOWN
Drawingacomplexsubjectcanbeincrediblychallengingdifficult to intuit from the front vie
in perspective. There are multiple overlapping and depthhasbeengreatlyforeshortened
foreshortened forms each taking up a very specific space(B).
and shape, which can be mentally taxing to manage, to say As you develop the side view of this
theleast!Evenafterlayingoutthebasestructure,errorscan involvesexploringhowyoucanimp
creepinduringthepaintingprocessifyourunderstandingAdjustments
of andchangesduringthis
theformsisnotasaccurateasitneedstobe(A). their counterparts in the ‘main’ p
transfer
over in previously unanticipated w
effect.
The ideal solution would be to have a 3D model of the subject
in the exact pose that we can refer to! The next best option
The
is topviewalsoprovidesitsownun
todrawtheposeinadditionalanglestobetterunderstandit. layout(C).Mostimportantofall,itclea
Havingaveryclearimageoftheformsfromalternateangles of the torso, head, and arms relative
can convey a lot of valuable information that may not be POV. This clarifies the forms i
intuitiveorclearfromyourchosenangleintheillustration. foreshortened
andthereby‘hidden’inboththefront
For example, having a top-down view and side-on view to
map out the pose can not only help you correct errors, but Whilechallengingduetotherigorous
potentially give rise to improvements on their own method can very frequently, and of
merit. resolve
the feeling of your illustration
something.
A particularly tough area of this pose is around the leading
shoulder,theopposinghand,andhead.Howexactlythese
individualformsexistinspacerelativetoeachothercanbe

A
2
C
B
 2

B. The side view clarifies angles 1 and 2 with ease; similarly, angle Y, representing the character’s left

C
TUTORIALS

19a
19a Knuckles and joints align along a smooth arc in this pose. 19b The flow of gesture from wrist to fin

20One possible way to break down the form of the cape in perspective: abstracting out individual
edges within the ‘cross-section’ of the cape, using overlaps to add depth.

19 HANDS on. The lines essentially help you to ch

Detailedhandsareoftenachallengetodraw,notjustbecauseofhow segmentandkeepthefingerswithinare
complextheyare,butalsobecauseyoucantellstraightawaywhen
somethingaboutthemisn’tdrawnright.Uncommonhandposesor Conveniently,thistechniquealsohelps
difficult perspectives can add to this challenge. As before, you can
ofthehandgesture/pose
break hands down into manageable perspective for each finger
portions. segment.
First, identify the position and rotation of the palm. It’s usually the
leastvariablepartofthehand,makingitthebestcandidatetoserve 20 ILLUSTRATING FA
as a perspective anchor point for the rest of the hand. In this case,There
the areafewtechniquesthatcanhelp
palmisrotatedoutwardsinabracingposition.Basedonthis,youcan inaforeshortenedperspective.Fabric
21 A preview of what the illustration should look like after your first colour pass, including both local and

thecontinuousnatureofthefabric.Similartomanyoftheprevious Dependingonyourchoiceofcompo
techniques, you can begin by mapping out a simplified form of the vary in its complexity. For the pur
cape. Fortunately, you can regard the cape as a 2D object for mostadopt
of arelativelysimple,practicalco
this vibrantcoloursaresupportedbynat
process. that populate most of the
Add a series of horizontal, continuous cross-section lines, onecomposition.
behind
theother.Theselinesrepresentthecontourofthecapeateachpoint Similar to when you drafted the va
indepth.Thecurvatureoftheselines,theirdistancefromeachother, processintotwodistinctsegments:lo
andtheiroverlapsrepresentchangingformsinthecape.Toavoid Makingthiscleardistinctionatthis
drawing a cape that looks stiff and starched, it’s best to constantly
on top of what each colour is, as wel
mix in variations in each of the above factors, avoiding extended
sectionswherethelinesrunparalleltoeachother.

21 INTRODUCING COLOUR
While the greyscale sketch has been a very useful tool in setting
up the foundations of the composition, colour will be your first
TUTORIALS

Face

Fabrics

22Assignment of local colours to each separate material; a simple but wide range of colours is a good plac

22 LOCAL COLOUR
You can think of the local colour as the base colour an object carries
incolourlesslighting.Inthiscomposition,mostofthelocalcolour
will be located on the character. To apply the local colour, you can
use a layer in Soft Light or Overlay mode to paint over the relevant
areas. Here, I introduce the skin tone as well as a yellow tone for the
fabricunderarmour.Asidefromjustaddingtheappropriatecolour
toourchosensubject,thisalsocreatescontrastbetweendifferent
elements of the character’s
design.
Recallhowcharacterdesignplaysapartinreinforcingperspective
and adding depth by introducing useful elements. Local colour
furtherbuildsonthiseffectbygivingthoseelementsmorecontrast
where necessary. For example, if you have a dark grey curtain
beside a red and white one, you would essentially only see two
major groupings in greyscale – dark and bright – as much of the
contrastbetweenredandblackwouldbelost.Comparethistoafter
 Warm ambience

Cold shadows

Additional
accents

23Isolated effects of lighting colour, without local colour; ideally, each light source should provide its ow

23 LIGHTING COLOUR warm orange to keep it clearly dist

Nextyoucanlookatthecolourimpartedbythatlighting,whichyou illumination.Thisiscrucial,aswitho
can subdivide into three lightingcaneasilybeconflatedascom
parts. even if multiple sources are present
from
First, there is a soft but substantial overhead light source coming
the rain on the armour are bright, an
fromtheovercastsky.Forthislightsource,Ichooseaslightlywarm, withthelightcomingfromtheright.
greenishtonetoreflectthepresenceofstormclouds.Tovisualizethis
effect in the composition, I use a layer in Selective Colour modeThird,
to there is a weak and soft am
introduceaslighttintofyellowinthe‘neutral’rangeandalittleblue from the character’s surroundings
inthe‘black’range. from below, where it’s the sole lig
desaturatedgrey,similartothatofth
Second, there is a strong, direct light source coming from the right
character’sphysicalposition(highu
side beyond our field of view. For this light source, I choose a very
as accounting for the predomi
architecture.
TUTORIALS

24 REBALANCING theskintonemaybeundersaturated,in
THE COMPOSITION to add a bit more vibrance or risk it bl
Now that you have introduced the first pass of colour to the surrounding
space.
composition, you’ll be able to get a much better read on it as a whole.
There may very likely be emergent issues that you need to resolve
A method I use to facilitate this checki
nowthatyoucanseethem. image’scurrentstatewithitspre-chang
two stages as layers and then going ba
Forexample,theinitialintroductionoflocalcolourmaynothave mistakesthatwouldotherwisehavebe
been precisely what you anticipated. If the yellow fabric is too
able to take a step back to reassess the p
oversaturated,itmay‘pop’alittletoomuch,disruptingtheillusion inmaintainingtheintegrityandperspe
ofspacebypushingitselfveryfarforwardindepth.Alternatively,

Correcting colours
& brightness

Correcting
cast shadows

24From the combined colour pass, further corrections and adjustments can be made. This is also
an opportunity to trial different lighting ideas with full colour support.
25 STARTING ON Togiveyourselfaquantifiablegoal,
THE ENVIRONMENT structureasthemainbackgrounde
With the main focus of the composition in place, you can divert additional structures off in the ba
yourattentiontofurtherdevelopingthesettingandenvironment.the scene. To round everything off,
As the goal is to create an illustration with a medieval theme, you
structures far off in the distance, to
need supporting elements in the surroundings to be authenticrange of
depth.
and readable to that end. Ideally, they should also be presented in
a way that enhances the composition as a whole – for example, Theearliergroundworkduringthev
byintroducingpointsofinterestthatflownaturallyanddrawthe will come in very helpful here. Rat
eyeintothescene. thingsfromscratch,youcanrelyont
andbuilddetailsoverit.

City &
plains

Secondary buildings
25A simple breakdown of the background elements into manageable portions: the main
cathedral and secondary buildings, followed by the distant city and plains.
TUTORIALS

Secondary
vanishing point

26The use of two separate orientations for the background buildings, with the primary building being alig

26 PERSPECTIVE IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
Despite these structures playing a largely supporting role, a
cohesive
composition requires all of its parts to be drawn with proper
accuracy.Anymistakeatthefundamentallevelcanbecomeaweak
linkinthechain.

Tomakesurethesestructuresarealsodrawntoproperperspective,
you must first consider how they should be aligned. Taking the
primarybuildingasreference,considerdrawingitparalleltothe
character’smovementinperspective.Todoso,simplyborrowthe
previouslyusedone-pointperspectivegrid(indicatedingreen).
Grouping the main elements in the same perspective will help to
groundthemaselementsexistingtogetherinthesameworld.

Forthesupportingbuildings,youcanchooseto yaw them a littleto

break off from the main axis of depth. This adds more of a natural
 27 PHYSICAL SCAL
Thephysicalscaleofobjectsisaninc
determines how various elements
especially relevant when it com
buildings
and settings. As you begin to fill in m
scale becomes increasingly
relevant.
Within the bounds of each individ
elements,suchasdoorsandwindow
abouttheirscalerelativetoaperson.
viewer can determine what kind of
purpose it might
serve.
Elements that you can intuitively u
‘relatable’,human-interactablethin
andwalkways.Theseelementsalsop
lessimmediatelyrecognizableelem
difficult to tell how big a castle wall
Balcony & crenellations, or arrow
windows slits.
Gettingthephysicalsizesofthekeyb
critical,asyouneedanaccurateread
configuration before you can fu
elements.

Dormers

27
27 Simple windows, balconies, and dormers can provide a good read of
scale and perspective, even as placeholder elements. As they are gradually
replaced, their scale can carry over to the new structures being added.
TUTORIALS

CAPTURING AUTHENTICITY
Detailsareawonderfulpartofillustration.Theyprovidethingsyoucanlookintoareperiodarc
so much space and potential for both stylization anddesign.Specifically,youcanzoomin
immersiveness.However,itcanbedifficulttoknowwherevisuallyappealingdesignofGothicca
exactly to start with the detailing plate
process. armour.
Real-world references are always a great place to begin.However,youcan’tquiteusethesed
They come fully detailed, functional, and often veryare.Eachandeverycompositionhasitso
visually
appealing in myriad ways. The main challenge is almostbeingabletoobserveandextractwha
alwaysinefficientlyadaptingandconveyingtheappealoficonicandexpressiveistherealkey.
real-worldobjectsintostylized,contextualversionsthat
work for each composition. This process forces you toCharacters offer another dimensi
observecloselyandthinkhardaboutwhichpiecesofvisual complex
poses can hide or exaggerate parts
information make up the core of each object you want to unintentionally.Forexample,while
capture. Similar to how you approached many earliercuirass can be really interesting, th
phases,
you’llwanttostartlargeandthencascadedowntowardsthe lightingsituationfocusesonthepau
finer gauntlet instead. In turn, these des
elements. fromuncommonanglesorperspectiv
Here’soneofmyfavouriteexamplesofascenebreakdown or
obscure their iconic
motifs.
(A). Hong Kong has some of the most visually iconic urban
residential architecture in the world, but it can seemTo draw a Gothic-themed cathedra
incredibly
daunting to approach given the sheer visual down
its silhouette and finding the most p
density. pattern. You can then expand from
Toeaseyourselfintotheprocess,takealookatrelatedthemes elements,suchasthegables,spires,a
tothisillustration.Basedonyourneedshere,thetwomain (B).

Even rows

Tiles & cracks

Air-con units Houseplants

Window variations Grills

Hanging
clothes
Awnings
Gothicarmourdesignemphasizesalotofparallelcurvesthat applyingitspecificallytoareasofv
form large, sweeping patterns across the otherwise notbefullyauthentic,doingsowill
smooth
platearmour(C).Moreornatevariationstendtointroducebelievability to your own
similar patterns on a smaller scale as fine detailing, fillingvariation!
inpreviouslyemptyspace.Withthisknowledge,youcanLastly,youcanintroduceminorde
flexibly apply the design motif to your own illustration,andevenweathereffects–asafina

Dormer Sloping roof

window

Corbel
Tracery Spirelets
Flyer

Clerestory Spirelets
Recessed
lancet
window
Sloping
roof Flying
buttress
(front
view)
Simple Complex
shapes Frontal slice framework Flying buttress profile

B.By capturing the likeness of the cathedral from the largest shapes, you can gradually
progress up the level of detail, making use of its repeating visual properties.

Finding patterns

Overlapping Recurring motifs

plates

Cuirass
Converging Design element
curves

Cuisses
TUTORIALS

Scale 5

Scale 4

Scale 2

28You can separate the receding visual scale into five segments. By ensuring that elements such as windo
segment are distinct to their scale group, you can eliminate any potential discrepancies in physical scale.

28 VISUAL SCALE & DEPTH Inotherwords,youhavetobeclearwhe

Therelativesizesatwhichelementsappearoncanvasarenotonly lotsmallerthanbuilding1,orifit’sjustf
determined by their physical characteristics, as just discussed,question,youreyelooksforcommonele
but also by perspective. Visual size is the core principle behind
objects in the 3D space. You can avoid
perspective: as things recede into the distance, they get smaller
there are comparable elements on bot
visually, eventually ‘vanishing’ at the vanishing example,byensuringwindowsofthesa
point. are
visible on each
The differences between the sizes of various elements providestructure.
critical information on their respective distances from theToaddanotherlayerofperspectivecues
viewer’s
POV.Buthowcanyoutellwhetherapixel’sdifferencebetweentwo ofthesecommonelementscanbeplaced
comparable elements on canvas is due to physical properties or essentially tracing out a subtle perspe
perspective grid.
distortion?

ELEMENTS OF UNUSUAL SCALE

If you want to introduce unusually large or small objects
Forexample,ifyouwanttoshowtha
todrawattentionwithinapiece,it’simportanttoprovide sizedisrunningamokinthecity,it’si
 Added
open space

Scaled down
& readjusted to
perspective

29Using the Transform > Distort tool, I can ‘pull’ the existing structure into the new perspective.
The increased negative space also allows the area more room to breathe.

29 FLEXIBLE PROCESS then iron out the change in perspe

Accurateperspectiveanddepthmanagementarefoundational handy one-point grid is an easy wa
parts
ofthepaintingprocessthatyoucannotaffordtoskipover.However,and organized during this transitio
make
this doesn’t mean you need to be completely mono-directional
substantial, necessary alteratio
when
it comes to your composition
without completely sacrificing my
workflow. work.
As you paint, you’ll sometimes chance upon a new design or Adaptability is increasingly releva
arrangementthatyoulikeandwishtodevelopfurther.Forexample, necessaryadjustmentslaterinthepa
after some trial and error, I find a new arrangement of the existing
significant changes. In an ideal wor
buildings that results in a more visually appealing and balancedon the first try, but realistically, this
composition.Ratherthanerasingandstartingfromscratch,Ifirstinevitablyfindissuestofix!
crudelymovetheexistingelementsintothedesiredposition,and
TUTORIALS

30 REPEATING
PATTERNS
As you saw during the drawing process
of the character, repeating patterns are
great for reinforcing perspective. They
give
viewersplentyofsolidvisualinformation
to
work out exactly what they are looking at,
andfromwhatangleanddistance.

Authentic medieval architecture has

plenty
of iconic repeating motifs and patterns,
which allow you to kill two birds with one Repeating co
stonebyincorporatingthemhereintothe
background
structures.
Aside from ornate windows and carved
reliefs, patterns aren’t necessarily
constrained to being textures wrapped
around an existing form. The flying
buttresses of the Gothic-style cathedral
are also a way for repeating patterns to be
applied.Inthiscase,theaddedcomplexityin
formalsofitsinwellwiththecathedralbeing
asecondaryfocalpointinthecomposition.

Simplerpatternsalsoplayabigpartinfilling
in the gaps in detail. A row of parallel lines
can be a great texture for visually lighter
areas,suchasrooftops,oractasatemporary
‘in-perspectivescaffold’forbuildingmore
details upon
later.

30A mix of simple and complex patterns can help the building
readable and interesting from both afar and up close.

INTENTIONAL IRREGULARITY
 Finer hair
strands

Refined form
of couter

Forearm details
sharpened

Scarf &
buckles Emblems & patterns

31Many areas on the character are further developed, especially armour edges and details. This step can

31 DENSITY & BELIEVABILITY It’simportanttonotethatthisrefinin

Asyourcompositiontakesformwithdetailsbeingfilledinacross of sources. Increased complexity o
the canvas, previously adequate areas can start to feelweathereffectslikerainorsnoware
comparatively
lacking or empty. This is because in terms of visual density anduseoftoincreasedetail.
sharpness,thoseareasarestartingtofallbehind.Thisisn’tanissue
for distant regions of the setting, but may require remedying ifDuring
it thisprocess,youcanalsoexp
happenstokeyfocalareasonthecharacter. tonesorbrightnesses,toseewhichfi

As you are going for a more realistic visual style, you need to bring
Depending on the preferred visual
these areas of interest up to par. This process can be tedious andcontrolandreduceexcessdetailsin
challenginginthesensethatitrequiresyoutofullyre-examinemuch aslongasthelevelofinformationden
ofyourcomposition,goingthroughitwithafine-toothedcombto thatregion,theviewergenerallywon
redraw it
precisely.
TUTORIALS

32 CONSISTENCY
& HARMONY
Asyoucontinuetodevelopthecomposition
organically,musclememorycanslightly
push your illustration away from the
original perspective plan. This is where
the foundation drawing you set up thus
farreallyshines,allowingnewdetailsyou
add to ‘ride along’ the existing forms with
full
confidence.
Youneedtomakesureyouroriginallighting
plan stands the test of time and change
too. While the existing value set-up may
havebeenmorethanenoughforanearlier
stage of the process, you can improve it to
morepreciselyreflectyourintention.For
example,toningdownsomeexcessively
brighthighlightstoreflecttheovercastsky
more accurately, and adjusting the local
valuesofcertainmaterialstobettermatch.

Whenthesefactorsareadjusted,thesense
ofdepthcanbeunintentionallyimpacted
as
well, blending unwanted elements
together,
while possibly excessively separating
others.
This is something important to pay
attention
to,especiallyifthechangesareoverarching
and
substantial.
Forexample,ifyou’vereplacedapreviously
simpleelementwithamorecomplexone,
suchasaddingprotrusionstothearmour,
you’ll need to account clearly for how this
newformappearsinthesamelightingset-
up.

32Continued revision to the composition including a modified

TUTORIALS

33 The head and hand of the character are adjusted for perspective, while the torso and forward shoulder
are rotated to create a stronger forward/backward relationship and sense of depth.

33 CHARACTER REFINEMENT
Scaleisakeyindicatorofperspectiveanddepthinanenvironment,
but the same very much applies to the character as well. As you
smoothoutroughareasofthecharacter,‘uncertainty’intheformof
vague lines is cleaned out, and hidden scale mistakes may be
unveiled.
Thisisalsoagreattimetorefertothediagramsonpages226–227.
Thiswillhelpyoutofindcertaindiscrepanciesinyourillustration.
For example, the head and hand of my character are visually too
smallrelativetotheforwardshoulder,leadingtoavisualreadofthe
shoulder protruding too far forward in perspective,
contradicting
theposediagram.Thisalsomeantthedepthoftheposewasthrown
offanddidn’tmakephysicalsense.Byvisuallyenlargingthehead
and hand, I can push these forms forward and closer to the correct
POV,whichisinlinewiththeoriginallyintendedpose.
34Addition of sharper highlights, along with the filling-in of ambient lighting and
added character detail, brings the illustration to a higher resolution.

34 MORE CHARACTER REFINEMENT

havingasimplerbevelledinsignia,y
After taking the drawing to the next stage of accuracy, you can that incorporates more physical vo
confidently begin re-introducing areas of highlight, or strongemblem designed on
reflection of light on the character. While these highlights can237.
be deceptively small, they convey a lot of information on the The repeated pattern of the lines a
underlyingshapeandform.Additionally,theyarealsoastrongcue density,butalsoallowstheemblemt
forperspective,basedonhowexactlythelightisreflectedoffthewet thetopofthepauldroninperspectiv
surfacesinthisPOV.Lookingatamirroratdifferentperspectiveswill emblem and the surface below, it c
produce very different reflected space and depth between the
images. elements.
Highlightsalsoextendthefullrangeofyourvaluescheme,upping The dark space on the character’s r
thecontrastofthepieceinacontrolled,subtlemanner. mergeswiththedarkhairtocreatea
Toresolvethis,youcanaddavisuall
Youcanalsoturnyourattentiontohigher-resolutiondetails,suchinsignia,tofillintheblankspace.
asrevisitingthemotifplannedfortheforwardpauldron.Insteadof
TUTORIALS

35 REFINING THE ENVIRONMENT canusethemtointroduceadegreeofna

Turn your attention towards the background – similar to therealismbycreatingaslightlyunevenref
polishingpassyoudidforthecharacter,thesameprinciplesapplyto
the environmental elements as Alongsidesmallerdetailsandpolish,yo
well. to improve the interaction betwee
character.
While you clear out rough areas of the draft and paint in detail,
To supplement and provide a source
it’skeytomaintainyourattentionontheperspectiveinwhicheach character,youcanintroduceagentleov
detailisdrawn.Fortunately,simplepatternssuchastherooftilesarelightfrombelow.Thisadditionnotonl
abletoactasasubtleperspectivegrid,makingitmucheasiertowork of hue shift from ground to sky, but a
onsurroundingdetailsandforms.Theyalsoprovideanorganizeddoublesupasastrongdepthcueinboth
mediumtointroducewearandtearinperspective.Inaddition,you

35Completing the details of the main cathedral and secondary building with the addition of an extra archi
the distance. The introduction of a general warm ambience from below supports accent lighting on the ch
36 FOG & ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTSout distinct elements that require
Fogorotheratmosphere-revealingeffectsareflexiblesourcesofeachother,introducingahighlycus
visualseparationanddepthindicationthatcanbeusedtoadjustthe However, you should keep in mind
compositionbasedonyourneeds.Findingwaystoindicatespacecounterproductive as
between overlapping elements can often be challenging, well.
especiallysparsescenessuchasthisone.Physicallyspeaking,
relatively inthere
Besidesbeinghelpfulasalocalizedre
justaren’tenoughadditionalstructuresorformsthatyoucanslotin forms, fog can also be a great too
between translucent nature of fog can be a s
them. distanceanddepth,withareasfurth
A combination of air and light in the form of fog can be a perfect
opaque, while leaving nearby elem
stand-inforthesesituations.Byusingasoftbrush,wecanseparate clear.

36Lifting the values of the background beyond the main cathedral with a fog to add visual depth. Warm
fog on the left side adds more space between the secondary building and distant tower.
TUTORIALS

TEXTURE & MATERIAL

Texture and material often inadvertently fall into theastheforeshortenedarmrequiresmo
‘afterthought’orevenoptionalcategoryofitemstoworkon, what the downcast lighting can
especiallyduetotheirseeminglysmallvisualpresenceonprovide.
canvas.Itcanbetemptingtothinkofthemasdecalsthatyou The ‘shinier’ material, however, al
stickontoanalreadyfinishedproduct,ratherthanvisually changes in contour and perspective
criticalpartsofthecompositionthatrevealinformationlike how the reflective surface in a m
about
the forms beneath. This information can range fromsensitive to change as we move aro
physical
characteristicsofthesubject,suchaslightingandcontour,whitepaperlooksverymuchthesame
all
thewaytovisualperspectiveandperceiveddepth.Forthis
showcase,let’stakeacloserlookatthecurrentillustration.The raindrops flowing off the armo
aspect
of‘texture’toconsider.Theirirregu
The rain in the setting adds a wet sheen to many surfacesyour
on benefit,breakingupthehighlyp
the character, increasing how much light they directlyedged armour visually. The shape a
reflect
inthisPOV(A).Thisaddedmaterialpropertyisespecially alsolendsadditionalcluestothemot
helpful when drawing foreshortened areas of the foreshortening of the
character, subject.
such as her right arm. With a more light-diffusing or ‘clay-
like’material,contouredformssuchasherrightpauldronNext, take a look at cracks and scra
may be more easily blended with the rest of the upper arm,(B). While you might tend to sketch
asthematerialreflectslightevenlyarounditself.Whilethis youcandevelopthemfurtherbygivin
type of material excellently facilitates the formation ofactual form. For smaller scratches,
visual
shapesaroundlightingandshadow,itisn’tidealtousehere, bright
line to respectively indicate the in
exposed

Tiny flying
water drops

Micro highlights
in hair texture
Value
changing
with contour

Sharp highlights
on fabric
Water flow
edges.Forlargercuts,thesameeffectapplies,exceptyoucan preciseandusefewerbrushstroke
addfurtherchipstothesenewedgestocreateamorenatural, needtomakeaccurateuseofthefe
weatheredlook.It’salsoimportanttocontourthistextureThesize,value,andcolourofeachin
around a curved form, or foreshorten them in and structure in these elements. F
perspective. reflection of light implies a refle
Lastly, for textures that are far away in the scene, such as surface,
while a smattering of small pi
represent
the wet stone and roof tiles, you can afford to be slightly less
the complexity and details on
them.

Highlights

Natural light Natural light

highlights highlights

Drawn in detail
TUTORIALS

37 RAIN EFFECTS
Rain effects also play a role similar to
fog – they fill in empty space with a visible
element,whichcanintroducedepthintoa
sparse scene. Rain also adds a substantial
amount of visual noise that can serve
as extra detail, but can also disrupt the
compositionunintentionally.Thiscanbe
managedbytoningtheeffectcarefully,or
erasingareasofrainstrategicallytoensure
focalareasdonotgetoverridden.

Thewayrainfallsinalargelyparallelmotion
makes it a great source for perspective
reinforcement. By aligning this
directional
movement to the appropriate
perspective,
youcanvisuallymaketherainfalltowards
thecharacteralongthedirectionofthewind.

Anotherimportantdistinctionisthatrain
isn’t nearly as fuss-free as fog. By adding
rain,youarecommittingalsotovisualizing
itseffectsonvariouselementsinthepiece.
For example, you have to add a wet effect
to the armour, hair, and surroundings to
maketheraineffectconvincing.However,
this effort is not without reward, as it
addsanadditionallayerofbelievabilityto
your
subject.

37The rain effect is created by applying Motion Blur to a field

TUTORIALS

Tiny water
spatters

Sharpened edges
& highlights

38The core areas of visual focus near the face all receive another detail pass, adding tiny, pixel-sized highli
and shapes. The cape also receives an upgrade, both in material and depth presentation.

38 MICRO-LEVEL
CHARACTER DETAILS
In this last stage, you can start introducing some micro-level
textures
and details to the piece to fully bring it to completion. These new
additions may be small on canvas, but are unique in their ability to
raise the overall range of detail. But how much of this detail do you
need to add? Rather than going up and down the entire character
adding detail in every nook and cranny, you can opt to be a little
more strategic with your
efforts.
For example, instead of spending hours adding scratch marks to
areasofthearmourinshadow,paintingacoupleofscratchesacross
highlights is much more efficient in creating a stronger visual
presence. Similarly, a few sharp but tiny highlights on armour
edges and areas where the rain hits can indicate the wetness of the
materialveryefficiently.Lastly,thefinenatureofthefabricandhair
canbedemonstratedmainlyatthefocalareaswithjustafewstrands
 39a
39a & 39b The bulk of the work here is to add small highlights from the wet surfaces to visibly indica
architectural forms, and to balance their values in accordance with the depth of the scene.

39 MICRO-LEVEL Thebalancebetweenlevelsofdetailt
ENVIRONMENT DETAILS subtleindicatorofdepthaswell,with
The environment and backdrop can also do with some micro-theviewernaturallybeingseeninles
details. Much of this process is similar, adding small highlights
andbrushstrokestoindicatethecomplexityofformofthevarious Last but not least, recall the impor
buildings. As with before, there is no need to excessively draw it
inimpacts perspective and distance
TUTORIALS

Night Warrior. The finished painting.

DEVIN ELLE KURTZ | PAGE 258
NATHAN FOWKES | PAGE 262
ORENJIKUN | PAGE 266
GUWEIZ | PAGE 270
MIKE MCCAIN | PAGE 274
LOISH | PAGE 278
DJAMILA KNOPF | PAGE 282
PASCAL CAMPION | PAGE 286
AYAN NAG | PAGE 290
REMBERT MONTALD | PAGE 294
GALLERY

DEVIN ELLE KURTZ

Althoughmypaintingstylerarelyleansintotruerealism,Ihave precise perspective drawings. I’m
alwaysbeeninterestedincreatingspacesthatfeelreal,likelittle storyteller
than I am an architect. My goal has
windowsintootherworlds.Believableperspectiveanddepthenvironmentalperspectiveanddepth
are essential tools for painting scenes with the spark of life.
neverdistractsfromthepurposeofthe
Althoughmostlaypeoplewouldn’tbeabletoexplaintherulesof be.Throughchasingthisgoal,Ihavef
linearperspective,theyusuallystillhaveanintuitionforwhen in perspective quite a lot. With ever
perspectivelooks‘off’,andthatsenseofwrongnessisdistracting. knowledgeIaddtomyartistictoolkit,d
Thisdoesn’tmeanthatIaimforperfectlyrealistic,academically andbelievablescenesbecomesalittlee
Dragon Migration
Dragon Migration
My goal with this image is to inspire awe and majesty. The boy walking the bike
provides a conduit into the scene, but the viewer’s willingness to step into his
worldhingesonabelievablereadofthescale,depth,andperspective.Ipaintedthis
imagefromaveryroughsketch,buttookalotofcarewhendetailingthebuildings
to tighten the scaling, foreshortening, and one-point
perspective.
Iwascarefultodramaticallyscaledownthedetailsizeanddetaillevelofeachlayer
of buildings to force a quick recession into the distance, with some of the most
distantbuildingsnearlybecomingpuresilhouette.Itcanfeelstrangetoforego
so much detail in distant scenery, but it can sometimes prove the best solution
toimplyagreatamount of distanceandatmosphere, especiallyina somewhat
graphicstylelikethis.

Repeatingelements,suchasthedragonshere,areanexcellentwaytocueviewers
intothedepthofascene.Oneofthemostdistantdragonsinteractsdirectlywitha
humongousskyscraperinthedistance,andthatconnectionwithaknownobject
immediatelyhelpsviewerstounderstandhowlargetheseimaginarycreatures
are. Their overlap, both in front of and behind buildings, also helps to clarify
the
scenery.

The Library Dragon

Aftersketchingthethumbnailforthispainting,IhoppedoverfromPhotoshop
intoSketchUptomodelthespiralstaircase.SketchUpisa3Darchitecturaldesign
software with a free web version and is very easy to learn. There are multiple full
introcoursesthatprofessionalshaveuploadedtoYouTubeforfree,andItaught
myself to use the software in a couple of weeks using only free resources. I find
SketchUpveryuseful,asitallowsmetocreatemyownreferenceorbaselayerfor
tricky perspectives, like this spiral staircase, quite
easily.
I used value to separate each layer of depth in the image. The girl and foreground
staircasearegiventhewidestrangeofvalueswiththemostcontrast.Themiddle
ground,withthetwo-headedbookdragon,isgivenaconstrainedvaluerange,
withthedarkslighteningtoamidtone.Thebackgroundwiththelibrarianand
hisassistantisconsiderablylightenedtoanarrowrangeofmidtonevalues.Purple
GALLERY

NATHAN FOWKES
Perspectiveanddepthareparticularlyimportantpartsofmytime,animationproductionartwork
personal and professional work. When I’m sketching onso a faster, looser approach is often n
location,
I need to paint quick and loose, and yet I want the images to have
different
a frommylandscapepaintin
rely
sense of structure and finish. Emphasizing perspective andon paintings that are loose yet feel fi
depth
helps me achieve this. My professional work tends to include thisbyemphasizingthethree-dimens
a variety of different perspectives. As an animation artist, I’m
carefully following a defined perspe
requiredtodepictanyandeverypointofview,whichmeansIneed depth
cuesaslaidoutinmytutorialsection.
to be prepared for any and every type of perspective. At the same
The Pond Fantasy Amazon
Ichosetouseahigheye-levellinetotakeadvantageofthereflections I used a very high horizon line (eye
and lily pads in the pond. The red lily pads pop against the blues and
see the vast expanse of the landsca
thereflectionsdeepentheperspective.Alotofthedepthinthisscene showcase the overlaps and curve
is created by layering. We jump from the lily pads in the water tobluebird
in
the
theforeground,thecooltemperat
largestonesinthemiddleground,whichrecedeintothedistance. inthebackgroundaredesignedtoco
Out beyond the furthest layer of rocks are layers of trees, which of the scene. The banding of light an
extendbackallthewaytothesunstreamingthroughtheforest. cue.Thisreferstothewaythescenem
back again several
times.
GALLERY

The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse Warsaw Tower
ThedepthcuesinthispaintingincludethehighcontrastIwantedtochangethemed
in the foreground and lower contrast and lost edges toandperspectivearecritica
the far background, lots of heat at the front that moves of your medium or techni
tocoolergreensandpurplesinthefarbackground,plusgallery are imaginary, bu
lots of atmosphere and lack of detail in the backgroundrealplace.Itcapturesanove
cliffs and structure. The stairs are also important. I lovePolandandispaintedinwa
usingpathways,roads,andstairsastheycreatedepthand gouache in the
intrigue, leading the viewer through the highlights.
image. The major depth cue is
As I used fairly standard depth cues, I tried to be a little
foreground.Iintentionall
playful with the colour palette. In real life, it would be and the more distant car w
GALLERY

Visitor

ORENJIKUN
WhatIlovemostaboutdrawinginperspectiveisitsabilitytobring
yourimaginationtolife.Perspectiveanddepthcanhavealarge
impact on the tone and mood of an artwork. Ask yourself, what
statementareyoutryingtoconvey?Whatisthenarrative?Whatis
theintention?Decisionsyoumakeabouteyelevel,lenslength,and
vanishingpointsaffecteverysinglechoiceyoumakedownthe
line,
sothinkingaboutperspectivefromthestartiscrucial.

Although I believe a strong fundamental and practical

knowledge
ofperspectivedrawingisimportant,Ioftenliketobeginapainting
loosely, without hard guidelines, allowing my instinct and
sensibilitytoinformtheperspectiveofacomposition.However,
this is not a substitute for taking the time to learn and grind out
your
fundamentals!
ThinkingaboutthenarrativeandconsideringtheimageasifI’m
GALLERY

Visitor Japanese Street

HereIusedperspectiveandscaletoshowthecontrastinsizebetween BasedonmytravelstoJapan,thispainti
theregular-sizedroomandtheoutlandishlylargeduck.Noticethat humblealleyway,fullofcharacterinit
there is a slight indication of vertical perspective. Following thetexturesandmaterials,andpatchwor
sameperspective,thereflectioninthetilesservesasanothercuecapture to thecharmofthereference,Ifre
ground the fantastically large duck in the scene. The lighting alsoallowingarhythmtodancethroughthe
helps to convey a sense of depth. A soft glow from the top ofathe playful rhythm, finding appealing s
image bleeds into the exterior, but is not present for interior parts
negative
space.
of the composition. This division of lighting serves as an effective
separationofthebackgroundandmiddleground,enhancingtheLighting can also provide important cu
senseofdepthandprovidingclaritywherescaleandperspectiveThe large facade on the left of the com
cues aren’t which provides a light source from beh
present. open path, light is able to shine throu
Red Light Australia
Thisbusytrafficsceneiscapturedfromtheviewpointofapassenger ThisistheMelbourneMetrotrain,w
in a car. The overlapping of cars scaling into the distance servesthe
as background. I chose a view tha
theprimarycuefordepthandperspective,fillingthecompositiontoevokeasenseoffamiliarityandno
withamyriadofredlightsscatteredacrosstheviewer’svision.This created from scratch without a dir
issupportedbythelamppostsandelectricitypylons,aswellassome theaccurateplacementofelements
oftheindicationsofrecedingdistanceintheofficebuildings,power through the window and the foregr
lines, and road With the ability to construct t
markings. imagination,
however, I was able to overlap th
Asenseofatmosphericperspectiveisillustratedthroughthesky,believablewaytocreateapleasingco
withthegradientsofteningtowardsthehorizonline.Althoughthebackground,middleground,andfor
treesandfoliageshapesaregraphicandlowdetail,theatmospheric of
depth, while still featuring iconic f
perspectiveservesasasimplebuteffectivecuefordepth,separating Metro.
the distance between each group of foliage. The atmosphericA further sense of depth is added thr
perspectiveisfurtherreinforcedwithasimilarscalingreductionof cameraspecificities.Thecityskyline
GALLERY

GUWEIZ
PerspectiveanddeptharecoreconceptsthatIlike
exploring in my work. As an artist who prefers
drawinginarealistic,immersivevisualstyle,being
able to harness them to design a variety of ‘shot
set-ups’hasnotonlybeenenjoyable,butincredibly
helpful in adding more variation and quality to
my Courtyard
art. My goal was to juxtapose the character agai
Canwemakethiselementmoreexcitingbyadding interestinggothiccathedral.Alowangleworks
foreshortening? Or perhaps seeing it from a low full depth and iconic details of the scene in
anglewillmakeitmoredramatic?Whataboutour captureaclose,low-anglescenetoallowvertica
proximity to the character? Are we too far away slightly.Thissubtlebutimportantperspectiv
and detached, or too close and seeing distorted here.
GALLERY
Knight
Asimple,medium-distanceshotallowsyoutoseemostofthecharacter’s
body,whichisimportantinindicatingherposeandmovementinthis
context.Theshotiscloseenoughtofeelimmersive,butnotsomuchthat
thepose’sreadabilityisaffected.Ichosealow-angleviewtocomplement
the character’s direction of movement up the stairs, as well as to
accentuate the height and grandeur of the structures in the
background.
From this angle, you can see the structures from below, providing a
unique perspective and opportunity to draw more expressive and
visuallyclearforms;forexample,theundersideofarches.

A gentle blur is applied to the far background to create a stronger

depth-of-fieldeffect.Thelighter,blue-greyishcolourcreatesavalue
separationthatalsoreinforcesthedistanceofthestructuresfromour
POV.Thiseffectiscomplementedbysnowparticlesfadinginsizefrom
the foreground to the
background.

Dressing
A neutral angle can be a surprisingly effective way to make use of
perspective.Whilelessimmediatelydramaticthanahighorlowangle,
the neutral position creates a much clearer perspective distinction
betweenelementsaboveandbelowtheeyelevel.Inturn,thisdistinction
helpstoclarifythePOVheighteffectivelytotheviewer.Ichoseaheight
slightlylowerthanthecharacter’sheadtocreateaslightlymysterious
feel,anoptionthatwasn’tavailabletoeitherahigh(tooexposing)orlow
(too concealing) angle
view.
Mirrorsandreflectionsareanexcellentwaytoincreasedepthinascene,
especiallyifthephysicalsettingismoreconstrainedandlimited.HereI
was ableto extendthedepth of thescene from the character and wall all
thewayintothemirrorimageandontotheothersideoftheentireroom.
Whendrawingthereflection,thinkofitassimplyseeingaduplicateof
theroomontheothersideofamirror-shapedhole.
GALLERY

MIKE MCCAIN
I like to think of perspective not as a technical skill, but as natural
the tomeinascene.Gridsandtech
abilitytocommunicatespacebelievably.ForyearsIstruggledto areonlyapproximationsofreality,sot
reconcile my attempts at ‘accurate’ perspective using essence of what makes something fe
conventional
techniques(two-pointperspective,etc.)withwhatactuallyfeltreal.
ThethingI’vefoundmosthelpfulfordevelopingmyintuitioncameracanaffecttheviewer’ssen
forperspectiveanddepthasapainterispractisingphotography.artdoesn’thavetoadherestrictlyt
Shootinginavarietyoflocaleswithdifferentlenseshashelpedme
hugelyvaluabletosimplybeaware
toappreciatehowmuchtheheight,angle,andfieldofviewofthe any
painting.
GALLERY

Friend or Foe
 On the Road Again

Friend or Foe Horizon 81

ItriedtopushperspectiveanddepthinthisThisisoneofthefirstimaginativepaintings
scene.ThoughIstruggledtofigureouthow where I really tried to push and break free
todepictabelievablecharacteratsuchalowfromatraditionalperspectiveset-up.Itfelt
angle, it was a fun challenge to see how farvery freeing to pursue energy and impact
I could push it. I like to place the camera low
over technical accuracy. I based the car on
in a scene to exaggerate our feeling of scalereferencephotographs.WheneverIusea
andperspective.Thiscanbeaneffectivewayphoto reference with perspective in it, it’s
to bring the viewer into a scene, as well ashelpful to consider how wide the camera
adding drama and field of view is. In this case, my reference
impact. photo was taken on a long lens from quite
Repeating elements can be a great way far away (with a narrow field of view). As
to convey depth. You can assume the I wanted the camera to feel closer in the
foreground figure is roughly the same painting, I drew the car with a much more
height
asthefiguresinthedistance,whichsuggestsobviousperspectiveto
howfarbackinspacethosefiguresmustbe.it.
GALLERY

LOISH
Istartedoutasacharacterartist,soalotofmyideasaboutcapturing
few helpful tricks, such as using colo
deptharebasedontheprinciplesneededtoconveyacharacter.This to my advantage to establish a sense
meansthatItendtousealotoforganicshapeswhenconstructing I also started experimenting with pe
a drawing, which makes perspective – especially technicalpaintingsbyconstructingagridbefor
approachesliketwo-pointperspective–feelreallydifficultandgalleryI’llsharesomeofmyfavourite
counter-intuitive.Ittookmeawhiletofigureouthowtoconvey capturing
depth in my environment paintings, but over time I learneddepth.
a

Ice Bubbles

Ice Bubbles
I wanted to create the feeling of ice bubbles rising up from
Togivethispaintingasomewhat
GALLERY
Mountain Cinnamon Forest
Whenpaintingmountains,I’vefound Lighting played a huge role in
that one of the most helpful ways to establishingthedepthinthisscene.By
conveydepthisbyusingatmospheric paintingabeamoflightpassingoverthe
perspective. This involves making trees, it becomes clearer to see which
elementsthatarefurtherawaylowerin trees are in the foreground and which
contrastandmoredesaturated,asseen areinthebackground.Theuseofcolour
inthemoredistantpeakshere.Adding alsohelpstoconveydepth,asitislinked
the highest amount of contrast and to the lighting. The areas that catch
vibrancytotheforegroundelements the light are warmer in tone, and areas
helps the viewer know where to look, in shadow are cooler in tone. These
but it also creates a sense of how muchwarmer areas feel closer to us than the
distance there is between the cooler, more desaturated
foreground
character and the landscape areas.
beyond. When conveying depth, it’s helpful
Adding clouds and mist to mountain to play around with different shapes
ranges can communicate which andlevelsofcomplexity.Positioning
peaks
are closest to the viewer, and which sharper,finerdetailsintheforeground–
are further away. Here I used clouds likethesmallertwigsneartheground–
and mist to separate the tallest peak andsofter,lowercontrastelementsin
from those behind it. When it comes to the background helps to establish
organicshapeslikemountains,Ireally which areas were intended to be closer to the
likeaddingcolourinawaythatfollows viewer.Forestscanfeelendlesslydeep
the contours of the shapes. Here I tried and complex, which is something I
toaddlinesandshapesalongtheedges wanted to capture. I found it useful
ofthemountaintohelpconveyitsbasic to draw the trees on different layers,
form, boosting the three- graduallystackingonelayeroverthe
dimensionality
andsenseofscale. next. This helped to give the forest a
feeling of density and
thickness.
GALLERY

DJAMILA KNOPF
I find perspective and depth to be two of the most challenging Itcanalsobeanexcellentstorytellingd
aspectsofpaintingenvironments.Ittookmealongtimetowrap the viewer in relation to the subject m
myheadaroundtheseconceptsandeventuallyusethemtomy middleoftheaction,orfaraway?Are
advantage.Nothingmakesapaintingappear‘off’asquicklyas thepersoninthepainting,oraretheyv
flawed perspective, but if done right, it will lend solidity to any
upintheskyorlowtotheground?Ilov
given canpullyouintotheartwork,creating
scene. a greater world beyond the pictur
frame.
Seaside Town Memory Lane
I love little alleyways, in real life and inThisillustrationdepictsanalleywaywith
paintings, because they give me a cosy a very different mood to the seaside scene.
feelingcombinedwithasenseofmystery, The one-point-perspective and
inviting me to step into them and explore. converging
lines pull the viewer into the scene, but the
In this illustration, the converging lines further you look into the alley, the denser
draw the viewer’s attention towards the andmoreclosed-offitappears,ratherthan
centre of the image: the sea. By focusing ongiving an unobstructed view. The lines
the water, rather than the character, I was point
towardsthecharacter’shead,toguidethe
able to create a feeling of vastness, like theviewer’s attention there and make it the
image opened up right in front of me. Byfocal point. I also wanted to create a sense
GALLERY

PASCAL CAMPION
Ialwaysthinkintermsofstories.Stories,
tome,arevehicleswecreateandformat
for a specific reason. As artists we’re
trying to communicate a feeling,
emotion,
ortheevolutionofaseriesofemotionsto
theviewer.Thestoryitselfisacraft,made
upofmultipleelements.Whentelling
stories using images, I use depth and
perspectivetobuildthenecessaryspace
for the stories to be told. I strive to make
sure I use these two disciplines for the
purposeofthestory,ratherthantrying
toformatthestorytofittheseelements.
Iwouldrathercheat,break,orpushthe
perspective to communicate the
message,
thanadjustthemessagetoachievea‘real’
perspective. There is no such thing as
‘real’inmywork.

Depth is a primary concern in my

artworkasithelpscreateasenseofscope
andmood.Itdoesn’tmeanthatI’malways
tryingtoproducelargescenes,butthat
I’mconstantlythinkingaboutcreating
space within spaces so the emotional
impactofthestorycanbreathe,expand,
andinfiltrateeveryaspectoftheimage.
It’smoreimportanttomethananatomy
orcolour,forinstance.Ifindmorecomfort
and reward in balancing out an image
thandrawingananatomicallycorrect
hand. A final image that immediately
tells a story is stronger, in my eyes, than
awell-drawnpieceofartthatmakesthe
audiencefocusonitscraft.

When I draw on paper, everything I do

deals with space. I draw boxes upon
boxes.Sometimestheseboxesappear
And Then Came Fall Saturday Evening
This image has a fairly classic approach I grew up in the south of France where we
to depicting depth through a simple use had narrow streets, Vespas, and strong
of perspective and classic overlaying of lightcreatingshapesagainstthebuildings.
planes. The table with the pumpkins is the I pushed the depth in this image, using a
foreground.It’sbiggerinproportionthan birds-eyepointofview.Thisisoftenusedin
the middle ground, which is where the film to signify that it’s not a single person’s
womanandchildenterthroughthedoor. point of view, but a general way of letting
The man watching the scene stands in the audience know something that will
the be necessary to the unfolding story. This
background. overhead camera angle shows the
It’s classic because it’s effective. The audience
where the action takes place and the main
audience’seyesreadthethreemainplanes elementsthatwillcomeintoplay.
of the image and project it in space, just like
we do for what we see in the real world. The The painting was inspired by a song by
light flooding through the door serves as a Francis Cabrel called ‘Samedi soir sur la
visual anchor, reinforcing the sense of terre’, which translates to ‘A Saturday
space
within space, which is a major element in evening on earth’. The song is about a boy
much of my artwork. If I can convince theand a girl who meet at a local dance and fall
audience’s eyes that they are looking at a foroneanother.Thesonggoesontosuggest
space,andthatwithinthisspace,thereare that this story is happening over and over
other smaller spaces, it creates a sense of in the same village, in the same country,
scope, which is the idea that there is moreon the same planet. I’ve always loved the
depthintheimagethatinitiallyappears. idea that we all live similar stories, but our
ownrelationshiptotheworldmakesthem
unique.Iusedthisbirds-eyeperspectiveto
conveythefamiliaranduniversalnature
of the story, then used light and spot colour
tocapturetheuniquenessofthemoment.
Byshowcasingthecharactersinthelight,
I was saying: this is their world, their story,
even if the tale is a classic one.
GALLERY
AYAN NAG
Perspectiveinvisualmedi
andcalculativeaspect.W
point perspective are qu
increase
incomplexitywhenyoua
points.Theintroductiono
complicatedshapesinper
elementscanproveachall

I typically approach pers

Perspective is used to crea
a 2D surface, but you don
set-upsorpinpointprecisi
understandingofthecoref
These pages will discus
perspective
thatIregularlymakeuseof

Plein Air, April 21

Thispaintingcanbeconsid
Whilethereisasecondaryv
dominatestheotherbyala
repeatingobjectsinthewor
how they help us to naviga
thatinourpaintings,isone
inperspective.Putsimply,o
theyareawayfromus.Usin
onlycreatedepth,butitwil

Notice how I used big, me

across the canvas. The big
compositionaretheelectr
telegraph poles. The small
concretepostsnearthebrid
using imaginary lines, the
They
alsocreateconverginglead
the
GALLERY

Lunch Break

Lunch Break
Thispaintingisaclassicexampleofone-pointperspective,withall Notice how I used the floor texture to c
ofthelinesconvergingintoasinglevanishingpoint.(Thoughifyou andbelievabilitytothecomposition.W
look closely, there is a hint of a second vanishing point also.) Every
in the image would have some kind of
object in the painting appears to be perfectly aligned to create the
the option to be selective about what
illusion of a 3D space. If you pay close attention to how the various
Theperspective-morphedtextureacts
elementsarerendered,however,youwillnoticethattheshapesare and helps to unify the perspective an
quite loose and gestural. As long as the big shapes are working well,
the
The Hangar
This painting has two dominant vanishing points. While theour vision loses its sharpness after a
helicopter appears to be the main subject, it’s not. If you squint detailingthepartthat’sclosertothev
your eyes, the first thing that you will notice is the silhouette ofwhile
the simplifyingtheobjectsfurther
characterintheforeground.Secondaryfocusgoestothefrontofthe the background), will automatica
helicopter,whichleadstheeyetowardsthesecondarycharacterin paintings.
thebackground.UsingthiskindofcarefuloverlappingandshapeUsingleadinglinesforstorytellingis
languagecanenableyoutotellyourstoryinamoreeffectiveway.your frames. Perspective lines foun
REMBERT MONTALD
Depth,forme,isafeeling,notagridormathematicalcalculation. perspective in murals. Italian sculp
Lorenzo
When I draw or paint, I close my eyes and envision what it feels
Berniniusedthistrickinarchitecture
liketobeintheplaceI’mtryingtoillustrate.WhatcanIfeel,smell, narrowerattheendthanitactuallywas
or hear? I try to remember a point in my life when I experienced
After the Rain
Here I tried to depict a vast scene with atmosphere. As it wasIt’salla common mistake to forget abo
drawn by hand, the first step was to create a grid. I establishedplayed
the withthecloudstoestablishg
huesandvalues–coolerandlighterinthebackground,anddarker you go, the smaller and closer the
GALLERY

End of the trail

This painting was inspired by a road trip to Monument Valley rock formations any size. This meant I
in Utah. I fell asleep in the car and woke up with the sun rising perspective
to tocreateasenseofdepth.Iw
reveal these big rock silhouettes. It’s also homage to the masterssun
of tostrikethroughthescene.Noticeh
Western whentheatmospherefadesintotheblu
painting. can also observe how the ripples in the
The scale was relatively easy to capture. There is a cowboy with his
as they recede into the distance. The ro
horse and dog in the foreground, and I had the freedom to makeverythe importantincreatingtheillusiono
Subway Sketch
CONTRIBUTORS

PASCAL CAMPION
Director, production designer, & story development
Pascal has worked as a director, storyboard artist, production designer,
mentor, and teacher in the animation industry for the past twenty year
and The New Yorker. His art bookThe Art of Pascal Campion

NATHAN FOWKES
Animation artist & fine artist | nathanfowkes.com
Nathan is a Los-Angeles-based feature animation artist who has worked
Blue Sky Studios, and Paramount. He is a guest lecturer at ArtCenter
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Laguna College of Art and Design, and

GUWEIZ
Freelance artist | instagram.com/guweiz
Based in Singapore, Guweiz works on a freelance basis in illustration,
He enjoys creating personal artwork and has published two 3dtotal art boo
Wei and The World of Guweiz: The Art of Gu Zheng Wei.

MIKE HERNANDEZ
Artist | mikehernandezart.com
A native Angeleno, Mike is a plein-air painter skilled in gouache, o
featured in galleries and online publications. He has worked as a pro
concept artist at DreamWorks Animation, and is a nationwide sought-a

DJAMILA KNOPF
Illustrator | djamilaknopf.com
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ
Illustrator & environment artist | devinellekurtz.c
Based in San Diego, Devin has worked in the animation industry
Netflix’sDisenchantment. Other clients include Mondo, Dark Horse, H
art book Windows to Worlds: The Art of Devin Elle Kurtz

LOISH
Digital artist | loish.net
Loish (aka Lois van Baarle) is a digital artist who divides her time b
tutorials and other learning content for artists. She has three art books w
Behind the Scenes, The Sketchbook of Loish: Art in Progress

MIKE MCCAIN
Art director & illustrator | mikemccain.art
Mike is an LA-based artist fuelled by exploring and painting out in nature
the Fox and the Horse (art director) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-V

REMBERT MONTALD
Storyboard & concept artist | artstation.com/shark
Intrigued by the intricacies of visual storytelling, Rembert pursued
RITCS Brussels, Belgium, and Gobelins, Paris. He has lived and wo
to tell a story is to show it.

AYAN NAG
Illustrator | artofayan.com
Ayan is an Indian artist who’s passionate about exploring and b
art. He loves creating new worlds and discovering beauty in the
including Axis Studios, Psyop, Passion Pictures, Procreate (Savage In
INDEX

A 156,161,170,173-174,177-179,182,184- curve,
abstract, 15, 65, 67, 76, 80, 146- 185, 187-188, 195, 197-198, 202, 204, curvilinear,
147
action,8,37,76,144,146,160,189,212, 206,
210-211,221,233-235,238-240,246- 191
282, 247,
253,261,265,268-269,289,295
289
air,26,42,45-46,92,128,170,236,247, D
274-275, 290- degrees,
291
ambient,
245
197,204,208-209,220,231, C 116
angle,20,24,30,35,47,52,54,90,103, camera,26,38,41,87,107,115,126,174, density,
128,144,150,168,170,174,176,210, 178,181,191,197,202,266,269,275, 281
depth,
215,219,226-227,240,270,273,275, 277, 289, 39
277, 297 11,18,88,101,104,107,128,168,
canvas,
289
architecture, 61,70, 88, 134, 136, 145, 170,173-174,177,181,186,190-191,195,
154,
156,160,205,216,231,236,240,293-295 197,205,212,216,238,241,248,252,
artistic,14,16,65,74-75,79-80,84,132, 281,289,291
134,181,258 character,28, 36, 76-77, 88, 178-
atmosphere,14,44, 46-48, 50-51, 98, 180,
189, 196-197, 199, 202, 204, 206-
108,
112,116,123,125,162,173,195,247,258, 208,
210-213,216-228,230-231,234,236-
261, 265, 295- 237,
240-241, 244-246, 248, 250, 252,
296
audience, 42,134, 211, 270, 286, 289, 268,
270,273,277-278,281,285,293
294
axis, 170, 212, 214, 216, 225-226, cinema, 39, 41-42, 73, 168, 191, 197,
234 266
city,26,28,30,57,67,76,84,86-87,89-90, diagonal,
92,96,100,102,108-109,112,114,123, 211
diffuse,
B 132,149,211,233-234,238,240,269,295 221
digital,
50-
background,14,37-42,45,48-50,72, colour,40,44-45,47-51,55,78,89,94-
76,87,92-93,102,120,128,134,138,143, 95,98-99,104, 107-109, 112, 114-115,
148-149,156,160,162,170,177,194-195, 121,
124-126,128,141, 143-145, 148-151, dimensionality
206,210-211,216, 232-235, 239-240, 153,
158-160,162,165,170,172-174,180,184, 268
242,
246-247, 253, 261, 263, 265, 268- 189,193,195,209,219,229-233,241, directional,
270,
273,275,281,289,293,295-296 249,261,265,273,278,281-282,286, 250
balance, 65, 216, 124-125, 239, 158, 289 distance,
177,
187,213,253 composition,22,24,33,67,75,78,80, 60
blend,109,112,124,126,131,153,172,188, 87,99,104,112,127-128,131,140,168,
198, 213, 232, 242, 247- 170-174,177-180,185,188-189,191-
24838,40-41,122,148,213,250,269,273
blur, 193,
195-200,202, 204-206, 210-216,
bokeh, 40-41, 219-
220, 222, 225, 229-234, 236, 239-
46
bounce,114,144,157-158, 162, 197, 242,
247-248, 250, 253, 255, 266, 268-
221
bright,46-47, 59, 108, 121, 123, 125- 270,
277-278, 289, 291- distort,
127,
177, 198-199, 206-208, 216, 219, 292
compression, 36-
 234-235,240,242,245,248,258,266, 275,277,281-282,289,293,296
270,273,278,286,289,294 foreshorten,8,11,34-38,40,42, 72,
dynamic,30,32,37,59,65,80-81,197, 78,176, 204-205, 216, 219-220, 224,
202,204-205,212,215-216,218-219, 226,
228,230,236,248-249,261,270
225 frame,65,86,104,107,140,146,197,214,
216-217,219,234,269-270, 282, 291,
E 293
Fresnel,
53,
52-
55
edges,38,42,52,59,92,122-123,128,138,
142,147,166,181,193,198,210,212,214,
216,224,228,234,239,241,249,252, G
263,265,270,281 geometric, 66, 69-71, 96, 144,
emotion, 33, 81, 134, 170, 286, 148
gouache,23,29,31,38,42,48,51,53,59-
289
environment, 30, 60, 65, 86, 92, 99, 60,65,67-70,72,265
109,
112,118,123,146,155,162,165,170,179, gradient, 54, 87, 94-95, 98, 110, 269-
188,202,211,213,216,233,244,246, 270,
278
253, 258, grain, 193, 122, 127-
278
eye, 17-18,20,24,26-33,37-38,55,60,65, 128
grid,72,88,97,107,118,136,140,151,
67-68,70,73,115,128-129,136-137,140, 174-175,178,180,182,186,188,218,223,
163-164,174,181,187,191,199,210,224, 225,234,238-240,246,278,281,285,
233,238,245,263,266,273,275,278, 294-
282, 285, 289, 293-294, 295 72-73, 88, 191,
grids,
297 216
guidelines,96, 179-180, 210,
266
F
facade,91,100,106-107, 170, 173-174,
176,
H
178,182,184-185,195,198,236,268 hierarchy,12,19-22,24,28,30,35,37-
face, 20-21, 38, 86, 90-91, 97, 100-101, 39,41,48,50-51,210,217,276-277
105,
110,114,128,152,206,209,223-224, horizon,12,17-24,26-27,38,49,51-55,
230, 57,62,67,69,88-89,91,98,136,172,174,
252
fantasy, 165, 181,183,186,199,210-211,234,240,263,
263
field, 34, 38-39, 41-42, 190, 210, 231, 269, 277-278,
250,
273, 275, 28547,49,99,105,112,121,124-126,131,
hue,
277 21,38-42,46,51,76,78,106,122,
focus, 158, 229, 246, 295-
166,172,178,195,202,211,223,233,237, 296
252,269,286,293
fog,45-46,92,98,112,204,210,213,221, I
247, illusion,11-12,16,24,35-37,45,74,80,
250 134,141, 143, 145-147, 151-154,
foliage, 108,116,134,154,160,178,219,232,238,
INDEX

O R T
occlusion, 197, 208, radial, 43, temperature,
220
opacity, 89, 98, 124, 60
realism, 11, 16, 104, 107-108, 246, 160
138
organic,66,70,92,100,114,138,151,216, 258
rectilinear, 180, 183, texture,
219,225,242,255,258,278,281 215
reflection, 52-53, 55, 108, 110, 128, 142
orthogonal, 176, 180, 186, 220,
245-246, 249, 268, 273,
188
outdoor,22,32,42,65,170,209,214 281
rhythm, 76, 170, 187, thumbnail,
268 200
tone,
P S
painting,15,18,21,23,25-26,28-29,31- scale,12,30,50,72,81,86,100,110,114,
33,36-38,40-43,45-51,53,57,59-61,65,67- 116,118-119,125,127,136,177,179-180,
72,84,86,91-95,98,100,103-104,107, 188,193,195,199,211,222,235,237-239, U
109-110,114-115,118,121-125, 131- 244,253,258,261,268-269,275,277- unbalanced,
132,
137-138,141-144,146, 148, 150, 152- 278, 281, 291, 295- 253
uniform,
154,
158-166, 168, 178-180, 182, 193-194, 297 17-18,21,25-26,28,30,32,36-37,
scene, 246
200,
204-205,213,216,224,226,239,252, 39-40,42,45,50,57,65-66,68-70,72-73,
254, 258, 261-263, 265-266, 268,
275,
76-77,80-81,84,92,99,125,134,136, V
277-278,281-282,285,289,291-293, 140-145,148-149, 152, 155-156, 165, value,
296 99, 160, 179, 184,
palette, 168,
173-174,179,181,188,193,197,202,205, 94
265
particles, 45-46, 48-51, 54, 92, 250, 208, 210-212, 214, 216, 219-221, 233,
261,
273 235-
236,238,249-250,253,258,261,263,
patterns,100,187,205,222,237, 240- 265-266,268-270,273-275,277-
241,
246 278,
281-282, 285, 289, 295- vanishing,
perspective,8,10-18,20-28,30,32- 296
schematic, 34
33,35-37,39,43-45,48,50-53,56,60, 20-21
shadow,37,47,49-50,57-58,60-65,92,
62-75,78-81,84,87-91,96-98,100,103, 99,105,107,114-116,121,123,127-128,143,
106-108,114,118,125,132,134,136-138, 146,150,153,158,160,173,178,184,197,
140-141,144,146,148, 150-152, 155- 199,248,252,263,281 view,
157,
162,165-166,168,170,172,174-176,178- shapes,36-37,44,57,61,64-67,69-71, 69
183, 185-191, 194-195, 199, 202, 204- 84,87,90,103,108,136,153,155-156,170,
206,
210-212,214-216,218-220,222-226, 172-174, 177-180, 189, 223, 225,
228,
230, 232, 234-235, 238-240, 242, 228,
237,248,252,268-269,278,281,289,
244-
246,248-250,252-253,255,258, 261- 291-293, viewpoint,
263,
265-266,268-270,273-275,277- 295
silhouette, 58, 90, 92, 99, 104, 108, 285
volume,
278,
281-282,285-286,289, 291- 116,
120-122, 124-125, 127-128, 143, 199,
297
photons, 47, 49, 207,
220,236,258,261,293,296
54
plane,17-20,25,35,37,57,60,62-63,67, sketch,87,89,92,96,98,136-138,143,148, volumetric,
69,90-92,97-98,101,107,120,136-137, 170-172, 180, 184, 186, 205, 228- 194
140,144,157-158,161,166,174,178,180, 229,
248,261,278,297
182-183,189,195,197,210,215 story,21,33,39,65,73,87,190,200,282, W
polygonal, 286, 289, warp,
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