Fed Up With Perspective Videos Making No Sense When You Go To Draw?

A huge and common problem is thinking we understand perspective when we watch the videos, but find out out they don't seem to apply to the scenes we go to draw. This video could well end all this frustration!

[@user-de7qi2bh2u]

Its strange that most videos or material never mentions that every object/structure can have its own vanishing points. I was drawing with the assumption that every object had to share the same vanishing point of the overall scene. Your videos are helping me a ton, Thanks!

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Owyn. Yes, I have no idea why so much is left unsaid. Perhaps many of the videos are produced by architects rather than artists, who are often working on one building only. Maybe it takes an artist to see the questions that artists need answers to. But whatever, I’m glad the video was helpful. 😀

[@lbuxani]

So explicitly and well explained. You should write a book on Perspective. Thanks for this wonderful video.👍👌

[@stephentraversart]

Glad it makes sense. 😀

[@Manas-co8wl]

You're right. I sort of had to figure this out on my own because none of the other perspective videos ever taught us this. Thank you for your detailed descriptions, hopefully your channel helps so many people with perspectives.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Manas. I’ve just posted a video that looks at applying perspective in a range of different scenes where it’s not obvious at first glance, if you’re interested. Have fun drawing. 😀

[@codingchallenges]

Absolutely excellent video and explanation. Thank you so much!

[@stephentraversart]

I’m so glad it was so helpful. All the best using this in your drawing. 😀

[@personalepiphany7973]

This is very helpful, thank you so much! As I watched the video, I could not stop thinking about my art class in junior high school. We had to draw using perspective and I could not even finish the assignment because all my buildings didn’t make sense to me, I was trying to make them vanish to only one VP! I genuinely thought something was just wrong with my brain

[@stephentraversart]

It sounds like Personal Epiphany has had an epiphany!😆. Thanks for letting me know, it’s encouraging to hear when my videos hit the target audience I had in mind when I created them. Lots of happy drawing ahead of you. 👏👏👏

[@TSS0Qk3n]

My god I wish I'd seen this video 5 years ago! Where would I be on my art journey by now? This short video is worth than 99.9% of the perspective videos out there on KZbin. Just practical and applicable information. I love this content

[@stephentraversart]

Wow. What a great comment to read. Thanks for taking the time to be so generous. 😀

[@pamperkins7256]

It's the sweet village streets that delight the eye. The character of the road and buildings are alive when you see them and draw what you see. I just kept saying " oh I see" during your video😂.

[@stephentraversart]

Yes.Real life has lots of subtle variations which overall create interest and charm. 😀

[@ThinyAn_]

I've watched dozens of perspective vids but they never mentioned that different objects have different vanishing points...and the result is me dying to draw 2 cars that hit each other at a junction and in 2 point😂😂(cars with different angles)btw thank you so much sir❤

[@stephentraversart]

Great to hear. I have a few perspective playlists if your interested in more on perspective like this 😀

[@alexandraelenacristea]

I am so glad to have found your videos! Not even my university architectural drawing classes have managed to shed light on these details, imagine that... Thank you :)

[@stephentraversart]

Well, that’s a great honour for me to hear Alexandra. Thanks, and all the best drawing now with your new understanding. 😀

[@scribblingjoe]

I understood that rotated objects have different vanishing points but I never really took that into account when drawing cityscapes. Also how the buildings and their elements can vary their elevation. Good info!

[@stephentraversart]

I really love helping people see things in a clearer way, Joe. I’ve just posted a video to celebrate my first million views on KZbin with my considered top three tips from all the advice/ teaching that I’ve given in over 470 videos. Have a look if you’re interested. 😀

[@deromilly]

Thank you SO much for this. I have been SO confused about this IRL vs the various "examples" shown in videos and books. This will make adding buildings to my work so much easier (well, still complicated, but at least understood)!

[@stephentraversart]

I’m glad it was so helpful Romilly. Yes, I’m puzzled why most perspective videos seem to leave out all the bits that make them apply in real life rather than on an architect’s drafting board. All the best with your drawings now. 😀

[@shoelily]

JeeZ. This is the most informative art video I’ve ever seen. Thank you so very much for explaining this.

[@stephentraversart]

Well that’s great to hear Lily. Please tell your friends as well, I’d really appreciate that. 😀

[@brianwiirre5110]

Excellent work Stephen! Thank you.

[@stephentraversart]

Very welcome😀

[@menorah111]

Wow you are a God sent sir . This is just what just what i need right now thank you so much i pray your channel grows bigger❤❤

[@stephentraversart]

Thank you. I'm delighted to be an answer to prayer. I actually think this is one of, if not the most significant perspective video I have made, out of several hundred. Have fun applying it to your drawing from now on.

[@guitarsandsuchetc]

I always knew something was wrong or missing information, thats why I have up on perspective a long time ago. Now its just a matter of learning everything thats missing.

[@stephentraversart]

Our instincts are so often right. Hope this opens up whatever you’ve been missing. Have fun. 😀

[@maurotombolini6904]

Thanks Stephen, extremely informative and clear content.

[@stephentraversart]

Glad it was helpful!😀

[@Robert.Johnston]

Thank you for sharing this has explained so much thanks again ❤

[@stephentraversart]

This is what I love to hear. Hope it really advances your drawing. 😀

[@dyngvolden]

This channel was just what I was missing. Thanks!

[@stephentraversart]

Well, I’m really pleased you’ve found it Adam. Please tell your friends. 😀

[@aaliyahraks]

thank you for the great instruction video

[@stephentraversart]

Glad it was helpful!😀

[@blandinehsu]

Thank you so much Stephen!! This video solved the problems I've carried for so many years!!!!

[@stephentraversart]

That’s great. The other lesson to learn is not to always presume the problem is with me! The problem may be the teaching! Have fun drawing with your new knowledge. 😀

[@daveartmusic2025]

Stephen, I am in a college Perspective class and feel quite lost! I have been an artist for 48 years, and I feel like I'm not not "getting it" when the professor gives us a picture and instructs us to do a one-point perspective drawing. One homework assignment was to draw the interior of my front door looking outside. I am so thankful you showed your cardboard strips because I have used them to find the correct angles. I did the assignment and discovered there was NOT a central VP but several VPs, and one was off to the left. This assignment took me the better part of today to complete it. I really need to do these drawings quickly and understand what I'm doing intuitively. Please let me know what you recommend as beginner exercises to help me progress beyond this block I'm experiencing. I'm so frustrated right now! I truly enjoy your teaching style, and what you demonstrate makes perfect sense to me; as you mention in this video, I get lost when I get that piece of paper in front of me, and I have to draw perspective. David

[@stephentraversart]

Have you seen my 10 video perspective playlist? I feel it’s a good run through out of all my perspective videos. And look at my perspective stripped bare video of a few days ago. It’s perspective in the simplest concepts I can think of. All the best with it. You’ll get there. 😀

[@daveartmusic2025]

@@stephentraversart I will watch all of them. Thank you much!

[@denisedeweirdt1568]

Thank you so much for this video.

[@stephentraversart]

My pleasure Denise. Glad it was helpful. 😀

[@miedzystrunami]

This is super helpful! Thank you for naming one of the problems I've faced and could not explain the reason for.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Aleksander. That’s the kind of result from the video I was hoping for. 😀

[@Shahd-zm1dp]

Great tips, thank you

[@stephentraversart]

You are so welcome!😀

[@sallieturner8771]

Great video, thank you for explaining why watching videos don't always help

[@stephentraversart]

My pleasure Sallie. Glad this one did help you. 😀

[@larbiouchene3566]

Fantastic video, very useful, thank you so much sir, I've discovered your channel some weeks ago, and it's completely changed the vision I had of perspective, another thing, your way of speaking and your lovely accent remind me George Michael, my favorite artist by the way. Greetings from Algiers, Algeria.

[@stephentraversart]

So good to hear how you’ve benefited from my perspective videos Larbi. This is what I was hoping for when I made them. Please tell your friends about them as well. George Michael certainly wasn’t Australian, but I probably speak with a bit of a British sound at times. Keep drawing. 😀

[@tHaH4x0r]

Awesome video! Just like others have mentioned in the comments, it find it very strange that many drawing videos never mention that vanishing points are object orientation dependent. A 'two-point perspective' merely means that a single rectangular object has 2 vanishing points. I guess calling it an 'X-vanishing point per object perspective' is more accurate and descriptive. 8:30 Slight correction, they meet at positive and negative infinity. The kind of stuff you describe is formalized in the mathematical field of projective geometry. There it is also found that parallel lines intersect at infinity (and minus infinity). You beautifully show that if we rotate a building on the left side of the street towards us, the vanishing point will shift towards the right, until it is facing us. If we define the right side from our 'default' vanishing point positive, then the vanishing point has moved to positive infinity. If we then keep rotating it further, the vanishing point will appear to go from negative infinity back towards the point straight ahead of us.

[@stephentraversart]

Haha. Thank you. What you say about parallel lines makes perfect sense, though I have never heard it before. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get positive or negative infinity into the video frame though!🤣 I think one of the issues with lots of perspective videos is they’re not made by artists, so they’re not aware of the questions that come up for artists. And I do like the phrase ‘object orientation dependent.’ I may have to use that myself. 😀

[@itsshepherd5618]

Thank you sir

[@stephentraversart]

My pleasure. 😀

[@danpost4755]

Stephen, what a great explanation and example. Thank you for making this video. What are those colorful strips you are using to find the various lines?

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Dan. They are strips of a cardboard folder I cut with a box cutter and steel ruler. I then coloured them with a marker. So you can’t buy them, but you can easily make them. 😀

[@danpost4755]

@@stephentraversart Great tip! Thanks!

[@windywednesday4166]

I hate it when my perspective is off. For me, it's the most discouraging thing about doing art.

[@stephentraversart]

I hope this video helps, but don’t underestimate simple careful observation of the angles when you draw. 😀

[@marest]

Love your videos although they make me feel even more and more overwhelmed about what to take care of before just have fun with drawing and be happy with a good result.😂

[@stephentraversart]

Oh, that is not the intention Marest. Of course, we also just draw what we see. Learning to observe more carefully may be a better approach than learning perspective theory. And absolutely, make sure you find the fun! All the best with it. 😀

[@marest]

@@stephentraversart todo bien don't worry...I don't give up and am grateful for what I can learn from you here...😊

[@SashaChichkan]

super usefull, thank you

[@stephentraversart]

Glad you found it helpful Sasha. All the best with your drawing. 😀

[@ronaldhonore6257]

vanishing point is my problem

[@stephentraversart]

It’s where the perspective angles meet and it reveals eye level to us. What’s not to love about it?😀

[@CC-hv6yt]

Hey Stephen, thanks for your helpful videos. This is off topic but I wanted to know if you feel the necessity of rendering vast, unpatterened, barely textured surfaces such as streets, plain walls, water bodies,etc. I'm asking because I have a hard time leaving such surfaces alone/paper white as I don't use markers. And when I put detailing with ink on these vast areas, it ends up looking too busy, takes away the smooth transition from foreground to background. Any suggestions? Especially when the light and shadow contrast is low like on an overcast day. Thanks.

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. It sounds like you know what you should be doing - experimenting with less detail, or a variety of detail. It’s not really possible for me to comment further with only generalisations. But if I don’t like how doing what I do turns out, then I know at least that nothing will change until I change what I do. So look at drawings of such scenes that you think work well, work out why, then give it a go with your next drawing. All the best with it. 😀

[@CC-hv6yt]

@@stephentraversart like studying the works of the masters. This will be great learning. I think I've already learnt so much from your videos. Thanks a bunch 👍🏻

[@grimreaper9350]

Thank you, I still have questions about perspective, but now I know that multiple vanishing points are for mutliple planes that use the same eye level. I will definitely be watching more of your videos, especially the ones on perspective, gonna go watch another right now.

[@stephentraversart]

That’s great. There is only one eye level for any one scene. All vanishing points from the one object, regardless of where it is, will meet on it. 😀

[@annepercival7814]

Not so easy to do from life

[@stephentraversart]

When we draw from life, we have to change what we see from 3D to 2D, which can be difficult. With a photo, the camera has already done this, so it becomes easier to draw the scene on paper. But drawing from a photo still shares many of the challenges of drawing on location, and can be helpful preparation for when we do. All. The best with it. 😀