How to Draw an Object in Perspective

Hello everyone. You have undoubtedly had the experience of wanting to draw a scene filled with a multitude of objects and elements. You have a clear idea, but here's the issue: the overall composition isn’t coherent. The objects can appear flat or poorly integrated into the main perspective of the setting.

It's an extremely common mistake when you're starting out, because we often forget that objects also need to be put into perspective. So, I suggest we look at this together in this article.

Get your pens, paper, or tablet ready: let's make a start!

Reminder on perspective

As always when discussing perspective, it's important to quickly establish the main concepts.

Perspective refers to the way of representing depth and volume in a drawing on a flat surface, such as a sheet or a screen. It creates the illusion that objects recede, approach, or move through space.

We often use "vanishing points" to construct perspective:

The one-point perspective is used when looking at a subject from the front. All lines going towards the back converge towards a single point on the horizon.
Two-point perspective is used when looking at a corner or an angle. The lines then move towards two different points placed on the horizon line.
The three-point perspective is used to add even more dynamism, for example when viewing a building from below or above. This time, in addition to the two points on the horizon, a third point is placed above or below to aid representation of height.

Now that we've established these basics, let's get to the heart of the matter.

Drawing a mug in perspective

If you're a regular, you might already know the main piece of advice I'm about to give: observe! Yes, more observation - always. But at the same time, it's impossible to learn without understanding how reality works.

For this article, I'm going to show you the entire process of drawing an object in perspective, using a fairly simple and very common object: a mug.

Ideally, if you are a complete beginner, I recommend choosing an object that you can pick up and move around. This will enable you to observe the object from different angles and better understand its structure.

You also have the option to choose a reference photo, but in that case (especially if you are a beginner), I recommend choosing a very clear photo with minimal retouching. Ideally, for objects, promotional photos (on websites, for example), where only the object itself is visible, are the best.

Once you've chosen your reference, you will need to observe it from all angles. Look at everything that makes it unique. For now, just focus on its shape and structure. The goal here is not to redraw its material, color, or patterns.

To fully understand how your object works, you can draw views of its different sides. Often, a side view, front view, and top view are enough to grasp the structure of the object, but you can create many other views if you want to be really sure to perfectly integrate the structure of your object.

Now, you can move on to drawing the object. I am assuming that you already know how to draw basic volumes, such as a cube, in perspective. If that's not the case, or if you need a refresher before continuing, I recommend you read this article dedicated to vanishing points.

1. We start by drawing a cube in perspective, here with one vanishing point

2. Then, the diagonals are drawn to serve as guides.

 

3 - We add markers to indicate the middle of each side.

4 - A parallelepiped can be added to facilitate the construction of the handle.

5 - We draw the ellipses to start creating the mug shape.

6 - Connect them with two lines, we already have a good base.

7. We add an inverted C-shaped curve for the handle.

8. To add volume, draw a new ellipse in the center of the mug.

9. We also draw a second curve for the handle.

10. Finally, we add the last volumes.

Drawing the same object from different angles

As you will now have understood: to draw in perspective, we use guides and then gradually place the elements of the object, always starting with the main structure.

Start with the assumption that we always begin by sketching before adding details. Ultimately, it’s a bit like cooking: you wouldn’t put the cherry on the cake before making the cake!

If you want to develop further and practice with objects in perspective, you can keep the same reference but try to draw it from different angles and with different perspectives. This will truly validate your understanding of the object.

How to integrate an object in perspective into a scene

But now that we know how to draw an object in perspective, how do we integrate it into a scene?

Well, in the same way: you need to first design the structure of the scene. It's the base that will then enable you to properly integrate your objects. Next, you can start to incorporate large items (sofa, table, bookshelf...) following the same perspective as the background, and finally, you can add the smaller objects.

In the case of scenes with a lot of objects (like the one below), we do not always draw construction cubes, as it might clutter the scene. We rely more on feeling.

If you want to quickly check your perspectives, keep in mind that the closest faces to us will always be the largest. This doesn't always lead to perfect perspective, but it can help in many cases.

For the rest, there is no secret: practice, again and again!

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you wish to explore drawing objects in perspective in greater depth, I advise you to check out chapters 2 and 3 of the lesson the basics of drawing, and above all, have fun! 😊

Writer and illustrator: Chloé Pouteau