How to Draw Perspective for Beginners

Name: How to Draw Perspective for Beginners
Rating: 4.7 (278 reviews)

Learn 1, 2 & 3-point perspective step-by-step — sketch buildings, cityscapes & environments in realistic 3D depth

Created byEthan Nguyen

Last updated 7/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

How to use simple tricks like “overlap”, “object placement”, and “size variation” to create an illusion of depth in your drawings
All the different elements of a perspective drawing finally explained (vanishing points, horizon line, picture plane, etc)
How to use off frame vanishing points to make your drawings look better
Step-by-step instructions on how to draw scenes in 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point perspective
The right way to draw crowds of people (or any group of objects) in perspective
A simple way to measure distance and divide space in perspective
And a whole lot more…

Course content

5 sections • 16 lectures • 2h 43m total length

What is Perspective?3:15
Learn the fundamentals of perspective to render three-dimensional scenes on a two-dimensional page. Follow a series of mini lessons with practical exercises and progress to a complete perspective drawing.
Methods of Achieving Depth10:43
Explore depth-building methods in perspective drawing, including overlapping, placement of objects, size variation, and aerial or atmospheric perspective. Apply linear perspective with vanishing points to create convincing three-dimensional scenes.
Elements of Perspective8:12
Explore the elements of linear perspective, from the observer’s cone of vision to the vanishing point, including eye level, picture plane, horizon line, and center line of vision.

One-Point Perspective6:29
Explore one point perspective by showing how green depth lines converge to a vanishing point on the horizon, while red height and blue width stay parallel.
One-Point Drawing Exercise17:27
Master one-point perspective by constructing horizon and vanishing points, then draw and shade cubes to understand depth. Practice placing front, back, and converging lines while maintaining horizontal ruler alignment.

Two-Point Perspective7:16
Demonstrate two-point perspective by rotating boxes away from the picture plane, producing two vanishing points on the horizon line and illustrating how eye level and line convergence shape the form.
Off-Frame Vanishing Points8:08
Learn how to handle off-frame vanishing points in two- and three-point perspective, using eyeballing, the anchor method with tape or string, and practical solutions for stable drawing.
Two-Point Drawing Exercise15:20
Learn two-point perspective by drawing three houses at different elevations with six vanishing points, using a string method and tape to secure the page, and shading by a light source.

Three-Point Perspective4:34
Explore three-point perspective, where vertical lines converge to a vertical vanishing point as the viewer looks up or down, and blue and green lines converge to their vanishing points.
Three-Point Drawing Exercise8:47
Explore three-point perspective by drawing two building views from high and low eye levels, establishing horizon line, vanishing points, and shading to add depth while avoiding distortion.
Finding the Perspective Center4:45
Find the absolute center of objects in perspective by drawing diagonals corner to corner. This diagonal method works in one point and two point perspective, guiding placement of features.
Cityscape Drawing Exercise46:11
Master three-point perspective to construct a cityscape from a horizon line and three vanishing points, drawing layered buildings, windows, rails, and a sidewalk with construction lines.

Dividing Space in One-Point Perspective8:42
Learn a method to divide space in one-point perspective using a horizon line, vanishing point, and perspective center to place uniformly sized tiles and similar elements.
Dividing Space in Two-Point Perspective5:03
Learn to divide space in two-point perspective by constructing a tile floor using vanishing points, horizon line, and a perspective center to place and reproduce subsequent tiles.
Placing Objects in Space7:39
Establish the horizon line at the observer's eye level and use a vanishing point with guiding lines and ruler-based scaling to place figures in space with correct perspective.
Closing Thoughts0:40
Conclude your beginner-friendly journey in perspective drawing by exploring related topics like drawing portraits, facial features, and animal drawing, and engage with the course by leaving a rating.

Requirements

No prerequisites needed!
A pencil, eraser, and paper. A ruler or straightedge is helpful for the exercises.

Description

In this course on how to draw perspective for beginners, you're going to learn all the fundamental things you'll need to know in order to get started with perspective drawing.

We'll begin by covering all the basic concepts. You'll learn about the horizon line, vanishing points, the picture plane, and various methods of achieving depths in a drawing.

Then we'll go through each of the three most common perspective schemes including one-point, two-point, and three-point perspective.

You'll not only learn how to draw each of the perspective types through easy to follow, step-by-step exercises… but we'll also go through diagrams that will explain exactly how these rules of perspective work.

All the concepts are explained in a straightforward and thorough manner that will allow you to gain a deep understanding of this subject.

Then we'll go through a detailed exercise where you'll learn how to draw a cityscape scene in three point perspective.

If you’ve ever wanted to sketch buildings, cityscapes, or outdoor environments that feel truly three-dimensional, these are the exact foundations you need.

And finally, you'll learn a simple method for dividing space in both one and two point perspective. This will allow you to draw all kinds of cool objects like environments and buildings.

This course was designed for complete beginners who want a pain-free way to get started with perspective. By the end of this course, you'll learn things like:

How to use simple tricks like “overlap”, “object placement”, and “size variation” to create an illusion of depth in your drawings
What makes 1, 2, and 3 point perspective look different from each other
How to use off frame vanishing points to make your drawings look better
Step-by-step instructions on how to draw scenes in 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point perspective
And a whole lot more…

In addition to all the lessons, you’ll also get 6 downloadable drawing scans so you can study the exercises up close.

And as always, this course comes with a 100% money back guarantee so if you are not in love with it for any reason, you can get every penny of your money back.

Who this course is for:

Anyone who wants to learn the basics of perspective drawing.
Beginners whose drawings look flat and who want to understand why
Hobby artists who want to sketch buildings, cityscapes, and environments with convincing depth
NOT for advanced artists already comfortable with 3-point perspective

How to Draw Perspective for Beginners

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Perspective Foundations: Depth, Horizon Line & Vanishing Points3 lectures • 22min

One-Point Perspective Step-by-Step2 lectures • 24min

Two-Point Perspective & Off-Frame Vanishing Points3 lectures • 31min

Three-Point Perspective: Draw a Complete Cityscape4 lectures • 1hr 4min

Measuring & Dividing Space in Perspective4 lectures • 22min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: