I’ve spent most of my life obsessed with drawing.
From studying illustration at University to working professionally in fine art, design, and illustration.
Through all of that, one skill that has consistently changed the game for me is learning how to draw in perspective.
Once you get this down, your drawings will go from flat and awkward to dynamic, believable, and full of depth.
It’s honestly one of the most transformative skills any artist can learn.
In today’s blog post, I’m going to walk you through three super practical perspective drawing exercises, starting with one point, then two point, and finally three point perspective.
These are the exact exercises I still come back to when I need to sharpen drawing skills, loosen up, and just reconnect with the fundamentals. Let’s get into it!
Practicing One Point Perspective
Start by drawing a horizontal line across your page. This is your horizontal line. Now place a dot in the centre. This is your vanishing point.
From here draw light lines radiating outward from that point like sun rays. These are your perspective lines.
Now draw a box facing forward and connect its corners to the vanishing point.
Add in the inner edges and shade one side to give the box a 3D fill.
Now start drawing more boxes. Stack them up and don’t forget to rotate your paper. Extend lines above and below the horizontal line.
Fill the whole page of these. Really go for it!
This is where the magic happens! Here’s the challenge – don’t use a ruler and draw it freehand. Why is this? Because it trains your hand eye coordination, helps you build artistic confidence, and gives your sketches a looser, more dynamic energy.
Ghost your lines as well. This is where you hover the pen or pencil before committing. Helping control and accuracy.
Spend a good 15 to 30 minutes on this perspective drawing exercise. You’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll start to see and feel perspective really click into place.
Practicing Two Point Perspective
Again, start with a horizontal line. This time, place two dots at either end. These are your vanishing points. From these points, extend your perspective lines.
Now, draw a vertical line somewhere between them.
That’s the front edge of your box. Connect the top and bottom of that vertical line to each vanishing point.
Then close off the box with more verticals. Shade one side and add shadows if you like and build it into a little town of boxes.
Now go beyond the horizontal line. Draw some boxes above and below that line to get used to seeing how perspective changes depending on your viewpoint.
Again, draw this freehand and ghost your lines, rotate your paper so it’s comfortable to draw.
Fill your drawing with different shapes and sizes and really push the messiness. That’s how you learn and grow.
Again, aim for another 20 to 30 minutes here.
This exercise builds your spatial awareness like nothing else. And in particular, your perspective skills.
I’ll love to know which perspective drawing exercises is your favourite so far. Drop a comment below and let me know. And if you’ve got any questions, I read everyone and I will get back to you.
Practicing Three Point Perspective
Start again with a horizontal line and two vanishing points just like before, but now add a third vanishing point either way high up or low down. This creates the illusion of height and depth.
Think skyscrapers or a worm’s eye view.
Here’s a tip – the closer the third point is to your box, the more dramatic and distorted it will look. You can have fun experimenting with that one…
Start drawing your boxes using all three points, stretch the shapes, and make some narrow, some wide. It really is a brain workout as well, but it’s incredibly rewarding once it clicks.
Remember to use a pen, ghost the lines, and build complex forms if you want. This is where your environments really come to life. I suggest you give this one 20 to 30 minutes of your time.
Don’t worry about being perfect. Focus on seeing the space and building the habit.
How Did You Get On?
Hope you enjoyed these perspective drawing exercises!
Perspective doesn’t have to be scary. These three exercises will massively improve your drawing confidence and help build believable depth in your scene.
Thanks for reading and I recommend you check out these blog posts:
Improve Your Drawing Skill: 1 Drawing Technique To Improve Your Drawing Skill FAST
Portrait Drawing Tutorial: Step By Step Face Drawing Tutorial For Beginners
Drawing Exercises: 5 Drawing Exercises To Improve Your Drawing Skill
Many thanks for listening and visiting my blog today. You can follow what I’m up to on my Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram pages, I’ll really appreciate it if you do, and don’t be afraid to say hi to me! Many thanks again, and have a great day!
21st July 2025
