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Cannot draw boxes without perspective points

2:16 PM, Friday May 28th 2021

Hello, I have recently undertaken the drawabox lessons and have reached the 250 boxes challenge, however it seems that I cannot draw boxes without using perspective points, all the boxes come out weird, they look fine if I dont draw the lines inside but the instant I try to draw inside you cant even tell it's a box anymore, is this common? or is it something that goes away with practice because I have drawn 130+ boxes so far and have they have not changed, I take my time and use the ghosting method and use other adjacent lines to draw the correct angle, they look fine whenm I finish drawing them but if I dont look at them for a couple of seconds and go back they look all distorted. should I just keep at it or is there something I need to check in my method?

any help would be apprecaited.

thank you

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3:12 PM, Friday May 28th 2021

Like Liska said we can't tell if we don't see the boxes, but something you can do to check where you made the mistakes is to trace one of your finished boxes line by line, and at every step extend the lines. This way you'll see exactly where the lines are starting to diverge.

10:41 PM, Friday May 28th 2021

Thank you for your reply, yes that makes sense I will try that and see if it helps, thank you for your help.

6:58 PM, Saturday May 29th 2021

No worries and good luck in the challenge! It's super tough

2 users agree
3:04 PM, Friday May 28th 2021

Hi! Maybe the problem lies in what you said about adjacent lines but it's hard to tell without seeing the boxes. Could you post some of your latest pages?

10:40 PM, Friday May 28th 2021

Hello, thank you for your reply, I understand it is hard to help without seeing, unfortunately I do not have a way to upload pictures currently my camera i broken, I will try to ask someone the next time I am out.

thank you again

2 users agree
3:35 PM, Tuesday June 1st 2021

Take the time to read thru the 250 box challenge instructions. Not a single time does it say "check how the box looks", or "avoid the box looking distorted". That's not how DrawABox approaches things.

There's a series of steps/rules you need to follow. Read and understand each carefully. Then execute those steps as faithfully as you can. You will succeed if you do that.

What is success in this case? It is explained in the challenge instructions (and also in organic perspective exercise):

  • Draw a Y-shape. Keep angles between the lines greater than 90 degrees

  • Draw an additional line, one towards each vanishing point.

  • Draw the lines to finish the three side of the box facing the viewer

  • Draw thru your box

  • Extend lines away from the viewer to check convergences

  • Apply lineweight (and maybe hatching) to show which side faces the viewer

And do that 250 times. That's it.

"They look all distorted" is not very helpful criteria. But "these two lines converge instead of diverge" is the kind of criteria that will guide you towards more consistent boxes.

And "a bit better" by the end of the challenge is what you are expected to do. I mean if you can consistenly extend lines away from the viewer that already is a huge success. Pay close attention when the instructions say "facing the viewer" and "away from the viewer". Consistency in the convergences and those convergences being consistent with whats away/towards the viewer is key for boxes to look like boxes.

0 users agree
3:52 PM, Tuesday August 17th 2021

Hello,

When you said you boxes comes out weird, it may be due to the distortion effect your perspective point are too close from one another. Another problem when you start drawing without marking the perspective point is that when you came back

using it you forgot it exact place so they may look a little strange.

Repetition is important here. That's why uncomfortable put 250 boxes.

What you need to do is always following the same order. First place three dots that will be the top of the box. From this angle try to imagine the vp to finish the top the of the box. Then you start to draw the bottom. You can keep the line towards the back parallels (therefor you're in 2d or trying to make them slightly converge toward a third point) You're in 3d space.

You have really trouble with the vp; you can try to make a mini challenge. With cello tape put three A4 sheets closes one

to another. The one on the center is your page. The 2 on each side is where your vp goes. Place you angle and extend

the line with pencil. This is like one of the exercice in lesson 1 but in big scale. This mini challenge is just to help you to understand the process and to help you prepare for the 250 boxes challenge therefor should not been sent.

Hope that it helps!

Good luck!

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Printer Paper

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As discussed in Lesson 0, printer paper (A4 or 8.5"x11") is what we recommend. It's well suited to the kind of tools we're using, and the nature of the work we're doing (in terms of size). But a lot of students still feel driven to sketchbooks, either by a desire to feel more like an artist, or to be able to compile their work as they go through the course.

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Whether you grab the ream of printer paper linked here, a different brand, or pick one up from a store near you - do yourself a favour and don't make things even more difficult for you. And if you want to compile your work, you can always keep it in a folder, and even have it bound into a book when you're done.

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