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[RCIX]

I have some interesting ideas for things like spaceship designs, but i can't really get them out because i'm bad at drawing in perspective (my orthographic drawing skills are decent enough i suppose). Anyone got any guides or tips for improving?

[Chromanoid]

www.dfactor.de/overpaint-tutorial/overpaint.htm
in german but the images show the trick... make a rough 3d model and overpaint it.

[AndrewFM]

I found this to be a pretty good tutorial on perspective:

http://sashas.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d1k2bgb

Otherwise, though, I reccomend just doing a lot of simple practice. Draw cubes in different perspectives. Once you got that down, draw a slightly more complex shape in different perspectives. And continue advancing it until you get the hang of how different shapes and angles are portrayed from different viewpoints.

[Scut Fabulous]

Draw cubes in different perspectives.

^^^^Pretty much this^^^^

Rummage through your home, grab a bunch of random cereal boxes, beer crates, etc.  Anything boxy.  Set them in a random fashion in front of you and draw them.  Let your lines over-extend, and imagine all parallel lines merging into the same vanishing point.
To make it a bit easier to start, place them all perpendicular to each other, so that all their vanishing points will be common.
I think I'll draw up a couple tutorial sketches...

[jwk5]

I generally have trouble imagining 3D shapes in my mind (possibly due to my vision, as I have bad depth perception) so when I am planning out a drawing (before actually laying out the "perspective shapes") I tend to use layered circles first and then cubes, cylinders, etc. over them in later stages of the drawing.

I find it helps me "see" the general mass and direction before seeing the shape (which in turn helps me imagine the shape better). I usually use a little cross to help me imagine the orientation of the object. This method allows me to quickly lay out scenes in "pseudo-perspective" and get a feel for what it is I want to create in actual perspective.



Sometimes it really comes down to just finding creative ways to make art work for you.

[RCIX]

Thanks for the help so far guys! I'll probably do some sketches and post them up here a bit later for critique

[Scut Fabulous]

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/perspective-guide.png

Couple notes:  The eye level is an imaginary line that runs infinitely left to right, at the height of your eye.  Anything below the eye level, you can see the top of, anything above the eye level, you can see the bottom of.  For most perspective drawing, your vanishing points will reside on that eye level.

Draw freehand, don't use rulers or erasers when practicing, and 'draw through' the object.  'Drawing through' means drawing into areas that cannot be seen, this forces you to get your perspective correct.

[PogueSquadron]

It will also probably help to get reference.  Maybe some toys that resemble whatever it is you're trying to draw?  You could set them up and photograph them however you like, and it may be informative about how it works in space.

[pandafresh]

I'm currently in school, pretty much focusing on comic books and stuff, and perspective is an essential part of drawing believable stuff and invaluable to comic artists. I personally struggled with perspective for awhile, but recently everything started to click. You definitely need to practice a whole bunch before you get comfortable.

I think an important thing to do when drawing in perspective is sketch out your scene or ship or whatever first. When you finish up the sketch, you should find your vanishing points from there. trying to draw a horizon line and vanishing points and then your ship, building, etc will only lead to weird looking drawings and frustration.

So yea, once you get a general idea what you can do in one point (looking straight on something) 2 point (looking at something thats on angle, being able to see 2 sides of it) and 3 point (same as 2 point but now you're looking up or down at something) its just a matter of practice.

These are 2 books I own that i think really, really help with the subject.
Vanishing Point
Sketching Manga-Style, Volume 4: All about Perspective