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Forms are the secret to freehand drawing. They let you foreshorten without projections. You can draw like a pro by using simple forms, the figures of solid geometry.

Control of Forms

Work from general to specific. Start with a blob or cylinder. Add a rubber band to show which end is closer and set general position.

Make it specific. Add corners to block it up. This sets spatial axes. Carve out portions and add others.

Skill with forms lets you draw anything made of forms. It builds counterintuitive habits. You gain freedom to freehand from any viewpoint. You can make up objects in any position.

This is practical perspective. It is the classic language of drawing. Artists have used it for hundreds of years. Simplified form is the building block for making things up you can't see.

Lessons from a Master

Windsor McKay drew cartoons with lots of perspective. He stressed understanding solid geometry from every angle.

Why? If you draw a sphere, you can draw automobile wheels. If you draw a cube, you can adapt it to an automobile shape.

For training, set up a cone, sphere, cylinder, and cube. Draw only these for two months. Once you master them, you can draw anything, including cartoons.

Master primitive basics to handle complex perspective. 

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