Perspective Made Easy (Robbie Lee)

Perspective Made Easy
Robbie Lee
Impact Books
Nonfiction, YA Art
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Learning perspective is one of the most important keys to creating good art... but also one of the biggest obstacles. Horizon lines, vanishing points, distortion, proportion - who can make sense of it all, and who wants to when there are robots and monsters and more to be drawn? Author and artist Robbie Lee uses numerous diagrams and exercises to break the complex topic of perspective into bite-sized portions, so your next robot-versus-monster battle will be that much better.

REVIEW: I found this title on clearance at a craft store; since perspective is a perennial weakness in my own artistic efforts, and since half price is almost always the right price, I picked it up. Lee's comic book approach appeals to kids as well as us grown-ups who don't always have the patience we should with long blocks of text and complex angle formulas. Via his robotic avatar and many fun drawings, Lee offers clear demonstrations of one-point, two-point, and three-point perspective, including how to properly draw a square and circle in perspective, how to create a "cone of vision" that eliminates unrealistic distortions, and other useful information. He also includes some shorthand tricks and cheats, because not every doodle needs an elaborate set-up and drafting tools. Once in a while, it gets a bit complicated, but such is the nature of perspective, and the many drawings help clarify just what Lee is doing, and why, in each step. For beginner artists (or intermediate artists who still struggle with perspective), especially those inspired by comic books, this has plenty to offer. The rest is down to practice, and with this book at hand there are many useful exercises to try out.

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