Carl Dalio: Sketching in Perspective

If you've ever had trouble with perspective, this is the workshop for you.

Watercolorist, Carl Dalio presents the theories and application of perspective drawing in a way suited for artists. His techniques for spacing, orientation, and measuring distances rely on logic and intuition, rather than mathematical formulas.

Carl presents eight lessons on perspective and composition, each featuring an easy-to-follow exercise. Carl establishes the basic principles with a sketch of a country house. He explains how to recognize vanishing points, a skill that forms the foundation for the rest of the workshop. He then demonstrates one, two and three-point perspective, illustrating the advantages and pitfalls of each.

Using a simple, one-story building, he establishes a system that can be used for equal spacing of any set of objects: fence posts, cars, clouds or people. Next, Carl demonstrates how to draw proportional figures from eye-level and an elevated vantage point. He introduces time-saving methods for populating landscapes and applies his techniques to larger landscapes.

In this unique workshop, watercolorist Carl Dalio introduces the theories and application of perspective drawing. Carl's training in architecture and long career as a fine artist have helped him unravel the complexities of perspective in art.

His techniques for spacing, orientation and measuring distances rely on logic and intuition rather than mathematical formulas, making this workshop valuable and accessible for all artists. Carl presents eight lessons on perspective and composition, each featuring an easy-to-follow exercise. You'll need only a pencil, paper and a few photographs to participate.

Carl establishes the principles of perspective with a sketch of a country house. He explains how to recognize vanishing points and their corresponding shapes, a skill that forms the foundation for the rest of the workshop. He then demonstrates one, two and three-point perspective, illustrating the advantages and pitfalls of each method.

With a few strokes of his pencil, Carl unlocks the secrets of even spacing and relative distances. Using a combination of intuition and simple geometry, he places windows in a simple, one-story building. As he does with basic perspective, Carl establishes universal principles for spacing. They work equally well for buildings, windows, cars, clouds people and fences, and Carl demonstrates all of these in the course of the workshop.

He switches his focus to the horizon line as he scales people for a landscape. Using only hand-drawn spacers and basic knowledge of the body, Carl draws proportional figures from both eye-level and elevated vantage points. He introduces time-saving methods for populating landscapes by applying his vanishing point techniques to larger landscapes.

Carl concludes with principles for composing sketches. He selects intriguing shapes from his reference material, determines dominant values and edits major elements to suit his design sensibilities.

Carl concludes with principles for composing sketches for paintings. He selects intriguing shapes from his reference material, determines dominant values, and edits major elements to suit his design sensibilities. This video includes bonus features on painting figures in landscape and selecting colors.

This video includes bonus features on painting figures in landscape and selecting colors. These vibrant clips will help you put finishing touches on compositions you create using your new perspective skills. To see drawing and composition from a new vantage point, join Carl Dalio in Sketching in Perspective.

BONUS CLIP: Tips on Painting Figures in Watercolor

In this bonus clip from his video workshop, Sketching in Perspective, Carl Dalio shares his simple technique for painting figures in watercolor landscapes and street scenes. Carl works fast and implies gesture in each of his figures. You learn how simple variations in shape and color can imply clothing, movement, and gender.