Beginning designers under appreciate the importance of sketching and practicing simple cubes, then adding complexity into and out of them.
Cubes are among the most important of the foundational building blocks
for designers as they establish good understanding of proportions; vital for then understanding and being able to sketch good ellipses and cylinders
for wheels and other design objects.

All too often students try to be "creative", meaning imaginative, when really their drawings and ideas make little sense visually. We may understand their idea, but it isn't well represented if the most basic principles aren't executed well. This is the difference between being in Marketing versus being in Design.

Proportions and drawing logic all begin with cubes. Make CUBES your friend, and you'll gain incredible respect with your future clients and/or employer.

1-PT PERSPECTIVE CUBES

2-PT PERSPECTIVE CUBES

2-PT PERSPECTIVE GRID CONSTRUCTION

2-PT PERSPECTIVE CUBES

Once you get familiar with the correct proportions, work on "eye-balling" them. Create compositions, changing the size and placement.

Start playing with rotating the cube while maintaining proper perspective proportions. Add interesting cutouts, with control.

Have fun with nesting.

Always be conscious of creating unique and engaging compositions.

​LEARN ABOUT SCALING OBJECTS

Practice Bi-Secting, finding the accurate vertical and horizontal center axis. This is critical in creating strong representation
of your designed objects.
A strong understanding of
cubes leads to strong form
study up the road.

COMMON ERRORS ALERT!

1 | EXTRUDED SQUARE - 1-PT

2 | NOT A CUBE — POOR PROPORTIONS

Too tall

Never flatten the front plane, like
a 1-PT perspective.

3 | FAILED CONVERGENCE AND/OR
NOT CONTROLLING VERTICALS

Too deep

Poor verticals and eges do not converge

Poor verticals; not parallel, nor vertical

See also p.32 in Sketching: The Basics for more on some of these common issues.

* Estimate only. See instructor and calendar for specific due dates. Summer Session schedule is more compressed with one week equal to approximately two and half semester weeks.

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©2020 Michael LaForte / Studio LaForte, All Rights Reserved. This site and all work shown here is purely for educational purposes only. Where ever possible student work has been used or original works by Michael LaForte.
Works by professionals found online or in publication are used as instructional aids in student understanding and growth and is credited everywhere possible.