Draw an outdoor scene on a busy street

Choosing Your Visual Setting

Choose Your Location
Choose a setting for your poposed street scene, including time period, city or town setting, and what kind of buildings and structures you'd like to include.
Become a Reference Ninja
Take a camera or smart phone and go out into your environment to gather reference photos for your scene from everyday life. Photograph interesting buildings, locations and props that you might like to include in your project.

Then take a look at different architecture and art magazines to find even more inspiration!
Inspiration is Everywhere
Make a habit of taking your camera everywhere, even to work or school, and documenting any odd thing or inspiring view that may later suggest an illustration idea to you. When you're finished, compile all of your selected reference photos and clippings and begin composing your street scene.

Perspective and Basic Structures

Perspective Work
Study and practice 1, 2 and 3 point perspective, using the videos in this section. Try out different angles, structures and views to get a feel for which form of perspective you would most like to use for your street scene project. And practice, practice, practice!
Lay A Foundation
Begin to flesh out the groundwork of perspective for your street scene. Choose a focus for the vanishing points and start blocking in your basic structures.

Learning Tricks of Perspective

Fast Trick Practice
Incorporate at least one of the Fast Tricks in this course into your street scene project.

Drawing Crowds of Characters

Crowd Practice
Practice drawing different numbers of people in a small crowd, then begin adding people to your street scene project.

Adding Finishing Touches

Finishing Touches
Add signs, foliage and wear and tear to your street scene to finalize it!

Additional Resources

Drawing Perspective: http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_index.html
Illustration Video Guides: www.youtube.com/user/FocalOnline

Timon De Jong

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