Mastering Depth and Perspective in Your Drawings: The Power of Line Thickness

Today, I want to share with you a simple but effective tip for adding depth and perspective to your drawings: use thicker lines for objects that are closer or larger.

When creating a drawing, the way that we use line thickness can have a big impact on the overall look and feel of the piece. By using thicker lines for objects that are closer to the viewer, or for larger objects in the scene, we can create a sense of depth and scale that helps to make the drawing feel more realistic and three-dimensional.

One example of how I have personally used this technique in my own drawings is in my depiction of SCP-096, a popular fictional character from the SCP Foundation universe. In my drawing of SCP-096, I wanted to create a sense of tension and foreboding, and I used line thickness to help convey this. For example, I used thicker lines to outline the character's hand, which is closer to the viewer. Watch my timelapse to see what I mean.

Here are a few other examples of how you might use thicker lines to indicate size and distance in your drawings:

1. Imagine that you are drawing a landscape with a mountain in the distance and a tree in the foreground. To create a sense of depth, you might use thicker lines for the tree, which is closer to the viewer, and thinner lines for the mountain, which is farther away.
2. Or, let's say you are drawing a still life with a vase of flowers on a table. To give the vase a sense of mass and weight, you might use thicker lines to outline its shape and form. On the other hand, you might use thinner lines to draw the flowers, which are smaller and less prominent in the scene.

By using thicker lines to indicate size and distance in your drawings, you can create a sense of depth and perspective that helps to make your artwork more realistic and visually appealing. So be sure to give this tip a try!

If you're interested in learning more about this technique, and other tips for improving your drawings, be sure to check out my drawing tutorials. In these videos, I go into more detail about the various techniques that I use to create my drawings, and I offer helpful tips and tricks that you can use to take your own drawings to the next level.