Let’s look at some inspiration pictures of Milan. I quite like the repetition of pillars along the shops. To sketch these one with accuracy, I will start by showing you a simple and very useful trick. I remember the day my teacher show me that trick I was amazed !

TIP 64 A must have geometry rule to duplicate pillars


How to duplicate the pillars in perspective ?

1. Set up your perspective lines.
– Horizon line
– Vanishing points
– Converging lines

2. Draw the first pillar drawing a vertical line.

  1. The trick start here. Just follow step by step. Identify the middle of this rectangle in perspective, drawing the diagonals.
  2. Join this middle to the vanishing point. The first pillar will be divided in 2 at its own middle (pink dot).
  3. Draw a line from the top left corner going through that middle. It will cross the bottom converging line where the next pillar will be.

6. Draw your pillar with an other vertical line !

7. Repeat the 5th operation as many times as needed !



That’s all ! It may visually looks complicated. However, try it following step by step. As soon as you do it once, you will realise how simple it is. With this simple rule, you won’t have to guess anymore!

After the theory, an example of sketch.

Before starting I roughly visualize the scene in my mind. It especially helps to define the horizon line.

See also  How to draw New products in 3 steps with this simple creative technique


1. Set up the perspective.

2. Draw some converging lines below and above the horizon lines. Just draw enough of them to roughly visualize the ground and the sky.

3. Apply the trick on How to duplicate pillars in perspective.

4. Adding a bit of pillars detailing to better visualize the structure.

5. Fill up the rest with detailing, people and pigeons.

That’s all for today. Hope it helps. Feel free to leave some comments.
See you tomorrow for the next Tip of the day !

5 comments

Leave a Reply to Loic Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Hi, I’ve trouble lighting and shading the pillars of a scene I’ve drawn.

    they continue to look weirdly flat or too simple in comparison to the rest of the picture. I’m stuck at this, any help is greatly appreciated

  • Lorsque tu traces tes lignes de perspectives, les traces-tu à main levée ou avec une régle (ou un outil spécial ligne dans ton programme) ?

    • Salut Loic,

      Ah oui tiens, ca serait bien que je precise ca. J’utilise un raccourci clavier sur Photoshop. D’abord, tu choisis l’outil pinceau. Ensuite:

      1- Cliques quelque part pour faire apparaitre un point, ce sera le depart de ta ligne.
      2- Presse et maintient SHIFT.
      3- Clique ailleurs pour faire un autre point, la fin de ta ligne.
      4- Magique tu as une ligne droite!

      J’utilise ca pour les lignes qui rejoignent chaque point de perspective.

      L’épaisseur de ton trait dépendra de la pression que tu auras applique a ton stilet quand tu auras presse chaque point. (si c’est a la souris, le trace sera épais et constant)

      Voila. Facile non ?

      Oh astuce supplémentaire pour des lignes parfaitement horizontales ou verticales. Attention, nuance subtile !

      Choisis l’outil pinceau. Ensuite:
      1- Clique et maintient la pression avec ton stilet, ne bouge pas !
      2- Appuis et maintiens SHIFT
      3- Trace ta ligne horizontalement ou verticalement.
      4- Ta ligne va apparaitre parfaitement droite !

      Horizontal: pour dessiner la ligne d’horizon.
      Vertical: pour la hauteur des bâtiments

      Voila, dis moi si c’est clair.
      A tout !

      • C’est parfaitement clair ! Merci beaucoup d’avoir pris le temps de répondre !! Je vais continuer de suivre ton aventure avec intêret !! Bye bye ^^

Hello! I'm Chou-Tac, a Product Designer from France.

If the sketching methods I’ve acquired aid me in my life and in my industrial design career, I believe that they can also help you reach your dream goal as a student or professional designer.

Leave a comment in the blog or send me an email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com : )

Chou-Tac

Trending

Last comments

  • Gurupreet: “Hi, I come from India and I am 20 years old. I am an freelance artist and I use to…Jun 30, 22:14
  • Jatin Verma: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, 1.India, 30 2. Studying graphic design and Sketching 3.…Jun 30, 14:19
  • Jatin: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, 1.India, 30 2. Studying graphic design and Sketching 3.…Jun 30, 14:11
  • Murad: “Google search Yes learning more Intersted with your blogJun 29, 11:08
  • Fausto Blanco: “I’m an stell erection and construction estimator, my field is estimate. Labor and material quantities for big warehouse buildings, also…Jun 28, 09:14
  • NISHTHA HARSH NIRMAL: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, but product sketching career-wise. I discovered this through PinterestJun 27, 14:32
  • Nishtha: “I need this book as im an aspiring designer. I love to sketch. I discovered this blog through pinterest.Jun 27, 10:57
  • Joh: “Brisbane, 37 Looking for a new hobby :) googled contour lines!Jun 26, 13:31
  • Chou-Tac: “Hi Adrian, We are in 2025, and I am re-reading my article. :) The example I gave here: Some applicants…Jun 25, 18:33
  • Chou-Tac: “Hi Hana, Sure you will! You got all the content you need in the blog. :)) For the shoe design,…Jun 25, 17:02
  • Chou-Tac: “Hey Haitam, The first step is to study perspective. From CAD, you already got a great grasp on it. You…Jun 25, 16:59
  • Iwan: “Indonesian, 30 Hobby From Youtube ThankssJun 25, 12:56
  • India: “1. Australia, 20 2. Studying interior design and architecture 3. While researching for an assessment – I am researching for…Jun 24, 11:06
  • Haitam KHLIFI TAGHZOUTI: “Dear, First i want to say thanks for creating and sharing with us wonderful informations anout sketching. I am Haitam…Jun 24, 03:17
  • Vanessa: “France , 42 To improve my skills. A link on a blog (don’t remember the name)Jun 23, 22:11
  • Z: “Pakistan/ 18 Wanna polish the skill Chat gpt suggested itJun 23, 18:58
  • J: “Can’t wait toJun 23, 01:30
  • L: “1. Somerset UK. 30 2. Improve skills 3. Searching on the webJun 22, 18:03
  • Bernardo applegate lopez: “1- Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México 2- passion & expression. Share my ideas with the world 3- through a designers feed…Jun 22, 13:34
  • lucky 101 apk: “This tutorial is incredibly helpful! I always struggled with perspective drawing, but your step-by-step approach makes it so much clearer.…Jun 22, 09:43
  • Faisal Atta: “1). I come from London, UK 2). I want to improve to my sketching skills 3). YouTube search – perspective…Jun 20, 14:04
  • Faisal Atta: “1). I come from London, UK 2). I want to improve to my sketching skills 3). From YouTube – perspective…Jun 20, 12:57
  • Hana: “Hello, I’m 39 from Czech Republic. I studied design but burned out and I haven’t designed or drew anything in…Jun 19, 21:41
  • IDIOTS: “im from Myanmar / age 21 / im attending technology university / im also doing digital sculpting as a freelance…Jun 19, 21:39
  • IDIOTS: “im from Myanmar / age 21 / im attending technology university / im also doing digital sculpting as a freelance…Jun 19, 21:38
close-link
Start Sketching Today Step-by-step!

GET YOUR DESIGNER STARTER KIT NOW!

The
close-link
The
YES! I NEED THE BOOK!
Send me The Book
close-image