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Grid by M.C. Escher

I’ll be giving a talk and demonstration of drawing on perspective grids Saturday at Stumptown. Here is part of what I’ll be talking about.

David Chelsea Is Watching:
“True Grit”


There have been pre-printed perspective grids for a long time, primarily marketed to architects. I had a set that I used from time to time, but when I wanted to draw curvilinear perspective I had to create my own. I based the curvature on an M.C. Escher drawing I found in a book.

My First Grid

Working over that grid, I was able to create a number of curvilinear illustrations like these:

Illustration, Early 80s

Self-promotion piece, mid-80s

The magazine I drew this piece for has maybe the coolest name ever: Geriatric Nursing.

Illustration for Geriatric Nursing Magazine, 1984

When I did my first perspective book in 1997 I included a section of grids in the chapter “Shortcuts To Perspective”. I liked Escher’s cubic lattice pattern but added regular divisions to the columns. Because these were extremely labor-intensive to draw by hand I was only able to include a few examples. I had intended to include some curvilinear grids as well but dropped that plan under deadline pressure.

Grid from Perspective! For Comic Book Artists, 1997

One of the first things I did when l got a computer in the late 90s was start constructing perspective grids in a CG1 program. Once I had the basic scene modeled it was easy to create grids at a variety of angles by rotating the virtual camera.

Computer-generated grid

These illustrations from a New York Post series predicting the new millennium were clearly drawn over grids; the regularly spaced columns are a dead giveaway.

Illustration for New York Press, 1999

Illustration for New York Press, 1999

My first 24 Hour Comic, The Harold Project, was entirely drawn over grids printed in light blue onto bristol. The  underlying  pattern  of  lines already  suggested  a  cityscape  to  me, and I was able to create backgrounds with an impressive level of detail, especially considering that each page was drawn in an hour.

Page from 24 Hour Comic, 2004

Page from 24 Hour Comic, 2004

Next up: more curvilinear grids!

Extreme Perspective! Slide Show and Drawing Demonstration
Saturday April 16th 2:00-2:45pm Room A104
8th Annual Stumptown Comics Fest
April 16 & 17, 2011 • Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR
Tickets are available now through TicketsWest Online and at participating TicketsWest retailers!