You did it! You made it this far. You’re now at the end of this “chapter” of your drawing experience, but really this is just the beginning of your journey. Every journey, no matter how long or short, begins with taking the first step.

I’m not what I would consider to be naturally talented at drawing. Even though quite often people compliment me on my drawing skills and my ability to capture ideas and concepts quickly, it’s taken a lot of work and effort to get to this point.

It turns out that the arts and sciences are not too dissimilar. To be a successful scientist, or in my case wanting to be a mathematician, understanding the concepts, rules and formulas is key. The other key to success comes from learning how and when to use those tools and formulas through practice and problem solving. It takes work and effort!

My hope is that in reading this text you have acquired new tools, new skills, and new appreciation and awareness for three-dimensional objects, spaces, and principles that can help you create compelling visuals by hand.

Now that you have the tools and skills to continue your journey, it really comes down to practice. Commit to yourself to doing a little bit every day and the results will come. For me, I find it useful to commit to three small things every day I want to accomplish. One of those things is usually the completion of some drawing or adjacent activity. There’s an old saying that goes, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” This is true for drawing skills as well. If you don’t actively use your drawing skills and apply what you’ve learned, you won’t ever see improvement in your ability to draw the way you want to draw. I’ve even seen this in my own practice, when if I am not as consistent as I should be, my skills dip a little.

Draw from observation every opportunity you can, so that you can confidently draw from your imagination. Take visual mental notes of your surroundings and of real objects in real places so that you can create things from your imagination on paper.

But if you are not as skilled as you would like to be, keep pushing and you will eventually be able to draw the way you want to draw. You can be a great visual communicator and command excellent skills.

So, what’s next? Stay hungry, and keep sketching, and don’t give up. In short order, you’ll see results too. If you learn something from this experience, be sure to take some time to sit with someone else who may be struggling to understand these concepts. Ultimately, teaching will help you get better at understanding why, how, and what you’re doing when drawing in perspective.