Chapter 1 | HOMECOMING

In this simplified drawing a father and son wave to each other. The son is coming home after a long journey. He’s drawn much smaller so that from our perspective, he appears further away.

In the following drawing, it’s as if we’re standing right behind the father, looking over his shoulder. From our perspective, the father is so close that only his delightedly surprised face fits within the frame. The distant horizon places both figures on the ground. The winding line, like a path, illustrates the connection between near and far..

For these kinds of drawings with depth, a frame (the border around the drawing) is usually used. A frame is like a window through which we look at a scene. Frames in photography and film have fixed aspect ratios such as 2:3, 4:3, or 16:9, but such fixed ratios are not necessary for drawings. Just look at the variety of frames in comics.

Exercise: Draw a homecoming scene from the perspective of the person coming home. A house or small building will be in the background.