Practical Perspective by SVS Learn

SVS Practical Perspective is an online class from the School of Visual Storytelling, taught by illustrator David Hohn. It builds on Basic and Advanced Perspective by applying the rules to real drawing problems: furnishing a bedroom object by object, then drawing a farmhouse, a barn and stable, and a windmill. The class has 15 lessons with about five hours of video and four assignments, and is included in the SVS Learn membership.

Most perspective courses stop at boxes and cylinders. This one spends its time on the messy part, turning those shapes into bedside tables, pillows, comforters and toy boxes, and then into whole buildings, which is what illustrators actually need to draw.

What You Will Learn

• Planning a bedroom scene in perspective
• Drawing furniture step by step: bedside table and bed frame
• Soft objects in perspective: pillows and a comforter
• Adding tone to objects in a room
• Drawing a toy box and smaller props
• Constructing a farmhouse, barn and stable
• Drawing a windmill with its rotating parts

Who Is SVS Practical Perspective For?

The class suits illustrators who understand perspective in theory but freeze when faced with a real scene. It is useful for children's book illustrators, who often draw bedrooms and farm settings, and for anyone who wants to make interiors and buildings feel solid.

You should be comfortable with one- and two-point perspective before starting; Basic Perspective Drawing and Advanced Perspective cover that.

How the Class Works

The class is built around long demonstrations rather than short lectures: about five hours of video across only eleven videos. Each scene starts with an assignment brief, then David draws it piece by piece, explaining his decisions as he goes. Pausing to draw the same object yourself before watching his solution is the best way to learn from it.

Course Structure

Bedroom

• Introduction and Assignment 1: Bedroom
• Demonstrations: bedside table, bed frame, pillows, comforter, bed tones and toy box

Farmhouse

• Assignment 2: Farmhouse
• Assignment 3: Barn and Stable
• Assignment 4: Windmill
• Conclusion

What You Will Make

By the end you will have four perspective drawings: a furnished bedroom, a farmhouse, a barn and stable, and a windmill. Together they show that you can handle both interiors and exteriors, soft objects and hard architecture, which makes them useful additions to an illustration portfolio, especially for picture books set in homes and the countryside.

Price and Access

Practical Perspective is included in the SVS Learn membership. SVS lists its Studio membership at $29.95 a month, and class pages show a $300 annual option. A 14-day free trial is available with a card and becomes a paid subscription unless cancelled. Membership includes the class library, live events and a monthly art challenge.

About the Instructor

David Hohn is an illustrator based in Portland, Oregon, whose clients include Scholastic, Random House, Electronic Arts and Nike. He teaches all three perspective classes in the SVS curriculum.

How It Fits the SVS Curriculum

Practical Perspective is part of Level 3 of SVS Essentials, which is devoted to environments. It follows Advanced Perspective and leads into the design classes for vehicles, rocks and plants, and exterior and interior environments, where these skills are combined with design choices and storytelling.

Things to Consider

• Time: five hours of video and four substantial assignments.
• Tools: rulers, or a digital perspective grid, are helpful.
• Before this: Basic Perspective Drawing and Advanced Perspective.
• Next steps: Exterior Environment Design and Interior Environment Design.
• Feedback: post your scenes in the SVS community.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with SVS Learn?

Start Practical Perspective

For the full curriculum and membership options, visit the official SVS Learn website.

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Last verified: October 26, 2026