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All figurative drawings are effectively an attempt to solve the same problem: how to show something three dimensional on a flat, two dimensional surface.

There are various established ways of achieving this. It’s generally accepted that most of the technical means of rendering depth in a picture are no more than visual tricks, but in any case, they represent a shorthand or symbolism that is so familiar to us that we are deceived.

Here are a few ways of representing depth:

• The use of light and dark. Light tones tend to ‘jump out’ at us; dark colours ‘recede’.
• The use of colours. Similarly, cool tones such as blues will tend to appear further back; warmer colours come forward.
• Perspective. This is the most scientific method of representing what we see in three dimensions onto a single plane. A ‘vanishing point’ is fixed on the horizon of the picture and objects of the same height will appear smaller according to a line drawn from the perceived viewer to this point.
• Foreshortening is a similar concept and refers to the shortening of, say, a leg, that appears to occur when we view it from a certain vantage point.
• Shading. Imagine a drawing of an apple. It’s quite common to shade one side of the apple as a means of showing its physical mass. Since light hits one side of a sphere and is usually blocked from the other, emphasising this effect is a quick and easy method of showing the three dimensions.
• Shadow. As distinct from shading. Representing an object’s shadow places it firmly within its environment.

Alternatively, you can sidestep the issue of depth all together by deliberately choosing to represent your object in a flat or stylized fashion. Cartoonists and illustrators are often happy to do this.