Whether you are a beginning artist or a pro, you know drawing with perspective can be quite a challenge. Like the flower above: were you to paint this still life, your goal as the arist would probably be to convey the volume of the jar and the petal angles (assuming a photorealistic painting approach). 

But can you copy what you see without any special grid techniques? And does the photo itself even convey the shape of the jar accurately? When trying to paint realistically, when is it okay to assume things? When is it okay to lie to the viewer for the sake of the composition?

Hopefully we'll cover this during our next art class - Vermeer would have had a lot to say on this topic. Too bad he can't be our guest speaker. Stay tuned for classes in Chicago via our beloved Meetup.com.