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Dimension refers to how an object is measured. An object may have 1, 2, or 3 dimensions. These dimensions are height, width, and depth. An example of a one-dimensional object would be a straight line. If we are not concerned with the thickness of a line, the one dimension of the line is length.
These objects are two dimensional. They can be measured in height and width. A piece of paper likewise is two dimensional. You, being an artist, will create drawings and paintings on two dimensional paper. Two dimensional objects appear flat. The basic shapes of the two-dimensional drawing are the square, the rectangle, the triangle, and the circle. We can recreate most any two-dimensional object with these shapes.
Real objects that you can hold in your hand are three dimensional. Real objects can be measured in height, width, and depth. Real objects occupy space. When we refer to the three-dimensional shape of an object we use the word Form. All real objects have form.
Artists are masters of illusion. We draw lines on two-dimensional paper and create the illusion of three dimensions. In order to successfully create these illusions you will need to practice drawing the basic shapes that make up the form of all objects. The basic shapes are the cube, rectangle, sphere, and the cone and the cylinder.