An introduction to Perspective Drawing
In today’s micro lesson we will :
1.
2.
3.
Look at a series of works which illustrate how
different artists have used perspective techniques
to communicate their ideas.
Produce a chalk drawing which explores
Perspective drawing through Cubism.
Present our results to the rest group and describe
what we have learned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZYBWA-ifEs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMoy4NZGkxc&feature=related
Student Activity: Lets start by depicting perspective at
its simplest to suggest DISTANCE/DEPTH.
Start with an horizon line roughly eye-level.
STUDENT ACTIVITY: Draw an outline of a person.
Note where the horizon line crosses the figure,
in this case at the shoulders.
Now HERE’S the trick!
All other figures will cross the horizon line at the same point,
(THE SHOULDERS in this case) no matter how far away they are…
...or how close they are.
Draw other objects in proportion to the figures they are closest to.
Let's say in this picture there will be people with dogs.
Here's the first one...
And the second...
And the third!
Rules when depicting
Distance/Depth in a Picture
 The closer to the viewer (that’s
YOU) the objects are the more
detail you add - the darker the
lines and the brighter the
colours.
 As the objects are further away
(toward the horizon) the less
detail, the lighter the lines and the
duller the colours.
This is how you trick the viewer
into accepting distance in a
picture.
LS Lowry – “EASTER FAIR” (1946)
The picture shows the Lancashire mill town of Daisy
Nook in festival mood the year after the end of
World War Two
One-point perspective
• One-point perspective is when all the major
lines of an image converge on one point.
• You can see this effect best illustrated when
looking down a set of straight railroad
tracks or a long road.
If things are far away enough,
they seem to disappear.
The vanishing
point is the
point on the
horizon (at eyelevel) where
everything
disappears.
How to Draw with One Point
Perspective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZYBWA-ifEs
Two -point perspective
Two-point perspective consists of two
vanishing points that are both situated on a
horizon line.
“Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper (1946)
Three -point perspective
When we view an
object from the
top, we are most
likely viewing it in
three-point
perspective.
“The Clock Tower” by Pots Damer
By keeping your eye fixed in one position you can create
lots of crazy, imaginative things using perspective.
Use simple Perspective to create an illusion of Distance
Look at my face…Close one eye and place your thumb and forefinger in front of the
open eye forming a letter C. Can you trap my face between your fingers?
This technique is called Forced Perspective.
By keeping the eye in one fixed position, an
optical illusion is created which makes an object
appear farther away, closer, larger or
smaller than it actually is.
So…If it's close, it looks much
bigger like the figure.
…and If it's far away, it looks much smaller like the
girl in the distance.
Reverse perspective also called
inverse perspective, inverted
perspective or Byzantine perspective.
The further the objects are from the
viewer’s eye, the larger they are drawn.
The lines diverge (widen) towards the
horizon, rather than converge (meet) as
in Linear Perspective
Technically, the vanishing points are
placed outside the painting creating the
illusion that they are getting smaller in
front of the painting.
The camera only has one eye
The throne and
footstool in this
icon show reverse
perspective, with
lines converging
(and GETTING
SMALLER)
towards the
viewer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMoy4NZGkxc&feature=related
Foreshortening in Perspective
• Foreshortening
refers to the visual
effect or optical
illusion that an
object or distance
appears shorter
than it actually is
because it is angled
toward the viewer.
Foreshortening is
used a lot in comic
books and is used to
give the impression
of three-dimensional
volume and create
drama in a picture.
ARMS, LEGS, HANDS
FEET & MUSCLES
may all appear much
bigger or come out
much further when
in comparison to the
rest of the body.
Pavement Art – 3D illusions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SNYtd0Ayt0&feature=related
Pavement Art
may use
Three, Four
even Six-Point
Perspective.
Foreshortening
is also used
to create the
3D effects.
Artist: Julian Beever
Below is an example of how a drawing would
look viewed from the wrong angle
Same work of art, viewed from the
proper angle
Artist - Manfred Stader
 Pavement art probably
started in Italy.
 There were artists even
before Leonardo da Vinci's
time (1475) who chalked on
pavements.
 Many historians say that you
can trace pavement art right
back to cave paintings 40,000
years ago.
Pavement artists include:
Julian Beever
Manfred Stader
Kurt Wenner
Jo Hill
Jenny McCracken
Artist - Kurt Wenner
Perspective is also used to convey
emotions, feelings & mood.
“Crows over the Wheatfield” by Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh recorded this view of a field through changing seasons - with flowers in the spring ,
fresh wheat raising in autumn, in winter frost and with a reaper in the field in summer.
BREAKING THE RULES: A Cubist painting ignores the traditions of perspective
drawing and shows you many views of a object at one time.
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Factory, Horta de Ebbo (oil on canvas, 1909)
Cézanne was a big influence on Cubist art.
• But unlike the Cubists,
Cézanne was not interested in
creating an illusion of depth in
his painting .
• Cézanne felt perspective
denied the fact that a painting
is a flat two-dimensional
object.
• He liked to flatten the space in
his paintings placing more
emphasis on their surface and
concentrating on the
arrangement of colour.
• It was this flat abstract
approach that appealed to the
Cubists and their early
paintings.
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906)
Bibemus Quarry (oil on canvas, 1895)
The Cubists wanted to shows
several views of an object at any
one time.
For Example
When you look at an object your eye scans
it, stopping to register on a certain detail
before moving on to the next point of
interest and so on.
You can also change your viewpoint of the
object allowing you to look at it from
above, below or from the side.
The Cubists wanted to examine the way
that we see things.
The Cubists suggested that your sight of an
object is the sum of many different views
and your memory of an object is not
constructed from one angle, as in
perspective, but from many angles selected
by your sight and movement.
Georges Braque (1882-1963)
Viaduct at L'Estaque (oil on canvas, 1908)
Drawing in the Cubist style
Activity:
1. Produce a drawing of ONE
viewpoint of the box looking at
it from either the side or from
above or below.
2. Use chalks to depict the side
you are looking at. Add shading
to suggest light and shade.
3. Bring all drawings together to
create one big CUBIST drawing.
Drawing Tips
• Look at the box in front of you.
• Scan the boxes with your eye
looking up and down, side to
side.
• Stop to register on a certain
detail before moving on to the
next point of interest and so on.
Summary
• Today we have looked briefly at techniques used in
Perspective Drawing.
• We have seen examples of Perspective Drawing in the
work of other artists.
• We have learned that Perspective can convey qualities of
feelings and moods and can communicate information
or suggest optical and 3D illusions.
• We have experimented with perspective to produce a
Cubist drawing.
• Gained experience and developed further
communication skills by presenting our drawings to
others.
Thank you for taking part in this
micro lesson.