DR - Perspective (Lesson)

Have you ever seen a drawing that looked like it was jumping off the page and you couldn't tell it was a drawing at first glance? Your eyes were likely fooled by the illusion of depth created by a drawing process called perspective. The sidewalk image examples below are done by contemporary chalk artists who are well known for their use of perspective to make street drawings look three-dimensional. 

 

Perspective is a way to make a drawing look three-dimensional on a two-dimensional plane and can be either atmospheric or linear. Perspective was discovered as a drawing technique by artist Filippo Brunelleschi Links to an external site. in 1413.

 

In this lesson, you will learn how to apply linear perspective to a visual verbal journal assignment and a major project.

Linear Perspective

When using linear perspective you must first create the horizon line. Picture yourself at the beach and looking out at the ocean. It is almost like the sky and water meet in a line at your eye level. The horizon line gives horizontal lines their name because they always run parallel to the ground. In our example image shot at Atlanta's Ponce City Market, you can see the horizon line marked at the photographer's eye level.

Another part of the perspective technique is the creation of a vanishing point. The vanishing point is where all lines that are parallel to the viewer recede. Think of the last time you were looking down a long stretch of straight highway. The edges of that highway appear to move at an angle upward until they meet the horizon. In one-point perspective, all verticals and horizontals stay the same and only lines that are moving away from or toward the viewer seem to recede on the horizon at the vanishing point. In our Ponce City Market example, the vanishing point is at the far end of the hall. The lines that seem to recede are orthogonal lines or lines that converge at the vanishing point. All of the lines in the windows, floorboards, and pipes look like they are being sucked into the vanishing point on the other side of the room like a black hole. These are any lines that are moving away from the viewer at an angle parallel to the direction that the viewer is looking. In the case of the highway that we mentioned above, these lines would be the edges of the highway as they move away from you forward into the distance.

Atmospheric Perspective

Atmospheric perspective is a type of perspective that uses other artistic tricks to fool the eye into thinking the drawn image is three-dimensional. Atmospheric perspective uses a general foreground, background, and middle ground on a picture plane to make things appear three-dimensional. The foreground is the part of the picture frame that appears nearest you, the background is the part of the picture frame that appears the farthest away, and the middle ground is between the two. Artists use both linear and atmospheric perspectives in tandem to create artworks with the illusion of depth. As the objects go towards the background and vanishing point, they appear lighter and grayer because there are more atmospheric particles between the viewer and the object. As an artist, you may show this with overlapping so that the first object that overlaps the one behind it looks closer to the viewer, and the variation of size gives the appearance of depth. A larger-sized object will always seem closer to the viewer than a smaller one. Another way to create the illusion of space is by using detail to create atmospheric perspective. Objects with clear, sharp edges and visible details seem closer than those that lack detail, and the color appears lighter and grayer as it recedes towards the back of the picture plane.

 

The video below will introduce you to the history of linear perspective and review its basic formula and vocabulary.

 

 

In the video below, you will see a demonstration of how to create a one-point perspective room interior. 

 

Perspective Name Design Project

This assignment will be completed on watercolor paper using the HB pencil in your supply box. In the teacher demonstration video below, you will see how to create a one-point perspective name design based on the same principles you learned by completing the one-point perspective room drawing drill. This is an involved project that will take 6 to 8 hours to complete. After you have completed the drawing part of this project you will submit it for approval before beginning the watercolor and colored pencil portion of the assignment. Once you use colored pencil or watercolor on the pencil marks they will not erase and be able to be fixed.

 

Teacher Demonstration Videos

 

 

Click here to download student examples. Links to an external site.

 

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS;

HISTORY OF LINEAR PERSPECTIVE VIDEO CREATED BY BETH HARRIS AND STEVEN ZUCKER WITH FROM KHAN ACADEMY, VIA YOUTUBE

ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE VISUAL VERBAL JOURNAL VIDEO FROM HTTP://WWW.LEARN-TO-DRAW-LESSONS.COM/REALISTIC-DRAWING.HTML

TEACHER DEMONSTRATION VIDEOS IN PUBLIC DOMAIN