What is perspective drawing in art?
Perspective drawing gives objects on a 2D surface a sense of three-
dimensionality. There are two types of perspective: linear
perspective and atmospheric perspective.
Basics of Linear Perspective
When we talk about one, two, or even three-point perspective, we’re talking
about linear perspective. It's a method of representing space in which the
scale of an object diminishes as the distance from the viewer increases.
Essentially, objects that are farther away from us appear smaller than those
that are near. The position at which they meet at a horizon line (the
intersection of where the ground meets the sky) is called the vanishing
point.
Linear perspective might seem rudimentary but it wasn’t until
the Renaissance that it had a name. In 1413, Italian architect Filippo
Brunelleschi began developing linear perspective and the method that many
artists use today. He started by painting the outlines of Florentine buildings
in a mirror and saw that when the structure’s outline was continued, the
lines ended on the horizon line.
Brunelleschi’s discovery was a major influence on artists at the time. Many
years later, his friend Leon Battista Alberti penned De Pictura, the first
treatise on linear perspective that explained how to correctly show distance
in a painting using mathematic principles first proven by Euclid in ancient
Greece.
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
One of the best illustrations of single-point perspective is to imagine that
you’re looking at a straight road. All of the elements of the composition—
particularly the road itself—will converge at a single point on the horizon
line.
Single-point perspective can be at any point along the horizon line; the only
stipulation is that all lines lead to the solitary point. Although elementary, it
is evident in iconic works of art.
TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE
Cube in two-point perspective
Just as one-point perspective focuses on one vanishing point, two-
point perspective ushers in a second one. Typically, these two points
are at the opposite sides of the composition, such as one on the far
left and another on the far right.
THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
Three-point perspective, also called multi-point, is a type of
perspective that has more than two vanishing points. This is
common, especially as the complexity of the subject matter grows.
A standard setup features two vanishing points on the far left and
far right of the composition and then the third point below them. In
doing this, you get a bird’s eye view to the subject. If you were to
place the third point above the two vanishing points, it would create
an extreme view looking upwards.
What Is Perspective Drawing?
Perspective drawing is a technique that gives the illusion of spatial depth, or
perspective, to drawings and paintings. Perspective drawing, like foreshortening, gives
the illusion of depth and makes work pop off of the page by using angled lines to
suggest vertical lines and horizontal lines.
Perspective drawing is the foundation of many major works, including pieces by Filippo
Brunelleschi (Sketches of Machines, c. 1430) and Leonardo da Vinci (Landscape of
the Arno Valley, 1473). Brunelleschi is generally credited as the first artist to master
perspective drawing. Leon Battista Alberti’s treatise De Pictura (On Painting) from
1435 articulated the methods of perspective drawing, which went on to influence
Renaissance painting and architecture.
Elements of Perspective Drawing
To use linear and atmospheric perspective, you must understand the following terms:
1. 1. Vanishing point: In perspective drawing, the vanishing point is where two
lines appear to meet in the distance. In a drawing of a railroad, it’s where the two
lines of the tracks come together, representing a point beyond which the
beholder cannot see.
2. 2. Horizon: The horizon is where the sky above meets the land or water below.
The placement of the horizon in a work of art will affect where the vanishing point
is.
3. 3. Vantage point: The vantage point is the point of view from which the scene
is observed. An artwork’s vantage point, whether it is at eye level or looking
upward or downward, dictates the height of the horizon.
4. 4. Values: Values are the light and dark hues of a composition that influence
the illusion of depth, particularly in aerial perspective drawings.
Ways to Draw Perspective
While each of these drawing techniques builds on one other, they all employ similar
factors to give perspective to artwork:
1. 1. One-point perspective: One-point perspective gets its name from the
single vanishing point depicted in the art. An image of railroad tracks meeting at
a vanishing point on the horizon line is in one-point perspective.
2. 2. Two-point perspective: This linear perspective features two vanishing
points, often on opposite sides of the artwork on the far left and right. For
example, if you draw a box at an angle, the two perpendicular sets of horizontal
lines that make up its top edges recede to two different vanishing points.
3. 3. Three-point perspective: Also called multi-point perspective, three-point
perspective adds in a third vanishing point. If you freehand draw a tall, triangular
tower with the vantage point from the base upward, you can get a sense of three-
point perspective. The top of the tower, as seen from below, will be one
vanishing point, while lines from the bottom edges of the tower to the left and
right will be the other two
Exercises to Learn Perspective Drawing
With some colored pencils and an eraser, you can use these five tutorials to better
understand how to use perspective drawing in your artwork.
1. 1. Scattered rocks: To start off simple, sketch some rocks of varying shapes
and sizes. To play with perspective, make the rocks close to the foreground be
larger than those farther back. Give further perspective definition via a horizontal
line drawn across (but not through) the rocks to represent your horizon. Add color
and values: Your rocks at the foreground will be more defined and saturated.
Those toward the back will be fuzzier. This example represents the power of
atmospheric perspective while using size and line drawing to employ some linear
perspective principles.
2. 2. Ascending castle: This example practices the single-point perspective.
First, draw a horizontal line a quarter of the way up on your piece of paper.
Toward the left, mark a small x on your horizontal line. Trace a 45-degree angle
from that X toward the right, then sketch a three-tower castle below that line. The
towers should ascend from small to medium to large the farther right you go with
the tip of each tower meeting the 45-degree-angle line you drew.
3. 3. Floating cubes: This next example also practices single-point perspective
without the need for perspective grid paper or a computer grid. On your piece of
paper, choose your vanishing point somewhere slightly off-center. Mark it with a
dot, and draw about a dozen lightly visible, evenly spaced lines through that dot.
End with a horizon line that goes through that same dot. Next, draw items
shaped like cubes (gift boxes, books, dice) on your piece of paper with their
edges touching the lines. Draw boxes of various sizes; to feature depth, objects
drawn above the horizon line will have their bases visible while ones drawn
below it will have their tops visible.
4. 4. Sidewalk and cityscape: Sketching cityscapes make for easy two-point
perspective exercises. Start by drawing a horizon line about a third the way up
your drawing paper. Mark an X on opposite sides of your horizon; these will be
your vanishing points. Then, from your left X draw a downward line at about a 15-
degree angle. Do the same from your other marked X so that the lines drawn
intersect to form a right angle. Where the two of the lines meet, create a street
intersection. Along the edge of each street, draws rectangular prisms that
resemble buildings whose edges align with the previously drawn lines.
5. 5. Triangular tower: To play with multi-point perspective, first draw a horizon
line toward the bottom of your sketchbook with an X on the far left and another
on the right. Then place one X toward the top at the center. You should now have
a triangle of X’s. Draw a line to connect the top X to the horizon, forming a
perpendicular angle. Make two other dots to divide that centerline into thirds,
then connect those dots to the left and right vanishing points. Then, place some
equidistant dots to the left and right of the center point on the horizon line;
connect those dots to the top of the center vanishing point. Repeat these steps at
various points of elevations and on the horizon line to create panels like a criss-
cross of bricks and windows on your emerging triangular tower. Add in shading to
accentuate tower entrances and windows. You can even use watercolors to
create a blue sky background and a red brick building where one facade’s side is
brighter than the other because of the imagined position of the sun.
6. A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a
very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective as if
the observer were a bird in flight looking downwards. Bird's-eye views
can be an aerial photograph, but also a drawing, and are often used
in the making of blueprints, floor plans and maps.
7. Before crewed flight was common, the term "bird's eye" was used to
distinguish views drawn from direct observation at high vantage
locations (e.g. a mountain or tower), from those constructed from an
imagined bird's perspectives. Bird's eye views as a genre have
existed since classical times. They were significantly popular in the
mid-to-late 19th century in the United
States and Europe as photographic prints.
The only thing an "ant's eye view" would mean to me would be a
very close-range view, so close that while minute details are
visible, the "big picture" is totally lost. Note also that ants don't
have very good eyesight and rely extensively on the senses of
touch and smell. So a literal "ant's eye view" would probably be
fuzzy.
It doesn't seem to me that an "ant's eye view" would suggest the
"prevailing situation"—if by that you mean the present—instead
of the past or the future.
