Perspective Drawing
Perspective Drawing is a technique of space manipulation that consists of drawing three
dimensional images on a two-dimensional surface. Perspective is what gives a three-
dimensional feeling to a flat image such as a drawing or a painting. In art, it is a system of
representing the way that objects appear to get smaller and closer together the farther away
they are from the viewer ([Link] and [Link]). The purpose of perspective
drawing is to learn to create three dimensional forms from a vanishing point. Perspective is key
to almost any drawing or sketch as well as many paintings. It is one of the fundamentals that
you need to understand in order to create realistic and believable scenes. There are four parts
of a perspective drawing: the horizon line, vanishing point, orthogonal lines, and three
dimensional forms.
The origin of perspective drawing comes from Italy during the Renaissance era. Perspective
was developed in the 15th century by the architects, Leon Baptista Alberti (1404-72) and Filippo
Brunelleschi (1377-1446). For 500 years, perspective drawing remained one of the basic
principles of Western art until it was challenged by the ideas of the Cubists at the start of the
20th century. The artist Masaccio took inspiration from the architectural drawings of Filippo
Brunelleschi, who had rediscovered the concept of perspective, lost since Ancient
Roman and Greek times, and applied it to painting, altering the course of Western art by taking
the principles of perspective from architecture, and the study of light. The three founding artists
of the perspective technique are Masaccio, Alberti, and Brunelleschi who developed a
realistic style by being among the first to apply the rules of perspective. Other following artists
are Ghiberti, Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch artist
whose carefully lighted interiors to make clever use of perspective; and Gustave Caillebotte,
whose "Paris Street, Rainy Day" is a powerful demonstration of two-point perspective.
The Elements of perspective drawing: consists of two main elements: linear and aerial.
• LINEAR PERSPECTIVE (or geometric perspective) deals with the organization of
shapes in space; a type of perspective used in which the size, shape, and position of
objects are determined by drawn or imagined lines converging at a point on the horizon
to give the illusion of depth and distance.
• AERIAL PERSPECTIVE (also called ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE) deals with the
atmospheric effects on tones and colors; a technique of rendering depth or distance in
painting by modifying the tone or hue and distinctness of objects perceived as receding
from the picture plane by reducing distinctive colors and contrasts of light and dark to a
uniform light bluish-gray color.
• Aerial Perspective Linear Perspective
→Parts of a perspective drawing: Perspective consists of four parts: 1.) the horizon line,
2.) the vanishing point, 3.) orthogonal lines (diagonal, vertical, and horizontal lines); and
4.) three-dimensional forms.
→Types of a Perspective Drawing: one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and
three-point perspective.
One-point perspective – consists of drawing a picture from one vanishing point. The
vanishing point is on the center or on one end of the horizon line. One-point is usually at
eye-level. Therefore, draw the horizon line and vanishing point at eye level on your
drawing paper.
Two-point perspective – consists of drawing a picture from two vanishing points. There is
always a vanishing point on each end of the horizon line, and objects are seen from an
angle.
Three-point perspective – consists of drawing a picture above or below eye-level. The
horizon line and vanishing point have to be drawn at the very top or bottom of your paper
first before drawing the other parts of a perspective.
REMINDER: Key Takeaways of Perspective Drawing
• Perspective is used to represent the ways objects appear smaller as they move farther
into the distance. It adds depth and dimension to flat images.
• In art, there are three types of perspective: one-point, two-point, and three-point.
• Mathematical perspective in art was developed during the Italian Renaissance during
the 1400s.
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