Introduction to Linear Perspective Drawing

Linear Perspective is a geometric method of representing on paper the way that objects appear to get smaller and

closer together, the further away they are.

• Imagine driving along a very straight desert on a grassy plain - the road, the fences and power-poles all diminishing towards a single spot far ahead of you. That's single-point perspective.

• Single- or one-point perspective is a simplest method of making objects look three-dimensional. It is often used for interior views or trompe l'oeil (trick-the-eye) effects.

• Objects must be placed to that the front sides are parallel to the picture plane, with the side edges receding to a single point.

. Take a look at Da Vinci's Study for Adoration of the Magi to see the effect. (notice how the building is placed so that it faces the viewer, with the stairs and side walls diminishing towards a single point in the center.)

How to Draw Perspective Draw a Box Using One-Point Perspective

Let's draw a box using one-point perspective. First, draw a horizon line about one-third down your page. Mark a spot roughly in the middle of the line. That's your vanishing point.

Now, draw a rectangle about two-thirds down the page, roughly in the middle. Lightly draw lines from the top two corners to the vanishing point.

• Draw a horizontal line between these two orthogonals 'vanishing lines'. This is the back of the box. Darken the lines between this horizontal and the box, and erase the rest of the vanishing lines up to the horizon. There! A 3-D box.

• If you draw a box to the side of the vanishing point, you will need to also draw a vanishing line from the bottom corner, as show in the example. When you draw the horizontal to make the back of the box, just drop a vertical line from where it meets the top orthogonal down to the bottom one, to give you the rear edge of the box.

orthogonals are the diagonal lines that can be drawn along receding parallel lines (or rows of objects) to the vanishing point.

Now draw a Simple Box again in one Point Perspective a different way

• Draw your eye level and horizontal line.• Add one vanishing point at the end of the line.

EL VP

• Draw two vertical lines perpendicular to the horizontal eye level line

• Draw two parallel line on the top and bottom. You should have a square that is sitting in the middle of horizontal eye level line.

• Draw a line that converges from the top of your square to the vanishing point and another converging line from the bottom of you square to the vanishing point.

• Then draw the side line parallel to the other sides.

• Add your light source and you increase the illusion of 3-D.

Now draw your box above your eye level

• Follow the same steps but this time put your square above eye level.

Now the tricky part

Now draw your box below your eye level

• Follow the same steps but this time put your square below eye level.

Now the tricky part

Draw a Box Using Two-Point Perspective

Here's how to draw a box using simple two-point perspective. If you haven't tried it before it might look complicated, so just draw one step at a time.

•First, draw your horizon line across the top of the page. •Mark two vanishing points, as far apart as possible.•Draw a short vertical line for the front corner of your box (the black line in the picture) and then draw a construction line ('orthogonal') from the top and bottom of the line, to each vanishing point (the dark blue lines).

Try it again step by step,A Simple Box in Two Point Perspective

• Draw your eye level horizontal line but this time put two vanishing points on each end of the line.

• This time draw one vertical line perpendicular to the eye level line somewhere in the middle.

• Now draw two converging lines from the top and bottom of the vertical line on both sides to the vanishing points.

• Draw in your parallel vertical lines for the sides.

Try it again above your eye level, horizon line.

• Now comes the tricky part. Change your view point to above the eye level and follow the same steps.

From this view you can see the bottom of the box.

• From this view point you can see the bottom of the box. For this step think opposite. Draw a converging line from the right side to the left vanishing point.

• Draw a converging line from the left side to the right vanishing point.

Try it again below your eye level, horizon line.

• Now try the same steps but from the view point of below the eye level. From this perspective you can see the top of the box.

• Put your two vertical lines for the sides. Make sure they are parallel with the first vertical line.

• Now you can see the top of the box. To get those lines go from the top left corner to the vanishing point.

• For drawing the top, remember to think opposite. Left to right and right to left.

• Add your light source and presto, you have a greater illusion of 3-D space. But think is your light source above or below your box?

Now lets draw a road and landscape,Linear Perspective

Draw a horizontal straight line in the middle of the page.

This line represents the eye level

Eye level

• Write EL for eye level on the line and VP for vanishing point in the middle of the line.

• Punto desaparecido

ELvp

• Draw two lines that converge to the vanishing point.

ELVP

• Draw the center line on the road that you have drawn plus some clouds and you have created the illusion of three dimensional space.

• Change you perspective to a higher viewpoint by putting the eye level higher on the page.

• Change your perspective or view point as if you were a bug on the road by putting the eyelevel lower on the page.