For this assignment, you will complete three (3) perspective drawings that apply 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point perspective. You may use graphite, charcoal, or a combination of the two media.

Hallway/alley = 1-point perspective
Room interior/building exterior = 2-point perspective
Building exterior = 3-point perspective

Project Assignment

Project Sheet 2: Perspective

Powerpoint Lecture

Lecture

Project Rubric

ASSIGNMENT	CRITERIA	POINTS
Thumbnail Sketches	At least 6 thumbnail sketches, exploring your ideas for location, composition, and time of day. At least 2 sketches for each perspective drawing—1-point, 2-point, and 3-point.	10
Homework	Film Stills	10
Resolution of the Assigned Problem	Meets project criteria: 3 drawings total. 1-point perspective: hallway or path 2-point perspective: corner of interior or exterior 3-point perspective: bird's eye view or ant's eye view (exterior)	20
Technical	Craftsmanship, presentation, and technical application of methods; intentional design choices; attention to detail; consistency throughout all three drawings	20
Ambition & Innovation	Difficulty of technique, concept, and creative problem solving	20
Conceptual	Thoughtful and intentional use of techniques; aesthetic choices support content and locations.	20
	TOTAL	100

Sketchbook Prompt

Find Your Space

What does it feel like to be inside...........a cathedral, a stadium, a closet, a telephone booth?

What does it feel like to be outside.........at the beach, in a parking lot, or outside of a space you might inhabit.........a dream house, the grocery store, a prison.

Space invokes a sense of being, of position, of existence or non-existence. Practice looking for space around you. Look closely for negative space. Draw negative space. Change compositions to alter the sense of space. Draw a large building in as much detail as small as you can. Draw a small building to look larger than it is, using forced perspective. Look at architectural spaces to find geometric and organic shapes. Draw from inside looking out, then draw from outside looking in.

Watch

Linear Perspective

Perspective drawing gives objects on a 2-dimensional surface a sense of three-dimensionality. There are two types of perspective: linear perspective and atmospheric perspective. For this project, we are focused on linear perspective.

Interactive Linear Perspective Tool

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.

The horizon is the line for which the sky meets the land or water below. The height of the horizon will affect the placement of the vanishing point(s) as well as the scene’s eye level.

The vanishing point is the place where parallel lines appear to come together in the distance. In the picture, below, you can see how the parallel lines of the road recede and visually merge to create a single vanishing point on the horizon. A scene can have a limitless number of vanishing points.

The ground plane is the horizontal surface below the horizon. It could be land or water. In the image below, the ground plane is level. If it were sloped or hilly, the vanishing point–created by the path’s parallel lines–may not rest on the horizon and may appear as if it’s on an inclined plane.

The orthogonal lines are lines which are directed to a vanishing point; the parallel lines of railroad tracks, for example. The word “orthogonal” actually means right angle. It refers to right angles formed by lines such as the corner of a cube shown in perspective.

The vantage point, not to be confused with the vanishing point, is the place from which a scene is viewed. The vantage point is affected by the placement of the horizon and the vanishing points. Perspective for The Absolute Beginner | Perspective Drawing | Drawing for Beginners | Mark and Mary Willenbrink | Artist's Network

1-point Perspective

Linear perspective with just one vanishing point is one-point perspective. The vanishing point will typically appear in the center part of the scene, but it can also be found anywhere along the horizon line.

Perspective for The Absolute Beginner | Perspective Drawing | Drawing for Beginners | Mark and Mary Willenbrink | Artist's Network — From this vantage point, you are looking across the ground plane to the horizon in the distance. The parallel lines of the railroad tracks converge at a vanishing point on the horizon. If the lines of the box were drawn to go back to the horizon, they would converge at the same vanishing point as the railroad tracks because the lines of the box are parallel to the railroad tracks. Notice that all of the lines in this scene either converge at the vanishing point or are vertical (perpendicular to the ground plane) or horizontal (parallel to the horizon).

2-point Perspective

Linear perspective that uses two vanishing points is called two-point perspective. Scenes in two-point perspective typically have the vanishing points placed at the far left and far right. Vertical lines remain perpendicular to the ground plane.

3-point Perspective

Linear perspective doesn’t have to be limited to one or two vanishing points. A scene could have multiple vanishing points depending on the complexity of the subject. For example, three-point perspective is similar to two-point perspective; it has left and right vanishing points on the horizon. Additionally, there is a third vanishing point either below or above the horizon.

With two-point perspective, vertical lines remain perpendicular to the ground plane. With three-point perspective, the vantage point either looks down or up at the subject. Instead of vertical lines, there is a third set of orthogonal lines that converge at a third vanishing point.

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

Understand key terms: horizon line, vanishing point, vantage point, orthogonal lines, ground plane,
Use organizational lines to find accurate proportions and angles,
Identify basic forms and shapes in architecture to block in compositions,
Find basic forms and shapes in architecture to block in compositions,
Draw objects with two sides visible using two vanishing points,
Draw tall structures to include the third vanishing point either at the top of the frame or bottom of the frame,
Distinguish the difference between ant's eye view and bird's eye view.

Class Agenda

During class time, we will be drawing a space around us. This may be in the classroom, the building, or outside. You will choose a space, plan your composition, and complete one drawing in your newsprint using either charcoal or graphite, or a combination of the two.

Tuesday, 2/9: Practice drawing 1-point perspective, either a hallway, roadway, sidewalk, or alleyway. You should complete one drawing in your newsprint pad and upload to the Daily Discussion.

Thursday, 2/11: Practice drawing 2-point perspective, either room interior or building exterior. You should complete one drawing in your newsprint pad and upload to the Daily Discussion. Submit thumbnail sketches for Project 2 and plan to meet individually to discuss your ideas.

Tuesday, 2/16: Meet at Beatty Towers at noon. Alternatively, c hoose an outdoor location where you can draw a tall building exterior from a close distance. Some examples are Beatty Towers, Seagle Building, Century Tower, or other local tall structure. Practice drawing 3-point perspective. You should complete one drawing in your newsprint pad and upload to the Daily Discussion.

Thursday, 2/18: Upload your Homework for Project 2 and plan to discuss at the beginning of class. Practice drawing 1, 2, or 3-point perspective. Choose a location and practice the techniques and skills where you need the most attention. You should complete one drawing in your newsprint pad and upload to the Daily Discussion.

Tuesday, 2/23: Critique on Zoom.