Perspective
What is perspective? In a nut shell, perspective is the way that we see things. It is also the way we draw things (objects, buildings, etc) so that they look right. We make their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other, all look accurate, when viewed from where we are standing. There is some basic vocabulary that we will need to go over in order to talk about perespective. Also, be aware that there are lots of levels of perspective, but we will just be talking about the first three.
Step One: Let's start with the vocab
When talking about perspective, the first thing we need to think about is the HORIZON LINE...
The horizon line is basically your line of sight. If you drew a straight line out from your eyeballs, at any given time, that is your line of sight.
Does your line of sight ever change? Sure! If you stand on your tippy-toes, or if you lay down on the ground, your line of sight is altered. What would happen to the horizon line in this picture if you did that?
If you look out into the distance, the HORIZON LINE is also where earth meets the sky. It changes too, depending on your height, or the angle at which you are looking at it.
The
Horizon
Line
What is the VANISHING POINT?
If you look at the street in this picture, we can see that the viewer was standing right in the middle of it, looking out to the horizon. What appears to be happening to the sides of the road?
The sides look like they are coming together and disappearing, right? The point at which the sides of the road meet, where the road looks like it's disappearing, is called the VANISHING POINT. As you know, it is an illusion.
Here are two more, classic examples, of the vanishing point.
Step Two: One Point Perspective Boxes (10 points)
So when we have one vanishing point, you have what is called, "ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE." Let's learn to draw with this concept first, then we'll complicate things, as usual. Grab a ruler and a pencil, and watch this video. You will be drawing 5 boxes in one-point perspective. Go ahead and follow along...
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 2? Great! Now come show me for points!!*
Step Three: One Point Perspective Applied (10 points)
Drawing boxes is great, (sarcasm) but how do we apply one-point perspective to drawing things in real life, like buildings? I'll show you! Grab a ruller and follow along in your sketchbook. We'll do a really quick drawing, so you understand how we can make it work... Think you get it and can just do it yourself? Ok, draw me a little neighborhood or city block like the one in the picture below. Don't worry about value or texture.
Your final drawing should have at least:
- 4 buildings
- 3 doors
- 10 windows
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 3? Great! Now come show me for points!!*
Step Four: One Point Perspective Worksheet (10 points)
We've been drawing the outside of buildings, but one-point perspective can be used to draw the inside of rooms as well. (Instead of an entire side of the building facing you, now have a wall of the room facing you). Grab a worksheet like the one below, and recreate each step in the drawing box. DON'T just draw the final step!!! It won't line up! ...Draw each step and erase as you go. You can watch me in the video, or just go for it yourself.
To print your own worksheet at home
click on this button!
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 4? Great! Now come show me for points!!*
Step Five: Two Point Perspective Boxes (10 points)
Let's try perspective at the next level. "Two-point" perspective is called "two-point" because we will need TWO vanishing points. Watch the intro video for an explanation. Then watch the demo video and follow along. We will again start by drawing 5 boxes again...
Intro Video:
Demo Video:
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 5? Great! Now come show me for points!!*
Step Six: Two Point Perspective Applied (10 points)
Again, let's take what we've learned and apply it to real life. I'll do a simple drawing of a city block so you can see how we can use two point perspective to draw the world around us accurately. If you know what you're doing, then go ahead and draw something like the image below. If you need a little extra help, watch the video and follow along with me.
Your final drawing should have at least:
- 4 buildings at different heights (Two should be separated by an alleyway)
- 3 doors
- 10 windows
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 6? Great! Now come show me for points!!*
Step Seven: Two Point Perspective Worksheet (10 points)
Just like with one-point perspective, two-point perspective can be used to draw the inside of rooms. This time though, instead of facing a wall, you are facing a corner. Grab a worksheet like the one below, and recreate each step in the drawing box. DON'T just draw the final step!!! It won't line up! ...Draw each step and erase as you go. You can watch me in the video, or just go for it yourself.
To print your own worksheet at home
click on this button!
(please forgive the terrible quality. I will fix this when we can go back to school!)
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 7? Great! Now come show me for points!!*
Just a Word about Three Point Perspective (no points)
I'm not going to make you work in three point perspective, but I want you to be aware that it exists, and I want you to know what it involves. It isn't required for the final big drawing, but you can use it if you want (challenge level!). Basically, three point perspective is the same as two point perspective, but with a really dramatic line of sight. We call it either "bird's eye-view" or "worm's eye-view." Can you guess why? The third point is placed either above or below the objects, and then the sides (which we usually draw straight) will connect to it with a slight slant. Three point perspective is really common in comic book design. Check out the examples...
If you decide you want to try 3 point perspective, let me know, I can help you use it!
Step Eight: The Surrealist House (140 points)
Your final assignment in the perspective unit. You will draw a house in two-point perspective (3 point if you want a challenge). The house will have certain requirements, like number of windows, etc. (We'll get to that later). You will then need to add a Surrealist element to your drawing. The surrealist element can just be added to the background, or the house design can be incorporated into the element. Whatever you want to do. But I know what you are thinking....what the heck is "Surrealism?" SO glad you asked! Watch the video of my powerpoint to learn about it...
Surrealism even made its way into film. Salvador Dali collaborated with both Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock to bring Surrealism to life. Check out the clips below to see the results. On the left is his work with Disney, which is a perfect blend of both their styles. On the right, Dali created the dream sequences for Hitchcock's film, Spellbound. It looks very Dali!
1.
Now that you know what surrealism is, let's brainstorm! Start with
some thumbnail sketches to get some ideas. Do at least two...if you
have more ideas, do more! What weird thing can you do with your
house? Remember...there are no rules and none of it needs to make
sense!
Remember the House Requirements:
Your houses must:
-Be in 2 point perspective.
-Be made up of at least 2 boxes (no matchstick houses)
-Have an angled roof.
-Have at least 7 windows.
-Have at least 2 doors.
-Have at least 1 "extra feature" (blacony, chimney, porch,
stairs)
-Be colored with Prismacolor colored pencils as in the
demo video below.
For Inspiration:
Click on this slide show of REAL houses and buildings that bring Surrealism to life!
For Inspiration:
Click on this slide show of student work from previous years.
2-4 Thumbnails:
House Style Inspiration:
Your house should be complex, right? Designed from at least two boxes put together...
Here's a tip:
Find a picture of a house you like and try to recreate it. Or draw your own house.Coming up with a house design from scratch is hard to do!
Some house styles you can search:
Victorian
Cottage
Bungalo
Tudor
Mexican
Japanese
Spanish
Italian
Dutch
Mid-Century Modern
Craftsman
Farm House
Log Cabin
Tree House
House Boat
RV
2.
Choose your best idea and get started! Tear a page out
of your sketchbook and tape a long strip of paper across the back. This is your extended horizon line, so tape it
where your horizon line needs to be on the paper.
Why are we doing this?
We want to put the vanishing points
as far away from each other as possible so your
buildings don't look squished. The vanising points will
be off the page and on your long strip of paper. See
the images and the real life examples for the "how-to."
Tape the stripe to the back of your paper:
Draw your horizon line across the front of your paper and onto the strip. Place the vanishing points on either end of the line:
3.
You are now ready to get started.
-Draw lightly while you sketch in your house. -Erase all the extra perspective lines.
-Sketch in your background and Surrealist
elements.
-Use the Prismacolors to fill it in. You must watch the colored pencils video because I'm very specific about how I want you to use
them!
Extra Help:
Here is a video on how to combine boxes to create a more complex house:
Here is a video on how to add all the little extras:
4.
Here is your how-to for using the Prisma colors. You will use them to "burnish" your drawing.
*CHECK IN!!! - Done with Step 8? Great! Now turn it in for points!!*
----You are now ready for STUDY DRAWING 8: You can choose from any of the promts on the list now. Remember that I expect full value & texture in all your work from now on----
Take some time to work on this and turn it in at your own time.
You have reached the end of Unit 9