Perspective

Perspective no. 3.

What are we Looking at this Lesson?

· More on Empirical Observation:

· The picture plane as a “window” .

· Measuring size and distance with your drawing media.

· Approximating regular intervals in perspective.

The Picture PLane as a “Window”.

If you were to place before you a sheet of glass with the intention of only drawing what could be seen through it – the glass would represent the picture plane. How much is seen through the “glass” depends on how close you stand to it. When drawing we can helpfully replicate this with our hands (or a sheet with a window-hole cut out of it); see below.

Measuring Size and Distance with your Drawing Media.

Your drawing media can be held at arm’s length and used as an accurate measure of size and distance. Using this can help check and correct approximated distances you have drawn. See Below.

Approximating Regular Spacing in Perspective.

Pictured below is a row of posts (taller than the viewer) heading off into the distance. The posts appear smaller and thinner the further away they are, and the spaces between them seem to shrink. The height of the posts may be obtained by establishing “parallel lines” heading toward a vanishing point. The spacing between is obtained by drawing a diagonal from an end of one post so that it bisects the next and ends on the “parallel”. This end-point gives an approximation for the placement of the next post in the series. A helpful exercise would be to add some further posts to the image.

The Practical Exercises for this lesson.

1. Create a “window” wether with your hands or a sheet of card. Draw a few small “thumbnails”.

2. Add some further posts to the diagram for “approximating regular Spacing in Perspective”.

3. Draw a study of a “regular” landscape (one including man-made structures).

Battista Piranesi, 18th Century, Italian - he is famous for his etchings (such as this one) of Rome.

Image Sources: Barrington B. (2002). “The Fundamentals of Drawing”. London: Arcturus Publishing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Piranesi

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