When to switch to two point perspective

Here’s a painting called “Admiration” by Vittorio Reggianini (1858-1938). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkB8HKpxTb0tcQoeWDHNP7EJA1Ydu-GUcwlqWtQVVguD-iS7hHo_gslsrMDfVgc17pXKsFMkkG3igLr2hJMN4CYt_5rYkUqxk8mTch-Y7cApqrXeMoS9BSTw5DiP2D1sgKAQlEAIAqRA/s1600/One+and+Two+Point.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkB8HKpxTb0tcQoeWDHNP7EJA1Ydu-GUcwlqWtQVVguD-iS7hHo_gslsrMDfVgc17pXKsFMkkG3igLr2hJMN4CYt_5rYkUqxk8mTch-Y7cApqrXeMoS9BSTw5DiP2D1sgKAQlEAIAqRA/s400/One+and+Two+Point.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />A mishandling of perspective unintentionally gives it a funhouse quality. If you dropped a marble on the floor, it looks like it would roll off to the right.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyE2EXQXIsmTAosnFuvmxKaU4uE8AS9lo3Auu8mlHchip5-Z2wuh4KDz-VAYojJch7nNh_R5vUnk9lEGi1JX69TRAf_GIvPeYeHZMM-xFWLLv2RKJ_dZR3YMa1jI7GJ-lDNv9wr1gieE/s1600/Perspective+Lines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyE2EXQXIsmTAosnFuvmxKaU4uE8AS9lo3Auu8mlHchip5-Z2wuh4KDz-VAYojJch7nNh_R5vUnk9lEGi1JX69TRAf_GIvPeYeHZMM-xFWLLv2RKJ_dZR3YMa1jI7GJ-lDNv9wr1gieE/s400/Perspective+Lines.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The problem is that it goes into two point perspective when it should be treated as a one-point perspective picture.<br /><br />A basic rule of thumb is that if the main vanishing point is within the central third of the picture, the other set of lines should stay horizontal. If that distant vanishing point were placed way over near the side of the picture, the lines in the floor and the window mullions could begin to slant a bit.

When to switch to two point perspective

Here’s a painting called “Admiration” by Vittorio Reggianini (1858-1938). A mishandling of perspective unintentionally gives it a funhouse q...

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Animals in Perspective

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8TE4CUNZa-cZexYYW4zKr4n6J_1yTC7tgfy9yJxr6VQ6wmR8NBxRV0TApT_KzljSCtHctMEoG_Cdr-4PPTqVKgIhLsBu6PvqcPozhMrxya5CWqJ_VRItmEw9SDSVGGaRIwWBUzWSVmWI/s1600/Hippo_Drawing.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Perspective doesn’t apply just to architecture. Everything follows its laws, including people and animals. Some perspective teachers suggest drawing a box around an animal, and that’s a good idea.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8TE4CUNZa-cZexYYW4zKr4n6J_1yTC7tgfy9yJxr6VQ6wmR8NBxRV0TApT_KzljSCtHctMEoG_Cdr-4PPTqVKgIhLsBu6PvqcPozhMrxya5CWqJ_VRItmEw9SDSVGGaRIwWBUzWSVmWI/s1600/Hippo_Drawing.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8TE4CUNZa-cZexYYW4zKr4n6J_1yTC7tgfy9yJxr6VQ6wmR8NBxRV0TApT_KzljSCtHctMEoG_Cdr-4PPTqVKgIhLsBu6PvqcPozhMrxya5CWqJ_VRItmEw9SDSVGGaRIwWBUzWSVmWI/s400/Hippo_Drawing.sm.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />An even simpler idea is to draw a set of lines across the form of any animal or person. It’s a quick way check the placement of all the features. If they’re out of position, you’ll know right away. <br /><br />In these zoo sketches of a hippo, each head has a set of parallel lines to make sure the ears, eyes, and nostrils are kept in their proper relationship. In the top sketch, I’ve also lightly drawn the center line of the form. I tried to simplify the lighting by massing the shadow as a light, uniform tone.<br /><br />In the lower sketch, I simplified the forms a bit (note the spherical forms around the eyes). The shading lines follow the cross-section contours, which helps even more to describe the form.

Animals in Perspective

Perspective doesn’t apply just to architecture. Everything follows its laws, including people and animals. Some perspective teachers suggest...

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Scart Road

Yesterday we set up our folding stools at the top of Scart Road looking down into Bantry, Ireland. Occasional sprinkles of rain and gusts of wind gave us some trouble: At one point the wind knocked over my water cup and dumped three ounces of water all over the half-finished watercolor.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mxKPq1hv3-BBNKLBeATXa8D83GEkF8L6VZxLvSgbLEXI3YjfVYtT0YwSi6mXh7yCzt_NQMe-zzY4QmF6poQ_5MBZDYpJ8E68mTTa6AIqRKqfgDWJPrwbaWlYhLYBx9RvTxpscToH_Wtm/s1600/Scart_Photo.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504889700021929890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mxKPq1hv3-BBNKLBeATXa8D83GEkF8L6VZxLvSgbLEXI3YjfVYtT0YwSi6mXh7yCzt_NQMe-zzY4QmF6poQ_5MBZDYpJ8E68mTTa6AIqRKqfgDWJPrwbaWlYhLYBx9RvTxpscToH_Wtm/s400/Scart_Photo.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>The thing I found the most challenging was the perspective drawing. Here’s the scene as it looked to the camera. I knew all those buildings have different vanishing points from each other. And the road has its own set of vanishing points below eye level. And I expected I would be tricked by those building fronts, which were extremely foreshortened. <br /><br />But even knowing all that, I still had to erase and redraw the pencil drawing three times until I was convinced I had it right.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3BF7-Z2jpbsPcg8ZYjIX3zSrVfrw7UTL027ojgThzks-qFbaIr0ZZxlvq5L4lHwI1_ysQ6oJoPLFqDOReJLDfsVdA5DiiUmuKHthgYdxg_8-efEDgPamXrWmrOT6QNlcL8JA6Ug0p15U/s1600/Scart.Line_sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504889710875460946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3BF7-Z2jpbsPcg8ZYjIX3zSrVfrw7UTL027ojgThzks-qFbaIr0ZZxlvq5L4lHwI1_ysQ6oJoPLFqDOReJLDfsVdA5DiiUmuKHthgYdxg_8-efEDgPamXrWmrOT6QNlcL8JA6Ug0p15U/s400/Scart.Line_sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" /></a>Here’s how the line drawing looked after about three hours of measuring, erasing, and redrawing. I used a regular #2 pencil and I didn’t use straightedges. I tried to pin down some measurements using the central pole as a fixed unit of length. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVT1jIA6Qg2nPydbgLfVdY-P3hkTtr0vqOg2qHteAflhkeO9fRVvSkqKRiZ6tp8OAtdG0fW9nEgE13SI-Iq8_UmF73fH88QnYgEpawAi-d4c5-a_U4fQHoFh6524j0j6c9bloflAK37ck/s1600/Drawing_Photo.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504889694143848978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVT1jIA6Qg2nPydbgLfVdY-P3hkTtr0vqOg2qHteAflhkeO9fRVvSkqKRiZ6tp8OAtdG0fW9nEgE13SI-Iq8_UmF73fH88QnYgEpawAi-d4c5-a_U4fQHoFh6524j0j6c9bloflAK37ck/s400/Drawing_Photo.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Just to remind myself how much I need to improve, here’s the line drawing superimposed over the photo, after the fact. I made the yellow building on the right too big, and misplaced the windows and doors on the gray building on the far left. What would have cured a lot of these errors would be to measure across the scene, holding up a level pencil in front of me to judge relative heights—and I’ll do that next time. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhKPWv0nj2qdjh-GraWtbpId7Ci89519Da6wgsZJncDdGZshJ-JhSdFDMemoUcRY7FVsZVa6BhX3XGvf7bBsb4H6qXMo7Eqbb4Hq5fn5ltq5jZJPAkL9Lzm0vl01e94GuuALGr_8L0pT2/s1600/Scart_St_Bantry.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504889705614665186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhKPWv0nj2qdjh-GraWtbpId7Ci89519Da6wgsZJncDdGZshJ-JhSdFDMemoUcRY7FVsZVa6BhX3XGvf7bBsb4H6qXMo7Eqbb4Hq5fn5ltq5jZJPAkL9Lzm0vl01e94GuuALGr_8L0pT2/s400/Scart_St_Bantry.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" /></a>Here’s the final painting, after two sittings on location, and about five hours work. I did make a few conscious changes, such as eliminating the wires, and raising the value of the illuminated roof on the red building in the middle distance. <br /><br />And I regrettably left out of the drawing the wonderful people of Bantry, who passed by with a friendly hello while we were working—especially Brendy, who lives in the house at the far left.<br /><br />“I like to say hi to me neighbors,” he said to us. “Me neighbors is mankind of every description.”

Scart Road

Yesterday we set up our folding stools at the top of Scart Road looking down into Bantry, Ireland. Occasional sprinkles of rain and gusts of...

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Centrolinead

A centrolinead is a perspective tool with adjustable Y-shaped legs branching from a main bar. The legs rest against two nails placed on the drawing board.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeBxIbZk7-eTCy5y6GBIugfvVFfnlahz56roZsAcIklrCrszpRyg2Zcn8EXrYZYgZGe5i0OedIDELfUAZo2Kkhoy26aEjeMO00GEAZ-xC3hi7MFRuabbPAF7X9WDYrVBydYYLdr1l1h30/s1600/K&E+Catalog.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485967002947932690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeBxIbZk7-eTCy5y6GBIugfvVFfnlahz56roZsAcIklrCrszpRyg2Zcn8EXrYZYgZGe5i0OedIDELfUAZo2Kkhoy26aEjeMO00GEAZ-xC3hi7MFRuabbPAF7X9WDYrVBydYYLdr1l1h30/s320/K&E+Catalog.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 320px;" /></a>As it pivots up and down, the main bar changes slope. The resulting lines orient to a remote vanishing point that would be otherwise difficult to establish.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbu0mW_2MH5pzviw-G96KHJrg7HMgZy16zYw6KLqj6T805lhsJIF0S-o1rYY-B7EFUI35Ux0yo5apqVZVCtdxBbVsYghfRpLukBnmifnyUOK61fhTwr-H4pTCVqk14OLWW3TQaS0TDY0d/s1600/Centrolinead.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485966994506898226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbu0mW_2MH5pzviw-G96KHJrg7HMgZy16zYw6KLqj6T805lhsJIF0S-o1rYY-B7EFUI35Ux0yo5apqVZVCtdxBbVsYghfRpLukBnmifnyUOK61fhTwr-H4pTCVqk14OLWW3TQaS0TDY0d/s320/Centrolinead.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 292px;" /></a><br />E.G. Lutz’s book Practical Drawing includes the diagram above.<br /><br />Concept artist and illustrator Craig Elliott discovered an antique centrolinead dating from around 1890 (below). Note how the Y-legs branch from a point along the top line of the ruler. He reports: <br /><br /><blockquote>“I did a little building facade and some windows to test out the Centrolineaid. It is such a breeze, even better than using a long ruler! I set the map pins at 3 inches from the HL and the blades at 30 degrees.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCP4vQKVauMzRO-LK6EjmsGSXQIsMo2cgj9N6EKNuGUIuM0hKRweK6MOJEGQZ4FTiF-_5wJiwPdqjg0D-DVxfexaVDNZu9aH3eSpDUhEZPE7a_xsDny7oEdSBecI7I-8Y2Qfx-0LzsqZ1/s1600/Drawing+Wide+on+bottom.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485967006018692146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCP4vQKVauMzRO-LK6EjmsGSXQIsMo2cgj9N6EKNuGUIuM0hKRweK6MOJEGQZ4FTiF-_5wJiwPdqjg0D-DVxfexaVDNZu9aH3eSpDUhEZPE7a_xsDny7oEdSBecI7I-8Y2Qfx-0LzsqZ1/s320/Drawing+Wide+on+bottom.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a>I did the verticals with a t-square and the 30-60 triangle shown. I think two or three of these would make darn quick work of a two- or three-point perspective drawing on a quite small drawing board. This board is about 24 x 32. Another benefit of this tool seems to be that it doesn't pop off the pin all the time like a regular ruler would- it is very steady on the 2 pins.<br /><br />For the pins or nails, I used a paper clip with one end bent up, or even an upside down flat headed thumbtack taped to the board or paper. This is good for balancing a ruler on for perspective points on the board or for this operation. <br /><br />You could also use a sheet of metal to draw on, even with a Borco cover, and Neodymium magnets about 1/2 cube size for the pins. They are so strong they won't shift.”<br /></blockquote><br />ADDENDUM<br />Check the comments for a lot more links and tips. Below is a scanned version of Craig's antique model, with measurements.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgu8ZdSNEMIS_hu2fArJ0prm8FX8kx2YeEEPi0s9dynJbdnF92IoplNm4qJkJmXBgnvFE_7PB6G7NGWeyiIXw1xocZ6yvziaVT2AJ0FX-IT_3BM04p3SiaFpQTSu7DmAi_odgXhFYo6s_8/s1600/Centrolinead.Design.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486084593634589346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgu8ZdSNEMIS_hu2fArJ0prm8FX8kx2YeEEPi0s9dynJbdnF92IoplNm4qJkJmXBgnvFE_7PB6G7NGWeyiIXw1xocZ6yvziaVT2AJ0FX-IT_3BM04p3SiaFpQTSu7DmAi_odgXhFYo6s_8/s400/Centrolinead.Design.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 344px; height: 400px;" /></a> Thanks, Craig!<br /><a href="http://www.craigelliottgallery.com/journal/2010/1/30/antique-centrolinead-or-linead-tool.html">Craig Elliott’s blog post about his centrolinead<br /></a>

Centrolinead

A centrolinead is a perspective tool with adjustable Y-shaped legs branching from a main bar. The legs rest against two nails placed on the ...

Read more »