Perspective Page

All images on top half of this page ©1995 Ralph Murrell Larmann, from his web site, Art Studio Chalkboard at the University of Evansville Art Department. Scroll down and click on the image to go the Art Studio Chalkboard web page for the full information / text with image.

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Basic Principles Of Perspective Drawing For The Technical Illustrator

By Kevin Hulsey

A thorough understanding of the principles of perspective is essential to creating an accurate and visually appealing piece of art. The impression that the techniques in the preceding tutorial make on the brain are so powerful that once mastered, the illusion remains even though the visual trickery has been exposed. Additionally, a lay person with no technical understanding of the principles of perspective has an intuitive negative reaction to a piece of art if something is amiss.

Any good technical illustration starts with well executed line art. If you are working from any type of reference other than a CAD output in the desired angle, you will need to have a strong fundamental understanding of the principles of perspective drawing. This page will cover the various types of perspective angles you will encounter. In the tutorial lessons that follow this page, you will be given the tools needed to map out a perspective grid in any situation. From this grid, you will be able to create realistic three dimensional drawings from flat or "Off Angle" reference.

The three photos below demonstrate the difference between 1 Point, 2 Point, and 3 Point Perspective. Fig. 1 is an example of 1 Point perspective. All of the major vanishing points for the buildings in the foreground of Fig. 1 converge at one central location on the horizon line. The angle of view or Point Of View (POV) in Fig. 1 is referred to as Normal View perspective. In Fig. 2 the vanishing points for the two opposing faces of the center foreground building project towards two different vanishing points on the horizon line. In Fig. 3 we see that the horizontal building elements project to the left and right horizon and the vertical building elements project to a central vanishing point in the sky. This upper vanishing point is called the Zenith. If one were looking down on the object from a Bird's Eye perspective, the vanishing point below the horizon and would be called the Nadir.

In the next three diagrams, you will see the same three photographs with Vanishing Point trajectory lines (blue) and Horizon Lines (magenta) traced over the subject matter. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are both examples of Normal View perspective. A Normal View angle places the Horizon Line at a natural height as if the viewer was looking straight forward without tilting the head/camera up or down. In these two examples, you will notice that all of the vertical features of the buildings are straight up and down.

Fig. 6 is an example of a Worm's Eye perspective. In Fig. 6 the head/camera is tilted upward placing the Horizon below the picture. The perspective when the view is tilted in an upward direction, creates a third vanishing point at the Zenith. All of the vertical building features will converge at this upper vanishing point. If we were looking down on a subject, the viewing angle would be a Bird's Eye View and the vertical details would converge at the Nadir.

In the following six examples, you will see a perspective grid and our subject in various aspects discussed in the previous paragraph. Fig. 8 is a Normal View 1 Point Perspective drawing. Fig. 9 is a Worm's Eye View 1 Point Perspective drawing. Fig. 10 is a Bird's Eye 1 Point Perspective drawing. Fig. 11 is a Bird's Eye or High 3/4 View 2 Point Perspective drawing. Fig. 12 is a Bird's Eye 3 Point Perspective drawing. If you were to extend the vertical vanishing point lines downward, they would converge at the Nadir Station point.

Tutorial Part 1 - Perspective

Lesson in how to map out a 2 point perspective drawing from plan and elevation views.

Software For Line Art: - Adobe Illustrator or other vector program.

In this lesson we are going to create a 2 Point Perspective view drawing of our subject working from plan and elevation view reference Fig 1. This type of angle is referred to as a "3/4 Perspective" or "Angular Perspective" view. The green dots in all of the following diagrams identify the lines to be drawn in the visual example.

The first line to draw will be the Picture Plane Fig. 2. We will place the lower right corner of our Plan View on the Picture Plane and rotate it clockwise Fig. 3. The choice of 30 degrees is arbitrary, but this positioning provides a good angle for a 3/4 view drawing. The angle chosen should balance factors such as aesthetics and information to be conveyed.

In Fig. 4 we will locate the Station Point. Measure the horizontal width of our Plan View (X) and double it. Extend a vertical line from the corner that touches the Picture Plane downward. At two times X we will locate the Station Point.

Draw lines for the Horizon and Ground Line Fig. 5. The location of these lines are infinitely variable. The location of the Horizon Line will depend on whether you want to view the object from above eye level or below eye level. The location of the Ground Line in relation to the Horizon Line will determine how far above or below eye level the object will be viewed.

Draw 2 lines from the Station Point (SP) that are parallel to the bottom edges of the Plan View Fig 6. The lines should intersect with the Picture Plane (points a & b). Next draw vertical lines from points a & b to the Horizon Line. The point where these vertical lines intersect the Horizon Line is where the left and right vanishing points (LVP & RVP) will be located.

The last part of our preliminary layout will be to place the Side Elevation view from Fig. 1 onto the Ground Line. Project a line (orange dashed line b) from the top of the Elevation View to the vertical Line Of Sight (LS) Fig. 7.

We are now ready to start projecting lines to the vanishing points. Referring to Fig. 8, draw lines from both vanishing points (LVP & RVP) to the top and bottom reference points of our subject (points a & b).

To locate the vertical lines on our subject, draw lines from the Station Point to corners a & b on the Plan View Fig. 9. At the point where these lines intersect the Picture Plane, draw vertical lines (orange dashed lines) downward to intersect the vanishing point projection lines.

Using the same procedure as shown in Fig. 9, find the smaller features on the subject in both the Plan View and the Elevation View (a & c) in Fig. 10 and project them towards the vanishing point projection lines.

The last step is to darken the object's construction lines, and add weight to all of the exterior and outside edge lines, to increase readability Fig. 12.