More on Perspective

Last week I wrote about how, with linear perspective, an object appears to diminish in size as the distance from the viewer increases. Linear perspective is a way to create an illusion of spatial depth in your artwork. It enables you to replicate a 3-D object on a 2-D canvas or drawing surface.

There are three types of linear perspective drawing: one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and three-point perspective.

One-Point Perspective

One-point perspective is a type of drawing created on a 2D plane that uses one point in the distance (the vanishing point) from which everything in the drawing is set out.

One of the best illustrations of single-point perspective is to imagine that you’re looking at a straight road. All of the elements of the composition—particularly the road itself—will converge at a single point on the horizon line.

Single-point perspective can be at any point along the horizon line; the only stipulation is that all lines lead to the solitary point.

 “Art happens-no hovel is safe from it, no prince can depend on it, the vastest intelligence cannot bring it about.”

-James Abbott McNeil Whistler

The Horizon Line and Linear Perspective

 Linear perspective is 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. 

A horizon line is the intersection of where the ground or body of water meets the sky. The point at which diminishing directional lines meet on a horizon line is called the vanishing point. A city street is a great example of linear perspective. 

On this photo, you can take a ruler and run a line along both sides of the sidewalk into the distance to where they converge. The red dot in the second picture represents the sidewalk vanishing point on the horizon.

Skyline Vs. Horizon Line

Be careful not to confuse the skyline with the horizon line.

The skyline is also where the sky and land meet, but is generally in reference to mountains, which are almost always above the actual horizon line/eye level. The red line in the second photo shows the horizon line.