Using perspective to add depth

Marsha R Devine2009

Is a term used to describe perspective.

When you foreshorten an object, you make one part appear closer to you than the other.

Is used when drawing the figure (or animals) when we rely more on observation & sighting, rather than constructed perspective.

While foreshortening is an important element in linear perspective, foreshortening occurs in other types of two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional scenes, such as ‘oblique parallel projection’ drawings used in CAD.

Examples of various problems in perspective taken from actual drawings which have appeared in Marvel Comics.

Compare the thighs of the villain above. We know they are actually the same size, yet in this foreshortened view the right thigh appears much shorter than the left. This is because the angle points the leg almost directly at the viewer. Note how the geometric version of the figure at right shows the perspective .

Sit still and straight! Maintain your position, as a gradual slouch of only an inch alter your view and change the drawing.

Keep your head parallel to the drawing surface by using an easel, or standing over the drawing surface to avoid ‘skewing’ your drawing.

Draw what you see, not what you think it should look like. It may look strange at first, but will look correct when the drawing is completed.

Observe part of the figure is hidden, disappearing behind closer elements (the horse's head, or the person's hand). Allow your lines to reflect this.

Note that elements closer to you will seem proportionately larger than further away.

Use line weight - something drawn boldly and using contrast will 'jump' from the page.

The Lamentation over the Dead Christc. 1490 Andrea Mantegna

by Sam Haskins

Use sighting techniques to compare proportions and angles of your object or figure.

A ruler or pencil held at arm’s length can be used as a guide for the comparisons.

Breaking the figure down into geometric forms can help when applying perspective to the form.

Consider how the subject of your drawing would look in geometric form and then use perspective to create the foreshortening – as with the cylinder above.

Drawing Made Easyhttp://learn-how-to-draw-now.com/Foreshortening-Part-1.html

Perspective Applied to the Figure http://drawinglab.evansville.edu/foreshortening.html

Web Gallery of Arthttp://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/mantegna/2/dead_chr.html

Fantasy Art Schoolhttp://www.stormthecastle.com/fantasyartschool/artlessons/lesson4.htm

Figure Drawinghttp://figure-drawings.blogspot.com/2008/12/foreshortening.html

Sightinghttp://scitech.stisd.net/chet.mink/sighting.htm