TableofContents

IntroductionTheStartingPointYournamein3-DDrawaboxusingperspective

Twoboxes,onevanishingpointFourboxes,onevanishingpointGettingitright(andwrong)

TheHorizon(eyelevel)Perspectiveinaction:aroadPerspectiveinaction:aninterior

DividingspacesevenlyAbridgeTwo-pointperspective

ArampForexpertsonly!Vanishingpoints……andcameralensesMoreaboutthehorizonandeyelevelCurvedobjectsin3-DA3-Dcheckerboard

Perspectiveinaction:ahouseAddingshadowsin3-D

LightsourcebehindMoreshadowsin3-DLightsourceinfront

3-pointperspectiveAnotherwaytodividespace4-pointperspective?ThelaserparadoxMultiplevanishingpoints

Remember…PracticeSaveyourdrawings!

Publicationinfo

Introduction

3-D means“threedimensional.”

It’seasytodrawfromsidetosideonyourpaper,usingitswidth.It’seasytodrawfromtoptobottomonyourpaper,usingitsheight.Buthowdoyoudrawsomethinggoingawayfromyou,intothedistance?Howdoyoucreatedepth(thethirddimension)inyourdrawing?Theanswerislinearperspective,atechniquefirstdevelopedalmost500yearsago,duringtheRenaissance.Asyouflipthroughmyillustrations,thismayseemlikereallycomplicatedandtechnicalstuff.Anditis…sortof.Thosecleverartistswhofiguredthisoutweren’ttryingtomakeyourlifeeasy!Theyonlywantedtomakerealisticpictures.

Fortunately,you’llfindthatthebasicsreallyareprettysimple.Better,youdon’tneedmuchbeyondthebasicstomakesomeprettycooldrawings.Bestofall,perspectivecanmakeyourdrawingslookrealinawayyoucan’tachievewithoutit.You’llneedafewsupplies,somepatience,andapositiveattitude.Expecttomakemistakesasyoulearn,andkeepasmileonyourface:witheachmistakeyoulearnanotherwaynottodoit!

Findacomfortableplacetodraw–withdecentlight,soyoucanseewhatyou’redoing.Amechanicalpencilworksbestforthistypeofdrawing.Havearulerorstraightedgehandy.It’sverydifficulttodrawinperspectivewithoutone.Ifyouhaveone,useaT-squareandtriangle.You’llprobablywantaseparateeraser(theeraseronyourpencilwilldisappearquickly).Myfavoritetypeisakneadedtype,availableinartsupplyandcraftstores.Patience:payattentiontotheconcepts.Doplentyofpracticedrawings!

Pleasenote:inthisebook,instructionscomeaftertheillustrationtheyreferto.

TheStartingPoint

Drawsixcircles.

Makeadotsomewhereinthemiddleofthecircles.Thiswillbecomethevanishingpoint.

Usingaruler,makestraightlinesfromthedottotheoutsideedgesofthecircles.

Lookatyourdrawing.Doesitlooklikesomethinggoingfarawayfromyou,orrushingtowardyou?That’sthewholepointofthevanishingpoint.

Nowmakecurvedlinesto“chopoff”thefarends.Erasethevanishingpointandstraightlinesclosetoit.

Sowhathaveyoujustdrawn?

Mighttheybepowerpolesonadistantasteroid?

Oraconventionofastronomerssearchingforpowerpolesonadistantasteroid?

Oraprintingpress,rollingoutthelatestnewsaboutaconventionofastronomersdiscoveringpowerpolesonadistantasteroid?

Orisitsomethingelse? 

Youdecide!

Onyourown

Experimentwithdifferentshapesandvanishingpoints.Getusedtodrawingstraightlinesatdifferentanglesfromthevanishingpoint,becauseyou’llbedoingalotofitwithyourperspectivedrawings.

Makesomedrawingswithlinesextendingallthewaytothevanishingpoints.

Thentry“choppingoff”morecomplicatedshapes.

Havefun!

Yournamein3-D

IfyournameisSophronia,youcanjusttracethisone.But,gollygee,I’llbetyourname’snotSophronia.Inthatcase,followtheinstructions.

Drawacurvedline.Lightlywriteyournameonit.

Maketheletterswider.

Addavanishingpoint.

Startingatoneend,usingastraightedge,makelinestoconnectthevanishingpointwitheveryedgeandangleofthelettersofyourname.

Makesureyou’vegoteverylineinplace!

“Chopoff”thebacksofeachletterbycarefullycopyingtheshapeofthefront.

Eraseguidelinesandadmireyourwork.Prettycool,eh?

Nowyoucantakeittothenextlevelbyaddingshadingtotheletters.

IfyournameisSophronia,andyousimplytracedthis,doanotherdrawing,usingyourbestfriend’snameinstead.

Aslongasit’snotSophronia.

Drawaboxusingperspective

Thinkofthisboxasthebasicbuildingblockoflinearperspective.You’lluseitalot.

Drawasquare.Makeasmalldotforthevanishingpoint.Fromit,drawlightguidelinestothreecornersofthebox.

Guidelineshelpyousetupyourdrawing.Sincetheywon’tbepartofyourfinaldrawing,dothemlightlysotheywilleraseeasily.

Repeattheshapeofthefronttomaketheback(onehorizontalline,onevertical).

Erasetheguidelinesyounolongerneed.

Voila!Aboxinperspective!

Onyourown:drawthisboxwithitsvanishingpointsindifferentdirections,closerandfartheraway.

Twoboxes,onevanishingpoint

Oneboxgood,twoboxesbetter! Heretheyshareacommonvanishingpoint.

Drawaboxwithavanishingpointliketheoneonthepreviouspage.Addanothersquarenexttoit.

Fromthreecornersofthesecondsquare,drawstraightguidelinestothesame

vanishingpoint.

Addhorizontalandverticallinesforthebackedgesofthesecondbox.

Eraseguidelines.

Nice!Twoconvincingboxesinperspective,evenwithnothingelseinthepicture!

Onyourown:drawtwosquareswithavanishingpointdirectlyaboveoneofthem.Addguidelinesandbackedges.

LOOK!Oneboxneedsonlytwoguidelinesinsteadofthree,becauseonlythetopbackedgeshows.Drawtwosquareswithavanishingpointbelowandbetweenthem,andturnthemintoboxes.Eraseguidelinestofinishyourdrawing.

Nowdrawtwosquareswithavanishingpointdirectlybelowoneofthem,andturnthemintoboxes.

Youcanseethatthisisthesameasthefirstdrawing,onlyupside-down.The3-Dtechniqueworksthesamenomatterwherethevanishingpointlies.

Fourboxes,onevanishingpoint

Drawfoursquareswithavanishingpointdirectlyinthemiddleofthegroup.Addguidelinesandbackedges.Eraseyourguidelines.(I’veleftminetoshowyouhowIdrewthem.)

Compareyourvanishingpointdrawingtothesefourboxeswhichuseonlyparallellinestocreatedepth.Canyouseethedifference?Parallellinessimplydon’tcreatethesamefeelingofdepthwhenyouhaveseveralobjectsinadrawing.

YoucanfindexampleslikethisinEuropeanpaintingsfromtheMedievalperiod,beforeasystematicapproachtoperspectivehadbeendeveloped.

Gettingitright(andwrong)

Onyourown:drawaboxinperspective,usingavanishingpoint.Nowaddasecondboxbehindit,usingthesamevanishingpointguidelines.Thenaddanotherbox,andanother.Noticehowmuchsmallertheyget.Thisreallycreatesasenseofdepthinthepicture.

Notehowunrealisticthefourboxesbelowlookwhendrawnwithparallellines.Allfourboxesareexactlythesamesize(measurethem!),butyoureyeandbrainexpectthemostdistanttoappearsmallerthantheclosest.Instead,itactuallyappearslarger!

Whatifyousimplymakethemoredistantboxessmaller,whilestilldrawingwithparallellines?You’llseethatitdoesn’tquitelookright,especiallycomparedtothefirstdrawing,withitssinglevanishingpoint.

TheHorizon(eyelevel)

Perspectivedrawingstartedwithbuildings,whichsitontheground.Ifyoufollowthegroundlevelforasfarasyoucansee,youcometothehorizon,whereskyandearthappeartomeet.Inthisexample,youarelookingdownontheboxes,andthehorizonappearsabovethem.

Evenifyoucan’tactuallyseeit,thehorizonisalwaysthere.Todrawabuildingliketheoneattheleft,youhavetoknow(ordecide)wherethehorizonlies.Ifyoulookclosely,youcanseeadottedlineinthedrawingrepresentingthehorizon.

Thehorizonalsorepresentsyoureyelevelinthedrawing.Ifyouwalkedupto

theblocksinthisdrawing,wherewouldyoureyebe?Howmuchtalleraretheblocksthanyou?

Onyourown:

Findimagesinbooksoronlinewithbuildingsinthem.Lookforperspectiveatwork.Locatethehorizonandvanishingpoints.

Perspectiveinaction:aroad

Drawahorizontallineforthehorizonnearthemiddleofyourpaper.Leaveplentyofroomaboveandbelowit.Placeavanishingpointnearthecenterofthehorizon.

Fromthevanishingpoint,drawtwolinesatanangledownward.

Drawtwomoreverylightlinesfromthevanishingpoint,closetogetherinthecenteroftheroad.Dividethemhorizontallytomakethethickdottedlinerunningdownthemiddleoftheroad.

Inthisphoto,youcanclearlyseethelinesconvergingonavanishingpoint.I wantedtotakeapictureofarealroad,butthatseemedalittledangerous.Soinsteadofarealroad,yougetarailroad.Theprincipleisthesame.

Sincewewantthistobearealisticscene,addsomesquigglylinesjustabovethehorizon.Youknowthey’resquigglylines.Iknowthey’resquigglylines.Butsomeoneelselookingatyourdrawingwillthink,“Ooh,look—mountains!”

Totherightoftheroad,makeaverticalpowerpole.Tocheckvertical,lookattheedgeofyourpaper.

Thepowerpoleisalongcylinder.Becauseitcrossesthehorizon,you’relookingupatthetopofitanddownatthebottomofit.Imaginelookingupanddownatamuchsmallercylinder—canyouseewhyboththetopandbottomofthepower

polearerounded?

Fromthepowerpole,drawtwoguidelinestothevanishingpoint.

Rememberthatguidelineswillnotremaininyourfinisheddrawing,sodrawthemlightlysotheycanbeerased.

Addasecondpowerpole,extendingfromoneguidelinetotheother.Placeitabouthalfwayfromthefirstpowerpoletothevanishingpoint.Thesecondpowerpoleneedstobethinnerthanthefirst(sinceit’sfartheraway),andagaincheckthesideofyourpapertomakesureit’svertical!

Addanotherpowerpole,fromoneguidelinetotheother,abouthalfwaybetweenthesecondpowerpoleandthevanishingpoint.Thethirdpowerpoleshouldbethinnerstill,andstillvertical.Bynowyourbrainmightbescreamingatyoutomakethepolesleanoutward.Again,lookattheedgeofyourpaperforaverticalreference.

Keepaddingpowerpolesuntilyoucan’taddanymore!Noweraseyourguidelines.

Timeout!

Sofar,thisdrawingmaybegoingperfectlysmoothlyforyou.Still,pauseamomenttocomparetheseexampleswithyourpowerpolesjustincase.

They’releaning.Ifyoursare,it’sbesttostartagain.Lookcarefullyatthesideofyourpaperasyoudraw.Oruseadrawingtoolsuchasatriangle.Orperhapsdrawonapieceofnotebookpaperturnedsideways,sothelittlebluelinesrunvertically.

They’rethesamethickness.Thepowerpolesgetshorterfartheraway—andtheyalsogetthinner.

They’reevenlyspaced.Increatingtheillusionofdepthinyourdrawing,youhavetowatcheverydetail:youneedtodrawthesmallerpowerpolesclosertogetherastheygointothedistance.

Drawshorthorizontalcrossarmstocarrythewiresoneachpole.

Ontheleftsideofeachcrossarm,makealittlespotfortheinsulator,whichkeepsthewirefromshort-circuitingonthewoodormetalpole.Fromoneinsulatortoanother,makeaswoopingline.Fromthepoleclosesttoyou,continuethelinetotheedgeofthepicture.

Addanotherwire.Notehowitdisappearsbehindthepoles.

Now,ontheleftsideoftheroad,drawashortverticalfencepost.Fromthetopandbottom,drawlightguidelinestothevanishingpoint.

Addmorefenceposts,betweenthetopandthebottomguideline,gettingsmallerandclosertogetherastheygointothedistance.Addlinesforwires,convergingonthevanishingpoint.Drawlinesstraightouttothesidetomakethefenceturnawayfromtheroad.Theyshouldbehorizontal.

Fromadistantasteroid,amysteriouscrafthasarrivedtoinspectpowerpoles.Drawthecraft.

Fromthesidesofthemysteriouscraft,drawtwolightguidelinestothevanishingpoint.Addthesecondcraft,insidetheguidelines.

It’seasytomakeitlean,whichyoudon’twant.Startwithahorizontalline(thehorizontalaxisoftheellipse)andyoucanavoidthatcommonmistake.

Addmoremysteriouspowerpoleinspectioncraft,takingcaretokeepthemhorizontal.

Youcanuseseveral“tricks”tomakeyourdrawinglookmorereal.Becauseoftheatmosphere,moredistantobjectshavelesscontrast.Inotherwords,thedarkroadgetslighterinthedistance,whilethewhitegroundgetsslightlygrey.Addhazyshadows,andafewcurlymarksinthesky.Theymayenduplookinglikecloudsifyoudothemright!

Addrealisticdetailstomakeyourdrawingmorebelievable.Usingyourknowledgeof3-Ddrawing,addamovingtruck,carryingtelescopestoafar-offmountainforaconventionofastronomersinsearchofpowerpolesondistantasteroids.Createsomegiantmutantarachnids,whichmusthavesomethingtodowiththosemysteriouscraft……anythingtomakethedrawingmorebelievable.

Perspectiveinaction:aninterior

Perspectiveworksinsideaswellasoutside.Trydrawingthisinteriorview,usingavanishingpointtocreatedepth.

Startwithalargerectangle.Placethevanishingpointoff-center.

Drawstraightlinesconnectingeachcornertothevanishingpoint.

Drawahorizontallinetomakethebottomofthebackwall.

Wherethebottomofthewallintersectsthelinefromthevanishingpoint,drawaverticallineforthesideofthewall.

Makeanotherhorizontallineforthetopofthewall.

Completethebackwallbydrawingasecondverticalline.

Fromthevanishingpoint,drawtwomoreguidelinesalongtherightsidewall.

Beforegoingfurther,eraseallthelinesinsidetheareaofthebackwall.Butdon’terasethevanishingpoint.Youstillneedit!

Wherethetwoguidelinesintersectthebackwall,maketwohorizontallinesacrossthebackwall.

Drawtwomoreguidelineswherethehorizontallinesintersectthesidewall.

Drawverticallinesfordoorsontherightsideofthehallway.Makethecloserdoorwiderthantheonefartheraway.

Drawlinesforthetopsofthedoors.Eraseguidelinesnexttothedoors.

Drawtwohorizontalguidelinesfromthebottomcornersofthedoors.Theseallowyoutoplacetwodoorsinthesamepositionacrossthehall.

Fromthoseguidelines,drawverticallinesforthesidesofthetwodoors.

Lineupyourruleronthevanishingpoint,thenaddthetopsofthedoorsontheleftside.

Drawthedoorsonthebackwall.

Drawasmanydetailsasyoucantocreatethefeelingofdepth.Addlightsoverhead,acarpetonthefloor,andabulletinboardonthewall.

Addshadinganddetailstocompleteyourdrawing.Ofcourseyoucanaddpeopletoyourdrawingaswell—justmakesuretheyappearsmallerfartheraway!

Dividingspacesevenly

Howdoyouknowwhatsizetomakeobjectsinperspective?Yourbestguideisyoureye.Ifyouwanttodivideanareamoreprecisely,here’satechniqueyoucanuse.

Drawthehorizon(evenifyoucan’tseeitinthepicture),andmakeavanishingpointofftotheside.

Fromthisvanishingpoint,drawaguidelinetointersectwhatyou’redividing—inthiscase,thecarpet.

Wheretheguidelineintersectstheedgeofthecarpet,drawahorizontallineacrossthecarpet.

Wherethehorizontallineintersectstheothersideofthecarpet,drawanotherguidelinebacktothevanishingpoint.

Wherethisguidelineintersectstheotheredgeofthecarpet,drawanotherhorizontalline.

Wherethishorizontallineintersectstheothersideofthecarpet,drawanotherguidelinetothevanishingpoint.Andsoon.Remember,youdon’thavetodrawyourguidelinesallthewaytothevanishingpoint.Youendupwithaneatlydividedareathataccuratelyportraysanevenlydividedspaceinyourpicture.

Abridge

Reflectionscanmakeanimpressiveadditiontoyourdrawing.Trythem!

Drawtheshapeyousee.

Addstairstepsonbothsides.(Noticethatyou’vealreadydrawnareflectionofsorts—thetwosidesmirroreachother.)

Drawthehorizonandavanishingpointabovethesteps.Usingaruler,drawguidelinesfromeachangleofthebridgebacktowardthevanishingpoint.Notethatyoudon’tneedtodrawtheguidelinesallthewaytothevanishingpoint.

Addsomeshadingunderneaththebridge.

Drawthesidesofastreammeanderingfromthehorizon,andrunningunderthebridge.Takeyourtimedrawingthis—it’snotsoeasytomakeitlookgood!

Addmountainsinthebackground,someshadingalongthestream,acoupleoffishplayinginit.Andwhileyou’reatit,howaboutdrawingareflectionofthebridgeinthestream?

Hint:ifyouhavetroublefiguringthisout,tryimaginingthelandandwaterreflecting,asthoughtheentirebridgeweresittingonamirror.Drawthewholebridge,thenerasethepartsontheland.Tomakeiteveneasier,turnyourpaperupsidedown.

Canyoufigureouthowtodrawthis?Giveitatry!Ifnot,don’tworry: afterall,it’shighlyunlikelythatsomeonewouldputamirrorattheendofabridge,sowhywouldyouwanttodrawonethereanyway?Perhapsbecauseit’sagreatdrawingexercise!

Two-pointperspective

Theboxeswedrewbeforehaveasidefacingus.Whenacornerfacesus,it’stimetoaddasecondvanishingpoint.

Drawahorizon,andtwowidelyspacedvanishingpoints.Fromthevanishingpoints,drawlinesdownwarduntiltheyintersect.

Drawasecondlinefromeachvanishingpoint,tocreatethebaseofabox.

Fromthethreeclosestcornersofthebase,drawverticallinesfortheedgesofthebox.

Decidewherethetopoftheboxwillbe,bymarkingtheclosestverticalline.Fromthatpoint,extendlinestowardthetwovanishingpointstocreatethetopedgesofthebox.Youdon’thavetodrawthelinesallthewaytothevanishingpoint—justfarenoughtocompletethetopofthebox!

Fromthepointwherethetopintersectstherightverticalline,drawalinetowardtheleftvanishingpoint.Fromthepointwherethetopintersectstheleftverticalline,drawalinetowardtherightvanishingpoint.

Eraseguidelines,andyou’vegotaboxintwo-pointperspective!

Tryaddingmoreboxesaroundtheoneyou’vedrawn.Asyoucansee,nothingstopsyoufromgoingabovethehorizon.Remember: horizonisyoureyelevel.You’relookingdownatthefirstthreeboxes;thefourthisateyelevel.

No,youdon’thavetogetquitethiscarriedaway,butonceyougetstartedit’sfuntoaddmoreandmoreboxes—keepgoing!

Aramp

Drawingaslopingsurfaceinperspectivefollowsthesameprinciplesasdrawingabox.It’salllogical—justalittlemoreconfusing.

Drawahorizonwithtwowidelyspacedvanishingpoints.Drawonelinefromtheleftvanishingpoint,andtwolinesfromtherightvanishingpoint.

Pickapointfortheendoftheramp,andfromtheredrawaverticalline.

Fromtheclosestcorner,drawalinetothetopoftheramp.

Fromthetopofyourramp,drawalinetotheleftvanishingpoint.

Atthebottomoftheverticalline,drawaverylightguidelinetotheleftvanishingpoint.Eventhoughthislinewouldn’tshowiftherampweresolid,youstillhavetodrawit.Canyouseewhy?

Youneedittodeterminethebackcorneroftheramp.Lightlyaddthisverticalline.

Addtheremainingslopinglinetocompletetheramp.

Noticewhathappenswhenyouextendthesidesoftheramp.They,too,convergeontheirownvanishingpoint.Youcanstopyourdrawinghere.Oryoucanmakeitmorecomplicated….

Forexpertsonly!

Drawanotherverticalline(arrow),andusetheleftvanishingpointtodrawanotherrectangleinperspective.

Drawanotherrectangle—findthetopbyputtingyourrulerontherightvanishingpointandthetopoftheramp(arrows).Thisway,it’sthesameheightastheramp.

Drawdiagonallinestoconnecttherampandthetallerrectangle.

Drawdiagonallinestoconnectthelastrectangle.

Drawthetwolastdiagonallines.Useyourrulerandtheleftvanishingpointtomakesuretheendsareinperspective.

Fromthecloseredgeofthisbridge-likestructure,maketwoverticallinesdownward.

Ifyou’vemadeitthisfar,I thinkyou’reinagoodpositiontokeepexploringonyourown.Followmyexample,orgowildandinventyourownstructure.Itcangoup,itcangosideways.Itjusthastostaybetweenthetwovanishingpoints.

Whichweshouldtalkaboutnext.

Vanishingpoints…

Youcancreatedifferentfeelingsinyourpicturedependingonwhereyouplacethevanishingpoints.

Placingthemclosetogether,aswe’vedoneforconveniencesofar,createsthesenseofobjectsloomingtowardyou—ratherdramatic.

Amore“normal”viewmightnothaveanyvanishingpointsinthepicture—maybeone,butcertainlynottwo.

Thefartherthevanishingpointslietotheside,thelessapparentdistortionyourviewerwillseeinthefinisheddrawing.

Youmightfinditdifficulttodrawvanishingpointsoffthesideofyourpaper,unlessyouhaveadraftingtable,but…

…bycroppingthepicture,yougetthesameeffect.

…andcameralenses

Ifyou’veeverusedacamerawithazoomlens,youwillseeaconnection.

Vanishingpointsinthepicture,orclosetotheedgeofthepicture,createawide-angleview.

Vanishingpointsfartheroutcreatea“normal”view.

Whenthevanishingpointsliefaroutsidethepicture,linesconvergingonthemlookalmostparallel.Thiscreatestheeffectofatelephotolens.Noticethewonderfulperspectivepatterninthelawn!

Here’sanotherexampleofadifferentcameralens—actuallyazoomlensatdifferentfocallengths.Canyoulocatethevanishingpointsforthetruckinthesetwophotos?

Moreaboutthehorizonandeyelevel

Let’slookatsomeexamplesofchanginghorizonandeyelevel.

Perchedonthescorchinghotfenderofanotherschoolbus(thiswasausedschoolbuslot),Iwaslookingdownatthisschoolbus,soitliesbelowthehorizoninthepicture.Canyoufindthehorizoninthisphoto?

Backontheground(phew!)Itakeanotherphoto.Where’sthehorizon?(Canyouthinkofawaytoestimatemyheightfromthisphotograph?)

Nowthebusloomsaboveme(lookfamiliar?). Whereisthevanishingpointforthelinesonthesideofthebus?Whereisthevanishingpointforthelinesonthefrontgrilleofthebus?

Thesephotographslookperfectlynormal,right?Nowtrydrawingroughboxdrawingsofeach.Youwillbeamazedhowweirdtheyare!Trydrawingthemfreehand(withoutaruler)ifyouwant.Inreality,thingslikeschoolbusesaren’tperfectboxes,sodrawingslikethesewouldbejustthestartingpointofarealdrawing.Imaginetheseclunkyboxesasbarsofsoap,whichyouwouldthencarvetomakethefinaldrawing,oncethecorrectperspectiveisestablished.

Howstrange—thehorizonliesexactlyatthetopofthebus.Lookatthephoto—itreallydoes.Drawit.

Fromthisangle,therearwheelbecomessurprisinglysmallcomparedtothefront.Justfollowtherules,anddrawit.

Samehere—cantherearwheelreallybethatsmall?Measureitonthephoto.Lookattheguidelines.Followtherulesof3-D.Justdrawit.

Curvedobjectsin3-D

Noteveryvehiclehastheconvenientboxylookofaschoolbus.Butthesameprinciplesofperspectiveapply.

Drawaboxoutlinesimilartothatoftheschoolbus.

Addwheels,usingthevanishingpointandguidelinestokeeptheminperspectivewitheachother.Notethattheellipseforthefrontwheelisslightlywiderthantherearwheel,makingthefrontwheelappearslightlyturned.

Addacurvedfender,goingbehindthebackofthefrontwheel,andcoveringpartofthefront.Continuethecurveacrossthebottomofthecar’sfront,andmaketheoppositefender.

Drawtherearfenderandlinealongthebottomoftheside.

Addthecurvingtopofthecar,andtheoutlineofthewindowsontheside.

Drawthewindshield.Noticehowthetopcurvesup,andthebottomcurvesdown.

Addovalsforheadlights,onewiderandonethinner.

Adddetails: linesforthedoor,rearviewmirrors,hoodinsignia,parkinglights,andhubcapsonthewheels.

Eraseguidelines,addsomeshading,andpresto!It’sacarinperspective!

Note: ifyou’reinterestedindrawingcars,checkoutmybookDrawCars.

A3-Dcheckerboard

Thebeautyofperspectivedrawingisthewonderfuleffectsofdepthyoucanachieve.Thedownsideisthedrudgeryofdrawing allthoselines. Asyoucompletethisdrawing,you’llseewhatImean.Butit’sworthit!

Drawahorizon,twovanishingpoints(VP1,VP2),andtwosetsofguidelines.

Fromtheclosertothefartherintersectionsofthetwosetsoflines,makeanewguidelinetothehorizontoestablishanewvanishingpoint(VP3).

FromVP3,drawalineasyouseeinthisdrawing.

Thisnewguidelinecreatesyetanotherintersection.Fromit,drawalinebacktoVP1.

Aha! Anewintersection!Fromthis,drawalinetoVP2.

Andnow—yetanotherintersection,fromwhichyoucandrawanotherlinetoVP1.

Keepgoing!

Aswithearlierperspectiveexercises,thisonelooksbestifcropped.Impressive,isn’tit?

Perspectiveinaction:ahouse

Forconvenienceinthispicture,I’veplacedthevanishingpointsclosetogether.Amore“normal”viewwouldpositionthevanishingpointswelloutsidethepicture.

Drawthehorizonwithaleftandrightvanishingpoint.Makeaverticallineforthecornerofthehouse,andfromitdrawtwoguidelinestotherightvanishingpoint.

Makeasecondverticallineforthebackcornerofthehouse.

Drawlinesfromthefirstverticallinetotheleftvanishingpoint.

Makeanotherverylightguideline,fromthesecondverticallinetotheleftvanishingpoint.

Drawaverticallineforthethirdcornerofthehouse.Makeanotherverylightguidelinetotherightvanishingpoint.

Toputthepeakoftheroofoverthecenterofthewall,wehavetofindthecenterofthewall.Dothiswithlightlinesconnectingthecorners.

FromthecenteroftheXonthewall,makeaverticalline.Fromthetopofit,drawtheslopinglinesoftheroof.

Fromthepeakoftheroof,makeaguidelinetotheleftvanishingpoint.

Nowweneedtolocatetheotherendoftheroof.Fromthecenterofthetopoftherightwall(wheretheverticallinetotheroofpeakcrosses),drawalightguidelinetolocatethecenterofthebackwall.

Fromthecenterofthebackwall,drawaverticalline.Thebackendoftheroofiswhereitcrossesthetopguideline.

Drawtheslopinglineforthebackoftheroof.

Let’smakeanaddition!Drawtwolinesfromtheleftvanishingpointtoextendthewallofthehouse.

Drawaverticallineforthecorneroftheaddition.

Fromthetopandbottom,drawlightguidelinestotherightvanishingpoint.

Lineupyourrulerontheleftvanishingpointandthebottomcornerofthehouse,tolocatetheothercorneroftheaddition.

Drawaverticallineforthebackedgeoftheaddition.

Fromthatline,drawoneslopinglinetothehouse…

…andanother.

Adddetailstothehouseanditssurroundings.Drawsomebarnswithdifferentroofangles.Addaswimmingpool,somefields,androads.Drawalightgridofguidelinesinthesky,andfollowitasyoudrawclouds.Eventhoughirregularinshape,cloudscanaddperspectivetoyourdrawingaswell.Hey! What’sthisIsee? Betterdrawsomepowerpoles,too,becauseIseeapowerpoleinspectioncraftapproaching.

Addingshadowsin3-D

Shadowsinperspectivedrawingalsousevanishingpoints—butnotalwaysinobviousway.

Lightsourcebehind

Drawabasichouseusingtwo-pointperspective.Leaveroomatthetopforthelightsource,androomatthebottomfortheshadow.Markthelightsourceonyourpaper,anddirectlybeneathitonthehorizon,marktheshadowvanishingpoint.

Fromtheshadowvanishingpoint,drawlinesthroughtheoutsidecornersofthehouse,atgroundlevel.

Drawanotherlinefromtheshadowvanishingpointthroughtheclosestcornerofthehouse,atgroundlevel.

Drawanotherlinefromtheshadowvanishingpointthroughthemiddleoftheendwall,atgroundlevel.

Now,fromthelightsource,drawalinethroughthecornerofthehousedirectlyabovethefirstshadowvanishingpointlineyoudrew.Youdon’thavetodrawtheentireline: you’resimplylookingforthepointatwhichitintersectsthelinefromtheshadowvanishingpoint (arrow).

Fromthelightsource,drawanotherlinethroughtheclosestcorneroftheroofuntilitmeetsthesecondlinefromtheshadowvanishingpoint.Makealineconnectingthispointwiththepointestablishedinthelaststep.

Fromthelightsource,drawalinethroughthepeakoftheroofuntilitreachestheshadowvanishingpointlinerunningthroughthecenterofthehouse.Makealineconnectingthispointwiththepointestablishedinthelaststep.

Fromthelightsource,drawalinethroughthefarcorneroftheroofuntilitintersectsthefarthestlinefromtheshadowvanishingpoint.Thisoneisalittletricky—remember,followtherules!

Eraseguidelinesandshadeinshadowareas,andnowyouhaveaverypreciseshadowofthehouse.

Thequestionsremains,doyoureallyneedaverypreciseshadowofthehouse?Notreally.However,onceyouunderstandthetechnique,itwillbeeasiertodrawrealisticshadowsinyourdrawings.Afterall,nobody (exceptforfellowartists)actuallylooksattheshadowsinadrawingorpainting.Buttheymakeahugedifference.

Moreshadowsin3-D

Lightsourceinfront

Whenthelightsourcecastsashadowbehindobjects,youneedalightvanishingpointratherthanalightsource—beneaththehorizon!

Drawahouseintwo-pointperspective.Betweenthehousevanishingpointsonthehorizon,maketheshadowvanishingpoint.Directlybelowit,makethelightvanishingpoint.

Fromtheshadowvanishingpoint,drawalinetotheleftcornerofthehouse.

Nowaddalinetothepointonthegrounddirectlybelowthepeakoftheroof.

Drawanotherlinetothenextcornerofthehouse.

Theshadowvanishingpointcanstill“see”onemorecornerofthehouse.Drawalinetoit.

Fromthelightvanishingpoint,drawalinetothecorneroftheroofdirectlyabovethefirstshadowvanishingpointline.Noticewherethetwolinesintersect.

Alsofromthelightvanishingpoint,drawalinetothepeakoftheroof.Followthelinelyingdirectlybeneaththepeakoftheroof,towardtheshadowvanishingpoint.Wherethetwolinesintersect,drawalineconnectingthemwiththeintersectionyoucreatedinthelaststep.

Drawalinetothenextcorneroftheroof,andanotherlineasinthelaststep.

Doitonceagainforthethirdcorneroftheroof.

Younowhaveestablishedapreciseshadowforthehouse,butnotice,afterallthatwork,howmuchoftheshadowishidden.(Afterall,itisbehindthehouse.)

3-pointperspective

Youcanaddathirdvanishingpointforevenmoredramaticeffects.

Drawtworectanglesintwo-pointperspective.

Nowaddathirdvanishingpoint,veryfar offthebottomedgeofyourpaper.Drawlinesfromallthecornerstoyourthirdvanishingpoint.Prettycool!

Anotherwaytodividespace

Doyourememberhowtodividerecedingspacesevenlyusingavanishingpoint?Here’saneveneasierwaytodoit.

Fromyourfirsttwovanishingpoints,drawlinestoestablishthetopfloorofthebuildings.Inthemiddleofoneofthem,connectthecornerstomakeanX.FromthecenteroftheX,drawalinetoyourthirdvanishingpoint—butonlyuntilitcrossesthelineyoujustdrew.Nowyouhavethecenterofthebottomofthisfloor.

Fromthetopcornerofthetopfloor,drawalightlinethroughthecenterofthebottom.Whereitintersectswiththesideofthebuilding,makeaverylightmarkandusethistocreatethenextfloor.

Repeattheprocedure.Onceyouunderstandtheconcept,youcansimplymakelightmarksasyougo,ratherthandrawinglotsofdiagonallinesyoudon’twantinthefinaldrawing.

Whenyoucannolongerdividethefloorsonthecloserbuilding,youcanpickuponthefartherbuilding,makinganXandcontinuing.

4-pointperspective?

Youcanseethatathirdvanishingpointalsoworkswhenyoulookup.Ifyoulookstraightahead,wouldyouthenusefourvanishingpoints?

No.But,ifyouallowthelinestocurve,aswithafisheyelens,itworks.Thisisactuallywhatyoureyesees.Yourbrainmakesstraightlines.

Thelaserparadox

Imaginestandingoutsideonenight,andseeinganunbendinglaserbeam,shiningbetweentwopointshighaboveyou.

Youturntheotherdirection,andthere’sthesamebeam,nowshiningatadifferentangle!

Youknowthebeamdoesn’tbend—howdoesitconnectinthemiddle?Takeadeepbreath,letyourmindgoblank—andsureenough,you’llseethebeamasyoureyedoes:acurve.Youdon’tneedalaser.Tryitfacingthewallofalargeroom,likeagym.

Multiplevanishingpoints

Whilefour-pointperspectivedoesn’treallywork,thatdoesn’tmeanyourdrawingislimitedtotwoorthreevanishingpoints.

Iftheobjectsyou’redrawingarenotalignedwitheachother(parallel),thennaturallyeachwillhaveitsownsetofvanishingpoints.

Similarly,iftheobjectyou’redrawingisn’trectangular,you’llneedanewvanishingpointforeachnewangleyouintroduce.

Asyoupractice3-Ddrawing,don’tfeelyoualwayshavetousearuler.Trysketchinginperspective.Playwiththeconcepts.Makemistakes.Enjoy!

Remember…

Practice

Oneofthegreatsecretsofourworldisthatbehindeverysuccessthere’salwaysplentyofpractice.Thepeoplewhodoamazingfeatsofdaring,skill,oringenuityhavebeenpracticing,oftenformuchlongerthanyou’dimagine.They’veprobablyfailedmoreoftenthanyoucanimagine,too,sodon’twastetimebeingdiscouraged.Ifyourdrawingsdon’tlookexactlythewayyou’dlikethemto,especiallywhenyoustartoutwithanewidea,figureoutwhatwentwrong,anddoitagainright!

Saveyourdrawings!

Wheneveryoudoadrawing—orevenasketch—putyourinitials(orautograph!)anddateonit.Andsaveit—maybenotuntilitturnsyellowandcrumblestodust,butatleastforseveralmonths.Sometimes,hidinginyourportfolio,theywillmysteriouslyimprove!I’veseenithappenoftenwithmyowndrawings,especiallytheonesIknewwerenogoodatall,butkeptanyway.

Ifyoudon’thaveyourownportfolio,here’sanideaofhowyoumightmakeoneforyourself(youcanfindafancyoneatanartsupplystoreifyou’drather):

Publicationinfo

Copyright©1999-2015DouglasC.DuBosque.Allrightsreserved,includingtherightofreproductioninwholeorinpart,inanyform.PublishedbyPeelProductions,Inc.

We’dloveyourfeedbackontheelectronicversionofDraw3-D.Withchangingdevicesandscreenresolutions,findingthe“happymedium”presentsachallenge.Pleaseletusknowhowtheelectronicversionworksordoesn’tinyourexperience:ebooks@123draw.com.

eISBN978-0-939217-69-4

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData(printedition)

DuBosque,D.C.

Draw3-D: stepbystepperspectivedrawing/byDougDuBosquep.cm.Summary: Providesinstructionsformakingperspectivedrawings.ISBN 0-939217-14-71.Perspective--juvenileliterature.2.Drawing--Technique--Juvenileliterature.[1.Perspective.2.Drawing--Technique.]I.Title.II.Title: Draw3D.

NC750.D871998

742--dc2198-42174