Perspective
Perspective explains both linear and aerial perspective, Diminishing Size, Foreshortening, Fixed Viewpoint, Converging Parallels, Angular Perspective, Sloping Planes, Cylinders and Ellipses, Tricky Perspective, Perspective and Detail.
Carol Santora, PSA, is an internationally-collected contemporary animal artist living in Kennebunk, Maine, specializing in animal and wildlife paintings and pet portraits of cows, horses, sheep, farm and domestic animals, dogs and cats, the big cats, moose, bear in pastel and acrylic.
Perspective:
How an object moves through space. The size of things is affected by
their placement on the picture plane.
There are two types of perspective: Linear Perspective and Aerial Perspective. Both are discussed below.
Linear Perspective - Measured architectural space. Things diminish in size the
farther away they are, and vanish at the horizon (at the artist's eye level). Parallel
lines converge at a vanishing point on the horizon. Think of the railroad tracks and telephone poles disappearing as they meet the horizon.
Now look at a rectangular doorway. View it closed, then open the door slightly, then open it more. Also look at the door
as you sit and stand. Notice that the door changes shape as your position
changes. The angled parallel lines at the top and bottom of the door would meet at a
vanishing point, if the lines were extended. The vanishing pointis always at your eye level, and it is referred to as the horizon line.
Eye level changes when you sit and stand. It also changes if you move to the left or right.
DEFINITIONS:
Diminishing Size:
Objects further away become smaller and smaller until they disappear. Optical
shrinking gives rise to foreshortening. Because we "know" their real size, we fail to
see how much smaller they become when pushed back in space.
Foreshortening:
The long axis of an object observed coming towards appears shorter than it actually is. When you draw the object you must shorten the lines to produce the illusion of projecting or extending into space.
Fixed Viewpoint:
If you look at something with one eye closed, and then open that eye and close the
other, everything appears to shift to the right or left.
Converging Parallels:
(see Raphael's School of Athens)
The effect of parallel lines appearing to meet at a vanishing point is seldom obvious.
You will have to cope with bends or irregularities, with edges running slightly up or
down hill, which will affect the vanishing point.
Parallel perspective is limiting, as it is impossible to depict corner-on views of objects.
Angular Perspective:
This type of perspective was developed to show corner-on views of two sides of a
building at right angles to each other. They can be drawn receding to separate
vanishing points (also called two-point perspective).
Sloping Planes:
Declined planes (sloping down) and inclined planes (sloping up) have vanishing
points below or above your eye level.
Cylinders and Ellipses:
*Simple rule: circles fit into squares. Once you can draw a box, you
can draw a circle or cylinder. Circles change shape according to your viewpoint
(eye level).
As a circle moves towards the horizon, it becomes elliptical in shape.
As it reaches the horizon, it becomes flat. Be careful to keep a consistent viewpoint. Mark the center of a
circle/ellipse with a cross. Measure each quarter to be sure all four sections are equal.
Ellipses do not have points on their long ends. They are slightly rounded. To observe
circles and perspective hold a coffe cup at arm's length. See the top opening is oval.
The bottom cannot be seen. Raise the cup above your head, notice you can see the bottom, but not the top. Also notice the shape.
Tricky Perspective:
A dome with a square structure on top - trust your eyes. The sections of the dome
become smaller and smaller at the edges, and the curve follows the general direction
of the straight parallel lines below.
Perspective and Detail:
When filling in detail, a line of bricks, roof of shingles, windows, etc., must be
perfectly placed perspectively and in correct scale, not to contradict the perspective
of a building.
B. Aerial Perspective- As things diminish into the distance, their tones, shapes &
colors become more and more muted and indistinct because of the atmosphere.
Proportions of every compositional element must diminish in a logical progression from foreground to background.
Perspective in Landscape:
- There are few straight parallel lines in the natural world, and aerial, or atmospheric
perspective is an important aspect of landscape drawing because it allows one to
express spatial depth.
- Aerial perspective is the effect of the atmosphere on tones
(and colors) which can be seen best in the evening when light is beginning to fade,
or on misty days.
- There are three major planes of depth in any landscape:
foreground, middle-ground, and background.
- The three major planes can also be present in still-life and interior scenes.
- See Color and Landscape Painting for more information on aerial perspective.
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© Copyright 2000-2011 Carol Santora
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