Understanding Perspective - Art in Practice
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I thought I would tackle the one thing that people can get really hung up about when observing… I get asked, which way should this angle go? How do I represent far away? yes the thing I am talking about is perspective!
What is Perspective?
As artists we don’t have to be perfect at perspective (yes really!) we just need the basic principles because you will get to almost automatically add it to your art and you will break the rules but first it’s worth knowing them.
So what is it? Perspective is a way of viewing a 3D world through a 2D plane meaning your piece of paper and you only have a few things to think about so here it is…
Examples of One and Two Point Perspective
Using photographs from a corridor, Venice and the Parthenon we look at the differences between these two types of perspective. But what’s in a name, it is simple, they both have vanishing points on the horizon line, one point has one vanishing point and yes, you guessed it two point has two! Note the bonus tip on how to find your angles…
Perspective in a Nutshell
In the video I have explained how to draw using perspective that has 1 or 2 vanishing points, this is an exercise you can have a go at… all you need is a pencil (or pen), ruler and paper. Creating boxes covers almost everything you need to draw buildings, we can cover cylinders and curves and more in future Art in Practices...
Observing Perspective Whilst Out and About
When your outside just take a minute to observe what’s around you from your eye level . Just start to notice, don’t try to observe everything, this video is a fabulous example of what to look out for and will start to get you to notice things, just pick one thing…
Observing Aerial Perspective
A quick note on aerial perspective … the further away something is the smaller it gets, you knew that, right? Did you know it also gets bluer (it has more atmosphere in-between). Finally you can’t see as much detail, seems obvious, yes?
Well this is what is described as aerial perspective, you can see it on photographs too, sometimes it’s just about the terminology.
NB: whilst we are talking about distant objects notice how they are flatter as well? It’s because they are smaller but it’s worth pointing this out as when you know a distant mountain is very high (you wouldn’t see it otherwise) then it is easy to draw it at a huge angle.
Now go out and enjoy observing, and tell us in the Art Hub Community what you find?
Art Hub is a free online space where you can share your progress and where we share what we are currently working on, behind the scenes in our studios and where you can be in touch with other artists.
Join the Conversation
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment under the video or post in the Art Hub Facebook group. You can also suggest topics or questions you’d like me to cover in future sessions.
Most importantly, I’d love to see your work—whether you try to draw using these perspective tips or use the idea as a springboard into your own creative path. Share your pieces either here or in the Art Hub Community, which you can join for free:
✨ Enjoy the process of observing your surroundings, and see where it takes your art.