Drawing Lesson 3

The learning experience

Mastering the geometry and mechanics of perspective will enable you to make your drawings more believable and realistic. It will also enable you to exaggerate it, skew it, stretch it or condense it in order to achieve different dramatic effects.  

In this session we looked at two different aspects of recording or measuring perspective.  

1. We looked at the geometry of one point perspective and how to use diagonal cross hairs to accurately find the centre points of symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes or 'spaces'.


This is an early example of a renaissance artists showing off his new found skills at using perspective. IT looks like something from a technical drawing class!








This famous image making fun of New Yorkers and their limited knowledge of the rest of the world uses one point perspective to add a sense of distance.

 This photo is from the web site of a wedding photographer. His exaggerated use of one point perspective draws attention to the groom - 'the main man'

These are two examples of interiors drawn in one point perspective. We used these as part of an exercise to identify the vanishing point and also the eye level (or horizon line).

2. We started to practice 'sighting' as a mechanical means of recording proportions, distances and angles to construct a simple, one point perspective drawing of a room.

Your personal journey

The time you spend on these and the answers you find will be the key factors in helping you to discover your own drawing style.

1.   This week I would like you to draw a one point perspective view of a space in your house. Please don’t use a ruler; this will make the task harder, not easier. It is a good opportunity to practice drawing straight lines.