Having never studied art academically beyond GCSE, perspective is something I have muddled through, rather than ever really studying and getting a comprehensive grasp of. I’ve looked at few YouTube tutorials and read the odd blog. These drawings I did earlier in the course demonstrate my level of understanding, my starting point.
Exercise 1 – Parallel perspective – an interior view
This is a drawing of the warehouse at my work. I stood and sketched the drawing purely from life without taking any measurements or reference photos. Once I had finished the sketch, I sat with a ruler to check my accuracy. As you can see, I wasn’t all that successful, I seem to have at least a couple of vanishing points.
I found this handy perspective guide sheet online, which allowed me to repeat the exercise. I could now compare my initial attempt with a more accurate (albeit heavily simplified) version. The corrected version demonstrates the depth much more accurately. Nevertheless, I found having the grid there very limiting, I felt like I was making a technical drawing.
Exercise 2 – Angular perspective
As soon as I read this exercise I knew what I wanted to draw. I’m originally from St Helens and I have vivid memories of the Beecham’s building located in the town centre. The grade II listed structure was built in the 1880s as the factory and headquarters of the Beecham pharmaceutical company. I had planned to go over, visit the parental units and do the drawing fro, life. However, unfortunately due to everybody’s favourite virus and the local lockdowns, I had to use a photograph.
As you can see around the edges, I used a ruler and set out some guide lines, some of which inevitably ended up on the next page.
Once I had completed the drawing, I used Photoshop to check how I’d done.
Somewhat more successful than my one point attempt, I think. This two-point perspective just makes sense in my head. I’m sure with practice I’ll be able to dispense with the ruler and most of the guides and draw from instinct. During my further reading, I have come across the additional levels of perspective drawing. Three-point, four-point, five-point, and multi-point, I will aim to become familiar with these as well as continuing my efforts to master the one and two point.
Exercise 3 – Aerial or atmospheric perspective
Unlike the previous exercises in this section, there are no handy guidelines or rulers to help with this task. This is pure interpretive imagination: look at the view and translate what you see in two dimensions, while alluding to the three dimensionality of the real world.
“One has to learn to see.”
Vincent van Gogh, from a letter to his brother Theo. June 1880
I thought about this task and concluded that a monochrome palette would be best. Taking the added variables of hue and chroma out of the equation would allow me to concentrate on representing a sense of space and scale.
This was my first attempt; I drew this in the field while on a short break in Northumberland. We stayed in a cottage facing Dunstanburgh Castle and I used the castle and the field in front of it as the subject. It was drawn in Copic alcohol marker and fine liner, unfortunately I made an error with my selection of paper. The rough texture of the watercolour sketchbook made it difficult to get the subtle changing in tone which I felt I needed to create a convincing sense of distance.
I would need to have another go at this, so decided to once again, return to my favourite spot in Locke Park. This drawing was done with the same markers but this time on much more responsive paper. It allowed me to build up layers of tone in a similar way to working with pencil, although without the ability to erase. I’m quite fond of this little drawing, there are a few passages that really work. The shadows under the trees in the middle ground are quite successful; I also like the changes in tone on the hills in the far distance. To me they give the impression of different fields with different colour crops in them. Time to move on to project 5.
Happy scribbling
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