Perspective
Drawing is a technique used to represent three-dimensional
images on a two-dimensional picture plane.
It
was developed in the 15th century by the architects, Leon
Baptista Alberti (1404-72) and Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446).
For
500 years, perspective drawing remained one of the basic
principles of Western art until it was challenged by the
ideas of the Cubists at the start of the 20th century.
Whether
you are working with conventional materials such as pencils
and paints, or contemporary digital media, a knowledge and
understanding of perspective drawing is an essential tool
to help enhance your drawing technique.
There
are two elements in perspective drawing:
Linear
Perspective which deals with the organisation of shapes
in space, and
Aerial
Perspective which deals with the atmospheric effects on
tones and colours.
You
can see both of these elements above in our illustration
of some ancient ruins.
The
black and white image displays an example of Linear Perspective.
It shows some of the lines of construction used to arrange
the blocks and columns to create an illusion of depth and
distance.
If
you mouse over the black and white image it should reveal
a coloured and textured version of the scene. This displays
the atmospheric effects of Aerial Perspective. You can see
how the tones weaken and the colours pale as they recede
from your view.
Both
linear and aerial perspectives combine to create this convincing
illusion. However linear perspective will be our main focus
of study in the rest of this unit on perspective drawing.
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