Lesson 22: Perspective in a Scene

Objective: To have children create a scene using atmospheric and linear perspective.

Vocabulary:

horizon line - A line in the distance where the sky seems to meet land or water.

linear perspective - A technique used to create a sense of depth in a two-dimensional artwork by making parallel lines meet at a vanishing point.

perspective - A technique used to create a feeling of depth or distance in an artwork.

vanishing point - The point on the horizon line where parallel lines meet and disappear.

Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California by Albert Bierstadt1868, oil on canvas183 cm x 305 cmNational Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C., USA

Perspective Techniques

Atmospheric Perspective
Artists use different perspective techniques to create the feeling of depth and distance in flat artworks. Look at the background in Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California by Albert Bierstadt. The artist used a technique called atmospheric perspective to create the feeling of great distance. He used dull colors and fuzzy edges to make objects seem to fade away in the distance.

Alfalfa Fields, Saint-Denis by George Seurat1885-1886, oil on canvas25.25" x 32"Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, EU

Horizon Line
Find the place in Alfalfa Fields, Saint-Denis by George Seurat where the sky seems to meet the land. This is called the horizon line. In Alfalfa Fields, Saint-Denis the horizon line appears high up in the scene. The artist was probably sitting down and looking up when he painted the artwork. Where do you think the horizon line would be if the artist had been standing as he painted?

Commuter Trains, Union Station by Don Jacot1991, oil on linen36" x 48"Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY, USA

Linear Perspective
Imagine you are standing on the walkway in Commuter Trains, Union Station by Don Jacot and looking into the distance. Does the walkway seem to get wider or narrower in the distance? The art of Commuter Trains, Union Station used linear perspective to show depth. He made the lines of the walkway get closer together until they reached the horizon line. The point where the lines seem to meet the horizon line is called the vanishing point. Where else do you see lines that meet a vanishing point?

Think Critically - Tell what you learned.

Studio Time: Perspective in a Scene

Materials:

Pencils, Sketchbooks, White Paper, Ruler, Colored Pencils

Plan

Brainstorm some ways to show linear perspective in a scene. You might show the lines in a road, a path, or train tracks come together at a vanishing point.
Check list:
- Create a scene with linear perspective.
- Use use a ruler to show lines converging towards a vanishing point.

Create

Sketch your scene on white paper. Use a ruler to draw the lines to the vanishing point.

2. Experiment with the sizes of objects to create the feeling of depth in your drawing
3. Finish your drawing with colored pencils.

Reflect - Tell about your work.

Photograph and Submit your work on Google Classroom.

Photograph sketches as well as completed artwork.
"Add" (attach) to Google Classroom assignment.
"Mark as done" to submit your work for a grade.

Challenge: Draw from Two Different Views

Create two perspective drawings of the same scene with two different view points (low and high) then complete with colored pencil.