P E R S P E C T I V E D R A W I N G

Someone who makes freehand drawings of real architecture cannot use the constructed perspective method as they do not have the floor plan and elevation needed. Nevertheless, by observing certain principles rules and laws it is still possible to draw a correct perspective. Perspec-tive is particularly useful for the depiction of space. A measurable spa-tial depth, which is imitated in all perspectives, cannot be taken a freely drawn perspective, as perspectives do not have any scale.

THE DEPICTION OF SPACE IS REGULATED BY FIVE PRINCIPLES :

SPATIAL CONSTANT

The first principle of perspective illustration is that of the spatial constant. It describes the relationships between the sizes of objects in the depth of the space. Objects of the same size are shown smaller the further away they are.

STAGGERING

The principle of staggering is that any object behind another is hidden. Care should be taken that the lines do not overlap, as if they do they cannot be interpreted in spatial terms.

CORRECT LEVEL OF DETAIL

The principal of correct level of detail can be compared with archi-tects’ plans, which use different scales. Objects in the foreground are close and are therefore depicted in detail; objects that are closer to the horizon are further away and therefore some of the precise detail is lost. Here the draughtsman or woman varies the degree of abstraction.

ATMOSPHERE

Someone who has a good long-distance view in the city or the country recognises that the layers of air and vapour cause tonal values to fade or grow weaker towards the horizon. This is the atmospheric principle. The same object, seen at a greater distance, tends to blur visually in the background.

SHADOWS

The fifth principle of perspective drawing deals with shadows, which with all their different facets can create strong spatial effects.

The way the picture is built up is an important decision that must be made before starting every drawing, and may decide on the success or failure of the work. A drawing is always only a depicted part of the surroundings. There are complicated ways of showing the whole of these surroundings in perspective, but essentially a part or section must be chosen – consciously or unconsciously. First of all, the picture plane must be determined, that is, you must decide what you want to draw. The imaginary picture plane (PP) lies between you and the object you draw.

It is like an invisible plane slid between draughtsperson and subject, and projects what the observer sees onto the drawing sheet at a reduced scale.

Three-dimensional volumes in relation to the position of the horizon

Before starting the drawing you must discover your relationship to the subject of the drawing. Is it above or below you? Where is the horizon? How many vanishing points are there?

The horizon (H) is always at our eye level, whether we are lying on the ground (frog perspective), sitting or standing. If all the people gathered on a level square were of the same size, then their eyes would all be at the same height and therefore directed towards the line of the horizon.

Depending on interest the subject of the (draughts person’s) desire is either above the horizon (H), at the same height as the horizon or below it. Vanishing points (VP) always lie on the horizon line (except for tilted planes and three point perspectives).

Between architecture and draughts-man lies the picture plane: the drawing sheet.

The station point from which a building is viewed influences the kind of perspective (central, two-point or three-point perspective). If you look at a building or an interior space at right angles, you must draw the perspective with a single vanishing point (central perspective). The special aspect of the central perspective is that only the lines of building edges that are parallel and run in space converge at the central vanishing point; all the other lines have no vanishing point and therefore never meet.

If you are not looking at the building at right angles but at an outside corner of the building, you have a diagonal or two-point perspective. Left-hand building parts converge towards a left hand vanishing point, right hand building parts towards the right-hand point. As the name suggests, the two-point perspective has two vanishing points. All the vertical edges of the rectangular volume remain vertical. If we draw an angled view and at the same time look upwards, for instance at the base of a high-rise) or look downwards, (for instance out of the window of a high-rise building), a third vanishing point is added. This is then – with a rectangular building – the three-point perspective. Theoretically we could draw a spherical perspective that depicts the space surrounding us in all directions. In a rectilinear world one would always have six vanishing points, four them every 90° in the four points of the compass and one each for the high point and the low point. The high point and low point lie on what is called the “vertizon” (V), the equivalent of the horizon.

TIP: Essentially, the nearer you are to the building you are drawing, the closer together the vanishing points are on the drawing sheet (see Fig. 63, page 59). If you move further away from the building and draw it again you will notice that in relation the vanishing points are now further away from the building, possibly even no longer on the drawing sheet. In single point perspectives the vanishing point is generally near the centre of the sheet.

IMPORTANT: A significant difference from the techni-cal architectural drawing is the depiction only of what is visible, i.e. no edges of volumes that lie behind or in front of the building being drawn are indicated by dashed or dotted lines. Unless, that is, various lines are needed to construct building parts: lines to discover the horizon, vanishing points or construction lines for complicated building parts can be retained in the finished drawing, as they form part of the development and comprehension process of the drawing. Corrections are also allowed. The aim is to find the correct line and to depict the subject of the drawing correctly.

ACTIVITY: Let's give a try!

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