Topic 1 : Landscape
Meaning, characteristics, distances and weight values of drawing landscape
Landscape refers to a line drawing about various surroundings, both nature and man-made objects. One important thing for the drawer to draw landscape well, accurately and completely is knowledge and understanding in perspective.
Landscape means scenery, natural or man-made landscape of a particular area and/or painting, drawing and other fields of arts referring to perspective and landscape, nature such as forests, mountains, villages, etc. Man-made objects like men, animals may be included, only as components. (Tianchai Tangpornprasert. 2544, 65)
3 types of drawing scenery
1. Landscape
This is a drawing about land environment representing time, and atmosphere of natural environment of that region such as forests, mountains, rice fields, waterfall, streams, ponds, canals, grass fields, etc. focusing on land. There may be pictures of man-made men, animals, other objects in the picture.
2. Seascape
This is a drawing about sea environment such as sea, rocks, sandy beaches, focusing on drawing sea more than land, trees, sky, boat, etc. The distinguish feature of drawing seascape is drawing rolls of waves, waves hitting rocks, waves hitting sea shore or coast with boats.
3. Architectural scape
This is a drawing about man-made buildings environment such as houses, buildings, churches, temples. This architectural scape mainly focuses on buildings and other elements such as men, animals, trees, sky which makes the picture lively. The main important thing in drawing architectural scape is linear perspective. The drawer must have knowledge, understanding in conveying the picture correctly to get the beautiful picture.
Distances and weight value in landscape drawing
In landscape drawing, distances and weight value of light and shadow is extremely important. Apart from making dimension and distances, they enhance atmosphere and show time duration of the picture. Distances and weight value in landscape drawing can be divided into 3 stages.
1. Fore Ground
Fore ground is the distance at the front of the picture or a region near the drawer. Fore ground should be drawn first as the highlight point. Then, the weight value of light and shadow in the picture can be expressed sharply.
2. Middle Ground
The middle ground is the deep distance expressed next to the fore ground, that is depth dimension. The drawer may use the middle area of the picture to express the highlight object by arranging light and shadow weight value to be more prominent than the fore ground which acts only as the eye leading point to the middle ground and back ground. If not intended to focus the middle ground to be the highlight point, the light and shadow weight value will not as clear as the fore ground.
3. Back Ground
The back ground of the drawing is the furthest distance seen in the drawing, furthest deep of the eyesight. If the drawing is about the sea, the background may be the horizontal line, dividing the sky and the sea, clouds floating in the far distance with islands or rowing boats at the line separating sky and sea lines, etc. The weight value of light and shadow at the back of the drawing is not sharp, fading into the sky and the sea, etc.
Summary
Landscape means scenery, natural or man-made landscape of a particular area and/or painting, drawing and other fields of arts referring to perspective and landscape, nature such as forests, mountains, villages, etc. Man-made objects like men, animals may be included, only as components. There are 3 types of drawing scenery: landscape, seascape and architectural scape which can be divided into 3 stages: fore ground, middle ground and back ground. The highlight of the drawing ought to be at the fore ground with sharp light and shadow, sometimes in the middle ground, the fore ground only leads the eyes to middle and back grounds.
Drawing scenery following the linear perspective
For art techniques, drawing beautiful scenery and transferring its accuracy according to the linear perspective, masterful and experienced drawers will apply linear perspective appropriately, not strictly. They sketch and draw with hands and pencils freely, no rulers or set squares (triangles), but must master the main factors of the linear perspective, as follows:
1. View point is the standing point where he/she stands to take a look at the object.
The drawer’s viewpoint is the standing point where the drawer looks at various objects. This is an eye level line or a horizontal line, a vanishing point is on a horizontal line. At this point, if the object drawn is above the horizontal line, it is called “Ant’s eye view”.
Image shows “Ant’s eye view”
Image shows “Bird’s eye view”
If, at this vanishing point on a horizontal line, the object drawn is below the horizontal line, it is called “Bird’s eye view”.
2. Eye level or so-called a horizontal line, either viewing above or below eye level, viewer will see 2 different types.
3. Vanishing point is an ending point at eye level or horizontal line. It is where two or more lines meet at the horizontal line. The positions of a vanishing point are left, right, above and below. In drawing, there may be more than one vanishing points, contour lines merge to a vanishing point, the object looking smaller. The nearer to the vanishing point, the smaller the object.
4. Parallel perspective In drawing a volume of a rectangle or square, the front side of the object is set paralleling to the object’s plane. Lines are drawn to a vanishing point on a horizontal line, the figure seen will look smaller to a vanishing point.
3 types of perspective drawing
1. One point perspective drawing
2. Two point perspective drawing
3. Three point perspective drawing
Summary
Drawers must comprehend the linear perspective to get beautiful and correct scenery, which are drawer’s viewpoint, an eye level, a vanishing point and drawing with one, two and three perspectives (vanishing points).