You Can Review the Basics of Perspective by Looking at the Two Powerpoints on My Website

Drawing 1

Trisha Kyner

Two Weeks of Perspective:

Week 1

Today is the less imaginative day when we just get down the basics of one and two point perspective. If you have already learned these basics (say, in a high school class), I will give you the option of making a CREATIVE one-point perspective scene today on the computer OR in the classroom with paper and ruler. Those trying out one-point and two-point perspective for the first time will draw in one of the AHUM hallways.

You can review the basics of perspective by looking at the two PowerPoints on my website.

Week Two

Next week EVERYONE will have a chance to get creative one or two-point perspective scene that has characters and a strongly defined light source or sourceson a full size piece of white paper. I ask that you NOT use color, and that you use ink, charcoal or conté.

This week’s homework will prepare you for next week’s Creative Perspective Scene.

This week’s homework

I ask that you brainstorm and making 5-6 thumbnail sketches for next week’s assignment.

You can begin by thinking of an interesting character and setting for your imaginary perspective drawing. (I don’t care which comes first the character or the setting).If you start with the character, remember that it should not be depicted as flat or outlined. You must draw it in a way that shows value (cross hatching, line quality, tonal value.) Any character should be your own creation, whether it is a space alien, spider or human. (So no Sponge Bob or Fan Art. Yes, you can have more than one character. )

Try drawing the character and setting it under an imagined light source (try the sun at high noon directly above the character or a night scene in which the character is lit only by a single flash light coming in from the left hand side). If you pinpoint the light source you can use value to create texture and depth through shadow and light. The character must look three-dimensional (use a strong value scale and overlapping forms). Look at this week’s artists for ideas. Light source is essential for creating mood and story, so consider what the light is coming from (lamp or sun) and how intense or week it will be. Ask yourself where it will throw shadow.

Think of a setting that will work for two point perspective and which will also go with your character/s. Perhaps giant spiders are living in the corner of spooky room where the only light is from one small light bulb. Perhaps a rhino has stopped at the intersection of two streets lit by street lamps.

Make the setting intriguing in a narrative way. Are the buildings abandoned warehouses? Is the room a jail cell, a posh hotel room in Vegas? You are setting a scene for your character/s.

The atmosphere should suggest that something a) is happening b) about to happenor c) just happened.

**** If this sounds difficult (and you are a beginner) choose something fairly simple. Perhaps a single, simple house or room. Still, you should all push yourself and have fun with this.

Homework Summation:

Your homework for this week is to sketch 3 thumbnails of interesting settings created with basic rules of perspectiveand 2-3 sketches of character/s. Total of 5-6 small sketches. Once you have made the sketches, choose which ones you want to go forward with.

You must come to next week’s class knowing your setting and character/s.