PERSPETIVE - Three Point Perspective

three point perspective
technique
At this point it's customary to explore the
capabilities of 2PP in a variety of specific drawing problems. I
want to keep the momentum and look at three point
perspective, which allows you to construct a form in any
orientation (from any viewpoint).
the perspective sketch
Three point perspective is often illustrated with aerial views of construction method
Manhattan, looking down on a skyline bristling with
skyscrapers. But artists will find 3PP equally useful in still life or constructing a 3PP cube
figure paintings — where the view downward onto a table of (sketch method)
objects or a piece of furniture can be just as steep — and in
landscape views up toward soaring cliffs or a stand of tall trees. the horizon line
construction method
The 3PP perspective problems and construction methods are constructing a 3PP
complex, and it may seem we lose more in clarity than we gain drawing
in drawing power. Many artists have come to the same (horizon line method)
conclusion, and avoid 3PP for simpler approaches, including
freehand modification of drawings blocked out in 2PP, or the
expedient of tracing photos.
I won't disagree with those solutions; they can be convenient

and effective. They fall short, however, if you must add new
forms around the primary form — for example, if you have
traced the photograph of an existing building, and want to
insert new or different buildings around it — or if you want to
show the building from a different point of view, or require
more precision than freehand perspective can provide. For
these common situations, 3PP is invaluable.
As we add vanishing points, we remove aspects of

perspective that we can take for granted. In 1PP or central
perspective, the relationship of the vanishing points and horizon
line to the direction of view are taken for granted. In 3PP both
the vanishing point locations and the relationship between in
the direction of view and the ground plane (horizon line) must
be specified.
Defining Features of Three Point Perspective. The diagram
shows the simplest 3PP situation: a cube centered in view but
first rotated 45° to one side and then downward until all front
faces appear of equal size. In all three point perspective
views there are no faces or edges parallel with the picture
plane.
In particular, because the direction of view is still assumed to

be perpendicular to the image plane, the direction of view is
no longer parallel to the ground plane when the primary
forms are constructed as buildings are, with walls perpendicular
to the ground.
The canonical view places the three front edges of the cube in a
54.7° angle to the direction of view, so that all three vanishing
points are outside the circle of view. The planes of the three
front faces are at a 35.3° angle to the direction of view, with
vanishing lines defined by the triangle of three vanishing points.
three point perspective: the basic geometry
The three vanishing points (vp1, vp2 and vp3) control the
recession of all lines parallel to the edges of the cube. This
means the outline of each face is determined by two vanishing
points, rather than one as in 2PP.
Connecting the vanishing points are three vanishing lines,

which control recession of all planes parallel with each front and
matching back face of the cube and all planes parallel to them.
Each vanishing line also contains the vanishing points for all
lines parallel to their respective planes, including the diagonal
vanishing points (dvp1, dvp2 and dvp3) for the planes.
A vanishing line perpendicular to the viewer's vertical

orientation (parallel to the ground plane) is typically the
horizon line in architectural or landscape uses of perspective.
It is the vanishing line for all planes parallel to the ground
plane, and contains all vanishing points for lines parallel to the
ground plane (perspective rules 13 and 14).
Each vanishing line is connected to the vanishing point opposite

to it by an auxiliary horizon line (shown in orange in the
figure). These are the vanishing lines for measure points for
each of the three dimensions of the cube. In 2PP, the horizon
line was a vanishing line for both the vanishing points and
measure points, but in 3PP these functions can be separated.
The auxiliary horizon lines always intersect at the direction

of view (the principal point) — that is, they link the vanishing
points of the object to the vanishing point of the viewer's
central recession (perspective gradient). Therefore the
principal point is always inside the vp triangle formed by
the three vanishing lines: if it is not, then the primary form
does not define right angled vanishing points (it is a pyramid or
a lopsided cube).
The measure points become significantly more complex in the

3PP orientation: two vanishing points define the edges of
each face, and each edge requires its own measure point. So
we have in all six measure points (mp1 to mp6) — two for
each vanishing point in relation to the two faces it governs.
Finally, with the visual ray method we had a simple way to

rotate the vanishing points in 2PP, but this also becomes
significantly more complex in 3PP. In 2PP we just had to rotate
two faces joined in one right angle, which we could easily
diagram in two dimensions as two lines joined in one angle. In
3PP we must rotate three faces joined in three right angles, and
that complicates the visual ray approach to a perspective
solution.
Direction of View & Horizon Line. A 3PP construction allows

the direction of view to be oblique to the ground plane,
so that we are looking down or up on objects rather than
looking at them directly from one side. Consequently in 3PP it is
necessary to distinguish between (1) the object geometry (the
vanishing points defined by the edges of the primary form), (2)
the central recession defined by the direction of view, and (3)
recession on the ground plane, for example in the visual texture
of forests, grassy plains, deserts or bodies of water.
For example, we can redraw the cube illustrated above in two

point perspective so that it has exactly the same angular size
in the field of view (using a measure bar), and is positioned
below the direction of view so that we look down on its upper
face at a 35° angle. This locates the top front corner on the 71°
circle of view and the bottom front corner just in front of the
ground line (diagram, below).
the 3PP canonical view in two point perspective
Because both the angular size of the cube and the angle of its
faces to the direction of view are identical, we are viewing it
from exactly the same location in physical space. All we
have done is shift our gaze from the object itself to the
horizon line behind it. This keeps the same visual angle
between the front corner of the cube and the horizon line. But
changing the direction of view in 3PP means that:
(1) the horizon line no longer must intersect the principal point,
and in fact may no longer be within 90° circle of view; and
(2) the geometrical relationship between any two vanishing

points (the size and shape of the triangle the vanishing points
define on the image plane) depends on the location of the third
vanishing point and the location of the direction of view (the
orientation of the image plane to the perspective problem).
the perspective sketch construction method
The solution is basically to draw the form first, so you can

locate the vanishing points and measure points which will produce that
perspective view. You then use these to reconstruct the primary form in accurate
perspective, and to add objects around the primary form within the same
perspective space.
Why not draw the primary form by freehand

perspective alone? Because, as we've already
seen in 2PP, inaccurate placement of
vanishing points results in a distorted
perspective view; even small distortions can
be obvious in a finished drawing. There is a
better way.
You start with a freehand perspective

sketch or scaled down perspective drawing at
the center of a fairly large piece of paper (a 3'
section from a roll of wrapping paper or white
butcher paper is ideal).
three point perspective: perspective
sketch of the
primary form
Your drawing or photograph of the primary

form should be small enough to fit all
perspective points on the sheet of paper, yet
large enough to work with accurately —
usually a drawing about 10cm or 4 inches on
its longest side is practical.
Take your time with the freehand drawing,

and try to capture the relative proportions of
the dominant edge angles and faces as
accurately as you can. Don't worry about
extraneous features (such as doors, windows
or domes): you want to capture the basic
perspective shape as it recedes in three
directions. Be sure to define the edges and
corner points clearly.
You can also start with a drawing or

photograph of a building or monument that
presents clear vanishing lines in its edges or
surfaces, in the perspective orientation you
want to duplicate. This photograph is only
used to specify the approximate
perspective view of the primary form in the
drawing, so it does not have to look anything
like the primary form you actually want to
draw.
Once the drawing is finished to your

satisfaction, or you have taped your
photograph to the sheet of paper, you draw
prospecting lines from the edges of the front
planes to find the three vanishing points.
Using a ruler or yardstick, extend the outer
edges of the form until these prospecting
lines intersect at three separate points. In a
cube you have three edges tending to each
vanishing point; use these in combination to
reconcile discrepancies and find the point that
gives all three the best definition.
The Vanishing Line Triangle. Next, connect

these three vanishing points with three
vanishing lines. You have defined the
vanishing line triangle that will define (and
usually contain) the primary form.
three point perspective: the vanishing

line triangle
This is the point to look at the overall

placement of the vanishing points in relation
to the primary form and the space around it
that will appear in the finished drawing. You
can block in the format outline, or sketch
other large forms around the primary form, to
make sure you will get the effect you want.
Constructing Auxiliary Horizon Lines.

Next, draw the three auxiliary horizon
lines through each vanishing point and
perpendicular to the opposite vanishing line.
There are two ways to do this. The quicker is
to use a large carpenter's square, laying one
side against each vanishing line and sliding it
back and forth along the line until the other
arm is exactly on the vanishing point. Then
draw the line.
three point perspective: constructing the

auxiliary horizon lines
A more accurate method in large drawings is

to construct the perpendiculars using a
long piece of fishing line, hemp (not
stretchable cotton) string or strip of cardboard
as a compass measure. With your thumb, a
tack or a piece of tape, fix one end of the
measure at the vanishing point, and with the
other end scribe a wide pencil arc across the
opposite vanishing line. (Put the tip of the
pencil through a loop in the string or a small
hole in the cardboard strip.) The arc must
intersect the vanishing line at two widely
spaced points. Then either scribe two
intersecting arcs centered on each of these
new points, or measure with a ruler 1/2 the
distance between them.
In the figure, the two arcs have been scribed

around vp1 and vp2, and through vp3, to
define the new points X and Y. Intersecting
arcs drawn from X, Y and vp3 create the new
points P1 and P2; lines to these points from
the corresponding vanishing points create two
auxiliary horizon lines. The direction of view
(dv) is always at the intersection of all three
auxiliary horizon lines, so the third line can
simply be drawn from vp3 through dv to the
opposite vanishing line. You end up with a
vanishing line triangle similar to the one
shown above.
Didn't I say elsewhere that the freehand

placement of vanishing points leads to
distortions? No: it's the clumsy scaling of
drawing size in relation to the distance
between the vanishing points that introduces
distortions. If your three auxiliary horizon lines
are at right angles (perpendicular) to their
vanishing lines, if they meet in a single point
(dv), and if this point is inside the vanishing
line triangle, then the triangle defines a valid
(physically possible) perspective space for a
rectilinear solid.
Constructing the Circle of View. Now we

insert the 90° circle of view. This requires
you to (1) find the midpoint of any of the
three vanishing lines (connecting two
vanishing points), (2) draw a semicircle of
Thales over the vanishing line, (3) extend to
the semicircle the auxiliary horizon line that
intersects the vanishing line, (4) construct a
line parallel to the vanishing line, and finally
(5) draw a second arc back to this parallel
line. The intersection of this arc with the
parallel line defines the radius of the 90° circle
of view around dv.

circle of view
In the traditional solution, the artist uses

either a ruler or the method of intersecting
arcs to find the midpoint M on the vanishing
lines between two vanishing points. In the
diagram, I've chosen the vanishing line
between vp2 and vp3. When arcs of equal
radius are inscribed across the vanishing line
from the two vanishing points, they intersect
at two points, x and y. (1) A line through
these points defines the midpoint M of the
vanishing line.
(2) From point M the artist constructs a

semicircle of Thales between the two
vanishing points, then (3) extends to the
semicircle the auxiliary horizon line that
intersects the inscribed vanishing line at P.
This defines a new point C. (For visual clarity,
the semicircle is shown outside the perspective
triangle, but to save space it can just as well
be drawn to intersect the interior auxiliary
horizon line.)
(4) Next, the artist constructs a line through

dv that is parallel to the vanishing line.
(5) Finally, the artist inscribes an arc from P

with radius equal to PC, the extended
segment of the auxiliary horizon line. This
intersects the line parallel to the vanishing line
at either H1 or H2, depending on where it is
more convenient to construct the arc.
(6) The line segments dv-H1 or dv-H2 are

equivalently the radius of the 90° circle of
view. The artist draws this circle from H1 (H2)
with dv as its center.
It is often useful to include the 60° circle of

view, which is a second circle with a radius
equal to 0.58 (58%) of the radius of the 90°
circle of view. This completes the perspective
space.
Locating Measure Points. The last step is

locating the measure points. Six are required
if they are marked along the vanishing lines,
but only three if you locate them on the
auxiliary horizon lines.
Auxiliary Horizon Line Measure Points. To

find the measure points on the auxiliary
horizon lines, use a protractor or architect's
triangle (or the traditional method for
constructing a perpendicular) to construct
finish perpendiculars on each auxiliary horizon
line, from dv to the circle of view: the
intersection with the circle of view defines
three new points, C1, C2 and C3. Draw arcs
from each of these C points back to the
auxiliary horizon line perpendicular to it, using
the vanishing point on that auxiliary horizon
line as the center of the arc.
three point perspective: finding the

measure points
This completes the perpective space at a

reduced scale. I find that this entire
procedure, starting with a blank sheet of
paper and ending with the finished perspective
space, requires about 20 minutes to
complete. Once you understand how to do it,
the work goes quickly and smoothly.
You must carefully make seven measurements

on this drawing (using a metric ruler) to
rescale it to full size: (1) the longest distance
between any two vanishing points (in the
example, vp3 to vp2), (2) the distance from
one of these vanishing points to the
intersection with the auxiliary horizon line (vp3
to h), (3) the length of this auxiliary horizon
line (h to vp1), (4) the length to the direction
of view (h to dv), and finally (5-7) the
distance from dv to each of the three measure
points.
Divide the radius of the circle of view you want

in the full sized drawing (say, 160cm) by the
radius of the circle of view in your perspective
sketch: multiply all the measurements by this
number. This gives you the full scale
perspective space. Your perspective work
surface needs to be at least as long as the
longest vanishing line and as wide as the 90°
circle of view. In the example drawing,
assuming a 3m circle of view, this would be
roughly 5m by 3m.
On a surface large enough to accommodate

these distances (a very large table, or a clean
hardwood or linoleum floor, or a clean, flat
patio, garage floor or driveway), measure out
the longest vanishing line (in the figure, vp2 to
vp1), and the auxiliary horizon line to vp3.
Connect the three vanishing points to define
the vanishing line triangle. Measure the
distance from the vanishing line to dv, and
draw the remaining two auxiliary horizon lines
from the vanishing points through dv. Finally,
mark the three mp's on each auxiliary horizon
line, measured from dv.
Use the drawing scale shown in the distance

to size table to compute the drawing scale
— the percentage of the actual object size (for
a given viewing distance) that the drawing of
the primary form should have. On a piece of
paper, make a rough sketch of the primary
form at this size, and lay the sketch on the
format (size of support) you intend to use, to
make sure the proportions work.
Vanishing Line Measure Points. The 3PP

method of using three measure points is
convenient, but it fails when the anchor point
for measurements is close to the direction of
view (dv). In this case, you may want to use
the vanishing line points instead.
The construction of the circle of view required

a semicircle of Thales drawn around one of the
vanishing lines, centered on M and
intersecting the vanishing points at either end
of the vanishing line, then extended the
auxiliary horizon line to intersect the
semicircle in a point h'. This is all you need to
define the measure points on that vanishing
line. (Note that you can save steps and work
space by intersecting the auxiliary horizon line
inside the perspective triangle, to define
interior h', and construct the measure points
from there.)
three point perspective: alternate method

to define measure points
The point h' will always define a 90° angle

with the two vanishing points on the vanishing
line. That is, it is equivalent to the viewpoint in
a 2PP rotation of vanishing points. So you can
draw two arcs from this point back to the
vanishing line, using each vanishing point as
the center of an arc, to define the measure
points for the vanishing line — just as you
would in two point perspective.
Confusion about the choice of vanishing line

measure points is usually dispelled by the
following two criteria:
• The controlling vanishing point is the

vanishing point for the convergence of
the edges that are being sized by the
measure bar. Thus, edges converging to the
right side vanishing point (vp2) are controlled
by that vanishing point.
• The measure point to use was defined by

an arc from the controlling vanishing
point. Thus, mp4 was defined by an arc
centered on vp2, so mp4 is the measure point
to use when sizing edges that recede to that
vanishing point. The height dimension is
controlled by the vertical vanishing point
(vp3), which was the center of the arc used to
define mp3.
Measure bars to the vanishing line measure

points always must be parallel to the
vanishing line containing the measure point
being used, not to any auxiliary horizon line as
before. Note that two measure points are
always available for each dimension. In the
example, mp6 can be used to size the vertical
edges receding to vp3, if for some reason mp3
is inconvenient to use — but in that case, the
measure bar must be parallel to the vanishing
line containing mp6.
The measure bars in the illustration are the

same length as those used previously, and as
you can see, they define the same reduction in
perspective depth. You do not need to rescale
or recompute the measure bars you already
have; just align them parallel with the
appropriate vanishing line.
Because the semicircle on M is part of the

circle of view procedure, and any vanishing
line can be used to define the circle of view,
you should consider the location of your
anchor points in the perspective space, and
place the semicircle of Thales around the
vanishing line where measure points will be
most convenient.
For example: I had originally put the anchor

point at the front bottom corner of the cube;
in that location mp3 worked fine, but the other
two points created badly slanting measure
lines that would introduce inaccuracies. The
best alternative points would be found on the
top vanishing line (between vp1 and vp2), so I
should have started building the circle of view
by putting the first semicircle on that side.
constructing a 3PP cube

(perspective sketch method)
Once you have constructed the

3PP space, you can begin construction of the
cube or primary form. This explanation
excludes the procedures necessary to scale
the drawing, which are developed below.
three point perspective: locating the
primary form
Measure out the perspective space on the

perspective drawing surface (floor, driveway,
patio), and tape or tack the support to the
surface, oriented with the top edge parallel to
one of the vanishing lines (or to none, if the
perspective view is tilted), and the dv in the
correct location within the drawing. If you do
not want to work directly on your watercolor
paper, reconstruct the drawing on a large
sheet of butcher paper or wrapping paper, and
then trace or square the drawing to the
format when you are done.
Mark the dv and draw the auxiliary horizon

lines, the measure points, the anchor point,
and the base vanishing lines through the
anchor point.
The diagram shows this done on an emperor

sheet, 40" x 60", located with the dv near the
bottom. (If you are going to all this trouble,
you may as well make the painting
spectacular!) For clarity, the support outline is
omitted in the next several illustrations,
although it is assumed you are working with
the support in place.
three point perspective: constructing

measure bars
The last preparatory step is constructing the

measure bars. Do this from the center of the
space (dv), because each measure bar must
be parallel with its corresponding auxiliary
horizon line. This is easiest to do by simply
drawing the measure bar on a separate sheet
of paper, directly over the auxiliary horizon
lines.
Draw the measure bars to the perspective

length they have in space, so that you can line
them up with one end against the anchor
point. The length of the measure bars
determines the drawing size of the primary
form, so you want these to be accurate. For
example, if the dimensions of a building are
150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 36 feet high,
and you used the length of the building to
scale the drawing size, then the proportions
between the measure bars are 1.00 to 0.50
and 1.00 to 0.24. Since we are drawing a
cube, all three measure bars will be of equal
length, so we define them by drawing a circle
around dv (shown above).

front vertical
The rest is a piece of cake. First, align the

vertical measure bar parallel to the vertical
auxiliary horizon, with the bottom end on the
anchor point. Draw a line from mp3 through
the top end of the measure bar to the vertical
vanishing line (that is, the line parallel to the
measure bar you are using). This defines the
front height of the cube.
Using a yardstick, string or cardboard strip

aligned with the bottom vanishing point, draw
a line from the anchor point to the line from
the vertical measure bar to mp3. This is the
front vertical. Use the yardstick, string or
cardboard strip to connect the ends of this
vertical to the two side vanishing points, and
draw the front top and bottom edges of the
form.
three point perspective: constructing left
side
Next, use the second measure bar to define

the depth dimension on one side (to mp1, the
measure point on the auxiliary horizon line
parallel to the measure bar you are using).
When one end of the measure bar is aligned
with the anchor point, the back corner of the
cube is located where the line from the other
end of the measure bar to mp1 crosses the
bottom left edge of the figure. Mark this point.
Again aligning your straight edge with vp3,

draw a line from this point to the top left edge
line: this is the back vertical of the cube.
Connect the ends of this vertical along
vanishing lines to vp2. These lines define the
back left upper and lower edges of the figure.
right side
With the third measure bar, construct the

opposite side, define the corners, and connect
to the vanishing points as before.
Clean up the drawing as much as necessary to

visually confirm the final perspective outline
meets your expectations. Then go on to add
any other objects in the environment around
the primary form, or perspective details on its
surface (doors, windows, etc.).
three point perspective: perspective
distortions
Familiarity with the 3PP mechanism will help

you understand how to use it effectively. The
diagram (above) gives some clues about the
scale, placement and cropping of forms:
• In general, distortions toward the side

vanishing points are much more objectionable
than those toward the bottom vanishing point:
choose a vertical or square format
whenever feasible.
• Forms can be placed below the 90° border

— a 90° angle placed to intersect the two side
vanishing points (red line) — to emphasize
height or vertical scale, but forms should not
be placed near the border on either side. (All
possible locations of the right angled corner of
this border are defined by a circle of Thales
constructed below the horizon line.)
• The same circle of view rules apply in order

to reduce perspective distortions, but the
circle can be displaced downward from the
direction of view, as if pulled away from the
horizon line by the vertical depth. It is better
to think in terms of a column of view
centered on the principal point and extending
from below the 90° border to above the
horizon line (where cloud layers in perspective
can enhance distance depth to balance the
vertical depth). Any format that fits within a
40° to 60° column will produce a handsome
image.
When you have finished with the perspective

elements, carefully release the drawing
surface from the table, floor or patio, and lay
it out on your painting surface to erase the
guidelines, measure points, and other
extraneous elements, or to transfer the
perspective outline to the actual painting
surface. When the drawing is fully cleaned,
add by freehand any additional outlines or
guidelines necessary before you begin to
paint.
three point perspective: finished drawing
The diagram shows the finished perspective

form, once again within the monumental
40"x60" emperor format. In this reduced
diagram, the primary form appears to be little
changed from the original perspective sketch.
But in practice, despite all the work invested,
you will be quite pleased with the increased
perspective accuracy and "weight" of the
finished drawing in comparison to anything
you could manage by freehand methods alone.
the horizon line construction

method
Two significant problems with

the perspective sketch method are that it
establishes the angles of the the primary form
to the viewpoint approximately, through a
sketch, and that it cuts the 3PP methods loose
from the procedures for scaling the drawing
within the circle of view. The actual
perspective angles and scale of the circle of
view are derived from the drawing, rather
than given at the start. An alternative method
is to start with the circle of view, and from
there construct the vanishing points. This
method starts by specifying the location of the
horizon line (a horizontal vanishing line above
or below the direction of view), so I refer to it
as the horizon line method of 3PP
construction, though the circle of view method
is also apt.
A discussion of the 3PP geometry will clarify
how this method works. Because all parallel
lines converge to the same (single) vanishing
point (perspective rule 6), and the 3PP
vanishing points define visual rays at right
angles to each other, the 3PP vanishing points
are equivalently defined by the three right
angled edges of a cube that can be turned or
rotated around a front corner fixed on the
direction of view (diagram, right).
These edges converge to the three right angle

vanishing points at the vanishing lines for the the 3PP vanishing points
defined
three planes defined by the three front faces
by three edges of a cube
of the cube (perspective rule 14). Therefore
the vanishing lines between the pairs of
vanishing points will be parallel to the line
intersections of the three front faces of this
cube with the image plane (green, corollary to
perspective rule 11). As a result, we have
reduced the geometry of the 3PP vanishing
points to the geometry of a three sided
pyramid thrust through the image plane in any
arbitrary angle and rotation.
As explained earlier, the circle of view

framework provides a method to specify
exactly the location of any vanishing point as a
line rotated to the required angle around the
viewpoint folded into the image plane. What
we require is a way to perform this folding for
elements of the 3PP "pyramid".
This is done by moving the fixed corner of

the cube forward until it coincides with
the viewpoint. In that position its three
edges define three visual rays to the vanishing
points (magenta lines, diagram above right).
More important: the altitude of the pyramid is
now equal to the viewing distance and
therefore to the radius of the 90° circle of view
(diagram, below).
folding a pyramid right triangle into the
image plane
Two kinds of folding operations are possible in

this 3PP geometry. First are the auxiliary line
folds that define the interior angle between a
pyramid edge, or the pyramid face
perpendicular to it, and the direction of view.
These are found by folding into the image
plane a vertical section of the pyramid defined
by an auxiliary horizon line, for example the
interior triangle PVC defined by the auxiliary
horizon line PC in the diagram above. This
triangle contains the two triangles VdvC and
VdvP, each containing a right angle at dv.
The fold brings line Vdv into the image plane
as x'dv. Because the edge Cdv is continuous
with edge Pdv, the right angle at dv is
preserved. And the image edges Cx' = CV and
Px' = PV. Therefore, by triangular equalities,
the image angle 1' equals the interior angle 1,
the angle between the direction of view and
the face ABV.
This fold also identifies (at Cx'dv) the angle

between the vanishing point C and the
direction of view, so this folding down of an
interior section of the perspective pyramid is
geometrically identical to the folding of the
viewpoint into the circle of view that is used to
rotate vanishing points to the direction of
view.
The second kind of folding operations are the

vanishing line folds that define an exterior
angle of one face of the perspective pyramid
(angle 2) as a "plan view" of the angle in the
image plane (angle 2'). This is the angle, on
the face of the 3PP pyramid, between the edge
of triangle ABV and its altitude PV. The fold is
achieved by constructing a line (ab) that
intersects the direction of view parallel to
the vanishing line (AB). This line intersects
the circle of view at x'. Because Vdv equals
x'dv, the line Px' equals line PV, the altitude
of ABV. Therefore an arc constructed on P
with radius Px' intersects the auxiliary horizon
line at x, and Px = PV. Therefore the right
triangle ABx is the perpendicular view of the
foreshortened triangle ABV, and x is the
auxiliary viewpoint for the horizon line AB.
three right triangles folded out of the 3PP
pyramid
The diagram (above) shows the three possible

vanishing line folds and auxiliary viewpoints
(x, y and z) constructed from a 3PP vanishing
line triangle. Study this diagram carefully until
you understand how each fold has been done.
The geometry of triangles is efficient: defining

any one side with its two adjacent angles, or
any two sides with their common angle,
defines the rest of the triangle. Therefore only
two folding operations are necessary to
define the image of a 3PP vanishing line
triangle: one auxiliary horizon line fold and
one vanishing line fold. This is sufficient to
define the location of all three vanishing points
and vanishing lines in relation to the direction
of view and circle of view.
Finally, the 3PP construction releases the

direction of view from its parallel position to
the ground plane, and this creates several
novel features in the perspective geometry
which affect in particular the scaling of the 3PP
drawing. For now I only want to describe this
geometry and define a few new terms
(diagram, below).
elevation view of 3PP geometry
In this example we assume the perspective

view is downward in relation to the ground
plane: it can just as well be upward (as the
top of a skyscraper viewed from the ground)
or tilted (as a city viewed from a turning
airplane), a problem I leave for the reader. In
the downward view case:
• The image plane is oblique to the ground

plane, as is the direction of view. As a result
the direction of view does not terminate in a
vanishing point, but in a fixation point, some
physical point on the ground. This fixation
distance is typically different from the object
distance from the station point to the primary
form.
• The station point S is still directly under the

viewpoint, but now the station point appears
on the image plane, where it is the image s
equivalent to the vertical vanishing point
(vp1).
• The horizon line is now located above the

direction of view in the circle of view, which
means the principal point, the vanishing point
for the viewer's central recession (at p), is no
longer the same as the orthogonal vanishing
point (at h), the vanishing point of ground
plane recession.
• The primary form appears in rotation

foreshortening — the vertical and horizontal
dimensions are in a different scale.
Foreshortening is corrected by using the
measure points; measure bars parallel to
the image plane may be rotated in the
image plane to any other angle. However, it is
sometimes useful to estimate the amount of
vertical foreshortening, for example when
planning the image layout. This is found by a
cosine correction for foreshortening:
where θ is the horizon angle. Because the

angle of view to the ground plane is only equal
to the horizon angle at the fixation point, a
measure bar established at any other point
must be calculated with the correct angle of
view to that point on the ground plane.
• An object's angular size or image size is

determined by the sight line distance
from the viewpoint, which is simply the
hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the
object distance and viewing height.
These points need to be understood in order to

apply the correct distance & size calculations
when scaling the drawing in a 3PP
construction.
constructing a 3PP drawing
(horizon line method)
The horizon line method builds

on the assumption that most three
dimensional perspective problems concern a
viewer whose line of sight is not parallel to the
ground plane. Either the viewer is looking
upward, toward the top of a tower, building,
mountain or cliff; or the viewer is looking
downward, from a vantage at the top of a
tower, building, mountain or cliff.
Approximate Horizon Line Method. In this

approach the artist places the horizon line and
vanishing points by judgment or whim, but
uses the pyramid folds to make these
landmarks consistent with each other.
The first step is the placement of the horizon

line in relation to the principal point: either
above (for a downward direction of view) or
below (for an upward direction of view). Then,
using a drafting triangle, the artist finds the
90° angle at one of the diagonal vanishing
points, and extends this line until it meets the
median line below the circle of view: this is the
vertical vanishing point (vp1).
three point perspective: rotating the
horizon line
It is useful to bisect this angle to find the

diagonal view (45° from either the horizon
line or vp1 visual rays), as this projects in
depth the viewing height above the ground
plane.
Next the second vanishing point (vp2) is

located on the horizon line somewhere to the
left of the median line. A ruler laid from dv to
this point will show the angle to view of a
cubic form in perspective space at the
direction of view.
three point perspective: approximately
placing vp2
Once the location of the point is completed,

draw the vanishing line between the two
vanishing points. Then you must construct a
perpendicular line from this vanishing line
through the direction of view (dv), as
described here.
The steps are: (1) draw a circular arc around

dv that intersects the vanishing line at two
widely spaced points, a and b; (2) draw an arc
from each point with a radius greater than half
the segment length between them; (3) draw a
line through the double intersection of the arcs
to define the normal point c; (4) draw a line
from c through dv until it intersects the
horizon line on the opposite side of the circle
of view. This is the auxiliary horizon line for
the constructed vanishing line; it locates vp3.
three point perspective: completed
"approximate" perspective triangle
Construct the third vanishing line and its

auxiliary horizon line from vp2 through dv.
Find the internal or external altitude points on

the auxiliary horizon lines, and from these
locate the six measure points on the vanishing
lines. (The diagram above shows one internal
altitude point, h' and the two measure points
constructed from it.) This completes the three
point perspective triangle.
Exact Horizon Line Method. In some cases

(illustrated below) it is desirable to locate the
three vanishing points precisely. In this case
the pyramid folds are precisely defined with a
protractor or using the tangent ratio for the
required angle, applied to the radius length of
the circle of view that is perpendicular to the
viewpoint.
Required is one auxiliary horizon line fold

along the vertical auxiliary horizon line
(median line) to establish the tilt of the
horizon line and the location of the vertical
vanishing point (vp1), and one vanishing line
fold along the horizon line to establish the
left/right placement of vp2 and vp2.
The diagram (below) shows these operations

to provide an exact 25° downward angle of
view to the ground plane (upward horizon
angle of 25°), and a placement of vp2 55° to
the left of the median line. This places vp3 35°
to the right of the median line.
three point perspective: exact rotation of
vanishing points
The vanishing lines are added as before; the

auxiliary vanishing lines can be drawn directly,
as lines from the vanishing points through dv
to the opposite vanishing line, because the
vanishing points have already been precisely
located.
Measure points have been added using the

"alternative" horizon line method described
above.
three point perspective: completed
"exact" perspective triangle
Although this 3PP triangle is very similar to the

one constructed from an approximate
judgment of the correct angles, here all the
perspective landmarks are exactly placed from
given values established in advance. This is
especially important when the goal is a 3PP
view of a specific primary form from a specific
location — as is typical in architectural
renderings or historical reconstructions — or
when a certain arrangement of key forms
within the image is required.
Diagonal Vanishing Points. It is usually

very useful to take the extra step and
establish the diagonal vanishing points on the
horizon line. Once this is done a unit
dimension on the station line can be projected
across the ground plane, using the method of
projecting a unit dimension in depth from
the diagonal vanishing points.
three point perspective: locating the

central dvp's
In fact, no separate rotation is required to

define the diagonal vanishing points from the
auxiliary viewpoint: they are already located
at the intersection of the arc used to define
the auxiliary viewpoint with the horizon line
(diagram, above). The method of rotating the
diagonal vanishing points around the auxiliary
viewpoint A, so that a 90° angle is bisected by
the vertical auxiliary horizon line (median
line), is shown simply to confirm this.
Once these diagonal vanishing points have

been established, ovp serves as the
orthogonal vanishing point, the convergence
for recession in depth parallel to the ground
plane (the ground plane central recession);
but dv remains the principal point, the
convergence for recession parallel to the
direction of view (the viewer's central
recession). The depth of transversals across
orthogonals to ovp are found by diagonals to
dvp1 and dvp2; the depth of transversals
across orthogonals to dv are found by
vanishing lines to points on the circle of view.
Scaling the 3PP Drawing. This task is more

complex than it is in one or two point
perspective, but I outline it here because I
have not seen it discussed in any other
source. A minimal reliance on trigonometry is
required, both to validate the basic principles
and to provide calculation shortcuts or
remedies to complex construction problems.
Construction Methods. Three drawing scale

guides are already available: (1) the circle of
view and the many visual angles that can be
computed within it; (2) the viewing height
in depth, added when the horizon line was
rotated; and (3) a ground line scale, which
is used in combination with the orthogonal
vanishing point (ovp) to project a unit
dimension in depth to approximately locate
objects in depth and scale their image size.
Provided image scale and perspective accuracy
are not critically important, these are almost
always adequate to scale the 3PP drawing.
three point perspective: ground plane
recession
Two scaling approaches can be used. In the

first example (above), an arbitrary unit
dimension of 50 cm measured along the
station line image is projected into perspective
space by orthogonals drawn to the orthogonal
vanishing point (ovp). These indicate that the
viewing height in depth is about 7.2 times the
viewing height (measured from the station
line) and that the fixation point is about 16
units away.
Dividing the viewing height by the depth units

yields the ground plane width of the unit
dimension. If the viewing height is
300 meters, then the unit dimension
represents about 300/7.2 = 42 meters, and
the fixation point is about 672 meters from the
station line — all distances measured on the
ground plane rather than along the line of
sight. If the viewing height is 3 feet, then the
unit dimension represents 36/7.2 = 5 inches
and the fixation point is 80 inches away.
The orthogonals define this unit dimension at

any depth; a transversal established at the
base of the primary form creates a measure
bar in unit dimensions at that distance. In the
diagram (above), a measure bar is shown at
the fixation point that is 3 unit dimensions
long. If the viewing height is 300 meters, then
the measure bar defines a width of 126 meters
at a distance of 672 meters. This image bar is
used to measure out the size of the primary
form image along and above the base
transversal.
three point perspective: key scaling

dimensions
The second method is to establish an exact
unit dimension. This is done by (1) drawing a
line from one of the dvp's through the
viewing height in depth (vhd) and extending
this line until it intersects the station line
image, then (2) dividing the distance from this
intersection to the station point (vp1) by an
appropriate number of units. In the example
this procedure yields a station line length of
354 cm, which is conveniently divided into six
59 cm units. If the viewing height is
270 meters, then this unit dimension
represents exactly 45 meters on the ground
plane.
As explained in the discussion of scaling the

drawing in the 1PP context, the location of
the format requires the artist to decide the
appropriate size and location of the primary
form image. The principal scaling restriction is
the horizon line rule: the horizon line
intersects all forms at a height above their
intersection with the ground plane that is
equal to the viewing height, or causes the
forms to appear below the horizon line by an
equivalent added proportion of their total
height. Following the procedure explained for
central perspective, the artist finds the ratio
between the viewing height and object height,
then places the object so that the horizon line
divides or stands above the object image by
this ratio. This rule holds regardless of the
angle of the direction of view to the ground
plane.
In the example I will develop, I want to render

a primary form that is 300 meters high and
125 meters wide. I want the upper portion of
the form to cut the horizon line, so that its top
portion is silhouetted against the sky.
Therefore I plan on approximately 30 meters
of the form appearing above the horizon line
and the remaining 270 meters below the
horizon line. This means the viewing height
will also be 270 meters (according to the
horizon height rule), and 30/300 or 10% of
the primary form image will be above the
horizon line.
To minimize perspective distortion and create

a "long view" image of the primary form, I
decide to use the fixation point as the anchor
point. The 13th unit transversal is just behind
the fixation line (orange), which indicates an
object distance (on the ground plane) of less
than 585 meters. Now the horizontal unit
dimension can be derived directly from the
orthogonals along that transversal, then
rotated 90° to provide the vertical image
dimensions. Then the approximate image area
of the primary form can be defined within the
circle of view (green rectangle).
Finally, the format dimensions are positioned

around the primary form area, horizon line,
direction of view, or any other important
composition elements. This can be done first,
and the primary form fitted within the format,
or done after the primary form is located
within the circle of view. (Either way, the
format dimensions are established as a
proportion of the circle of view radius, as
explained here.) Given my angle of view and
the monumental size of the primary form, I
decide on a large format. The example shown
below is the 29"x42" (74 cm x 107 cm) double
elephant (USA) format, in "portrait"
orientation and positioned to accommodate
the primary form above and below the horizon
line (yellow rectangle).
Comment: if you compare the perspective

gradients in the previous two diagrams to the
perspective gradient in central perspective,
the recession appears more gentle in 3PP —
the squares at the base of the circle of view
are still vertically elongated in 3PP, but are
horizontally elongated in 1PP. This is because
the ground plane is viewed at a more oblique
angle and is therefore less foreshortened (at
the station point or vp1, the view is
perpendicular to the ground plane, as
indicated by the shoe prints). But in the visual
area above the location of the viewing height
in depth, the two gradients become
equivalent.
Calculation Methods. The alternative scaling

method uses calculation rather than
approximate construction. This method is
more precise and robust. The diagram below
identifies the key scaling terms in relation to
the elevation view of the image plane and
visual rays from the viewpoint, and the image
plane as it appears in the perspective
diagrams.
three point perspective: key scaling

dimensions
vp = viewing distance; vs = station line distance;
hvp = horizon angle; h = orthogonal vanishing point
(horizon line); p = principal point (fixation line); z =
viewing height in depth; s = image station point
(station line image); hp = horizon height; hs = ground
image height; hz = image depth
The only preparation necessary for these

calculations is specification of (1) the viewing
height, (2) viewing distance perpendicular to
the image plane, and (3) horizon angle.
Continuing the example above, I set the
viewing height at 270 meters, the viewing
distance at 1.5 m (150 cm) and the horizon
angle at 25°.
In addition, you will need a pocket calculator

that can provide the three trigonometric
functions (sine, cosine and tangent) for any
horizon angle. In the example, the horizon
angle is 25°, therefore:
sine(25°) = 0.423
cosine(25°) = 0.906
tangent(25°) = 0.466
Format Dimensions. The procedure for

establishing the format dimensions is
explained here. It is useful to do this first, if
an appropriate format size can be decided in
advance, as this provides a frame of reference
for other scaling decisions. I will continue with
the double elephant example illustrated
above.
Ground Scale. The second step is to establish

the ground scale, the scale of the station line
S on image plane at s (refer to the diagram
above):
• The "level line" role of the horizon line is

taken by a fixation line through the direction
of view and parallel to the horizon line above
or below it. This defines the vanishing line for
all planes parallel to the direction of view and
to the horizon line (perspective rule 15), and
the "actual size" image scale (at a viewing
distance of 150 cm, the circle of view radius
along the fixation line is 150 cm).
• The horizon height, the distance of the

horizon line above the fixation line as
measured on the image plane, is equal to the
viewing distance multiplied by the tangent of
the horizon angle θ. The tangent of a 25°
horizon angle is 0.466, so the horizon line is
150 cm*0.466 = 70 cm above the direction of
view.
• The station line image is exactly below the

viewpoint v, at point s, which defines the right
triangle vps (because the direction of view is
perpendicular to the image plane). Therefore
the station line distance (the distance of
image plane below the viewpoint, or vs) is the
hypotenuse of the right triangle vps. This is
equal to the viewing distance divided by the
sine of the horizon angle, or 150 cm/0.423 =
355 cm.
• The ground image height is the extent of

the image plane between the horizon line and
station line image, or the hypotenuse of the
right triangle hvs. This is found as the station
line distance divided by the cosine of the
horizon angle: 355 cm/0.906 = 392 cm.
• The station line image is below the fixation

line at a distance on the image plane equal to
ps, or the ground image height (hs) minus
the horizon height (hp): 392 cm – 70 cm =
322 cm.
• Finally, formula 5 provides the image ratio

for the station line scale. If the viewing height
is 270 meters and the station line distance is
355 cm, then the station line image scale is
3.55 m/270cm = 1.31%; or equivalently, a 1
centimeter unit dimension in the station line
equals 270/3.55 = 76 cm on the ground
plane. To obtain the 45 meter unit dimension
in the ground plane as units of the image
plane at the station line: 45*0.0131 m =
59 cm unit dimension in the station line. This
is the ground scale, as summarized in the
following formulas:
where the ground unit is whatever

measurement unit is convenient for mapping
objects on the ground plane (e.g., 1 meter or
100 meters), and the viewing distance, station
line distance and viewing height are all
measured in the same units.
• Finally, the diagonal vanishing points can be

used to project the ground scale unit
dimension in depth. The diagram (above)
shows that the 270 meter line established by
the projecting the 45 meter unit dimension in
depth exactly coincides with the location of the
viewing height projected in depth by the
horizon plane rotation.
Fixation Line Scale. The third and last step is

to determine the image depth z on the image
plane for an object on the ground plane at
distance X from the station line, or the object
distance X on the ground plane of a particular
image depth z on the image plane. These
relationships are defined in the following
formulas:
three point perspective: anchor point and
anchor line
The image plane extends from the image

station line (s) to the horizon line (h), defining
the horizon height (sh). This image plane
can be duplicated by a secondary image plane
Sx, some distance in front of and parallel to it.
The secondary plane intersects the horizon
line at x, removed from the viewpoint V by
the offset distance O, and intersects the
ground plane at the station line (S), which is a
zero horizontal distance from the viewpoint.
These intersections are identical with the
image points h and s, so the horizon height sh
is the image of the physical distance Sx when
the object distance (on the ground plane) is
zero.
Moving the secondary plane forward by the

object distance X relocates the ground
intersection to S' and the horizon line
intersection at x', so that the image of S'x' is
now zh — the image point z is at an image
depth (zh) below the horizon line. In this new
arrangement, the triangular proportions define
the proportional equality:
zh/sh = xV/x'V = OD/(X+OD)
which solves either for (16) the image depth

(zh) or (17) the ground plane object distance
(X) by algebraic rearrangement.
Using these formulas, we establish (for a

horizon angle of 25°, a viewing height of
270 m and a viewing distance of 1.5 m) that:
(8) format scale = 25%(W), 36%(H)

(11) horizon height = 70 cm
(11) station line distance = 355 cm
(13) ground scale: 66 cm = 50 meters
(14) offset distance = 126 m
(15) ground image height = 392 cm
(16) image depth (of fixation line) = 70 cm
(16) image depth (of viewing distance in
depth) = 125 cm
(16) image depth (of format baseline @
500 m) = 79 cm
(17) object distance (at fixation line) = 579 m.
Anchor Line and Anchor Point. Given the

fixation point as the anchor point, the ground
plane object distance is 579 meters at a
viewing height of 270 meters, which is a
diagonal object distance of 639 meters to the
base of the primary form. So the fixation line
scale (derived from formula 5) is:
(18) image scale (at fixation line) = 1.5/

[5792+2702]1/2
= 1.5/639 m
= 0.00235 (0.235%)
To go from image plane units to ground plane

units (at the fixation line), you divide by the
image scale factor:
1 cm = 1 cm/0.00235 = 4.26 m.
To go from ground plane units to image plane

units, you multiply by the image scale factor.
Thus, an object 125 meters wide and 301
meters tall, oriented parallel to the image
plane, creates the image dimensions
125 m*0.00235 = 0.294 m = 29.4 cm

301 m*0.00235 = 0.707 m = 70.7 cm.
These are the measure bar dimensions for

the image at the anchor point (established as
the fixation point), as shown in the diagram
(below).
three point perspective: anchor point and
anchor line
Confusion about the choice of vanishing line

measure points and the orientation of measure
bars (for cubic forms) is usually dispelled by
the following three criteria:
• The measure point to use for any edge is the

measure point defined by an arc from the
controlling vanishing point. Thus, the
height dimension is controlled by the vertical
vanishing point (vp1), which was the center of
the arc used to define mp2 and mp5.
• The controlling vanishing point is the

vanishing point for the convergence of
the edges that are being sized by the
measure bar. Thus, the left side edges of a
plan in the ground plane are defined by the
lefthand horizon vanishing point.
• The measure bar is always oriented

parallel to the vanishing line containing the
measure point.
With a plan and elevation of the primary form

(diagram, right), the artist is ready to
construct the perspective drawing.

primary form
diagram enlarged to 60° circle of view for clarity
It is usually convenient to establish the plan or

"street map" dimensions of the drawing first,
as the plan outlines do not intersect one
another and clearly establishe the front to
back ordering of large forms. Here the drawing
is being constructed from the elevation only,
as the base is square. Only the 60° circle of
view is shown for clarity.
Using the measure point guidelines (above),

the controlling vanishing point for the right
side of the base of the tower is vp3; and this
vanishing point defined the arc for mp3 (refer
to the diagram above). The controlling
vanishing point for the height of the tower is
the vertical vanishing point, vp1; and this
vanishing point defined the arc for mp2.
The fixation line measure bar is used to

establish the base width of 125 meters, and
this dimension is projected in depth by the
lines to the opposite measure points mp3 and
mp4. The measure bar is parallel to the
vanishing line containing the measure points,
Then vanishing lines from the anchor point to
vp2 and vp3 establish the sides of the plan.
The tower is symmetrical on its four sides, but

the sides are not vertical: they define an
exponential function designed to maximize the
tower's strength against strong winds. To
facilitate the perspective construction we have
to find the central axis, which is simply the
intersection of the diagonals of the plan.

The major stages of the tower are marked off

on a vertical measure bar, this bar is rotated
to be parallel with the vanishing line of the
appropriate measure point, and the tower
stages are projected onto a vertical axis.
Two stratgies are available. The existing

elevation drawing can be used to create the
measure bar: this drawing is in the image
scale defined by the anchor point on the
fixation line, 579 meters from the viewpoint.
Elevation points are projected onto a vertical
line constructed from the anchor point. These
elevation points are the front corners of new
squares, of equal size as the base of the
tower, containing the tower platforms. These
are constructed "scaffold style", by vertical
lines from the four corners of the plan. At each
level the scaffold squares are recessed to the
side vanishing points from the front corner,
and the diagonal found as before. Then the
plan of the tower platform is constructed
within this square, its four corners along the
diagonals.
The alternative method is to project the

elevation points onto the central axis, and
project the tower platforms out from these
central points. This method is also shown in
the diagram: the measure bar must be
anchored at the base of the central axis. Note
however that this point is over 80 meters
farther away from the viewpoint than the front
corner (as shown by the 50 meter distance
transversals in the ground plan), therefore the
measure bar must be sized, using
formula 18, to the new image distance. First
the added distance is derived from the whole
diagonal, which is then aligned to the direction
of view by the cosine correction:
base diagonal = [1252+1252]1/2 = 177 m

half diagonal = 177 m/2 = 88.5 m
ground plane distance = 88.5 m * cosine(10°)
= 80.2
and the new ground plane distance (579+80 =

659) is used to compute the new image scale:
(18) image scale (at central axis) = 1.5/

[6592+2702]1/2
= 1.5/712 m
= 0.00211 (0.211%)
(Note that the central axis distance could be

estimated from its position just beyond the
650 m transversal distance line.) Once the
major external points of the tower profile are
established, the outside curves of the tower
can be drawn with a French curve or freehand,
and details of the tower filled in as
appropriate.

And here is the finished drawing. The point of

using the exact rotation method is that the Arc
de Triomphe could be precisely positioned
behind the Tour Eiffel, and both positioned in
relation to the direction of view and horizon
line, to produce a specific effect.
The plan of the distant streets is taken from a

Michelin map of Paris, projected onto the
ground plane using the foreshortened and
recessed orthogonal squares and plotting the
major streets, square by square, as far back
as useful.
Continue to Advanced Perspective

Techniques
n this tutorial, I’ll cover how to use Illustrator to set up perspective drawings, and help you
choose the best way to approach your new perspective drawing projects. We’ll review some
theory and then work through examples of working with 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point
Perspective.
Introduction
There are two main ways to approach a perspective drawing. The first is an unmeasured system
where you use vanishing points and visual reference to construct objects. The second is a more
precise mathematical approach. Choosing the best starting point for your drawing has a lot to do
with the information you’re starting with and the final image you’re creating. The best place to
start is with the unmeasured approach, which is the focus of this tutorial.
The key feature of this system is it’s flexibility. You can use it to quickly set up a composition, or
you can use it to create a detailed line drawing. Keep in mind though, this system is not the best
choice if you’re final drawing is based on precise measurements, as when working from
engineering drawings or blueprints.
There are many precise, mathematical systems for drafting in perspective that I will not be
covering in this tutorial. For more information on one of these approaches take a look at the
Visual Ray Method. Let’s take a close look at working with an unmeasured perspective system
using Illustrator.
Setting Up the Horizon Line
Setting up your file for a perspective drawing is simple.
Step 1
Start by dragging a ruler line down from the top and placing it as your horizon line. If you don’t
have your rulers, use Command + R or go to View > Show Rulers. Next, drag over a ruler line
from the left to mark your vanishing point.
Step 2
Draw a 2-point line anywhere on the screen. Next, using the white arrow (Direct Selection tool),
select one corner of your line and drag it over to the intersection of your horizontal and vertical
ruler lines. The arrow will change when you’ve hit the intersection. Now you’ve attached the line
to the vanishing point.
Step 3
Now do the same to any other vanishing points (VP) with a new line. When finished, name the
layer "horizon," and create a new layer.
Select the lines on the horizon layer, then click on the colored box in your Layer pallet and drag
it up to the new layer. Before you let go, hold down the Alt button. This will make a copy of the
selected item onto a new layer but in the same position. Lock your horizon layer and you’re
ready to start.
Working in 1-Point Perspective
Step 1
Draw your horizon line, and choose a spot on this line to be your central focus. This will be your
vanishing point.
Step 2
In this step, you must decide where you want your object to appear in this image. If you place the
object above the horizon line, you will be looking up at it. Below the horizon line, you will be
looking down on it. Go ahead and place your object.
This is the object I will be drawing throughout the tutorial. The three drawings on the left are
called orthogaphics they show the object broken down into top, side, and front views. The
drawing on the right is a isometric view of the object. This is just for your reference.
Step 3
Draw the front plane of your object where you decided to place your object. This front plane has
nothing to do with the vanishing point. Verticals are vertical and horizontal are horizontal.
Step 4
Let’s connect the corners of your front plane to the vanishing point. I’ve found the best way to
connect the corners to your vanishing point is to copy line segments while keeping one anchor
point stationary. To do this, you will have a line segment with one anchor point sitting on top of
your vanishing point.
With your Direct Selection Tool, select the anchor point (not on your vanishing point) and move
it over near the corner of your shape. Now before you release your mouse, push Alt, this will
make a copy of the line segment.
The reason this can be a little tricky is because if you are holding the Alt button when you first
click on your anchor point, you will move the whole line. It only works if you engage it after you
begin moving the point. After you’ve made your copy, use the Direct Selection tool to line up the
anchor point of your vanishing line with the corner of your object.
Step 5
Let’s establish the depth. This step can be tricky. The distance you travel back toward the
vanishing point is compressed due to the rules of perspective. The closer you are to the vanishing
point, the more compressed the distance becomes. The best way to start is by using proportion.
Take a look at the relationships between other parts of what you have already drawn, also look at
the length of the side you’re trying to draw. This method basically boils down to eyeing it, but in
an intelligent way.
Step 6
Clean up your lines. Typically, I use the Scissors tool and cut all the vanishing lines. I’ll delete all
but one or two of the long lines from the vanishing points because it’s easy enough to make
quick copies of that line if needed later. Use the white arrow to clean up the edges and make sure
they line up by watching for the arrow to turn white.
Step 7
Let’s quickly clean up by connecting points. Select two points with the Direct Selection Tool and
hit Command + J (Object > Path > Join). If a dialog box pops up, then the points were exactly on
top of one another and you have created a clean corner. If the connection was made but no box
popped up, then the two points were slightly off and you should do it
again. Below is the result of drawing our object using 1-point perpective.
Step 1
Draw your horizon line. Choose two spots on this line to be your vanishing points. Where you
place these vanishing points will greatly affect the outcome of your drawing. If you place your
vanishing points to close together, your images will become overly distorted.
Step 2
If you place your vanishing points equal distance apart from your object, you’ll end up with a
static composition.
Step 3
To achieve a more dynamic view of your object, vary the distances. Have one vanishing points
close to your object and one far away. This set up has a dominant and secondary vanishing point.
Step 4
Once you have established your vanishing points, begin by drawing the front edge of your shape.
The height is arbitrary, but use proportion and relationships to establish the rest of the shape.
Step 5
Draw lines from the top and bottom of your first line to the left vanishing point (LVP) and right
vanishing point (RVP).
Step 6
Block in your first big shape.

Step 7
Use the first shape you’ve blocked in as reference for your other big shapes and block those in.
Step 8
Clean up the lines and add details.

Step 9
Below is the result of drawing our object using 2-point perpective. Notice how stylistically we
make the outer edge thicker than the inner lines. This method is covered in the tutorial How to
Create a See-through Information Graphic.
Step 1
Set up your horizon line and mark off your first two vanishing points. The third vanishing point
is either above or below the horizon line, close to the center of your composition. Most of the
time, your third vanishing point should be off the page. It should be more hinted at than a main
focus. If your third vanishing point is too close, your object will become overly distorted. Keep
in mind, the best time to use a third perspective point is if the object you’re drawing is very large
or very small.
Step 2
Follow the same steps covered in Working with 2-Point Perspective, but all vertical lines must
vanish to your new Vanishing Point.
Step 3
Connect the edge to your vanishing points and block in your first big shape.
Step 4
Use the first shape as a reference to help block in other large shapes.
Step 5
Use the scissors tool to cut the excess lines.
Step 6
Use the Direct selection tool to line up all the corners.

Step 7
Now that the object is less visually cluttered it is easier to add details.
Step 8
Cut and clean up details.
Step 9
Below is the result of drawing our object using 3-point perpective.

Conclusion
I hope this tutorial helps some of you begin working with perspective in Illustrator. The methods
I have covered in this tutorial can be used for a wide wide range of professional projects. I
limited this tutorial to just the fundamentals, and I hope to get into some more advanced
technical illustration techniques in future tutorials.
0015
Basics of 1 Point and 2 Point Perspective – AKA Parallel and
Angular Perspective Lesson
Hold a box in your hand in such a position that you only see the front and top of it. Observe that
as we view the top, its outer edges appear to converge. This condition is caused by an optical
illusion. As the top turns away from us, the relationship between the length and width changes or
diminishes. This phenomenon is known as foreshortening. Observe also that as we look at the
face of the box, it is seen in its true form. The reason for this is that it is perpendicular to our line
of vision.
Now from your window look at a house or building. Notice the change in relationships between
their sides, dependent upon your viewing position. Also, look down the street or road and you
will observe that it seems to converge into the distance. Therefore, when drawing in perspective,
we interpret an object as it appears to be, in relationship to our visual position. Were we to draw
the object in its true form it would appear distorted. You should observe also that color and
lighting conditions change in true perspective. Foreground objects appear more brilliant than
those in the background. This is called aerial perspective.
PERSPECTIVE (THE PICTURE PLANE):
When drawing a picture in perspective, we are concerned with three factors. These are the
picture plane, the eye level, and the vanishing point. The picture plane means basically that it is
the scene or composition of the picture which we wish to execute within a defined border, or the
limits of our paper. If we were to go to a window and think of its casing as a frame—that view,
which we would observe within the area of the window frame, would be our picture. Were we
further to paint on the glass the view through the window, the window glass would then be
considered as our picture plane.
In Fig. A, within the limits of our picture plane, there are shown three divisions which most
pictures incorporate in order to give them depth or perspective. These are the foreground (3), the
middleground (2). and the background (1). In Fig. B, above, is illustrated how perspective may
be suggested in like manner in the sky areas. Figs. C. D, E, and F. illustrate how these are
reflected in pictorial form. Lastly, in the lower panel is shown a panoramic view of a winter
scene. Portion (G) represents the scene as being selected as our picture plane
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PERSPECTIVE:

The first essential in learning to draw is the study of perspective. In this art fundamental we shall
learn how to interpret objects as they appear to us, and not to draw them in their actual forms or
sizes.
Parrallel Perspective
When creating a picture we must first consider our viewpoint as we observe the scene. Are we
looking down on the object, up at it, or is it parallel to our line of vision, etc.? This line of vision,
or our eye level, is interpreted in perspective as the horizon line (H.L.). Observe that parallel
lines of an object seem to converge to this horizon line at a point which is known as the
vanishing point (V.P.). Three lines of an object which are at right angles to each other are not
drawn in their true lengths, but are shown as they appear to be in lengths relative to the position
of the observer. Should we draw objects in their true sizes and shapes they would appear
distorted in our pictures. We shall first learn to draw a simple box in various positions. When we
have accomplished this it will be a relatively easy step toward drawing almost any inanimate
object in perspective.
PARALLEL PERSPECTIVE:
We think of linear perspective as dealing with lines—such as the edges of a box, building, etc., as
opposed to circles in perspective. In starting our study of perspective we shall learn to draw
mechanically; that is, using actual horizon lines, vanishing points, etc. It should be stated,
however, that artists rarely draw mechanically. They know the rules and forget about them. Until
you have a fixed knowledge of perspective it is advisable to draw in all of your vanishing lines,
etc. When you are more experienced you will be taught the freehand approach.
In the above lesson we come back to first drawing our simple box, and in easy steps developing
this box into a table or chair. Now you are on your way to learning to draw! After practicing the
above exercise you may elaborate on the design of the table and chair—using your own furniture
for ideas. Observe that the objects are drawn in parallel perspective; that is, the table and chair
are parallel to our line of vision. What is this imaginary eye level called? The horizon line—of
course. Practice drawing the table and chair in different relationships to above and below the
horizon line.
As you have looked directly down a railroad track undoubtedly you have observed that the rails
appeared to become narrower in the distance and converge to an imaginary point. Of course, you
were aware that the rails were actually parallel, or equidistant to each other, but in observing
them, an optical illusion tricked your vision into seeing these rails converge. The railroad track is
basic in illustrating what we mean by drawing in perspective.
Our entire picture is constructed in one-point (or parallel) perspective. This means, of course,
that all objects vanish to a single point. To space the telephone poles mechanically—first
establish the first and second poles. From the top and bottom of the first pole. respectively, draw
vanishing lines to the vanishing point. Now draw a center line from the first pole to the vanishing
point. From the top of the first pole now draw a line through the intersection of this center line
and the second pole. At the point where this diagonal meets the base vanishing line will establish
the location of our third pole. Using a similar procedure will locate the positions of the other
telephone poles.
Look at the above picture in Kitchen Interior Design. Our drawing will be again constructed in
one-point perspective. All objects (including the floor tiles) vanish to a single point on the
horizon line which, as we know by now, is our eye level. Note that the cabinets and intersections
of the window frames, which are above the horizon line, converge downward toward the
vanishing point. Observe also that all objects below the horizon, such as the stove, refrigerator,
etc., converge up to the vanishing point. Refer back to the earlier picture in which the boxes are
shown above and below eye level. You will see that the kitchen fixtures are basically constructed
from our simple box, with variations only in proportions and detail. When you have executed the
above illustration, create your own kitchen design using material from your own kitchen,
magazines, newspapers, etc.
To Continue Article, Click on to Next Page
Page : 1 2
This above picture may seem difficult to you, but don’t let it “scare” you. Never be afraid of
drawing! As has been said, it is not my purpose in this to develop master artists, but to show you
the way to fun self-creation in art. Therefore, in our lesson we shall take it easy—doing the best
we are able to, and not worrying too much about the results.
Study the above illustration, and you will note that the houses are really basically boxes in form
—drawn to a single vanishing point. To the left of the picture, you will see the method of
constructing the houses, while to the right of the picture are shown suggestions of simple
renderings.
In starting to draw this picture first establish your horizon line quite high on your paper, allowing
sufficient room for your houses which are shown below eye level. On this horizon line place
your vanishing point and proceed to first draw in the street, converging to the vanishing point.
Now establish the frames of the houses, first drawing their basic forms in the shapes of boxes;
then proceed to add the roofs, and finally the architectural detail.
ANGULAR PERSPECTIVE:
Up to this point we have been concerned only with objects which have been parallel to our line
of sight, or what we know as parallel or one-point perspective. Instead of seeing one face of the
object parallel to our line of vision (as in true parallel perspective), we shall now learn how to
draw objects which are viewed at an angle. Whether the top or bottom of the object may be seen
is determined by its relationship to the horizon line. Thus when objects are viewed at an angle we
term this angular perspective. In as much as we are now concerned with two sides – an
individual vanishing point is needed on the horizon line for the perspective construction of each
side. Therefore, to repeat, in angular perspective we use two vanishing points to draw our sides.
In the above diagram the horizon line is drawn first. The two vanishing points are then
established in any relationship on this line—preferably at a reasonable distance from each other.
If the two vanishing points are too close together the object, while basically correct, appears
distorted. Now proceed to construct the box as demonstrated.
In the further study of drawing objects at an angular view, we shall learn how a box is observed
in relationship to its horizon line. In Fig. A, the box is shown above the eye level, in Fig. B, it is
on a plane with our eye level, and in Fig. C, it is viewed from an angle below eye level.
Particularly notice in diagram C that each side recedes as it is seen in the distance. If these sides
were to be extended each would eventually meet at its imaginary vanishing point. This premise
would hold true also in the other drawings of the box. To emphasize, we of course know that in
actuality the edges of each box are parallel to each other, but in a perspective drawing. they are
shown as converging or becoming narrower in height as they recede. In order to create greater
interest in compositions, most objects are drawn in angular perspective in pictures, and it is
important to remember the above facts. You have been instructed to first establish the edge of the
box nearest you—the other edges are determined by the proportions of the object. The top or
bottom of the box should be drawn last.
The drawing of the building may appear complicated, but it is really not difficult to execute. At
the top of the diagram is shown three successive steps in its construction: First, draw a box so
constructed that its horizon line is slightly above center; second, add a second box on top of the
first—thus forming another tier to the building; third, next to the latter, a third box is added,
somewhat larger, which will add height to the building. Make certain that all edges of the boxes
vanish to the left and right to their respective vanishing points. Remember that the two vanishing
points are both on a single horizon line.
Now that the basic skeleton of our building is constructed, proceed to draw in the windows,
doors, etc. Note that as the windows recede into the distance, they appear to be smaller and
closer together. Observe this optical illusion through studying an actual building. Windows, etc.,
on the left side of the building will vanish to the left vanishing point, while those to the right will
vanish to the right vanishing point. Note particularly the manner in which the marquis vanishes.
Your building may be made more convincing by adding cornices, suggesting texture, etc.
It will be my purpose to make each of these lessons exciting and challenging. More important. is
that following this simplified instruction, you can execute these problems with relative ease.
Remember, you don’t have to have talent to draw!
We are continuing to deal with angular perspective. In our top view is shown the basic box
construction of the house. Observe that it is drawn both above and below the horizon line.
To start the house, the eye level is first drawn, with the two vanishing points established on it.
Keep these two vanishing points as far apart as the width of your paper will allow, thus giving
your house convincing proportions. Proceed now to construct your basic box—vanishing each
side respectively to its own vanishing point. Now establish the pitch of the roof by drawing
diagonals through the front of the house. Any point on the perpendicular through the intersection
of the diagonals may be used as a basis for the start of your roof. From this point, vanish the roof
to the right vanishing point. Notice particularly that the top edge of the roof is found through a
third vanishing point known as the oblique vanishing point (O.V.P.).
Now we shall make a drawing of a skyscraper looking up at it. This representation in perspective
is referred to as a worm’s eye view. We proceed to construct this quite similarly to that of the
previous building.
However, in the drawing of the skyscraper, we add a third vanishing point, the oblique vanishing
point (O.V.P.). All of the vertical lines will vanish to this point. The horizontal lines will vanish
respectively, on each side, to the left and right vanishing points.
In order to accentuate the height of the skyscraper use a low horizon line—keeping your two
vanishing points widely separated. If you wish to draw a skyscraper “looking down” on it from
above, this may he accomplished by placing your oblique vanishing point considerably beneath
the horizon line. Proceed then to construct the building similarly to that of above. Drawing an
object from a skyward position is termed a bird’s-eye view.You will find me often repeating
myself in these lessons. Please bear with me, as I believe in using repetition as the best type of
instruction.
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PERSPETIVE - Three Point Perspective

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PERSPETIVE - Three Point Perspective

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three point perspective

I won't disagree with those solutions; they can be convenient

three point perspective

As we add vanishing points, we remove aspects of

In particular, because the direction of view is still assumed to

three point perspective: the basic geometry

Connecting the vanishing points are three vanishing lines,

A vanishing line perpendicular to the viewer's vertical

Each vanishing line is connected to the vanishing point opposite

The auxiliary horizon lines always intersect at the direction

The measure points become significantly more complex in the

Finally, with the visual ray method we had a simple way to

Direction of View & Horizon Line. A 3PP construction allows

For example, we can redraw the cube illustrated above in two

the 3PP canonical view in two point perspective

(2) the geometrical relationship between any two vanishing

the perspective sketch construction method

The solution is basically to draw the form first, so you can

Why not draw the primary form by freehand

You start with a freehand perspective

Your drawing or photograph of the primary

Take your time with the freehand drawing,

You can also start with a drawing or

Once the drawing is finished to your

The Vanishing Line Triangle. Next, connect

three point perspective: the vanishing

This is the point to look at the overall

Constructing Auxiliary Horizon Lines.

three point perspective: constructing the

A more accurate method in large drawings is

In the figure, the two arcs have been scribed

Didn't I say elsewhere that the freehand

Constructing the Circle of View. Now we

three point perspective: constructing the

In the traditional solution, the artist uses

(2) From point M the artist constructs a

(4) Next, the artist constructs a line through

(5) Finally, the artist inscribes an arc from P

(6) The line segments dv-H1 or dv-H2 are

It is often useful to include the 60° circle of

Locating Measure Points. The last step is

Auxiliary Horizon Line Measure Points. To

three point perspective: finding the

This completes the perpective space at a

You must carefully make seven measurements

Divide the radius of the circle of view you want

On a surface large enough to accommodate

Use the drawing scale shown in the distance

Vanishing Line Measure Points. The 3PP

The construction of the circle of view required

three point perspective: alternate method

The point h' will always define a 90° angle

Confusion about the choice of vanishing line

• The controlling vanishing point is the

• The measure point to use was defined by

Measure bars to the vanishing line measure

The measure bars in the illustration are the

Because the semicircle on M is part of the

For example: I had originally put the anchor

constructing a 3PP cube

Once you have constructed the

Measure out the perspective space on the