Two-point Perspective Rules

Two-point Perspective Rules

Video by Vladimir London, the Life Drawing Academy tutor

In this video, you will discover the rules of two-point perspective. I will talk through the rules while drawing three cubes - one below the horizon, one above, and the third one at eye level. So, here is what you need to know about a two-point perspective. The two-point perspective is one of 16 types of perspective. As its name suggests, there are two vanishing points in this type of perspective.

A cube depicted in this perspective might have two or three sides visible depending on the point of view. If a cube is seen from below, we would see its top and two lateral sides. In the view from below, we would see the bottom and two lateral sides. And when a cube is at the eye level, only two lateral sides will be visible. All straight lines in this type of perspective will remain straight in drawing. This type of perspective comes with such distortions as foreshortened dimensions, skewed angles, tilted vanishing lines. The dimensions that are perpendicular to the line of sight would remain not distorted in drawing. All vertical lines will appear strictly vertical. The horizontal lines will converge into vanishing points that are located on the horizon level. Those lines that are parallel to each other will converge into the same vanishing point. The objects that are closer to a viewer will appear bigger than those further away. The remote objects will appear closer to the horizon. The foreground objects will overlap the distant object along the line of sight. Circles in perspective will appear as perfectly elliptical ovals. The long axis of a horizontal oval will be strictly horizontal. There are many other rules that may be applicable when drawing various objects.

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