One-Point Perspective

Let’s start with one of the simplest, yet

most useful approaches to perspective It can help you
drawing: one-point perspective. add convincing depth to
virtually anything with edges,
which is a lot of stuff.

It can even help you

create entire scenes—like the
room I’m in right now—All thanks
to a single vanishing point in the
middle of the picture.

by the time you finish this chapter, you should be able to:

identify a one-point recognize when and draw a variety of ob- Find the center Draw vertical and
perspective system. when not to use one- jects with one-point of rectangles in horizontal lines
point perspective. perspective depth. perspective. consistently.

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7
 one-point
an alternative
perspective
approach
overview using
an alternative
one-point approach
perspective
Because of the way humans have built and organized the world around us, you can draw a lot of stuff using only a
LET’S begin WITH A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF HOW vanishing point and vertical and horizontal lines.
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE WORKS.
As long as you keep looking straight out,
say you’re in the middle of the road, looking your drawing would look something like this.
straight ahead at some boxes, and you want to
draw what you see. notice that the vertical edges of the boxes are
drawn with vertical lines. (sometimes it’s not
so obvious.)

HONK!

any edges that go

straight across your parallel to shoulders
field of vision (shown =
in blue) should be horizontal lines
drawn with perfectly
horizontal lines.

you could also think

of these lines as being
parallel to your
shoulders (as long
as you don’t turn
your head or shift
your eyes).

other edges are …But in your drawing they would, as if of course, there are usually other angles and Even for objects with no
parallel to your they’re all lined up to a single vanishing curves mixed in, too. but one-point perspective can obvious right angles,
line of sight and point (V.P.) in the middle of the picture. still be used to correctly draw the core shape. you can still use one-
perpendicular to point perspective to
your shoulders. arrange them in a scene.

these lines would

never intersect in
reality, no matter
how long they are…

now that you

know how one-
point perspective
and convergence to a single works, let’s put
this last behavior, where parallel lines it into action!
vanishing point in the middle of
appear to go to a vanishing point, is
the picture, along with horizontal
called convergence.
and vertical lines, is the essence of
one-point perspective.

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9
 one-point perspective boxes an alternative approach
the most common strategy for drawing objects in one-point perspective is to start with a simple box. let’s Turning rectangles into boxes But one-point perspective that’s because
draw a few and then turn them into everyday objects. and then carving out angles also offers an alternative one-point deals
and curves is great for approach—starting with angles with objects that

1 p lace a vanishing point in the middle of your

picture and draw some rectangles with horizontal
and vertical lines.
2 connect the vertices (corners) of the rectangles
to the vanishing point.
drawing in perspective and it’s
necessary with two-point and
three-point perspective.
and curves first. are square to
the viewer.

These simple rectangles will be…

which means then simply

shelF book you can draw connect the
that front vertices to the
surface as is, vanishing point
curves and all. to get depth.

toaster bed

a fun exercise connect them to a …and redraw the back use additional perspective lines to

3 draw the back edges by redrawing the

original vertical and horizontal lines. 4 add lines to the front of the objects using
additional horizontal and vertical lines.
to practice this
concept is to draw
groups of random
vanishing point… edges with the same
angles and curves as
the original ones.
turn them Into something cool, like
spaceships! Pew, pew, pew!

shapes and lines.

Later you’ll
learn how to
recognize how
far back to
go, but for
now use your
best guess.

Once you get used to drawing in perspective, you’ll

starting with the front surface dance back and forth between the two approaches. in
often requires connecting the meantime, here’s a guideline: if it’s a single, flat plane,
curves to the vanishing point. then you have the option of starting with the front.

5 Wrap the lines around the sides and tops,

and angle them towards the vanishing point. 6 round off the edges and add details. but it can be unclear exactly
where to connect such
cornerless edges.
continue be aware of
to use only line thickness
horizontal, as you work. i
vertical or use thick lines
vanishing for the outside, but if the side parallel to your shoulders is not flat,
point lines, thin lines for Simply anchor one end you should start with the box and add the angles in last.
even inside the inside and of your ruler on the
the objects! broken lines vanishing point And
for soft edges. rotate it until you hit
the curve. that’s where
the line goes.

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11
 one-point depth for words and symbols cars
an in
alternative
one-pointapproach
perspective
drawing a car in one-point perspective can be a great example of when to CARVe STUFF OUT OF boxES and when to start
using one-point perspective to add depth to text and symbols can have a big impact on your work, and it’s
with the side parallel to your shoulders.
easy to do. (except for the “S,” but we’ve got a trick for that!)

when draw- For the side view of a car*,

1  raw some block

d
letters, and place a
vanishing point in the
they don’t have to be
straight—curves or
slants are okay, too.
2 connect your vertices to the vanishing point (v.p.).
ing a car from
the front, start
with a box since
begin with the angles and
curves since the side of the
car is mostly flat.
middle of the picture. the grill and
windshield aren’t
a single, flat
surface.
connect the vertices to
a vanishing point in the
for curved middle of the picture…
edges, rotate FOR the canopy,
your ruler from START BY DRAWING
the v.p. until you THE WINDSHIELD.
reach the edge. create a WIDE
trapezoid since
the windshield IS
SLOPED AWAY FROM …Then cap off the depth.
3  raw a light line as a guide for where you’d like
d
the depth to end. if your letters have an overall
curve, then this guide should match it.
4 f or more difficult
curves, like the “s,”
draw a few additional
Now you can see the
complex curve as a
series of simple arcs.
you AND canopies
are pinched in a bit
draw through the car to
line up the depth of the
on the sides. trunk and hood.
light lines to the v.p. to draw them one at a
help break up the curve. time and smooth out.

soften the finish by softening the

edges and edges. the slant of the
round out canopy at the windows isn’t
the corners. noticeable from the side
looking at a view, so disregard it.
reference here
really helps!
next, draw the back edges of the letters the same as
the front, using your guide line to draw the bottoms
first. Hold off on the trickier curves until step 4.

5 enhance the 3-d

effect by shading
all surfaces that
*cars come in all shapes
and sizes, but here are the canopy is about 2/3 of the
truck BASICS:
are facing the same some general trends… total length, often more.
directions with the
same colors or the body is
tones. A few other READ!! about six times
longer than
lines coming from
the hood is it is tall, flat
the v.p. can add
much longer on the bottom
no! energy.
than the trunk. and sloped on
the top. -wheels centered below hood
one-point perspec- and truck bed
tive letters are great -seven times longer than tall
as you’re working, try to match
for design purposes -back wheels scooted in more
the exact angle of the original wheel wells
since the vanishing -straight body, sloped hood
letter’s lines. sometimes it can be Wheels are close to extend most
point makes a great
tricky, like the side of the “A.” the front edge. Same of the way
focal point.
goes for the back. angle the back a bit at around the
the bottom. wheel itself.
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 one-point
an alternative
perspective
approach
limitations dividing
an alternative
spaces in approach
half with an x

you may have noticed that where you put your and since the vanishing point has to stay Regardless of where we draw an object, there is This goes for rectangles distorted by perspective,
object on the page determines which sides you in the middle of the picture with one-point often a need to locate its center. thankfully, IT’S too. It’s a big help in all kinds of scenarios.
end up drawing. perspective, any objects i want to draw with PRETTY EASY. JUST DRAW AN X.
depth, like my pal stubbot here…

yo.

…have to be
placed way
off-center.
INDEED, THE dead center of any rectangle is the
intersection of its diagonals.

but what if i really instead, this picture

dividing rectangles with an x: a window
want him centered, really needs to let’s break down how the X strategy can be used to divide up a couple of windows.
while still revealing be drawn so that
some of his depth?

well, i could cheat

stubbot is no
longer square
to my shoulders.
1  raw a window with vertical
d
lines and lines that go to the
vanishing point.
2 draw lines that connect the
opposite corners to make an X. 3  ivide the window into four
d
equal sections using a vertical
line, the vanishing point and the
and move the vanish- and that means this middle of your X.
ing point away from drawing no longer
the center. it would fits the requirements
look OKay… for a one-point
perspective drawing!

…But it would suggest that stubbot’s sides

instead, I’ll need two-point
aren’t perpendicular. THIS ALONE
perspective.
COULD BE A
GOOD GUIDE
We’ll get to that in chapter 3.
draw them lightly since you’ll be FOR A SIMPLE
erasing them later. WINDOW.
sorry.

indeed, that’s one-point’s big limitation: you there are plenty of exceptions, of course.
4 or, you can create a more
sophisticated window. 5 use the line as a diagonal
for a new rectangle. 6  se additional horizontal,
u
vertical and vanishing point
lines to finish the trim.
can’t really see depth on the objects that are
in the middle of your picture.

ha, no you now have

draw an angled
depth! a guide for
line that passes
two equally
through the center
sized sections
of the rectangle.
separated by
an interval.

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15
 keeping horizontal
an alternative
and approach
vertical lines true a one-point perspective room
UP NEXT, we’re GOING TO draw an entire scene WITH …But that can be difficult if,
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE, so now’s a good time to bring Let’s wrap up the chapter by drawing a room. Keep your eye on those horizontal and vertical lines in the later steps!
like most humans, you draw with
up an important topic… your paper crooked. i gotta
admit, sometimes i do it, too.
Don’t tell the other robots! 1  egin with a vanishing point
b
in the middle of your
picture. then draw a wide
rectangle anywhere you
want around the vanishing
point. this rectangle is the
back wall of the room.
…Cro
o
drawi ked (i’ll be using this one.)
ng! next, use the vanishing point
to draw the top and bottom
of the walls to the side.
since one-point perspective is so reliant on horizontal and do you see the rooms?
vertical lines, it’s crucial to draw these lines… sometimes it’s not obvious
at first.

there are lots of tools available BUT in lieu of mechanical methods,
to help you keep your lines true. you can simply compare your
ruler to the bottom of the page
for horizontal lines…
…and to the sides of the page
for vertical lines.
2 s ince the back wall is parallel to your
shoulders, you can draw it without any
perspective distortion.
3 wrap relevant horizontal lines from the back wall
to the side walls, extending them when necessary.

it’s a basic concept, but

it can be a real game
changer if you make it
into a habit.

some kind of deliberate method to keep your
vertical and horizontal lines true is essential
with one-point perspective.
but don’t give in! keep your horizontal lines
horizontal and your vertical lines vertical!
4  sing the lines from step 3 as guides, draw
u
vertical and vanishing point lines for a door, a
window or anything else. use x’s to set up details.
5  dd details, but wait until we study the
a
horizon line in chapter 2 before you add
people or furniture…

otherwise, you might add flooring with

succumb to your horizontal and van-
instincts to hint at the ishing point lines.
perpendicular angles
that lines have when
seen head-on.
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 Whatan
else
alternative
do you need
approach
to know? CHAPTER 1 REVIEW
an alternative approach
let’s end the chapter with a few miscellaneous but important one-point perspective notes: one-point with one-point perspective, all vertical lines are drawn vertically,
perspective lines that are parallel to your shoulders are drawn horizontally
instead of and lines that are parallel to your line of sight are drawn with
the viewer’s eye will be drawn to LINES RADIATING FROM THE VANISH- is a drawing
connecting objects lines that go to a vanishing point IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PICTURE.
the middle of the picture over the ING POINT CAN emphasizE movement technique
to the vanishing
vanishing point. be aware of what or DRAMA. used to make
point, draw lines on
you put there. the viewer feel
the opposite side to even if they are abstract lines, they like they are + +
create a sense of appear to represent the movement square to the
impending doom! of air… or something. Zoom! subject(s).

but not you can draw a lot of

oblique stuff with just these three
to them. directions, or you can
= draw them lightly as
structure lines and add
curves and details later.

but because the for some objects, starting off with a box is the
ninjas never hide over a vanishing point! …unless it’s an object you
vanishing point is in ideal first step in one-point perspective.
the middle, you can’t can see through or into,
see the depth of like a damaged robot or
AND i already mentioned that ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE can’t be used to draw stuff that’s not square to your shoulders, a room.
BUT beware of these OTHER NON-USES: objects in the middle
of your picture…
You can’t really use it with i mean, you can, but they suddenly
rounded objects like these either. develop hard edges and take on
different meanings.
you CAN’T USE IT
WHEN YOU WANT THE
VIEWER TO FEEL LIKE
THEY ARE LOOKING
UP OR DOWN. YOU’LL
but for others, it’s easier to start with curved or
NEED TWO VANISHING
angled lines for the sides facing forward.
POINTS FOR THAT. you can intersect the
diagonals (make an x)
to find the center of
a rectangle, even if it’s
distorted by perspective.
(we’ll cover techniques for thEse types of drawings later.)

finally, you know but this is art, so if you need to cheat to make
how i’ve been saying the picture work better, then go for it.
to keep the vanishing
point in the middle? AND FOR SOME,
that’s 100% correct! YOU’LL NEED TO USE
otherwise, you BOTH APPROACHES
wouldn’t truly be INTERMITTENTLY.
square to the subject
and would need to
use TWO- OR THREE-
POINT PERSPECTIVE.
keeping horizontal and vertical lines true is important.
you can use the edges of your paper as a reference.

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19