Instructions for a Two-Point Perspective

By using two-point perspective, the artist can keep the far buildings looking realistic by reducing their scale in proportion to the center building.

Keeping realistic proportions in a drawing or painting can be challenging, but this simple technique that can guide the artist's hand and eye in the right direction. Drawing in two-point perspective is an essential skill for artists interested in drawing lifelike landscapes and scenery. This technique is a simple guide to keeping objects in proper scale as they recede into the background of a drawing and appear smaller to the viewer's eye.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Straightedge

Instructions

1. Place the straightedge on the paper and trace a horizontal line from one side of the sheet to the other. Drawing below this line will create the illusion of an object being looked down from above. Drawing in the space above the horizontal line will make the object appear tall, as though the viewer is looking up from the ground.

2. Draw two points on opposite ends of the horizontal line. These dots are called vanishing points and they mark the infinite points in the far distance of the drawing.

3. Mark a point in the space above the horizontal line. Use the straightedge to trace a line from each vanishing point to the mark. These lines are called reference lines, as they will guide the perspective of the objects in the drawing. Draw a short line stemming vertically down from the mark. From the bottom point of the vertical line, use the straightedge to trace reference lines back to each vanishing point.

4. Mark a point directly below the vertical line, but above the original horizontal line. Use the straightedge the trace two reference lines from this point to each vanishing point. Trace two lines from this point in the shape of a wide 'V' so that the top points of the 'V' reach the middle reference lines.

5. Trace vertical lines from the tips of the 'V' shape until they reach the top reference lines. The drawing will appear as though a three-dimensional cube is floating above in space. Experiment with these box shapes to get the feel for how they will recede as they approach the vanishing points.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that objects appear smaller as they recede into the distance. Objects closer to a vanishing point will appear smaller than objects closer to the center.

References

• Blueprint: Two Point Perspective
• YouTube: How To Draw Two-Point Perspective, with Karl Gude; kgude; 2008;