Focus on creating interest: use of space, interaction between foreground and background. Opportunities for expression.

A perspective check list!

We’ve covered some major themes in this course, focusing on how 3-D space seems to recede in our eyes. To this, we’ve already added some effects of atmosphere.

How we create an illusion is often complicated: whether technical (for example linear perspective) or implied (changing colour and implying atmosphere). The impression of perspective can be elusive – you’re essentially visually convincing the viewer to see depth on a 2-dimensional surface!

Here are a few interlocking factors that can help make the illusion “stick” – A perspective check list:

Overlapping forms: Foreground forms which partly obscure more distant forms will always indicate which is in front of the other, emphasizing a 3-dimensional aspect.

Size: Objects get proportionally smaller the further they are from the viewer. Populating similar objects of appropriate sizes at different distances leads the viewer to seeing depth. The mind will automatically read similar-shaped objects as the same size, therefore this will read well in perspective.

Conversely, beware of composing with smaller objects closer than larger ones of the same shape as this that can work against the illusion. For example, a small single-mast boat placed nearer than a larger one will detract. However if the larger boat is a three-master, there would be little problem – because the shapes are sufficiently different.

Object quality: How an object or passage is rendered will in itself have an impact on perspective:

• Value – High light-dark contrast will naturally read as closer, with faded or greyed out as more distant.
• Sharpness – Objects sink into the distance when they are diffused. A sharply-defined object will always appear closer than its more diffused neighbour.
• Detail – More detail within the object makes it appear closer than a simply blocked form.
• Texture – More highly textured objects and passages will appear closer.

I should note that all of this is fine and dandy, so long as it fits with the intent of the piece. A diffused, generally-rendered foreground might help lead to a more distant focus. In this case, putting a lot of detail in the foreground would work against the intent of the painting.

Warm – cool colour contrasts: Warm colours advance and cool ones recede – again, a handy method of placing objects in space. A warm, orange-red object will appear closer than its identically-sized blue-green neighbour.

Position in the picture space: In landscapes, objects placed higher in the picture frame will appear further away.

Leading the eye: Whether with a path, fence or a series of trees, placement toward a distant focus will create the illusion of depth.

Linear perspective: I’ve left the most common principle to last in this list – parallel lines recede into the distance to a vanishing point. This isn’t only useful with interiors, roads and city-scapes but with all manner of views where there is some “parallelness” to the scene, be it plowed fields, lines of trees etc.

Examples

Painting from an A.Y.Jackson sketch

In this video painting session, I draw and paint a cottage in watercolour. This shows the approach that makes sense when perspective is a factor and not a driving feature. I get the receding building plausible without specifically constructing to vanishing points – my favorite approach – plausible is often preferable to perfect. In this way, the image resolves nicely with out being too “correct”.

I follow the three zones approach from lesson 4 with the building forming a clear mid-ground focus.

Fairbairn House, Wakefield QC

This second watercolour is a classic two-point perspective and I’ve taken a similar approach. The mail box (repositioned for composition purposes) provides a lead in to the scene and the far hills are gestural and washed out to create the effect I was looking for. The house itself is emphasized with ink to add definition and focus. I was rather pleased with the little figure adding a human element. Fairbairn House is the local Wakefield Heritage Centre and you can see this painting hanging there, just inside the Museum.

Manhattan Street scene

In this quick gestural painting, perspective is implied throughout with no direct reference to a vanishing point – although you can see a mark on the top left driving to the vanishing point, and I recall being careful that the crosswalk stripes all point the right way.

Cars and people fit into the scene, overlapping and receding quickly. All the heads are around horizon-height, denoting a level street view. Far buildings, both brown and blue, fade into the swirl of the sky compared with the darker, more defined and brushy foreground.

Exercise

1. Choose a reference from the Reference Gallery, or one of your own choosing, and note opportunities and problems with perspective prior to painting. Perhaps do a composition sketch, correcting for perspective issues. By all means, send me the composition sketch prior to developing further.
2. Develop this drawing or painting in consequence. Prior to completion, run through the “perspective check list” in this lesson for pointers on finishing your painting. I look forward to seeing the results!