Perspective

Any object that we see has three dimensions: length, breadth and depth. However, the picture which we are to pain has only length and breadth. The technique to create the illusion of depth (that is, the third dimension) on a two-dimensional paper is called Perspective.

The objects near us in reality appear larger, while those at distance seem to be smaller. If we look down the street by standing in the middle, the roadside lampposts appear to be diminishing in size as they go further. There is a system in this progressive diminution which we need to grasp well.

The accompanying picture has been drawn as if the viewer is in the middle of the street. Here we find that the lines of roadside houses parallel to the ground merge in a point on the horizon. This point is called the Vanishing Point.

Just as the depth in reality is indicated by a single vanishing point in the picture, there is also another vanishing point sideways. The horizontal lines of the house, extended on both sides meet at two vanishing points on either side of the picture. These are shown in the picture above.

In the third picture, the painter is looking up at the gallery, raising his eyes. Such a picture has three vanishing points. Just as two vanishing points are obtained by extending the horizontal lines, the third vanishing point is obtained by extending the vertical lines which meet above.

As we begin, the sketches should be checked for perspective by keeping them on a larger board, and extending the corresponding lines for getting the vanishing point. With practice, however, eyes master the sense of perspective; and such cross-checking is not needed any longer.