PERSPECTIVE DRAWING FOR INTERIOR SPACE - Fairchild Books

ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
One-point perspective is viewing an
object or room so that the placement
shows the front of the object or back
of the room as flat to the viewer. These
types of drawings have only one vanishing
point.
Terms for One-Point Perspective
• Horizon line (HL): This line represents
the viewer’s eye level in the
drawing.
• Eye level (EL): This line is the same
as the horizon line. Eye level is the
term used for interior drawings;
the actual horizon may not be seen
because it is blocked by walls.
• Vanishing point (VP): This single
point in the one-point perspective
represents from where lines are
drawn to create distance;therefore,
any line traveling from the front to
the back of an object lines up with
the vanishing point. The vanishing
point is placed on the (HL) or (EL)
line as shown in Figure 2.3.
• Below eye level: The object is drawn
below the horizon line or looking
down on an object.
• Above eye level: The object is
drawn above the horizon line or
looking up at an object.
• Eye level view: The object is drawn
over or in front of the horizon line,
so that part of the object is slightly
above and below the horizon line.
Rules for One-Point Perspective
When drawing a cube or object flat to
the ground, the lines are drawn in one
of three basic ways:
1 Lines are drawn perpendicular to the
horizon line to create the height.
2 Lines are drawn parallel to the horizon
line to create the width.
3 Lines are drawn to the single vanishing
point to create the depth.
figure 2.4
An example of solid cubes to the left and
transparent cubes to the right of the vanishing
point, above, below, and at eye level.
Repeating these lines create the back
of the object, add detail, and create
volume in the object. There are exceptions
to these rules; for example, if the
object is tilted (not flat to the ground)
or if there is an angle such as a wedge
or pyramid-shaped object.
To set up the one-point perspective,
start by creating a horizon line (HL).
There is one vanishing point (VP) in
these types of drawings. The VP can
be placed anywhere on the horizon
line; however, after the point is placed
it cannot be moved. Think of a photograph—the
vanishing point represents
what the viewer or camera was aiming
at in the photo. When the picture is
taken, that picture is frozen in time and
cannot be changed. The same principle
applies to a one-point perspective. All
objects drawn in the one-point perspective
have lines that converge to
that single point.
What Is Perspective Drawing, Tools, and Other Essential Information
Natale_0i-xvi_1-149_FM_c1-c6.indd 13 7/7/11 7:45:05 PM
13
2