Diagonals can also be used to establish the centre of a
wall or building in perspective. By striking both diagonals
lightly in pencil (or just fixing them in one’s mind), the
centre is quickly obtained and hence other information
such as the spacing of windows or location of a door can
be added, knowing that the basic layout is correct.
The choice of eye level is important in perspective
drawing. If you are interested, say, in the skyline of a tall
building, then it pays to take as low an eye level as
possible and render the silhouette of the top dark against
a light sky. This is how the perspective artists of the
1930s presented their brash new skyscraper designs.
Alternatively, if you wish to look ‘into’ the subject, try to
use a high eye level so that you can delve down into the
streets and spaces and show how they relate to each
other from this angle. When portraying a very tall building
or lofty interior from a viewpoint where you are gazing
upwards, remember that there is a vertical vanishing point
pulling the lines together high over your head. Such a
drawing is really in single-point perspective, with you
turned through 90°.
An understanding of perspective is a great aid to those
intent upon drawing architecture and towns. However, try
not to allow the rules to dictate your every move, for
spontaneity and flair can be driven away by too slavishly
following the academic conventions of perspective. Some
recent graphic artists such as Paul Hogarth have
deliberately broken such rules in order to arrest the eye
and encourage it to dwell upon the subject longer. They
have developed a system of superimposing objects in
space, which accords, to some extent, with Oriental
concepts of perspective. However, be aware that if you
break the rules of perspective a naivety creeps in that
may undermine the overall appearance of the finished
sketch, no matter how finely the details are rendered.
4.11
This drawing of the Piazza
Duomo in San Gimignano shows
the attention to detail common
to Renaissance Italy.
Perspective 45