One-Point Perspective in Everyday Life.
Keep an eye open for your own examples of perspective. The more you look for and study these
ideas, the more coherent they will become. Try to determine where the vanishing point and the
horizon line are in the following examples.This example is taken from the authors’ kitchen. The photog-
rapher is standing in front of the island, looking down.
Consequently, the eye level of the photographer is above the
island.
Note:The eye level does not change, even though he is looking
down. (See “Establish Your Eye Level” on page 32.)
Look at the sides of the island. They are converging quite dra-
matically to a vanishing point, just like the train tracks. The
vantage point is located at the height of the eye level of the
person who took this photograph. Can you accurately pin-
point the horizon line and the vanishing point? Look at the
baskets holding the fruit; the sides of these objects are also
converging, as their sides are parallel to the sides of the
island. As the baskets move down in the stack, below the eye
level of the view, you can see more of the top of each one.
Rule:All parallel lines converge to the same vanishing point.
Here, the rugs on the floor, the top lines of the skylights, and
the banister all meet at the same vanishing point because all
of these lines are parallel to each other. Can you tell where
the vanishing point is? Realizing where the vanishing point is
allows you to draw the correct angle on the sides of your
objects, making them decrease in size. This gives a sense of
three dimensions to your drawings.Scenes of Everyday Life