|
Basic Perspective Principles
One of the primary rules of perspective is this: The closer something is to you - the larger it appears, and - closer = larger Our perception of distance is based upon this illusion. I call it an 'illusion' because that’s what it is. Try this: put your hands together, fingers straight, palms touching. Look at your hands and see how they’re both the same size? Now take your left hand and put it in front of your left eye about 6” away from your head. Take your right hand and hold it out the length of your outstretched arm in front of you. Close one eye and line up your wrists side-by-side. See how your left hand appears to be more than 2 times the size of your right hand? But you know that this isn’t physically true. This is the illusion of perspective. |
|||
| As you watch a car drive down the street, you know that that car isn’t shrinking down to the size of a Dinky Toy. It’s just moving away in perspective. In order for perspective to be accurately drawn on paper we need a reference point for the viewer. This reference point is called the “horizon line”. |