How to Draw One-Point Perspective

Are you aware that it is entirely possible that you can draw a train coming out from the paper? What I mean is that you could be able to depict an image of a train that appears like moving towards you as if it is real. Yes, that is certainly possible in case you are to draw it using one-point perspective. But do you have any idea how it is done?

Perspective drawing is a technique developed by architects in early 5th century to represent a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional plane. It remained as the fundamental principle of western arts for approximately five centuries. Within this present age this method has already been well-known and being used by many artist, and as a lover of art I am going to teach you how to draw one-point perspective drawing.

In this article we are going to cover the four steps procedure used by most artists to draw images with one-point perspective.

Select a Vanishing Point

As the first and most important part of one-point perspective drawing, a vanishing point is a point on your drawing plane where all orthogonal lines meet. One best example for this is the on a highway where the road seems to vanish from your sight. Therefore objects and spaces appear to be smaller as they go nearer the vanishing point until they seem to disappear. The best vanishing point is located on someplace where your image will show up on the center of your paper as a spotlight.

Draw a Horizon

The horizon line is a horizontal line across your drawing plane that passes through your vanishing point. This line is helpful to indicate the perspective views of images in your drawing or in real life it represents the viewer's line of sight where an object is divided into two views, the base and the top view. As an example, the floor is visible under the viewer's line of sight and the ceiling above. In a simple statement the horizon determines from where the viewer is observing.

Draw the Orthogonal Lines

These are extension lines from your vanishing point that serves as guidelines for your image and most likely provides the form of your drawing. Orthogonal lines are usually used sketch the outlines of your image, its edges, division and sides.

Draw Additional Lines: Horizontal, Vertical, Sloping and Curves

After drawing all orthogonal lines we then draw a few other lines that will assist us to form the image we like to illustrate. Most of these lines are horizontal and vertical lines. Wheels are sometimes drawn with the use of coins to create a perfect shape, but because we are dealing with one-point perspective drawing it is more better draw ellipse by freehand instead of a circle unless it is facing the front view. Drawing the final sketch of your image in a one-point perspective would now be easy. After following these steps all you have to do is erase some exceeding lines and add more details to your work, these includes varying the tone and contrast and adding shadows. And also be reminded always that the pre-sketched of the image should be drawn in thin lines for us to simply erase the exceeding lines after doing the final sketch.

Subjects that involve regular shape are easier to draw in one-point perspective than those that don't. Apply what you have learned to improve your skills and that someday you will be able to draw not only one-point perspective drawing but also other kinds of perspective drawing that involves subjects with irregular shapes.