The Full Module on Linear Perspective is included in the Composition & Design Module and also individually in the Online Studio Shop). Atmospheric (Aerial) Perspective is also discussed below)

Introduction to Linear Perspective

1) It seems obvious, but when viewing the world according to Geometric Perspective, the further away objects, animals, and people are (and parts of people), the smaller they appear to be. Foreshortening (or the challenge it poses to artists) was the original catalyst for the development of the gridding technique by Albrecht Dürer .) When you try freehand to draw foreshortened legs or feet, for example, you can imagine how he became motivated to find an easier way. 

2) Accurate perspective allows you to draw people and things correctly and more realistically. Long parts of a body, such as arms or legs, look disproportionately short when viewed from an end. (this is 'foreshortening'). The shape appears to alter as well. (<<<an example of foreshortening and also of 3-point perspective)

3) It helps to find opportunities where you can view people from extreme perspectives in real life. 

4) Be patient with yourself and set goals. Your abilities to render perspective accurately improve with lots of observation and practice, and eventually become instinctive. Careful observation of people and objects around you expands your understanding of perspective. (if you don't spend the time observing and/or drawing it doesn't get much better of course) 

5) The horizon line and your eye level are the same thing. Objects at our eye level seem to touch the horizon line, and their perspective lines converge both downward and upward. Objects above your eye level are above the horizon line and their perspective lines converge downward. Angular lines of objects below your eye level (below the horizon line) converge upwards.

6) Always draw the horizon line parallel to the upper and lower edges of a square or rectangular drawing space.

7) Practice vanishing points on simple shapes until you are confident to apply them to more complicated forms and groups of objects. 

DEFINITION OF PERSPECTIVE -   Linear perspective is a system used to create the illusion of space and distance on a flat surface. The main tools are the horizon line running across the canvas with a vanishing point placed on the line. Because of how our eyes see the world, all perpendicular lines (at right angles to the picture plane) defining the side of three-dimensional objects converge towards the vanishing point. In addition, the further away an object is, the smaller it looks. 


Single Point Perspective- 1 single vanishing point located on the horizon -  All lines which would be parallel front on will meet at the one point

In your drawing pad, draw up your own example of single-point perspective by using a Rectangle to create a 3D box: use a horizon line and a vanishing point. There is an entire chapter on Perspective included in the Composition & Design Module & also in the shop as a single item.

Aerial Perspective                    

Spring in the Hills

Aerial (or atmospheric) perspective is an artistic term or law where the use of compositional elements and principles like value, colour, contrast and texture combined with saturation and relative size of objects (proportion) are manipulated to imply that objects are receding or advancing in relation to the viewer.

Have you ever noticed in real life that the distant mountains may look pale blue, or blue-violet and yet if you drive over there, the earth is brown, and the trees are green etc? The wavelengths of blue and violet are the shortest of all the colours, hence scattering more easily, giving the appearance of a blue-violet-ish tinge to distant objects. The major component affecting the appearance of objects during daylight is the scattering of light. Scattering occurs when particles in the atmosphere such as water vapour and smoke create a haze. 

In art, especially painting, aerial perspective refers to the technique of creating an illusion of depth by depicting distant objects as paler, less contrasted with surroundings, less detailed, less saturated and usually cooler than middle distance and foreground objects.

Colours of objects which are nearer are generally richer (more saturated) than the colours of distant objects. As the distance between an object and a viewer increases, the contrast between the object and its surrounds decreases, and the contrast of any details within the object also decreases. Generally the colours of the object also become less saturated and cooler (a sunset would be an exception to this tendency, where colours may appear more red.)

EXERCISE IN ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE

I am going to create a scene below, from my memories of Europe in spring, which will be a classic illustration of how to use aerial or atmospheric perspective in your paintings. Actually I had already started to use aerial perspective by warming up the uppermost overhead sky.(ok, I did exaggerate this a little for effect!)

Lay in some distant hills in a pale blue-violet. (blend in a little white to tint the sides facing the sunlight while the paint is still damp)

ABOVE

The second last range are slightly deeper in tone and a little more saturated.

The middle distance range are a neutralised blue-green.

THEN

I quickly dropped a bendy road in, the narrowing curve adding to the effect of perspective. (I used a warmer grey at the front, subtly cooling as it receded). I used ultramarine and burnt umber plus white for this warm grey.


RIGHT

Next I painted in some warm earth tones into the embankment in the right foreground and some vibrant spring yellow-green with some dark green areas into the foreground. As you can see the colours are all warming up as they grow closer to the viewer. 

A lush vibrant green has been added into the foreground and middle distance, showing the new spring greenery.

NOTE- The contrast between tones is increasing toward the front and more details are shown as well. At this point I have scumbled in a little extra white along the horizon to enhance the glow. I also decided to extend the embankment to further give the feeling of relative closeness to the viewer.