Perspective For Comic Book Artists - Text

HOWTO h\\Tp
ACHIEVE A
V—Aa---—
i &
A-Vv'
PROFESSIONAL
LOOK IN YOUR
ARTWORK
1
i
*
*
s
MOW TO ACHIEVE A PROFESSIONAL LOOK
IW YOUR ARTWORK
DAVID CHELSEA
WATSON GUPriLL PUBUCATIOWS/NEW YORK

For Eve, and our son Benjamin, who has brought us a
whole new sense of perspective.
Senior Edrtor: Candace Raney

Edited by Joy Aquiline
Designed byJayAnning
Graphic production by Hector Campbell
Copyright © 1997 by David Celsi
First published in 1997 by Watson-Guptill Publications,

a division of BP Communications, I
in c.,
1515 Broadway New York; N Y. 10036
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chelsea David.
Perspective! for comic book artists: how to achieve a.
professional look in your artwork/David Chelsea,

p. cm.
Includes index,
ISBN 0-8230-0567-4 (paper)
\ . Comic books, strips, etc—Technique. 2, Perspective.
L Title.
NCI764.c49 1997
74 1
.5—del I
97-26757
CIP
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any
form or by any means — graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems —without written

permission of the publisher.
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing, 1997
l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 / 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 6
PREFACE 7
D INTRODUCTION TO PERSPECTIVE 9
2 DEPTH CUES 17
S THE PICTURE PLANE 32
4 THE HORIZON AND THE VANISHING POINT 46
3 CUBES IN SPACE! 61
5 ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE 71
U TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE 91
8 THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE 109
9 CIRCLES IN PERSPECTIVE 126

R
U® THE HUMAN FIGURE 149
HU SHORTCUTS TO PERSPECTIVE 160
INDEX 175
5
Acknowledgments
This book owes a large debt to Gary Faigin, the cofounder; with his wife Pamela
Belyea, of the Academy of Realist Art. Gary taught me perspective nearly 1
years ago and has remained a friend and guide since then. His comments and
criticisms did much to transform my sprawling and ungainly early drafts into the
present, more streamlined version. Candace Raney and Joy Aquilino, given the
unfamiliar task of editing a long, long comic book, took to it with patience and
enthusiasm; likewise, designer Jay Anning and production manager Hector
Campbell did their utmost to give the book the best look possible, Many friends
and colleagues were kind enough to give the work in progress a critical eye;
Iwould like to thank in particular mathematician and puzzle designer Adam
Alexander for helping me through the tricky geometry in the "Circles in
Perspective" chapter
H is a dirty little secret in the comics business that much of the background
detail is actually drawn by assistants while the big-name artist takes all the credit,
and humbly admit that even this book, where the background takes center
I
stage, is no exception. had the indispensable help of three assistants over the
I
course of this project: David Kidd, Milan Erceg, and Tod Herman; much, or most,
of the meticulous perspective detail in the book is theirs. would also like to I
thank Stacie Dolan, who assisted me on an early version of the first chapter
which was my book proposal, You can always count on your family in a crisis, and
I thank my mother, Lolita, for an eleventh-hour inking job on the perspective
grids in the last chapter and my sister Teresa, who faced the unenviable task of
putting my scrawled notes for the text on disk. The text font, which is based on
handlettering by the 1 920s cartoonist J.
Norman Lynd, was put on disk for me by
Sean Tejaratchi, a talented designer and editor of Craphound, an anthology of
bizarre, forgotten spot illustrations.Thanks also to Arlen Schumer for drawing
"Mugg's” Captain Bombast™ sequence; and to my neighbor Talbot V. Ridgway,
who lent me his 1 93 1 Fleet biplane for the cover illustration.
Most profound thanks go to my wife, Eve. By an unplanned coincidence, the
original deadline for this book and the due date for the arrival of our first child
—
were exactly the same but Benjamin missed h/s deadline by only a day, while
the book consumed an additional three months of near-constant work, making
me a preoccupied if not absentee husband and father during his first demanding
months, an excess of bad timing that Eve handled with nearly unflagging
understanding and humor And it was worth it, too- — right, Eve?
You have in your hands the first book on perspective written specifically for the
comic book illustrator though believe all illustrators and, indeed, artists in
1
general will find it useful, While there have been a few perspective books
tailored to the needs of illustrators, most fall into one of two other categories:
Either they are geared toward fine artists, in which case the artist is presumed to
be working from life and therefore to need only a general awareness of
perspective to bolster his own observations; or they are extremely technical
manuals directed at architectural renderers and too difficult for the general
far
reader Working illustrators, especially those working in the comics field, differ
from both of these types of artists in that they can rarely work from life, and
must fabricate convincing scenes without even an architect’s floorplan to guide
them, For many illustrators, this means a time-consuming hunt for photo
reference, and for comic book illustrators, who are faced with the job of filling
frame after frame, usually in a hurry, it often means resorting to one's

imagination. This book therefore includes a section on working from
photographs, developing the perspective cues within the photograph, and
extending them to include invented material. Since comic book artists often use
unorthodox and "worm's-eye" views,
"bird’s-eye" this book also contains an
entire chapter on three-point perspective, which is used to construct those

views.This book also contains a section of perspective grids for tracing, to aid
artists who don’t have the time to construct their own perspective.
This is also the first book on perspective was inspired
in comic book form. I
by Scott McCloud's pioneering Understanding Comics, a long essay on the art of

comics done in comics form. Scott's book showed me how even very complex
theory could be put across with clarity using comics, and believe that in this I
case, the form of comics and the subject of perspective were made for each
other In this book, the reader is guided through confusing material one panel at a
time, the text always in lockstep with the images. Never are you asked to turn to
diagram 45a on page 87. In short, I have tried to produce the most user-friendly
perspective book available, without skirting any of the complexities.
o
-1
CHAPTER OWE
Why bother to learn perspective at ali? Many illustrators and cartoonists, of

course, never do, but I believe that those who do save themselves a lot of
headaches down the line. It is true that people, fruit, and puppies can be drawn
without knowledge of perspective, but becomes invaluable when one needs to
it
draw chairs, fruit bowls, and doghouses. Without an understanding of
perspective, each object we attempt to draw becomes a unique new problem,

to be solved either by finding a reference photo taken from precisely the right
angle, or by laborious trial and error With a firm grasp of perspective, however;
we learn to see the common boxy most man-made objects,
structure underlying
and to master drawing one is to master drawing them all, There are, of course,
styles of drawing that depend on deliberately violating the rules of perspective
for their expressive power But in most cases, the background is meant to be a
subordinate element, and since the eye is unconsciously accustomed to correct
perspective, a background that is quietly in perspective will attract less attention
than one that is jarringly out of it, the way a man who has bathed will attract less
attention at a party than one who hasn't.
Perspective worth the effort. With it under your belt, you will be able to
is
draw a consistent and believable world that evokes three dimensions on paper
incorporating observation, photo reference, and your own invented elements
into a seamless whole.
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HELLO, DAVID MVGG/ YOU GOTTA HELP ME,
DAVID, IT'S
CHELSEA STUDIO. MAW— I'M IW WAV OVER MV HEAD/
PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

JP
INTRODUCTION TO PERSPECTIVE
Q
-
HI, CAME AS QUICK AS COULD.

MUGS.
——
I I
—
WHAT'S UP?
-
—
7 ( ~7f
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~7 IT'S tJUST T
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NOT WORKING/ jn
0 PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

I'MSUPPOSED TO BE PENCILING THIS
CAPTAIN BOMBAST™ COMIC, Bur THE
BACKGROUNDS KEEP COMING OUT
SCREWY/ WHAT AM
W£LL ]_£t'$ 1
1COINS WRONG?
JUST SEE
INTRODUCTION TO PERSPECTIVE Q
WELL, MY POCKET DICTIONARY
DEFINES ir AS:
“Pertaining to, or in accordance with, the art of
perspective; n a vista or view; the art of representing
objects on a plane or curved surface as they appear to
the eye; the effect of distance upon the appearance of
objects; a picture giving the illusion
WOW ... IN ENGLISH, PLEASE? WELL-I-UH, IF'S A . . . MAYBE THE BEST WAY TO SHOW
YOU WHAT PERSPECTIVE IS
WITH PERSPECTIVE, YOU CAN YOU CAN ACCURATELY

TAKE THE VIEW FROM YOUR MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF
WINDOW .
A MAW STANDING HUNDREDS
OF FEE T AWAY/

.
YOU CAN FOOL WILP BEASTS INTO , AWP YOU CAW MAKE A GRINNING SKULL
, ,
RUNNING SMACK (WTO A BRICK WALI SEEM TO FLOAT OFF ANOTHER WALL,
YOU CAW USE PERSPECTIVE TO TELL YOU OR MANEUVER THROUGH OUTER SPACE
HOW TO LAND A PLAWE . , .
INTHE MOVIES, YOU CAN SEEM TO BE HAVING

A CONVERSATION WITH A 5O -FOOT WOMAN . ,
INTRODUCTION TO PERSPECTIVE
1 .
... OR BELOW. PERSPECTIVE IS

AWE? WHILE
SUPERB AT DEPICTING THE WORLD WE KNOW. .
A*ur Ah-it*.
IT CAW ALSO BE USED TO CREATE A WORLD THIS, PERSPECTIVE,

THE W, IS
THE ART OF RENDERING THE VISUAL EFFECT
= -
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BEFORE IMPART TO YOU MY KNOWLEDGE OF

I
PERSPECTIVE, YOU MUST SWEAR NEVER TO
^ PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

CHAPTER TWO
Upon hearing the word

most people immediately think of parallel
"perspective,”
lines meeting at a vanishing point True, that is one aspect of perspective, and one
that spend much of the book explaining, However; other effects are used to
I
simulate the third dimension that may seem so obvious as to be overlooked.

They are known as depth cues, and in this chapter we will look at them.
Pretty much all artists, apart from pure abstractionists, use at least some depth
cues in their work, often unconsciously. Anyone who draws a foreground figure
larger than one in the background is using the effect of diminution. The very idea
of "foreground” and "background” presupposes that the former overlaps the
and that cannot happen without depth. Overlap is such an obvious effect
latter;
that most of us take it for granted, yet can recall the hours of effort it took me
I
as a child, crayon clutched in hand, before I managed to draw Fred Flintstone
standing in front of his car

If this book spends most of its time on the “parallel lines" aspect of
perspective, it is only because it is more susceptible to hard-and-fast rules, The
more elusive depth cues in this chapter can be mastered only by observation,
intuition, and practice, and those cannot be taught in a book.
o
ONLV IF YOU SPLIT" IT UP INTO CHAPTERS,
THE FIRST THING GOING TO TELL YOU

I'M
ABOUT 15 PITTANCE AND DEPTH CUES, AND
TO HELP ME I'VE BROUGHT ALONG A FRIEND
OF MINE, MR. DlSTANTMAW.
Q PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

. —
YOU WEEDNT shout: you know my hearing THIS IS MV FRIEND MUGS, MR, PJSTANTMAN.
15 PARTICULARLY ACUrE. UNFORTUNATELY, I I'M EXPLAINING PERSPECTIVE TO HIM,
HEED TO SHOUT THROUGH THIS MEGAPHONE
TO BE HEARD AT ALL. IT'SCAUSE
HE'S FAR
AWAY, RIGHT?
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MOUSE NEXT TO WOULD SURPRISE YOU TO KNOW THAT MR.
IT
MR. DlSTANTMAW, LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE DlSTAWTMASUvu AND ARE THE SAME SIZE-
I
ABOUT THE SAME SIZE, RIGHT? and that; pn fact; he's a

CLONE or ME?
YEAH, BUT HE
AWAY
LOOKS .
NOT ONLY IS MR. DJSTANTMAN NOT SMALL, APPARENT SIZE

BUT TO HIM WE LOOK JUST AS TINY DECREASES WITH
AS HE DOES TO US/ DISTANCE/
IPYOU WEREN'T UP
NEXT TO THE
WINDOW, COULDNT
I
SEE YOU AT ALL.
3
LOOK, I KNi
i THAT THINGS
LOOK SMALLER
FARTHER AWAY
ALREADY
“
!_!* I
k-
TTl
WHAT MR. V -7 \
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B
!
K"
DlSTANTMAW
H
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—
—
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SEES J— 4
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\
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DEPTH CUES
Q
EVERYONE??’ DIP YOU SAY EVERYONE KNOWS
THAT? LET ME TELL VOU A STORY FRIEND/
HUK WAD SPENT WfS LIFE IN THE FOREST, ONE DAY A VISITING CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGIST
WHERE TREES AND VINES HIDE ANYTHING OFFERED HIM A RIDE IN HlS JEER
FARTHER THAN ABOUT 20 FEE T AWAY
AS THEY DROVE OUT OF THE FOREST WUK GOT HE WAS SO EXCITED BY THIS THAT HE BEGGED
THE ANTHROPOLOGIST TO LET HIM TAKE THE
HIS FIRST LOOK AT THE WIDE-OPEN SPACES/
WHEEL.
,
O-
PERSPECTIVE FOR COMIC

I BOOK ARTISTS
PRIVING CLOSER FOR. A BETTER LOOK, HUK
WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THE ANT'S BECOME
GIANT, FOUR-LEGGED ANIMALS/
-
THEY TRIED TO TURN AROUNR BUT IF WAS TOO LATE— HUK, THE ANTHROPOLOGIST ,
AND THE JEEP WERE ALL TRAMPLED FLAT BY A HERD OF STAMPEDING ZEBRAS.
IF ONLY HE'D STUDIED PERSPECTIVE, THAT THAT'S NOT THE POINT, MUGG. THE EFFECT
STORY COULD'VE HAD A HAPPY ENDING. OF DISTANT OBJECTS APPEARING SMALLER
WHAT ISA HERD OF ZEBRAS THAN NEAR ONES IS CALLED DIMINUTION,
I
DOING IN SOUTH AMERICA, AND IT SHOULDN'T BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED/
ANYWAY?
DEPTH CUES
o
AWP DON'T rHIMK YOU ALWAYS KNEW \T, EITHER- PIMfNUTION WASN'T ALWAYS UWDERSTOOP BY
IBET THERE WAS A TIME BACK BEFORE YOU'D SCIENCE, EITHER. FOR MOST OF HUMAN HISTORY
ENTIRELYGOTTEN USER TO YOUR SENSE OF PEOPLE ASSUMED THAT SINCE THE MOON
SIGHT WHEW YOU COULDN'T TELL A TOY EXACTLY COVERS THE SUN IN AW ECLIPSE, THEY
CAR FROM A REAL OWE/ MUST BE EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE/
OF COURSE, WE KNOW WOW THAT THE MOON JUST OWE OF THE VISUAL
DIMINUTION IS
IS MANY TIMES SMALLER THAN THE SuN- EFFECTS KNOWN AS DEPTH CUES. WE'RE
cAJST AS THIS MARBLE IS TINY COMPARED ABOUT TO FIND OUT ABOUT ANOTHER, MUGG,
TO THE WRECKING BALL. PLEASE LOOK THROUGH THE TELESCOPE.
MUGG, YOUR VIEW THROUGH THE

TELESCOPE IS MAGNIFIED, SO NOW MR.

BUT THERE ARE STILL WAYS YOU CAW TELL r
HE'S FAR AWAY MR. PISTANTMAW, WOULD YOU WOW, MUSS, WHICH DO YOU SUPPOSE IS
PLEASE HOLD YOUR HAWD UP IW FRONT OF CLOSER TO US: MR. DISTANTMAN'S HAWD,
YOUR FACE? THAT'S F(WE, OR HIS FACE?
v 1
RIGHT YOU ARE, MUGS, YOU'VE JUST PUT
YOUR FINGER OW ANOTHER DEPTH CUE/
I HAVE? WHAT
IS IT?
YES,OVERLAP THE PRINCIPLE THAT TELLS

; FOR IWSTAWCE, HOW CAW WE TELL
YOU WHICH OSdECT IS IW FROWT OF-OR THE MOON IS CLOSER TO US THAW THE SUW?
MORE ACCURATELY, CLOSER TO YOU THAN- BECAUSE IN AW ECLIPSE IT OVERLAPS
AWOTHER OBJECT WEARER OBJECTS SEEM THE SUN/
TO COVER UP FARTHER OBJECTS-THEY
DEPTH CUES
©
I'LL REMONSTRATE WITH THIS
IF HOLD THE FIGURE AT JUST THE RIGHT
I
MR. DlSTANTMAN ACTION FIGURE HUNS ON A

DISTANCE, IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE AS
FISHING LINE. TAKE A LOOK AT IT THROUGH
MR. PISTAWTMAN, SO, WHICH ONE'S
THE TELESCOPE. MUSG.
THE PHONY?
SO OVERLAP ALWAYS TELLS YOU WHICH ^

OBJECT IS CLOSER?
ON THE PLANET KWONK, EVERYTHING IS BUT ENOUGH ABOUT OVERLAP-TAKE ANOTHER^

TRANSPARENT SO EVEN THOUGH OBJECTS LOOK THROUGH THE TELESCOPE AND TELL
OVERLAP YOU CAN'T TELL WHAT'S IN FRONT ME WHAT MR. DISTANTMAN IS DOING.
OF WHAT/ PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS BUMPING INTO
THINGS, PLUS, THEY'VE GOT NO PRIVACY/

IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S HOLDING OWE HAND
IN FRONT OF HIS FACE, AND THE OTHER
STRETCHED OUT BEHIND HIM.
SO, WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE WAY

MR PISTAWTMAN LOOKS?
I DEPTH CUES
©
S
WELL, MUGS, DISTANCE 15 LIKE MONEY-THE YES, BUT HE'S ONLY APPED .OOOOOQ5Z TO HIS
MORE YOU HAVE OF IF, THE LESS AMY MORE WEALTH, HE MIGHT PECIDE THE DIFFERENCE
OF IT MATTERS. WHEW A BILLIONAIRE FINDS *5 IS INSIGNIFICANT AWP TOSS THE BILL AWAY/
OH THE STREET POES HE BECOME RICHER?
|
r~~ — 1
MY ARM SPAN ABOUT 6 FEET IF STAMP
IS I
WITH MY HAWP 3 FEET AWAY FROM YOUR

1
EYE, AWP THE OTHER HAWD STRETCHED

OUT AS FAR AS IT WILL GO, THAT HAND IS
9 FEET AWAY OR 300/ FARTHER.
r
IF MR
DISTAWTMAN'S WEAR HAWD IS 3 MILES
away; that's is, ag feet-that meaws HlS
FAR HAWD IS 15,646 FEET AWAY AN
INSIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF .OOOOI/.
Q PERSPECTIVE TOR COMIC

I BOOK ARTISTS
THISLEAPS US TO AW EFFECT CALLED LINK THEM UP AND YOU'VE GOT-
CONVERGENCE. TAKE A BUNCH OF A MAILING TUBE.
identical cardboard rings at
VARIOUS DISTANCES . . .
THE ANSWER IS THAT WHILE LIKE OBJECTS AT GREATER AND GREATER DISTANCES, THE
CONTINUE TO DIMINISH IN SIZE THE FARTHER
APPARENT SIZE OF OBJECTS DIMINISHES LESS
THEV ARE FROM YOUR EYE, THEV DIMINISH AT
A LOWER RATE THE FARTHER BACK YOU SO, AND LESS-THEREFORE, THE CONVERGENCE
LINES LINKING THEM FLATTEN OUT UNTIL YOU
BARELY SEE CONVERGENCE AT ALL.
DEPTH CUES
/
NOW, LET'S EXAMINE AW EFFECT THAT IS WATCH WHAT HAPPENS AS MR.

LINKED TO CONVERGENCE—FORESHORTEN! NG DISTAWTMAW ROTATES IT IN SPACE-THE
FIRST, HERE'S THE MAILING TUBE, SEEN WIDTH OF THE TUBE NARROWS AND THE
DIRECTLY FROM THE SIDE, LITTLE SECTIONS SET CLOSER TOGETHER.
ROTATE IT SOME MORE, AND THE TUBE

SEEMS TO FLATTEN OUT MORE, AND
THE LITTLE SECTIONS NARROW AND
T CLOSER UP FORESHORTENING AND

CONVERGENCE APPEAR TOGETHER. FORESHORTENING IS EASIEST TO OBSERVE
AS THE EDGES SEEM TO CONVERGE, IN OBJECTS WITH REGULAR DIVISIONS.
THE FORESHORTENED SECTIONS GET

NARROWER AND MORE SQUISHED
© PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

"S
Bur IT CAM ALSO BE SEEN IN ALL KINDS NOW, LET'S MOVE ON TO ANOTHER DEPTH CUE.
OF MORE IRREGULAR OBJECTS- FOR THIS ONE, MR. DISTANTMAN HAS PUT
LIKE THE HUMAN BODY/ ON HIS MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING GEAR/
WELL, YOU THINK THAT'S BAD, TAKE A

IF 1 NOW, PULL BACK A AND SEE THE THREE
BIT
LOOK AT MR. DlSTANTMAW'S COLLEGE OF THEM TOGETHER. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
ROOMMATE'S BROTHER-IN-LAW OVER ON IS AN EFFECT CALLED ATMOSPHERIC
THIS MOUNTAIN, KIND OF HAZY AND PERSPECTIVE. LITTLE PROPS OF WATER
INDISTINCT, ISN'T HE? OR DUST HANGING IN THE AIR CLOUD YOUR
sight and make more distant objects
LOOK HAZIER, LESS DEFINED/
DEPTH CUES
IT'SA LESS EXTREME CASE OF WHAT YOU SEE ON 7 "S
A VERM VERY FOGGY PAY. OR IN A SMOKY ROOM.

. .
I'VEGOT ONE MORE DEPTH CUE TO SHOW YOU,
ACTUALLY IT'S A FORM OF OVERLAP THOSE LITTLE BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO CROSS YOUR EYES
PARTICLES HANG IN THE AIR, OVERLAPPING IN ORDER TO SEE IT/ j
; OBJECTS AND PARTLY HIDING THEM/
WHEN THEY COMBINE, THE RESULT IS STEREO, A

THREE-DIMENSIONAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD.
VIVID,
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS BOOK WONT TELL YOU HOW
TO REPRODUCE THE EFFECT MAINLY BECAUSE
IT'S JUST TOO DIFFICULT/

,
OVERLAP TELLS YOU WHAT'S IN PROMT

OF WHAT . ,
FORESHORTENING INDICATES PEPTH RECEDING LIMES OF CONVERGENCE CAN

...AND
WITH FLATTENED FORMS . . . DEFINE SPACE WITH UNMATCHED PRECISION/
IT'SA THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORLD OUT HMM ... I'M NOT SURE.

THERE, MUGS. AND IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT COMES AFTER DEPTH CUES,
HOW DEPTH CUES WORK, YOU'RE WELL ON MR. DlSTANTMANf
YOUR WAY TO UNDERSTANDING
PERSPECTIVE/ ]~
DEPTH CUES
O
CHAPTER THREE
isms > j ^/ u jii pa/asE

The picture plane is the imaginary window through which we view a scene. If
you set yourself up in front of an actual window and attempt to trace the scene
outside on the glass with a felt-tipped pen, you will soon realize that the exercise
only works so long as you keep your eye rigidly fixed. Move your head, or swing
open the window, and the scene outside and lines you've drawn will shift out
of alignment.
Walk into a room with a divided window. One half of the window opens onto
the view outside, and the other half has been replaced by a picture of that view.
From most parts of the room, it will be obvious to you which half of the window
is the real scene and which is the flat picture. But from one exact point in space,
the two window views will line up exactly, and you won’t be able to tell where
the real scene ends and the picture begins.
In you reproduce this situation on paper using an imaginary
perspective,
window, an imaginary scene, and an imaginary point in space to view it from.
The window is the picture plane.
THE PICTURE PLANE
©
HEY-IT'S CUT ME OFF AT THE KNEES
AND JT DOESN'T EVEN HURT/
^
THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S AN
IMAGINARY PLANE.
t
IMAGINARY, EH? WHAT GOOD IS IT, THEM?
IT REPRESENTS THE
PICTURE. YOUMAKE IT REAL
WHEN YOU DRAW ON IT

WERE, HUGO, DRAW WHAT VOU SEE, WAIT —WHERE THE HECK ARE WE?
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY STUDIO?
I THOUGHT IT WAS TOO

CLUTTERED FOR THIS CHAPTER
WE RE IN A KIND OF MINIMALIST
LANDSCAPE.
THE PICTURE PLANE

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TRACE ON IT LIKE T HIS?
WHAT, JUST
HERE'S VOUR LANDSCAPE MUGG-
ALL READY FOR YOU TO DRAW/ THAT'S RIGHT
THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE SHIFTING

GRRR/ CANT KEEP STUFF STRAIGHT/
1
AROUND, MUGG. THE PICruRE PLANE
THINGS KEEP SHIFTING AROUND/ JUST FOLLOWS YOU. WHAT" YOU NEED IS
THIS FIXED EYEHOLE/
VERY NICE WORK.

OH YEAH. THAT WORKS MUCH BETTER/ TA-DAA/ MUGG/
'-'HE
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HEY WAIT A MlNUTE-WHAT ARE YOU DOING? OK, NOW LOOK THROUGH THE EYEHOLE 1
AGAIN, MUG 6. CAN YOU FELL WHERE I
I'M PAINTING THE
YOUR DRAWING LEAVES OFF AND THE I
BACK WHITE— WANT TO I
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SHOW YOU SOMETHING. REAL SCENE BEGINS? jr-
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DAMN, I'M
ISf’ GOOD/
NOW, WHAT PO YOU SUPPOSE WOULD

HOW ABOUT NOW? HAPPEN IF MOVEP THE PICTURE PLANE I
BACK A FEW FEET? M

I PUNNO
TRY IT
MJjM
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VERY
FUNNY
WHAT PO YOU KNOW?

IT DOESN'T MATCH ANYMORE/
THAT DOESN'T MATCH EITHER
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I'LL IT
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50 WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM ISTHAT SO? LET'S FRY SETTING UP
THIS LITTLE EXPERIMENT, MUGS? — ANOTHER PICTURE PLANE FARTHER AWAY
THAT PERSPECTIVE ONLY

WORKS WHEW THE PICTURE
PLANE IS THE CORRECT
DISTANCE AWAY SO TELL ME
WHAT THAT DISTANCE 15-
IWANT TO WRITE IT DOWN.
NOW DRAW ON IT WITH THIS

EXTRA-LONG PENCIL/
OK, OK,
GOOD/
GOOD/
PAINT THE BACK WHITE AGAIN ONCE MORE, WE HAVE A DRAWING

AND PRESTO/ THAT MATCHES THE SCENE EXACTLY
JUST LIKE THE FIRST OWE/

WHEW HOLD THE FIRST PICTURE
I
Bur WITH BOTH PICTURES AT

WE XT TO THE SECOWP OWE, YOU CAW
THE PROPER VIEWING DISTANCE
SEE HOW MUCH SMALLER IT LOOKS-
THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S MAPE TO BE
THEY LOOK IDENTICAL/
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SEEM FROM MUCH CLOSER. .
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THERE NO SINGLE PROPER DISTANCE

IS
YEAH, BUT HAPPENS YOU MOVE IF
FOR THE PICTURE PLAWE-IT CAN BE THE EYEHOLE?
LOCATED ANYWHERE YOUR EVE CAW SEE
FROM THE SURFACE OF YOUR EVE OUT GOOD QUESTION,
ALL THE WAY TO JNFINITV-ANP EACH
ML) GO. LET'S TRY IT
PLANE IS EQUALLY CORRECT/
HOW ABOUT IT MOVE THE PICTURE I
DOES THE PICTURE LINE UP FORWARD A BIT?

WITH THE LANDSCAPE NOW?
NOPE
THE PICTURE PLANE

ALL RIGHT, DAVID, SO HOW COME
BACK, THEN? NOPE
IT DOESN'T WORKf —
BECAUSE
WHEN YOU MOVE,
MOPE YOU CHANGE WHAT
YOU SEE.
NOPE
HOW ABOUT HERE?
CRUISE AROUND WITH A FRAME OUT AT ARM'S HERE'S A FOR INSTANCE: SUPPOSE YOU
LENGTH FOR A BIT AMD NOTICE HOW YOUR VIEW WERE BEING CHASED BY A HUNGRY LION.
CHANGES, A DRAWING ON THE PICTURE PLANE
IS A STILL PICTURE, SOCANT CHANGE/ IT
IT
WILL ONLY CORRESPOND WITH THE VIEW FROM
ONE PARTICULAR POINT IN SPACE/
YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY AND OUTSMART BUT DON'T FORGET THAT THE LION'S
HIM BY PAINTING A PERSPECTIVE SCENE VIEW CHANGES AS HE RUNS. AT A GREAT
ONTO A PANE OF PLATE GLASS, SO HE RUNS DISTANCE, THE PAINTING WON'T MATCH
RIGHT INTO IT AND KNOCKS HIMSELF COLD/ THE SCENE-IT WILL LOOK LIKE THIS.
(PON'T FORGET TO PAINT THE BACK WHITE.)

AS HE GETS CLOSER, THE PAINTING BUT THEN AS HE GETS CLOSER AND CLOSER,
WILL BEGIN TO MATCH THE SURROUNDING IT BECOMES OBVIOUS THAT THIS PAINTING WAS
LANDSCAPE, UNTIL HE REACHES THE MADE TO BE SEEN FROM FARTHER AWAY/
STATION POINT; WHERE IT COINCIDES EXACTLY
AND IF HE GETS OFF THE ROAD AND

UNLESS YOUR LION IS A TOTAL DUMMY
Views it from the side, the deception
HE'S GOING TO GIVE THE GLASS A MISS
WILL BE EVEN MORE OBVIOUS/
AND KEEP ON CHASING YOU/
ITDEPENDS ON WHETHER YOUR AIM IS

REALLY TO FOOL THE EYE OR NOT. IF YOU'RE
PAINTING ON GLASS FOR A MOVIE, THEN IF
HAS TO BE MOUNTED INEXACTLY THE RIGHT
SPOT OR IT WONT MATCH THE SCENE,
THE PICTURE PLANE

BUF HARDLY ANYONE Ml WPS THAT A
BACK PROP IN THE THEATER DOESN'T LINE
UP WITH THE REST OF THE SCENERY
MOST PICTURES PRINTED IN BOOKS ANP WHEN A MOVIE PROJECTED IN A

IS
ARE SHRUNK WAY DOWN-TO VIEW THEM THEATER USUALLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO
CORRECTLY FROM THE STATION POINT HAS A VIEW FROM THE STATION POIHT IS
MIGHT cause eyestrain. THE PROJECTIONIST/
YOUR EYE A MOVIE PROJECTOR IN

IS LIKE
THIS BRINGSUS TO OUR NEXT LESSON REVERSE: INSTEAD OF PROJECTING AN
ABOUT THE PICTURE PLANE, AND THAT HAS IMAGE ONTO A SCREEN, IT PROJECTS AN
TO DO WITH IMAGE SIZE. IMAGE FROM THE REAL WORLD THROUGH
THE PICTURE PLANE WHILE THE HANP
TRACES THE OUTLINES,

A PICTURE PLANE HELD UP IN PROMT OF YOUR
EYE CAM BLOCK THAT VIEW, BUT IT THE IMAGE
OW THE PICTURE EXACTLY COINCIDES WITH A
SLICE OF THIS VISUAL CONE, YOU WONT
NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE/
WHICH LION 15 LONGER? OBJECTS BEHIND THE PICTURE PLANE

HAVE TO BE DRAWN SMALLER THAN
ACTUAL SIZE, DEPENDING ON DISTANCE,
WHILE—GET THIS /-OBJECTS IN FRONT
NEED TO BE DRAWN LARGER/
A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VIEW MAKES THE
SO WHAT HAPPENS AN OBJECT IS EXACTLY

IT SUCH AM OBJECT IS SAID TO BE *OM THE
THE SAME DISTANCE FROM YOUR EYE AS THE PICTURE PLANE*' AND IS DRAWN ACTUAL SIZE-
PICTURE PLANEf THE OUTLINE IS EXACTLY THE IT CAN EVEN BE TRACED DIRECTLY
SIZE OF THE OBJECT/
THE PICTURE PLANE

o
ALLOF THESE OBJECTS ARE 'ON THE PICTURE OBJECTS DRAWN LARGER THAN ACTUAL SIZE
PLANE/ WHICH IN THIS CASE IS UNDERSTOOD ARE UNDERSTOOD TO BE IN FRONT OF THE
TO BE EXACTLY AT THE SURFACE OF THIS PAGE. PICTURE PLANE, POPPING OUT AT YOU
. . .
BACK THE RENAISSANCE, SOME ARTISTS USED THIS DEVICE:

IN
VOU LOOK THROUGH A WINDOW WITH SQUARE DIVISIONS AND

TRANSFER WHAT YOU SEE TO A SHEET OF GRAPH PAPER.
PERSPECTIVE' FDR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

GEE,DOES THAT GUV WEEP TO STUPY BUT IF HE WANTS TO CHANGE THINGS,
PERSPECTIVE AT A LLP IT LOOKS AS IF THE ADP BUILDINGS, PUT IN MORE OBJECTS
DEVICE POES ALL THE WORK FOR HIM/ AT THE RIGHT SCALE, THEN HE HAS A
PROBLEM. IF HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND
PERSPECTIVE, HIS ADDITIONS WON'T
LOOK BELIEVABLE/
AN ARTIST NOWADAYS WHO COPIES IFAN ARTIST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND

PHOTOGRAPHS HAS THE SAME PROBLEM- PERSPECTIVE, SOME CRAZY THINGS CAN
THE CAMERA RECORDS WHAT IT SEES HAPPEN, IF WE'RE LOOKING DOWN ON THIS
EXACTLY IN PERFECTLY CORRECT COUPLE IN THE TUB, HOW COME WE'RE
PERSPECTIVE, BUT IT CANT INVENT LOOKING UP AT THE BUILDINGS OUTSIPEP
ANYTHING—THAT'S THE ARTIST'S JOB.
THE PICTURE PLANE

O
CHAPTER FOUR
Two of the most fundamental concepts of perspective are the horizon and the
vanishing point. Many readers, of course, are already familiar with these concepts
and may feel that they are self-evident and obvious, but it took many centuries
for artists to realize that they exist.
Early writers on optics observed that lines in a room seemed to slope upward
from the floor and downward from the ceiling, and observant artists from
antiquity up to the Renaissance included the effect in their paintings. But what
they failed to grasp was that these same lines, if extended far into the distance,
would all appear to meet at a single point on the horizon. Eventually the
discoverywas made during the Renaissance by the painter-architect Brunelleschi,
and soon artists all over Europe were using it in their art.
'
WE'RE BACK IN THAT MINIMALIST YOU'RE FUNNlN' ME, RIGHT? THERE ARE NO
LANDSCAPE, SEE.
I
V OUTSTANDING FEATURES HERE.
THAT'S RIGHT
WHAT ARE THE OUTSTANDING LET'S SET UP A PICTURE
FEATURES HERE? PLANE AND HAVE YOU
DRAW* IT ANYWAY
THE HORIZON AND THE VANISHING POINT Q

MIGHT I SUGGEST -THE HORIZON/
SO WHAT PO YOU CALL THAT LINE, MUGG?
I PUNNO- THE HORIZOM-YEAH, THAT'S

IT'S A YOU KNOW?
LINE,
GOT A CATCHY RING/
IT'S WHERE THE SKY
MEETS THE GROUND.
NOW, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF

SURPRISING THINGS ABOUT THE
HORIZON, MUGG, TOR ONE THING, IT (SWT
A STRAIGHT LINE—IT'S CURVED/
CURVED?
NO WAY/
© PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

THERE YOU ARE, MUGG- THE HORIZON IS LIKE A HOOP OUT IN SPACE,
THE HORIZON MEETS UP WITH ITSELF/ CENTERED YOUR EYE -AND IT ALWAYS
OKI
WHAT STRAIGHT LINE CAW DO THAT? STAYS EXACTLY AT YOUR EYE LEVEL/
SEE HOW THE HORIZOW CUTS THROUGH

HERE-TAKE A LOOK IN THIS MIRROR
EXACTLY AT YOUR EYE LEVEL?
IT YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME/
THE HORIZON AND THE VANISHING POINT

PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC ROOK ARTISTS
WHAT, LIKE OH A FERRIS WHEEL? OW A MOU NTAI WTOP?
WO, HIGHER/
ALL right; mugg, you win-

THERE IS WO HORIZON IN OUTER SPACE/
BUT AS SOOW AS YOU COME BACK DOWN NOW, THE FACT THAT VOUR EYE LEVEL
IS ALWAYS AT THE HORIZON CAN BE
TO EARTH -OR ANY PLANET WITH A
VERY USEFUL IN PRAWING/
ROUGHLY FLAT SURFACE -YOU'VE GOT
THE HORIZON AGAIN/
w
THE HORIZON AND THE VANISHING POINT ^
IFPEOPLE IN YOUR PICTURE ARE ALL
IFYOUR VIEWPOINT IS LOW, THEN YOU
ROUGHLY THE SAME HEfGHT, YOU CAN USE
CAN DRAW THE HORIZON AT SOME
THE HORIZON AS A MARKER FOR EYE LEVEL,
OTHER PART OF THE ANATOMY/
IF YOU'RE TAKING A HIGH VIEWPOINT: EVEN IF THE PEOPLE IN YOUR PICTURE ARE
FIGURE OUT HOW MANY MORE HEADS EACH A MIX OF HEIGHTS, YOU CAN FIGURE OUT
PERSON WOULD NEED TO BE AS TALL AS WHERE THE HORIZON CUTS ACROSS EACH
THE HORIZON AND APPLY IT CONSISTENTLY OF THEM AND PLACE THEM ACCORDINGLY
r
BUT HERE'S WHERE THE HORIZON
COMES IN REALLY HANDY, AND THAT'S
IN THE LITTLE MATTER OF THE

SUPPOSE PUP A BOARD LIKE THIS ON
I
RIGHT YOU ARE, MUGG. NOW WHAT WOULD
TH£ GROUND AND ANOTHER ONE cAJST HAPPEN IF FILLED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN
I
LIKE IT A PEW FEET FARTHER AWAY. THOSE TWO BOARDS WITH MORE BOARDS?
WHAT HAPPENS?
RIGHT AGAIN/ NOW, HERE'S WHERE WELL, SUPPOSE LAY THESE TWO IRON
I
\1
CONVERGENCE STARTS TO COME IN- RAILS UP AGAINST THE ENDS OF ALL THESE
YOU REMEMBER CONVERGENCE, DON'T YOU?
BOARDS? WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE ? ^
_I UMMM-THE RAILS
I THINK SO
o APPEAR TO
WILL
CONVERGE?
HERE'S WHERE GETS INTERESTING.

IT
SUPPOSE EXTENDED THE RAILS AS
I
FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE?

>1
HEY, WAIT A MINUTE -THEY WOULDN'T
TAPER TO A POINT: WOULD THEY?
YOU CAN'T GO THERE, MUGG.

IT'S A MATHEMATICAL FICTION-
AN ARTISTIC CONVENIENCE/
TO PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

j
i Tin i i i ——
( HEY—MOW'D YOU GET AHEAD OF MEf
' rHAVEWT moved from

THIS SPOT Si MCE YOU STARTED
RUNMlNG.
THE HORIZON AMD THE VANISHING POINT

0
( MUSr HAVE SOME ALL THE WAV AROUND
THE WORLD/ BUT PON'T GET IT-
I
THE VANISHING POINT LOOKS AS

TAR OFF AS EVER/
T
SO WHAT DJDYOU SEE ON YOUR LITTLE MOVING ON TO STUFF THAT PEOPLE
TRIP AROUND THE WORLD, MUGG? ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT MUSS, WHAT DO
VOU SUPPOSE IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IF WE
ADDED A SECOND SET OF TRACKS?
PERSPECTIVE FOR COMIC

l BOOK ARTISTS
ITSEEMS TERR) PYlNGLY
CLEAR THAT ALL RAILROAD
TRACKS RECEDE TO A SINGLE
VANISHING POINT
A SINGLE POINT:
MUGGF WHAT ABOUT
THE OWE BEHIND YOUf
———— *
ALL RIGHT TWO VANISHING POINTS,

EACH ON THE HORIZON/
NOW LET'S ADD ANOTHER TRACK, GOING

OFF IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
IKE HORIZON AND THE VANISHING POINT Q

r
AMD SO'S THIS OWE, AMP THIS OWE, OH, MUGS -PLEASE PONT THINK THIS
AND THIS OWE/ r
_ ~--v
APPLIES ONLY TO RAILROAP TRACKS/
ENOUGH/
IT GOES FOR ANYTHING WITH
\
f~f MOW MANY TIMES AM I
GOING TO WEED TO DRAW

PARALLEL EDGES/
1
1
V TRAIN TRACKS, ANYWAY?
WELL, HOW ABOUT A ROAD? OR A FENCE? THAT'S VERY NICE, DAVID. BUT HOW
OR THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA? POES THIS HELP ME DRAW ANYTHING
THAT POESWT EXTEND AS FAR
AS THE EYE CAN SEE?
v OK, WE'RE LEFT WITH A TINY SECTION.

IT DOESN'T EXTEND AS FAR
AS THE EYE CAN SEE AWYMORE-
DOES IT STILL GO TO THE VANISHING POINT?

s]
WELL, IT WAS EXPENSIVE, BUT

JUST I
WANTED TO SNOW YOU THAT WHAT'S

TRUE OF THE WHOLE IS TRUE OF ANY
PART-THOSE RECEPING LINES
ALWAYS CONVERGE TOWARD A
VANISHING POINT; WHETHER THEY
REACH ALL THE WAV OR NOT/
ALSO, THIS IS TRUE OF ANY OBJECT

AND AS LONG AS THOSE RECEDING LINES
CONTAINING PARALLEL UNES- ARE EITHER ON THE GROUND OR PARALLEL
WHEW THOSE LINES RECEDE, THEY TO IT THEY MEET AT THE HORIZON.
RECEDE TO A VANISHING POINT/
r
IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO DRAW IN A SO, TO CONCLUDE . . .
HORIZON, EVEN IF IT'S NOT VISIBLE.

IT'LL HELP ENSURE THAT YOUR HEY DAVID, JUST THOUGHT OF
I
PERSPECTIVE IS CORRECT AND SOMETHING/ KNOW WHY DIDN'T

I I
YOU CAN ALWAYS ERASE IT LATER. REACH THE VANISHING POINT/

r S
WHY 15 THAT? now Just suppose they went
BECAUSE THE
RAILS WEREN'T STRAIGHT/ straight off into space, all the
THEY FOLLOW THE CURVATURE WAY TO INFINITY— THEN COULD
I
OF THE EARTH. SO THEY'RE WALK TO THE VANISHING POINT/

ROUND, LIKE A BIS HOOP/
WHEN YOU SOT REALLY CLOSE,

THEN, IT
WOULD START TO GET CRAMPED. . . ,
f s
UNTIL FINALLY IT GOT SO

TIGHT YOU'D HMM, MAYBE IT'S BEST TO KEEP A
WINP UP SQUISHED LIKE A BUS/ HEALTHY DISTANCE FROM THAT
VANISHING POINT AFTER ALL.

—
CHAPTER FIVE
In this chapter; we learn a basic fact that will help us unlock the science of
perspective: We live in a boxy world. Most objects in the man-made environment,
from the houses we live in to the dice we toss, are variations on the basic shape
of the box, or cube. If this were not so, then perspective would look very
different and we might not have ever discovered it at all.
The cartoonist Burne Hogarth, who produced many fine books on drawing and
anatomy, never wrote a book about perspective. Perhaps it was because he spent
most of his career drawing Tarzan, who lives in the jungle, far away from the boxy
buildings of civilization and their cuby perspective, and therefore had little need of it
There is a chapter devoted to perspective shortcuts at the end of this book,

but here is one more. If you don't have time to set up a full-blown perspective,
loosely pencil in an imaginary set of monkey bars before drawing anything else
if the monkey bars are plausible, any object based on them will be, too.
r V
50, WHAT'S THE CONCEPT TOR DO NOT/ I LIVE IN A CO-OP LOTT/
THfS CHAPTER, PAVlP?
PONT TAKE ITPERSONALLY
MUGS. I LIVE IN A BOX, TOO/
j\l
YOU LIVE IN A HOUSE, DAVID.

HOW IS THAT ANYTHING LIKE A BOX?
LOSE THE ROOT, THE WINDOWS, AND THE

FRONT PORCH, AND IT LOOKS LIKE . . .
. , . A BOX/

STEP BACK A Bir AND YOU CAN SEE
THAT VOUR BLOCK CONSISTS OF A CROUP
OF DIFFERENTLY SIZED BOXES/
[aiyr|
L
; l
Q ~ AH 0
1
J|£3
o
tssf rR o n etw 1
CUBES IN SPACE!
0
MOVIWO IN CLOSER WE CAW SEE
THAT WOT OWLY DOES YOUR APARTMENT
HAVE A BOXY SHAPE, BUT SO DOES MOST
OF YOUR FURNITURE/
f SENSE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO I KNOW/ I'LL BUILD A SET OF

MAKE SOME POINT RELATED TO MONKEY BARS/
PERSPECTIVE, PAVIP,
, . . THEM MULTIPLY IT INFINITELY

V
— -
-s
MAN -IT'S CUBES IN SPACE/ SO, MUGG-HERE'S A QUESTION:

HOW MANY VANISHING POINTS CAN YOU SEE?
EXACTLY/
.THREE. . . . FOUR/ ONE FOR

TWO. . ,
EACH WALL/
HEY/ THERE'S ANOTHER ONE/
YUP-AWD THAT VANISHING POINT HAS A

SPECIAL NAME—THE ZENITH/ NOW, LOOK POWN.
L
CUBES IN SPACE!
©
-
T SO, MUSS-HOW MANY VANISHING POINTS?

'S 57
RIGHT WOW EACH SET" OF PARALLEL
TUBES GOES FROM OWE VANISHING POINT
TO THE ONE OPPOSITE, HOW MAWY SETS
OF LINES ARE THERE IW ALL?
THAT'S RIGHT, MUSS, AMP YOU

APROPOS OF NOTHING, MUGG:
HOW MANY CORNERS DOES A CUBE HAVE?
CAN SEE THEM INTERSECT AT
EACH OF THE CORNERS/
OWE, TWO, THREE,
FOUR, FIVE, SIX,
SAY, DAVID, CAW WE SEE EACH SET OF

-
WOW SHUT YOUR EVES, MUGG.

WE'RE GOING TO DO A LITTLE TRAVELING/
RJ
HEY, WE'RE BACK IN MY -STUDIO/ WELL, WE'RE STILL IN THE MONKEY BARS
THAT'S. RIGHT
NOW VO YOU NOTICE ANYTHING CURIOUS?
CUBES IN SPACEI o
I'MGONNA TAKE A WILD STAB AND JUST ABOUT EVERY LINE IN THIS ROOM IS
SAY THAT THEY SHARE THE SAME PARALLEL TO SOME LINE IN THE MONKEY
PERSPECTIVE. BARS, AND THAT'S TRUE NO MATTER
WHICH DIRECTION YOU LOOK/
BY MOVING YOUR HEAP SLIGHTLY, YOU STAND ON YOUR HEAD, GET UP ON TIPTOES,
CAN GET ANY STRAIGHT LINE IN THE DO ANYTHING YOU LIKE-THERE'S NO WAY
ROOM TO LINE UP EXACTLY WITH ONE YOU COULD GET ANY OF THE LINES IN THE
OF THE MONKEY BARS/ MONKEY BARS TO CROSS ANY OF THE
LINES OF THE ROOM/

^3
r 3! MCE THE room parallel
limes im this
the direction of rue monkey bars, ir
FOLLOWS that they recede to the
SAME VANISHING POlt^T/
'HERE'S A TYPICAL CITY STREET: NOTICE

HOW EVERYTHING— SIDEWALKS, BUILDINGS,
TELEPHONE POLES— LINES UP WITH THE
AND HARP'S ANOTHER. OUT JW THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE, VERY FEW LIMES MATCH THE
MONKEY BARS-A FEW VERTICAL TREE TRUNKS, THE HORIZON, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT/
BUT SO VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE BUILT IDON'T KNOW-MAYBE IT HAS SOMETHING TO

BY HUMANS AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE DO WITH THE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
MONKEY BAR LINES AGAIN/
WHY IS THAT
DAVID?
yjkprxt ^l±Llr t
WHATEVER THE REASON, IT MEANS THAT SO SHOW ME HOW TO DRAW A BOX, DAVID.
IF YOU CAM DRAW A BOX OR A CUBE OR HOW HARD CAM IT BE?
A BRICK, YOU'RE WELL ON YOUR WAY TO
YOU'LL FIND OUT IN THE
BEING ABLE TO DRAW MOST MAN-MADE
NEXT THRILLING CHAPTER/
OBJECTS IN PERSPECTIVE.
ra PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

CHAPTER SIX
One-point perspective isthe simplest type of perspective to draw, and many

people stick to it for that reason. While it can be used loosely, just to define the
direction of receding lines, in this chapter show you a method of using it with
I
great precision, dividing space up into square divisions using the diagonal
vanishing point Also in this chapter; I explain the concept of the cone of vision,
and the advantages of staying within a narrow — as opposed to a wider — cone,
0
T
BEFORE CAM SHOW YOU HOW TO

I
DRAW A BOX, MU SO, WE MUST FIRST

REDUCE IT TO ITS ESSENTIAL FORM/
AMP HOW MIGHT WE

DO THAT, DAVfDF
BEHOLD/
A CUBE WITH PERFECTLY EQUAL SIDES/
AMD THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS ... ?

HERE ARE A FEW OF THE MANY POSSIBLE
VIEWS OF THE CUBE-WE'RE GOING TO
UUST SOME MEASURING
START WITH THE EASIEST WHICH DO
LIMES— THEY'LL COME IN
YOU SUPPOSE THAT WOULD BE?
HANDY LATER, BELIEVE ME,

YUP, THAT'S PRETTY DARN EASY, MUG 6.
THINK YOU'LL HAVE ANY TROUBLE TRACING
IT OFF THE PICTURE PLANE?
JUST WATCH ME/
TA-DAA/ OF COURSE NOT/ CANT SEE

I INSIDE
VERY IMPRESSIVE, MUGG.
NOW, CAN YOU DRAW OH,BUT WITH THIS
WHAT'S INSIDE THIS CUBE? CUBE YOU CAN/
Hn
SEE, THIS IS A MAGIC CUBE, WITH

SIDES THAT BECOME INVISIBLE WITH
A WAVE OF MY HAND/
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
VERY GOO R MUGG. WHAT YOU HAVE JUST
PRAWN IS A ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE Vl EM
ONE POlNT-WHAT
DOES THAT MEANP
1 .
IT MEANS THERE'S ONLY OWE VANISHING

point in the Picture/ only one set
OF LINES MEET/
OTHER TWO SETS

OF LINES, DAVlPP

SO WOW, MUGG, ARE YOU REAPY TO TRY GOOP. YOU'VE DRAWW THE WEAR SIDE,
AMP PRAW THE CUBE FROM MEMORY? HUGO. MOW WHAT?
UM, CAM KEEP

f
^-1
IE .SQUARE GR/D?
ij
/
v
\ f \jf
/
] \ <h
>^r
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE O
OK, THIS ONE GOES HERE,
ALL RIGHT PAVIR HOW PO MAKE SURE
I
AND THIS ONE-UH, WAIT A MINUTE THOSE LINES ARE EVENLY SPACED?
SAY, MUGG,HOW ABOUT WE TAKE A BREAK Victory/ Victory/ win/

i
TOR A GAME OF TIC-TAC-TOE?

IMUST GRUDGINGLY CONCEDE THAT
YOUR SKILLS HAVE ONCE AGAIN
PROVEN SUPERIOR TO MINE, MUGG,
/
T .
X
1
: rs
7 AND YET THERE IS MORE HERE THAW

MEETS THE EYE, TOR THIS SEEMINGLY
SIMPLE GAME CONTAINS A LESSON-
A PERSPECTIVE LESSON/

0
WELL, MUG 6, DOES CHANGE AT ALL

THIS THERE YOU HAVE IT, MUGS/
WHEW TIP THE PAPER BACK, 50 THAT
I
JUST FILL IW THE LINES WHERE
IT'S IN PERSPECTIVE? THEY CROSS THE DIAGONAL LINE/
YEAH, WHERE P THOSE OTHER

DIVIDING LlWES GO?
WELL, THEY TOUCH THE HORIZONTAL

LINES HERE, DO THEY WOT?
v
” ' “
MOW FOR THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, MUGG OH CHEEZ WHIZ.'' IT POESW'T MATCH/
LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOUR DRAWING I DREW IT TOO DEEP/
MATCHES THE REAL CUBE/ r
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE o
NOT TO WORRY MUGG/ LET'S JUST
MOVE THE EYE HOLE A LITTLE CLOSER
TO THE PICTURE FRAME/
WOW THAT YOU'VE PRAWN THE CUBE IN

OWE-POIWT PERSPECTIVE, ARE YOU READY
FOR YOUR WEXT CHALLENGE, MUGGP
- _
OK, DRAW TWO CUBES IW

ONE-POlWT PERSPECTIVE/

— ^ \
DREW ANOTHER SQUARE

HERE, SEE-I
TO THE LEFT RECEDING LIMES BACK TO THE
VANISHING POINTS, ANp A BACK WALL.
PERHAPS YOU'LL FlWP THIS NEXT UMM, LET'S SEE-FIRST CONTINUE THE I
PROBLEM MORE OF A CHALLENGE, MUGG/ RECEDING LINES BACK TO THE VANISHING

PRAW A SECOND CUBE BEHIND POl/TT-THB N THEN I , . , I . . .
THE FIRST ONE/

"TT— \ — i
X rr \V
! T
i
yj
i
i_J
f-j
C / 7 1
—
7 / X\
i
\
/ — —-A \
DAMN IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN—

7
IT,
HERE'S A DRAWING OF TWO SQUARES
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO STOP/
NEXT TO EACH OTHER. WATCH WHAT
I
HAPPENS WHEN PRAW DIAGONAL LIMES I
MAYBE CAM HELPI
ACROSS FROM OPPOSITE CORNERS.
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE o
SO, THAT DOESN'T CHANGE WHEN
YOU PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE. THE
LINES STILL CROSS EXACTLY WHERE
THE MIDDLE JS-lN PERSPECTIVE.
SO IFYOU WAVS owe SQUARE IW

PERSPECTIVE AND YOU WANT TO ADD
ANOTHER, FINP A UWE THAT DIVIDES IT
IN HALF, THEN DRAW A LI WE FROM THE
BOTTOM CORNER PASSING THROUGH
THE LINE AT MIDPOINT, UP TO THE TOP
EDGE-AND THERE YOU HAVE IT/ THAT'S
WHERE YOUR RECTANGLE ENDS/

WOULD B£ MO 6 OOP AT ALL/
WHY, IT
SHOW ME YOUR BETTER METHOD.
WELL, IN ORDER TO
DEMONSTRATE, FIRST WE WEED TO
COVER THE EARTH IN LINOLEUM.
COME ON, BOYS.
ALL ROUT DAVID, YOU'VE TILED

rsi
THE WORLD.
WHAT'S YOUR POIhlTF
ONE* POINT PERSPECTIVE

HOLY COW/ ALL THE DIAGONALS OF ALL ONCE YOU'VE FOUND THAT POINT, YOU
CAN DRAW SQUARES OF ANY SIZE,
ANYWHERE IN THE SCENE/
Vanish JHj YfniLii^g fti**
AWP SINCE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL LENGTHS

ARE THE SAME IN ONE-POlNT PERSPECTIVE, ALL
YOU NEED TO DO IS
MEASURE, AND
YOU'VE GOT CUBES
IFYOU NEED TO BE PRECISE, FIRST THEN DRAW PI AGONAL LINES FROM THE
ESTABLISH A STATION POINT (THE STATION POINT TO THE PICTURE PLANE
POINT YOU'RE STANDING ON) AND THE AND MARK WHERE THEY INTERSECT IT
BOTTOM EDGE OF THE PICTURE PLANE.

THOSE DIAGONAL VANISHING POINTS WILL THE TWO DIAGONAL VANISHING
POINTS WILL
BE LOCATED OKI THE HORIZON, DIRECTLY BE LOCATED AN EQUAL DISTANCE AWAY
ABOVE WHERE THE DIAGONAL LINES FROM THE CENTRAL VANISHING POINT/
MEET THE PICTURE PLANE,
IFYOU STANP CLOSE TO THE

Picture plane, the diagonal
VANISHING POINTS WILL BE CLOSE
TOGETHER. STAND FARTHER BACK
JUST REMEMBER THAT THE CLOSER IN YOU AND ONCE YOU GO PAST THE DIAGONAL
PUT THEM, THE NARROWER THE AREA YOU VANISHING POINTS, CUBES ARE HARDLY
HAVE TO DRAW IN. ONCE YOU GET CLOSER RECOGNIZABLE AT ALL, NOT TO
TO THE DIAGONAL VANISHING POINTS, CUBES MENTION CUBIC FORMS.
START TO LOOK REALLY DISTORTED.
\
"A
OK, MUSO— BACK TO THE PICTURE PLAWE. AU COWTRAIRE, MOW FRERE/
WHEW YOU'RE STAWPIWG OPPOSITE LET'S SET OUT THE TAPE MEASURE ANP SEE/
THE PICTURE PLAWE, WHICH PART OF AHA, 3 METERS EXACTLY/ /
IT IS CLOSEST TO YOU?

IF YOU MARK OUT AREAS OF EQUAL
DISTANCE, YOU FIND THAT THEY MAKE
CIRCULAR RINGS AROUND THE CLOSEST
point:
THOSE CIRCLES CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS

THE BASES OF A SERIES OF CONCENTRIC
CONES POINTING AT YOUR EYE-LONG,
SKINNY CONES ON THE INSIDE, FATTER
ONES FARTHER OUT
SET UP A PROTRACTOR, WHICH IS LIKE A BY DRAWING LINES THROUGH THE OTHER

RULER FOR MEASURING THE DEGREES OF DEGREE MARKINGS, YOU CAN MARK ON THE
A CIRCLE, WITH THE CENTER AT YOUR EYE HORIZON PLANE THE EDGES OF ALL THOSE
AND O' POINTING AT THE CENTER OF VISION. CONES. (DOUBLE THE MEASUREMENTS,
SINCE THE DISTANCE ACROSS THE BASE
OF A CONE IS TWICE THE DISTANCE FROM
THE CENTER OF THE EDGE.)
^
HERE'S WHERE YOU'LL FIND THE DIAGONAL
VANISHING POlNrS-ON THE HORIZON, RIGHT
Af THE EDGE OF A 90° CONE, SINCE THEY'RE
EACH LOCATED 4-5’ FROM THE CENTER,
THEY'RE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS 4-5’
VANISHING POINTS,
SO, HOW WIDE A CONE OF VISION SHOULD TO GET SOME IDEA OF HOW MUCH OF THE
DRAW INSIDE, DAVID?
I VISUAL FIELD A So’ CONE COVERS, CUT A
12-lNCH-WIDE CIRCULAR HOLE OUT OF A
THERE'S NO PIECE OF CARDBOARD AND HOLD IT ABOUT
FIXED RULE, MUGG. 10/2 INCHES AWAY AT ABOUT
SOME SAY 4-0’ IS THE LIMIT, 13 INCHES AWAY YOU HAVE A
AND SOME SAY 60". IT ALL 5a CONE; AT ABOUT 17 INCHES,
DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH IT'S A 4-0° CONE, USE WIDER
DISTORTION YOU CAN STAND/ CONES AND YOU GET A LOT MORE DISTORTION,
AS YOUR VIEW OF THE PICTURE PLANE
GETS MORE AND MORE OBLIQUE
AT THE EDGES,
WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THAT THE PICTURE BUT LOOK AT DIRECTLY AND

IT
PLANE ITSELF BECOMES FORESHORTENED. THE DISTORTION IS OBVIOUS/
STICK TO THE STATION POINT AND ALL
LOOKS FINE, . , ,
Q PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC ROOK ARTISTS

IT'S BETTER TO SET UP YOUR DIAGONAL
VANISHING POINTS FAR TO THE SIDE AND
KEEP THE VISUAL CONE NARROW THINGS
WILL LOOK FAR MOIRE NATURAL THAT WAY/
YOU CAW USE YOUR DIAGONAL VANISHING AN AREA OF SMALLER SQUARES CAN
POINTS TO MARK OUT SQUARE DIVISIONS BE USED TO PUT VERY DETAILED
THAT CAN STAND FOR ANY UNIT OF SHAPES INTO PERSPECTIVE
MEASURE, FROM TlWY TO VAST
MUGG— NOW ARE YOU READY TO

OK,
DRAW A SCENE FROM SCRATCH, USING
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE? >
I , , , I . , . THINK SO/
0
. .
WELL-HOW DO YOU BEGIN? THEN? F AT A FAIRLY REMOTE \

PUT IN A DISTANCE, ADD TWO
I DRAW IN
VANISHING POINT/ DIAGONAL VANISHING
THE HORIZON . ,
POINTS , ,
AND USE THEM TO BUILD MEASURING BACK IN SPACE, 8 FEET BY 12.

, . .
MY SIDE WALL IS
A HELD OF SQUARES. EACH I'VE DECIDED MY FLOOR IS
SQUARE STANDS FOR 1 FOOT 12 FEET SQUARE.
T
. \
— ~-s
I'M PUTTING IN A WINDOW

IN THE SIDE WALL, 1 FOOT
FROM THE EDGE AND
a rcrr /~ipr tup /:cvii iun

. . . . .
OW THE FLOOR, DRAW A I

N AND FROM IT, BUILD UP ( TWO STACKED BOXES
A BY 6 RECTANGLE. A DANDY SOFA/ BECOME, WITH THE ADDITION
i
OF A FEW DETAILS . .
^ V 7
A TELEVISION SET
... ON AhiOTH ER SHEET OF PAPER,
ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT 1
OW TOP OF A TABLE/ PRAW A CDESIGN FDR THE RUG,..

OF THE SOFA, DRAW A I
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, THEN TRANSFER IT USING
, .
THE TINY SQUARE METHOD.

^ ir
BACK IN CORNER,
THIS
BUILP A SERIES OF
I
Y
r ON THE FLOOR, I FILL IN
REGULARLY SPACED
BOOKSHELVES, . .
FLOORBOARDS. . .
ON
7n THE WALLS, KNOTTY PINE
y; y AND FROM THE CEILING, n r
PANELING AT REGULAR
. ,
NOW, SIMPLY ERASE
I MY
AN ARTS AND CRAFTS CONSTRUCTION LINES AND..,
INTERVALS. . . .
LANTERN, . .
ONE>POINT PERSPECTIVE
SO, POES THAT CLOSE THE CHAPTER ON
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE, DAVlPf
ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE,

MUGG. THERE'S
SOMETHING ELSE YOU
MIGHT HAVE TRIEP.
THE VERY SAME KINP OF CONSTRUCTION CAN BE IF YOU NEED TO USE A DIAGONAL
USED TO PRAW A ONE-POINT VIEW LOOKING UP, VANISHING POINT DRAW AN EXTRA
WITH THE ZENITH AS THE VANISHING POINT HORIZON OFF TO THE SlPE AND
PARALLEL TO ONE SlPE OF THE
l M~r^|L Dl AilcC A
i-i-Ji i r>l AOC "rUET
II JT"s
~
ANP,OF COURSE, THE SAME GOES FOR A SO, TH ATABOUT COVERS IT
VIEW LOOKING DOWN, WITH THE NAPIR AS ON TO TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE/
THE VANISHING POINT/

CHAPTER SEVEW
m®=&sxm
PBaSPBStfOraB
There is a certain school of thought that thinks of perspective as "artificial,” a
rigid, mechanical, and ultimately false system imposed on reality by dead white
European males. Of course, I disagree, but what I think people have in mind
when they talk this way is one-point perspective, which frankly even I find a little
boringly frontal. Two-point perspective, which you have when you rotate a boxy
object so that you are facing it diagonally, is far more dynamic in the look it gives
your pictures, and adventurous artists have long been attracted to it despite the
difficulties introduced by an additional vanishing point
While two-point perspective is more complicated to construct than one-
point, it is also more forgiving. Since two sets of lines are foreshortened, each
recedes into space more gradually than that single, sharply receding set of lines
in one-point. Therefore, it is easier to estimate depth by eye, without precise
measurement, and still wind up with a convincing result, as Mugg does at the
end of this chapter
TO KIW E
TliKJTi
Irtflimua
"
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SO, VET'S TACKLE THIS HERE TWO -POINT"
'
N V
OK ElRSr OF ALL WE HAVE TO BLOW
PERSPECTIVE ALREADY DAVID. THE MASlC CUBE UP SO BIO THAT YOU
r aw atfp uaidf rr
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ALL RIGHT HOW SIT DOWN ON THIS

LAZY SUSAN.
NOV/, WHAT DO YOU SEEP
WELL— IT LOOKS LIKE AN EDGE

WHERE TWO SIDES MEET

PRETTY PARN GOOD, MUGS
SO THAT'S TWO-POIK/T
PERiSPECnVE?
WELL, HOW ABOUT TRACING ONE SET OF

LINES BACK TO THE VANISHING POINT?
TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE
0
GEE, IT'S WAY OFF TO TUB SIPE HERE/ NOW DRAW THE OTHER
SET" OF LINES/
MAN, THAT'S A PRETTY

PICTURE/ POES A
BIO
TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THAT WIPE? NOT IF YOU CROP
THE EDGES/
THERE, ISN'T THAT NICER? WELL, TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE, BOTH

IN
VANISHING POINTS ARE USUALLY SO FAR
YEAH, BUT ISN'T THIS

FROM YOUR CENTER OF VISION THAT YOU
CHEATING? YOU CANT NEED TOO WIDE A CONE OF VISION TO FIT
SEE THE VANISHING
THEM IN, USE THEM IN CONSTRUCTION-
THEN JUST THROW THEM AWAY/
POINTS/

"SI
WOW I'M GOIWG TO SHOW
YOU ANOTHER WOW -DRAW WHAT YOU SEE/
KIND OF TWO-POINT" PERSPECTIVE, MU GO.
STEP INTO THIS PEWTISr5 CHAIR.
p-
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WELL—HERE'S THE TOP VANISHING POINT J

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TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE O
50, THAT'S THE
1
SECOND KIND OF 1
two-point perspective, eh?
HOW MANY KIND5 ARE THERE IN ALL?
LET'5LOOK AT YOU ON THE LAZY SUSAN

FROM OVERHEAD. WHEN YOU FACE ANY OF THE
FOUR WALLS DIRECTLY WHAT YOU SEE IS IN
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE.
Q PERSPECTIVE I FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

OK, SO WOW INSTEAD OF DEALING JUST IMAGINE WHAT LITE WOULD BE LIKE IT
WITH OWE VANISHING POINT, GOT TWO?
I : VOU COULD ONLY SEE IN ONE-POINT
IS IT REALLY WORTH IT DAVIDP
TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE Q
you could only see
A CAR THIS. WAY . . . , , . NEVER THIS WAY/
YOU COULD ONLY LOOK DIRECTLY AT

THE SHELF RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

you COULD START WITH A ONZ-POlUT
Vl£\ty AMD DRAW OVER FOLLOWING
IT
THE DIAGONAL LINES. WHAT YOU WIND
UP WITH IS A 4-5‘ VIEW, WITH BOTH
VANISHING POINTS EQUALLY DISTANT
FROM THE CENTER OF VISION.
MAN, THAT'S EASY/

YES, BUT WE HAVE A PROBLEM NOW, MUGG. THOSE NEW
SQUARES WE'VE DRAWN ARE SMALLER THAN THE ONE-
POINT SQUARES. SO HOW DO WE KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE
HERE'S OWE WAY, MuGO, USE A
PERSPECTIVE CIRCLE TO ESTABLISH A
CUBE TWO-POIUT EXACTLY THE SAME
IN
SIZE AS THE ONE-POINT CUBE. TOO BAP
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE CHAPTER
ON CIRCLES IW PERSPECTIVE YET/

"
DETERMINE WHAT SIZE TRANSFER YOUR EDGE LENGTH NOW DROP THE VERTICAL LINES
YOUR BASIC CUBE WILL BE TO A VERTICAL LINE USING A FROM THE CORNERS OF THE
BY DRAWING A TILTED COMPASS OR A RULER-OR BY SQUARES TO A HORIZONTAL
SQUARE WITH ONE CORNER MARKING IT ON THE EDGE OF UNE EXTENDING SIDEWAYS
AT THE STATION POINT A SHEET OF PAPER. FROM THE STATION POINT AND
MARK WHERE THEY TOUCH.
• ' “ jfc
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HOW DEEP IS YOUR SQUARE? WHERE THOSE LINES CROSS, TAKE THE VERTICAL EDGE
DRAW LINES IN PERSPECTIVE DRAW NEW LINES BACK TO LENGTH FROM YOUR FLOOR-
FROM YOUR PROP MARKS THE VANISHING POINTS TO PLAN AND PLACE IT ON THE
BACK TO THE CENTER OF NEAR CORNER OF YOUR
VISION TO FIND OUT/ PERSPECTIVE SQUARE.
—
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UNES OFF THE

BUILD VERTICAL IN THE DIAGONAL
THIS VIEW, TO ADD MORE CUBES THE
OTHER CORNERS AND THEN LINK VANISHING POINT AND THE SAME HEIGHT DRAW UNES BACK
THEM WITH UNES PRAWN BACK CENTER OF VISION COINCIDE. TO THE VANISHING POINT; THEN
SHIFT THE HEIGHT OF ONE PART
TO THE VANISHING POINTS. USE IT TO CONSTRUCT MORE OF THE 'FENCE* LEFT OR RIGHT
SQUARES ANYWHERE IN THE
SCENE/
— — L ?
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FLOORPLANS/ TRANSFERRED MARKINGS/ THE FLOORPLAN IS LJKE AW IMAGINARY
O'
ISN'T THERE AW EASIER 'WAV? RIGHT TRIANGLE WITH ITS 9 CORNER
POINTED AT YOUR TOES, RIGHT?
WELL, HERE'S A WAV

TO COMBI WE FLOORPLAM — ~7
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ANP PERSPECTIVE. . . .
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WELL, IT COULP JUST AS EASILY BE A SO JUST IMAGINE THAT THE TRIANGLE
triangle with one side touching the IS HINGED ON THE HORIZON AND IT CAN
HORIZON AND THE OPPOSITE CORNER SWING DOWN LIKE A DROP-LEAF TABLE,
POINTING AT YOUR EYE.
THE POINT WHERE THE CORNER OF THE THE CORNER OP A SQUARE IN

TRIANGLE TOUCHES THE PICTURE PLANE PERSPECTIVE GETS SHARPER THE
EXACTLY COINCIDES WITH THE FRONT FARTHER ONE GETS FROM THE CENTER
CORNER OP A SQUARE IN PERSPECTIVE. OP VISION.

1 L
_
AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT WHICH IS JUST THIS MAKES THIS POINT A MAGIC ZONE
X
AT THE EP&E OF A <?0" CONE OF VISION, THE WHERE FLOORPLAN AND PERSPECTIVE
AW6LE A SQUARE CORNER MAKES IS A CAW MEEF AND INTERACT/
PERFECF Oc/-dUST LIKE A SQUARE ON
YOUR FLOORPLAN/
FIRST USING THE 9CT ZONE AS A

FLOORPLAN, DRAW A TILTED
SQUARE WITH ITS BOTTOM
CORNER ON THE STATION POI NT
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JUST A3 IN OUE-POtttT,
— THOSE CUBES ARE YOUR
SUJLPlNGBLOCKS FOR
THE OBJECTS IN YOUR
PICTURE, AND JUST AS
INOWE-POINT, YOU'LL
AVOID EXCESSIVE
DISTORTION IF YOU
STICK TO A NARROW
CONE OF VISION/

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vanishing points are always a quarter AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE
CIRCLE APART; OR 9o\ AMD IF THE CEMTER ANGLES OF THE OTHER TWO CORNERS OF
OF VISION IS O', THE ANGULAR DISTANCES TO YOUR FLOORPLAN TRIANGLE/
LEFT AND RIGHT VANISHING POINTS ADDED
TOGETHER ALWAYS MAKE 9o'.
SINCE THE DIAGONAL VANISHING POINT CHANGING THE ANGLE CHANGES HOW
OWLY COINCIDES WITH THE CENTER OF THINGS LOOK. HERE'S WHAT A 30*/60‘
VISION AT 4-5’, YOU HAVE TO FIND IT USING PERSPECTIVE LOOKS LIKE.
A PROTRACTOR OR SHEET OF GRAPH
PAPER WITH THE DIAGONAL MARKED, [ONE
HINT: THE CENTER OF VISION IS ALWAYS IN
BETWEEN THE DIAGONAL VANISHING POINT
AND THE NEARER VANISHING POINT)
TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE ©
AMD THIS 15 60‘/30\ HERE'S 4-574-5'.
Y SO, HUGO, DO YOU READY TO

THINK YOU'RE
TACKLE THE COMPLEXITIES OF TWO-POlUT?
v Y£S, BUT IF YOU WAWT ACCURATE

MEASUREMENT, THIS IS REALLY
THE EASIEST WAY

— .
——
^ r NOW, PUT IN A DIAGONAL VANISHING Y]
wfl I GUESS YOU COULD JUST SET UP A
POlUT SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, AND
1
HORIZON AND PUT TWO VANISHING POINTS

PONT WORRY ABOUT WHERE THE
CENTER OF VISION IS,
USE THIS CUBE AS YOUR BASIC BUILDING

BLOCK AND TRY TO RESTRICT YOUR DRAWING
TO THE SMALLER OF THE TWO HALVES OF THE
HORIZON BETWEEN ONE VANISHING POINT ANP
THE DIAGONAL VANISHING POINT TO AVOID
OBVIOUS DISTORTION,
Y-E *9
.
hey but why do need to bother with

i i
WHO'S GONNA CARE? BELIEVE ME,
BUILPING BLOCKS AT ALL, DAVID? WHY DAVID, NOT TOO MANY PERSPECTIVE
CAN'T JUST USE THE VANISHING POINTS
I
TEACHERS REAP COMICS/
TO GET THE LINES GOING THE RIGHT WAY
AND FORGET ABOUT MEASUREMENT?
f WELL, BUT THEN YOU

| MIGHT HAVE SOME
{
\ J V MISTAKES, AND THEN, ,
PERSPECTIVE! FOIt COMIC BOOK ARTISTS
CHAPTER EIGHT
I can t remember seeing a single three-point perspective from before the

invention of photography, or indeed from before the 20th century. The age of the
airplane and the skyscraper seems suited to the plunging vistas of three-point, and
photographers, with their ability to capture unusual views quickly without neck
were there first. Artists have only belatedly followed suit, and comics artists
strain,
have been more adventurous than most. Three-point perspective is perfect for
the comics, with its emphasis on dynamic, explosive compositions.
Three-point presents a few more complexities than one- or two-point, but
the principles are the same, and readers who have gotten this far should have
no difficulty in understanding it, Where three-point introduces real difficulties,
however; the amount of space needed to accommodate those distant

is in
vanishing points. have read that in order to construct his print Relativity, M. C.
I
Escher needed to draw a triangle 7 feet wide on his studio floor In this chapter
we learn a few methods to conserve space in drawing three-point, and we ll
learn a few more in the final chapter

r
ALL RIGHT;MUG 6, BEFORE SHOW YOU I WITH ONE-POINT, NOTE THAT THE CUBE AT
HOW TO DRAW THREE-POINT LET'S THE CEWTER OF VISION IS SEEM HEAP-OW,
REVIEW OWE- AMD TWO -POINT, SHALL WE? AMD THAT YOU CAW OWLY SEE OWE Si PE OF IT,
CUBES TO THE SIPE SHOW MORE SIPES, BUT
WORKS TOR ME, ALSO LOOK MORE AMD MORE PlSrORTED.
PAVID.
1
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l
ROTATE THE CUBE A BIT AWP YOU GET NOW, TILT THAT CENTRAL CUBE POWW
TWO-PO/Wr-WOW YOU CAN SEE TWO SIPES A BIT ANP YOU CAW SEE THREE SlPES
OF THE CUBE AT THE CENTER OF VISION. OF IT AT ONCE/
three sipes Visible— that means three

SETS OF RECEDIWG LINES , . .

7-
HMM ,50, WHEW WOULD YOU WANT TO
. . IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT YOU'RE WALKING
USE THREE -POINT PERSPECTIVE, DAVID? AROUND INSIDE A GIANT CUBE. IT FOLLOWS
YOU EVERYWHERE, BUT STAYS ALIGNED WITH
WHEN WOULDN'T THE DIRECTION OF STREETS AND BUILDINGS
vou use it; mugs? NO MATTER WHICH WAV VOU TURN.
IFVOU WERE RESTRICTED TO ONLY SEEING YOUR VIEW ISN'T MUCH

THINGS IN ONE-POINT) THAT WOULD MEAN BETTER IN TWO-POlNT-
YOU COULD ONLY PEER THROUGH ONE OF THREE SETS OF TINY SLITS/
SIX TINY WINDOWS/
BUT CUT WINDOWS THROUGH WHICH VOU HERE'S ANOTHER WAV OF DESCRIBING IT,
COULD SEE IN THREE-POINT AND YOU MUGG-HAVE A CHAIR'

WON'T MISS MUCH/ YOU CAN LOOK UP,
DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, ALL AROUND/
THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
r DIDN'T WE DO THIS ALREADY IN THE AND THEW-SVlVEL/
LAST CHAPTER DAVID?
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
DRAW IT/
MOW FOR THE CHALLENGING PART-

DRAW IN THE VANISHING POINTS/
|J) PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

thrss-point perspective
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GEE, DO THE VANISHING POINT'S IN JUST AS IN TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE,
THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE ALWAYS THERE'S REALLY NO LIMIT TO HOW FAR
HAVE TO BE THAT FAR APART? APART THE VANISHING POINTS CAN BE, THE
SMALLEST TRIANGLE IS THE ONE IN WHICH
ALL THE VANISHING POINTS ARE THE SAME
DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF VISION,
i.9. P v:P,
IN THIS VIEUt; ALL THREE VISIBLE SIPES OF

THE CUBE ARE EQUALLY FORESHORTENED/

1
RIGHT YOU ARE, MUGG. IN FACT; IF THERE

SO,MOW MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF THREE
ARE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF DIRECTIONS YOU
POINT DO YOU THINK THERE ARE, MUGG?
> - CAN LOOK TO SEE IN TWO- POINT
PERSPECTIVE JUST BY KEEPING YOUR EYE
LET ME GUESS. . . ,
ON THE HORIZON . . .
IS IT . . . INFINITE?
r
. then the number of possible
. , NOW, EACH EDGE OF A THREE-POINT
directions you could look to see in DIAGRAM IS LIKE ITS OWN HORIZON. ,
THREE-POINT IS INFINITY CUBED/

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
7 1
ITMEANS THAT ANY LINE CAN BE USED
AS A HORIZON AND EACH GRIP CAN BE
^
AMD WHEW YOU CONSIDER THAT THE SAME
GRID CAN BE USED TO DRAW VIEWS LOOKING
up, it'S reallv six/
SO HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THOSE DISTANT

VANISHING POINTS, DAVIDP

USE TWO VANISHING POlWrS AND DRAW WAY I OF MISS THE VERTICAL
KIND
BELOW THE HORIZON (OR WAY ABOVE IT).
CONVERGENCE YOU SEE IN A REAL
THREE-POINT VIEW BUT IT'S LESS WORK
AND MAYBE MO ONE WILL NOTICE/
THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE ift

. AND YOU HAVE TWO
. .
USING THE X METHOD,
MEW SETS OF LIMES YOU GENERATE AS MANY EXTRA
CAW FOLLOW IW PERFECTLY LINES AS VOU NEED. EVEN IF
ACCURATE THREE-POINT A LINE IN YOUR DRAWING
PERSPECTIVE. ISN'T PART OF THE GRID, IT
.
1 1
SHOULD BE EASY TO KEEP
(OWE SET OF LIMES SEAYS
IT IN RHYTHM WITH THE
THE SAME, OF COURSE.}
OTHER LINES,
WHAT'S MORE, YOU CAN USE THIS TWO-POINT

GRID TO CONSTRUCT LOTS OF DIFFERENT
YOU KNOW, ALWAYS

I
SUSPECTED THAT ABOUT

YOU/ ^
WELL, WATCH THIS

MAKING A POINT HERE, AND IT'S NOT
I'M
POLITICAL. NOTICE HOW EACH ARM OF THE
SWASTIKA IS TWO SQUARES BY NINE?
PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC ROOK ARTISTS

— n ,
r- —
APD MORE LIMES GOING THE SAME
^
DIRECTION AMP YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER

THREE-POlWT GRIP/
THE NUMBER OF POSSIBLE THREE-POlWT BUT FOR ME, THE METHOD THAT WORKS
PERSPECFIVES YOU CAN DRAW THIS WAY IS BEST IS TO START SMALL AMP THEM BLOW
COUNTLESS/ JUST REMEMBER X UP AWP Y ;
OVER MAKES A RIGHT ANGLE WITH Y UP

AMP X OVER/
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I KNOW ON THIS
IT'S
VERTICAL UNE GOING FROM
MY TOP HORIZON TO THE
NADIR, WHICH CALL THE
I
GRAVITY LINE
TO FIND THAT POINT; FIRST I PRAWN FROM THOSE

LINES BY THE WAS; IT'S A GOOD IDEA
DRAW A HALF-CIRCLE MARKS TO OPPOSITE TO UNE YOUR DRAWING UP
AROUND THE HORIZON, THEN VANISHING POINTS WILL SO THAT YOUR GRAVITY UNE
MARK WHERE IT INTERSECTS CROSS THE GRAVITY LINE IN
IS A TRUE VERTICAL. — j!
THE OTHER TWO HORIZONS. THE SAME SPOT THAT SPOT

IS OF VISION, AND
THE CENTER
EACH OF THE OTHER TWO
LINES CAN ALSO SERVE AS A
GRAVITY UNE,
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BECAUSE EVEN WHEN VOJ LOOK NOW THAT KNOW WHERE
I
AWD HERE'S HOW DO I IT:
UP OR DOWN, VOU DONT TILT MY CENTER OF VISION IS, erect a Simple.

i
YOUR HEAD DO YOU? USEFUL TO DRAW A

IT'S
cone of vision around it.
IT'SNOT THAT SCARY. WHERE THAT CIRCLE

FIRST DRAW A LINE FROM
I CROSSES THE HORIZONTAL
THE CENTER OF VISION UNE IS THE STATION POINT
PERPENDICULAR TO THE
GRAVITY LINE

.
YOU CAW use A PROTRACTOR

TO DETERMINE THE EDGE OF
ANY CONE OF VISION. (THE
STATION POINT ITSELF SITS
OW THE EDGE OF A9& COME.)
AMD HERE'S THE AREA USING MY THREE VANISHING . AND THEN BLOW IT
. .
COVERED BY A 60’ CONE. POINTS, CAN DRAW MY

I
UP ON A COPIER TO ADD
BASIC SKETCH AT A SMALL FINE DETAILS/
SCALE INSIDE THE CONE . .
r- 'n
AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT? 0 OH —CAN GO OUT FOR A 5LICE OF
I
PIZZA DURING THIS PART?

WELL, YES. EXCEPT FOR
DRAWING A GRIP TO DO THE
MEASUREMENT . . .
-
r
REALLY FOLKS, DOING 1 YOU HAVE TO DRAW TWO
MEASUREMENT IN THREE- BUT DON'T GO AWAY IT'S
POINT IS EASY YOU DON'T NOT THAT HARD/
EVEN HAVE TO DRAW A
FLOORPLAN/
USING YOUR COMPASS, DRAW LINES DRAWN BACK TO THE

A CIRCLE AROUND THE TOP VANISHING POINTS SHOULD
HORIZON. WHERE IT MAKE A PERFECT 90’ ANGLE,
INTERSECTS THE GRAVITY SET A PROTRACTOR IN THE
LINE IS YOUR STATION POINT CORNER WITH O’ ON ONE
LINE AND 90‘ ON THE OTHER
VpIL'tT
ERASE YOUR CONSTRUCTION DRAW A LINE FROM EACH , . . AND A LINE FROM THE
LINES AND REPEAT THE DIAGONAL VANISHING POINT TO REMAINING VANISHING POINT
PROCESS FOR ANOTHER THE OPPOSITE VANISHING POINT THROUGH THE CORNER WILL
HORIZON. WHERE THE TWO LINES CROSS GIVE YOU YOUR LAST
IS THE CORNER OF A CUBE. DI AGONAL VANISHING POINT/
V.T.
MIL
HEAVY UP THE LINES GOING UP THE SQUARES

DIVIDE . AND TRUE
. .
FROM EACH DIAGONAL AS SMALL AS YOU LIKE, MEASUREMENT

VANISHING POINT TO THE USING YOUR DIAGONAL ANYWHERE IN YOUR
CORNER, AND YOU CAN VANISHING POINTS TO DRAWING IS A SNAP
ALREADY SEE IT AS THREE ENSURE ACCURACY . . .
DISTORTED SQUARES IN
VP- p-Vf. Yf
PERSPECTIVE.
lef jiVS ve

THISMETHOD ALSO WORKS TO DRAW A
CORNER COMING AT YOU-cAJST HE AW UP
THESE LINES INSTEAD, AND SO FROM THERE/
THEV WERE OUT OF PIZZA,

AM 1/ HERE, HOLD THIS.
SO, DO YOU THINK VOU 'RE

READY TO DO SOME
THREE-POINT DRAWING f
SET THE PERIMETER OF MY CONE OF

STAKE OUT MY THREE VANISHING
, , ,
FIRST; I
VISION, ANp DRAW, PRAW, DRAW//

POINTS, FIND MY CENTER OF VISION , . .
(J)
WHAT'S ir ABOUT? COMBINING WHEW WOULD EVER NEED TO DO
I THAT,
THR££-POlWr PAVJD?
WTH OWE- OR TWO-POIWT
PERSPECTIVE IW THE SAME
PICTURE,

HERE'S THE PROBLEM TO HERE'S HOW: DRAW YOUR
AVOID: THREE-POINT VANISHING THREE-POINT DIAGRAM FIRST,
POINTS SET TOO CLOSE AND AND DRAW A 9g" CONE
OUT OF KEEPING WITH THE AROUND THE CENTER OF
REST OF THE PICTURE. VISION-RIGHT WHERE THE
STATION POINT IS, REMEMBER?
Jfi rivtpn
THEN BUILD A ONE-POINT TO SET TWO-POINT VANISHING AS LONG AS YOUR CENTER OF

PERSPECTIVE AROUND THAF POINTS, PUT YOUR SQUARE Vision the same
stays in
cone, remember no that CORNER ON THE 9<T CONE PLACE, YOUR PERSPECTIVES
YOUR DIAGONAL VANISHING DIRECTLY UNDER THE CENTER WILL BE INTERLOCKED AND
POINTS SIT RIGHT ON THE OF VISION, AND MARK WHERE PERFECTLY CONSISTENT;
EDGE OF THE CONE, ON EITHER ITS LINES INTERSECT THE THOUGH YOU MAY WANF TO
SIDE OF THE CENTRAL HORIZON. DRAW EACH ONE IN A DIFFERENT
VANISHING POINT! COLOR TO AVOID CONFUSION,
vf!
ST.
WHY RESTRICT YOURSELF TO JUST OWE KIND OF

PERSPECTIVE WHEW YOU CAW MIX 'EM AWD MATCH 'EM/
CHAPTER Ml HE
Here we depart from the cube, and from straight lines altogether; and we ane in
a much more slipper/ and elusive world. Curved lines don’t behave like straight
lines, and circles foreshorten in a way that is maddeningly unlike squares.
Inscribing the circle within a square helps us some, and fixing twelve points on it
using a variation on the "X” method (which I picked up from Perspective: A New
System for Designersby Jay Doblin) gives us even more accuracy. This results in a
circle foreshortened info an ellipse, which seems true to our experience.
However as we construct more and more perspective circles by this method, we
notice something disturbing, Circles off to the side of the picture are developing
an odd and unnatural tilt, quite unlike anything we can observe in the real world.
What’s going on here? This chapter attempts to explain.
v
A FRlSBEE?
A GARBAGE CAW?
A BALLOON?
A COMPACT DI5C?
AW OWION?
A SET OF DRUMS?
A MARTINI GLASS?
A SOPA STRAW?
WELL, MUGG„ WAT IS IT?
A SOCCER BALL?
A LAMP?
AND MY GLASSES?
CIRCLES IK PERSPECTIVE
0
T
OR, TO B£ EXACT; CIRCLES, CYLINDERS,
COWES, AWD SPHERES IN PERSPECTIVE,
1 7 ^
HERE'S A CIRCULAR LAV IT FLAT AGAINST FHE BUT Pur IT ON THE
object; muss. PICTURE PLANE AWD IT MAKES GROUND AWD SOMETHING
A PERFECT CIRCLE. DIFFERENT HAPPENS.

N
NOT EXACTLY A CIRCLE, IS IT, MUGG?
AN ELLIPSE OWE OF SEVERAL CURVED

IS
SHAPES KNOWN AS COMIC SECTIONS,
BECAUSE THEY CAN ALL BE ARRIVED AT
BV SLICING A CONE AT VARIOUS ANGLES.
CIRCLES IN PERSPECTIVE
A CIRCLE ON THE GROUND FORMS A
LYING AT THE CENTER OF VISION, THE PICTURE
TILTED CONE, WITH VOUR EYE AC THE APEX PLANE CUTS THE TILTED CONE STRAIGHT
WHERE THE PICTURE PLANE INTERRUPTS IT, ACROSS AND FORMS AN ELLIPSE IDENTICAL
THE EDGES OF THE CONE FORM THE IMAGE TO ONE PROPUCED BY CUTTING AN
OF THE CIRCLE IN PERSPECTIVE. ORDINARY CONE AT THE SAME ANGLE AS
YOUR TILTED CONE IS TILTED, GET IT?
AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF VISION, THE

ELLIPSES FORMED DEPEND ON A
COMPLICATED INTERACTION OF THE TILT
OF EACH CONE AND THE ANGLE THE
PICTURE PLANE SLICES IT AT

IT'SMOT PIFFICULT TO SEE WHY -THE COME
HAS GOTTEN SO SKINNY IT'S FLATTEWEP TO A
TEARPROP SHAPE. WHATEVER ANGLE THE
PICTURE PIAME CUTS IT AT, IT'S STILL A
STRAIGHT LIME.
V SO, ELLIPSES, CIRCLES, AMP STRAIGHT

LIMES—THAT ABOUT COVERS IT RIGHT?
MOT QUITE, MUGG. THERE'S

STILL THE CASE OF REALLY
REALLY BIG CIRCLES/
ITSFROMT EPGE SITS

RIGHT OVER THE MAPIR,
WHICH IS AT IMFIMITY IM
OME-POlMT PERSPECTIVE
WHICH MEAMS YOU CAM
NEVER, EVER FIT THE
WHOLE THIMG ON YOUR
PICTURE PLANE/
CIRCUS IN PERSPECTIVE
THIS KIND OF CIRCLE 15 PRAWN ON THE SlWCE VOUR CHIN 15 PIRECT1V OVER THE RIM
PICTURE PLANE AS A PARABOLA, AW Of THE HOT TUB, BOTH THE RIM AMD THE
OPEW-EWPED CURVE VOU GET WHEN YOU WATERLINE ARE DRAWN AS PARABOLAS.
SLICE A COME AT AW ANGLE PARALLEL TO
OWE SIPE.
THAT KIND OF CIRCLE FORMS A HYPERBOLA

AWP THEN THERE'S THE CIRCLE YOU'RE ON THE PICTURE PLANE, A CURVE DERIVED BY
SUCIW& THE CONE AT ANY ANGLE STEEPER
THAN ITS SIDE.
A CIRCLE WITH YOUR TUSH AT ITS

LIKE THIS,
CENTER SITTING RIGHT OVER THE WADIR,
REQUIRES VOU TO DRAW A HYPERBOLA
0 PEBSPECTtVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

THIS SCENE CALLS FOR A HYPERBOLA, DON'TFORGET THAT IF ANY OF THOSE
PARABOLA, AMD ELLIPSES. REMEMBER: IF CIRCLES ARE DIRECTLY AT YOUR EYE LEVEL,
YOU'RE IN IT, IT'S A HYPERBOLA; IF YOU'RE THEY'RE PRAWN AS STRAIGHT LINES/
ON IF, IT'S A PARABOLA; AND IF YOU'RE
OUTSIDE IF IT'S AN ELLIPSE.
PARABOLAS AND HYPERBOLAS ARE PRETTY

COMPLICATED TO DRAW THERE ARE FORMULAS
YOU CAN USE, BUT PROBABLY THE SIMPLEST
METHOD IS TO DRAW CIRCLES FIRST ON GRAPH
PAPER AND THEN TRANSFER THEM/
VAS FOR ELLIPSES, YOU CAN BUY TEMPLATES

Ar THE ART SUPPLY STORE THAT YOU CAN
IF WANT TO BE ABSOLUTELY PRECISE,
you TEMPLATES USUALLY PROVIDE ONLY A
FIRST DRAW A SQUARE IN PERSPECTIVE, THEN LIMITED VARIETY OF ELLIPSES, SO YOU MAY
DRAW YOUR ELLIPSE INSIDE IT JUST AS A NOT FIND ONE THAT EXACTLY FITS YOUR
CIRCLE TOUCHES THE MIPPOlNT OF EACH SIDE SQUARE.
OF THE SQUARE IN THE PLANE, THE ELLIPSE
TOUCHES THE PERSPECTIVE MIDPOINTS OF
EACH SIDE OF THE FORESHORTENED SQUARE.
WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU

CAN DRAW AN ELLIPSE
FREEHAND. OFTEN A SIMPLE
CLOSED CURVE LINKING THE
MIDPOINTS IS CLOSE ENOUGH.
USING THE 'X' METHOD, DIVIDE

IT AGAIN INTO SIXTEENTHS.
(0) PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

THIS NEXT PART'S A BIT ADD IN THE FOUR
TRICKY.MARK THE POINTS
WHERE A DIVIDING LINE ANp AN
OBLIQUE LINE GOINS FROM THE
NEAREST CORNER CROSS.
LINK THEM ALL WITH A SMOOTH AN ELLIPSE IS ALWAYS THE LINES THE
DIVIDING
CURVE AND YOU'VE GOT A PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL ELLIPSE ARE ALWAYS AT
PRETTY ACCURATE ELLIPSE/ ANP CAW BE DIVIDED INTO RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH
FOUR EQUAL SECTIONS, OR OTHER AND ARE CALLED THE
QUADRANTS. LONG ANP SHORT AXES.
WHEN THE LONG AXIS ANP THE AN EXTREMELY< ACCURATE

SHORT AXIS ARE NEARLY THE ELLIPSE CAN BlE DRAWN
SAME LENGTH, THE ELLIPSE IS USING ONLY TH E LONG AND
FATTER. WHEN THE LONG AXIS SHORT AXES. 7"IRST DRAW A
IS MUCH LONGER, THE ELLIPSE SYMMETRICAL CROSS ANY
is Skinnier. LENGTH YOU PL EASE.
THEN DO THE SAME THING FOR NOW, KEEPING YOUR SHORT IFTHE LONG A XIS IS MORE
THE LONG AXIS USING THE AXIS MARK ON THE LONG AXIS, than twice r HE LENGTH OF
SAME STRIP OF PAPER. AND VICE VERSA, ROTATE THE THE SHORT A>IIS, IT WILL BE
STRIP AROUND, MAKING MARKS NECESSARY T O GO BELOW
AT THE CORNER AS YOU GO. THE SHORT A>«S-(/UST KEEP
TO THE SAME VERTICAL LINE.
,
'
^V
\»\\
\
\v
YOU SHOULD WIMP UP WITH A DOTTED YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THE CENTER. OF THE
LINE THAT PERFECTLY DEFINES YOUR ELLIPSE IS AT THE PERSPECTIVE CENTER OF
ELLIPSE. (TO SAVE WOI?K, DRAW ONE THE CIRCLE, BUT THIS IS NEVER THE CASE.
QUADRANT, FOLD YOUC? PAPER OVER,
AND TRACE THE OTHE R THREE.)
*.
IWSTEAP, THECENTER OF THE CIRCLE IS AT

THE PERSPECTIVE CENTER OF THE SQUARE
IT'S INSCRIBED (N,
y*.F
q™ _
AS SAIP BEFORE,
I
SKINNY CIRCLES ARE

SEEM NEAR THE
HORIZON, FAT ONES
FARTHER AWAY, UNTIL
AT THE EDGE OF A
9o‘ COME, PlRECTLY
UNPER THE CENTER
OF VISION,
DISTORTION AND
FORESHORTENING
EXACTLY BALANCE,
ANP THE CIRCLE IS
PRAWN AS . . .
A CIRCLE/
® PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

1
KNOWING THIS WILL COME IN HANDY If YOU

NEEP TO DRAW PART OF A REALLY BIG
CIRCLE, WITH ITS CENTER FAR OUTSIPE
YOUR. CONE OF VISION.
—^ ©
—NOW WE COME TO A VERY

IMPORTANT RULE. IT'S IN
ALL THE BOOKS, AMP IT'S
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG/
OF COURSE, ONCE ANY PART OF
IF TOUCHES INFINITY IT BECOMES
A PARABOLA OR HYPERBOLA.
HERE'S WHAT THEY SAY- PERSPECTIVE CIRCLES

PARALLEL TO THE GROUND ALWAYS HAVE THEIR LONG
AXES PARALLEL TO THE HORIZON,
<&
\
HERE'S THE TRUTH: EXCEPT FOR DIRECTLY UNDER THE

CENrER OF VISION, PERSPECriVE CIRCLES TILF LIKE CRAZY/
ELLIPSES DIRECTLY UNDER THE CENTER FARTHER OUT THE EFFECT IS FAR
OF VISION DO HAVE THEIR LONG AXES MORE OBVIOUS/
PARALLEL TO THE HORIZON, AND ONES
NEARBY ARE ONLY SLIGHTLY TILTED,
0
7 ^
SO, DAVID, HOW DO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH
I
HOST BOOKS TELL YOU TO IGNORE THE
TO TILT AW ELLIPSE? TILT-JUST UWE ALL YOUR ELLIPSES UP
WITH THE HORIZON, THEY SAY IT LOOKS
BETTER THAT WAY MAYBE THEY'RE RIGHT
AND IT IS EASIER TO CONSTRUCT
ESPECIALLY USIWG THE TEMPLATES, BUT
HE Y, THIS JSWT MOST BOOKS/
EACH CIRCLE IS THE SAME PISTANCE FROM

YOUR EYE AMD THEY ALL LOOK IDENTICAL.
WHAT'S MORE, ALL THEIR LONG AXES
UWK UP TO FORM A CONTINUOUS LI WE,
PARALLEL TO THE HORIZON,
THEY LOOK KIND OF LIKE BEADS ON A STRING.
HOWEVER, IN TRACING THAT LINE ONTO THE

PICTURE PLANE SO THAT IT LOOKS CORRECT
TO YOUR EYE, THAT CHAIN OF ELLIPSES HAS
TO BE BENT TILL IT FORMS , . .
(ft) PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

APD MORE RINGS OF ELLIPSES, ANP THEY OF COURSE, IN MOST DRAWINGS CIRCLES
FORM MORE HYPERBOLAS ON THE WON'T LINE UP IN R/NGS LIKE THAT, BUT APD
PICTURE PLANE/ ENOUGH HYPERBOLAS TO YOUR DRAWING
ANP YOU CAN FIND THE PIRECTION FOR ANY
LONG AXIS YOU NEED/
HERE'S AN ADDITIONAL GUIDELINE: IMAGINE ON THE PICTURE PLANE, THESE WILL

RADIATING LINES CENTERED ON THE SPOT APPEAR AS VERTICAL LINES, BECAUSE THE
RIGHT UNDER YOUR FEET; DEFINING YOUR POINT AT WHICH THEY MEET IS UNDER YOUR
ANGLES Of VISION. FEET, DIRECTLY OVER THE NADIR (I.E., AT
INFINITY ON THE PICTURE PLANE).
^
IT MAY GO WITHOUT SAYING that the same NATURALLY THOSE TWO SETS OF CIRCLES
RULE APPLIES TO UPRIGHT CIRCLES, BUT RELATE TO DIFFERENT HORIZONS AND
I'LL SAY IT ANYWAY/ DIFFERENT HYPERBOLAS.
GIVEN LIMITED TIME, YOU WE MOW MOVE ON TO END OF STORY?

MIGHT BE BETTER OFF CIRCLES TWO-POINT
IN NOT QUITE -UPRIGHT
FOLLOWING THE OLD PERSPECTIVE, WHICH WHEN CIRCLES IN TWO-POINT
HORIZONTAL ELLIPSE RULE- FLAT ON THE GROUND ARE HAVE TO BE DRAWN TILTED—
IT'S WRONG, BUT WITHIN A EXACTLY THE SAME AS ALL THE BOOKS SAY SO/
NARROW CONE OF VISION CIRCLES IN ONE-POINT
THE DIFFERENCE IS SLIGHT
FIGURE IT OUT-A CIRCLE

IS A CIRCLE NO MATTER
WHICH WAY THE SQUARE
AROUND IT IS TURNED/
THE RULE THEY GIVE YOU IS TO LINE YOUR SHORT AXIS UP WITH THE OPPOSITE VANISHING
POINT THAT WAY, THE DEGREE OF TILT IS EASY TO CALCULATE AND IT LINES YOUR ELLIPSE UP
EXACTLY WITH THE AXLE OF A WHEEL. ONLY PROBLEM IS IT'S WRONG, WRONG, WRONG/
. . .
PERSPECTIVE! TOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

(J)
.
WELL, ACTUALLY, IT IS CORRECT AT THE CONSTRUCTING A SQUARE IN

HORIZON, BUT IT GETS LESS AMD LESS PERSPECTIVE AND THEN INSCRIBING
TRUE THE FARTHER DOWN YOU GO/ AN ELLIPSE IN IT USING THE
qi Sjp^l-U
TWELVE-POINT METHOD WILL
x j nH ^^
AUTOMATICALLY GIVE YOU
AN ELLIPSE TILTED TO
PRECISELY THE
CORRECT ANGLE . .
, , , BUT YOU MIGHT NEEP TO WORK LONG

into the Night if you have a lot of
CIRCLES TO DRAW THAT WAY/
ACTUALLY, MUGG, THE LONG

AXES OF ELLIPSES IN TWO-
POlNT FOLLOW HYPERBOLIC
CURVES, EXACTLY AS IN THE ONLY DIFFERENCE
ONE-POINT/ IS THE ELLIPSES GOING
TO THE FARTHER VANISHING
POINT FOLLOW SHALLOWER
CURVES, WHILE THOSE
GOING TO THE CLOSER
CIRCLES IN PERSPECTIVE (ft)

HERE'S A TIP FOR DRAWING THIS METHOD WORKS
ANY NUMBER OF PERFECTLY WITH PARALLEL LINES
ACCURATE PERSPECTIVE SET TWO NEW VANISHING AS WELL, AND EVEN FOR
CIRCLES WITHOUT THE TEDIUM ON THE HORIZON, THEN PRAW LINES GOING TO VANISHING
OF CONSTRUCTING EACH ONE LINES FROM POINTS ON THE LEFT POINTS ABOVE OR BELOW
WITHIN ITS OWN PERSPECTIVE ELLIPSE TO THE RIGHT VANISHING THE HORIZON. TRY IT
SQUARE. FIRST, DRAW TWO POINT AND VICE VERSA. WHERE AND SEE''
EQUALLY SIZED ELLIPSES SIDE EACH LINE CROSSES ITS
BY SIDE EQUIVALENT YOU GET A POINT ON
ANOTHER, THIRD, ELLIPSE/
VP.
i^T-
HrNT : YOU
CAM USE
more, But
EIGHT POINTS
THERE'S NO THREE-POINT ELLIPSE «/UST AS TWO-POlUT, THE OPPOSITE

IN
THAT CAN'T ALSO BE FIT INTO A VANISHING POINT/SHORT AXIS RULE IS
TWO-POINT SQUARE. TRUE AT THE CENTER OF WtSION, LESS
TRUE ELSEWHERE, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH
TO WORK IN MOST SITUATIONS.
(g) PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

.
^
T
THAT PRETTY MUCH
COVERS THE CIRCLE, MUGS.
TIME TO MOVE ON TO . . .
WHICH REALLY NOTHING MORE

IS
THAN A STACK, OR ROW Of
CIRCLES. IF YOU KNOW THE SHAPE
OF THE ELLIPSE AT EITHER ENP,
WHAT'S IN BETWEEN IS EASY/
THE CONE IS SIMILAR-A A CONE CAM BE PRAWN AS A TRIANGLE WITH AN ELLIPSE

STACK OF CIRCLES AROuNp AT ONE ENP, ITS SHORT AXIS POINTING AT THE APEX, ANP
A COMMON CENTRAL LINE . . THE TRIANGLE FATTER OR SKlNNlER, PEPENPING ON YOUR
ONLY THE CIRCLES TAPER ANGLE OF VIEW.
TO A POINT
COMPLEX SHAPES MAPE UP OF STACKED WHICH BRINGS US TO AWOTHER SHAPE MAPE
CIRCLES CAW BE PRAWN EASILY IN UP OF STACKED CIRCLES . THE SPHERE/
. .
PERSPECTIVE, PROVIDED OWE KEEPS IW MINP

THE PROPER ELLIPSE FOR EACH LAYER
^
r
SPHERES IW PERSPECTIVE ARE EASY EXCEPT THAT THE RULE IS WROWS,
TO DRAW-OR SHOULD BE. THE RULE IS WRONG, WRONG/ _
THAT THEIR OUTLINES ARE ALWAYS K_
PERFECT CIRCLES. YOU JUST LIKE SAYING
WRONG, WRONG,
WRONG/ PONT YOU?
IT'SA SIMPLE MATTER OF COMIC 1

SECTION, MUSS. PRETEWP THIS ICE
CREAM COME (S YOUR COME OF VISION,
AMD THIS BASEBALL IS A SPHERE.

(J|
YES, BUT LET'S SET THE COME A LITTLE
TO THE SI PE AMP SEE WHAT HAPPENS/
C
FORESHORTENING STRIKES AGAIN, MUGS/ A SPHERE

AT THE CENTER OF VISION CAW BE PRAWN AS A
CIRCLE, BUT TO LOOK TRULY CIRCULAR SPHERES
FARTHER OUT WEEP TO BE PRAWN AS ELLIPSES/
WCTEl THHRLOMG
AXES POIWT AT THE
C£MTEI> OF VlSlOW.
OF COURSE, WITHlW A MARROW COME OF

VISION, THE PIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
CORRECT ELLIPSE AND A CIRCLE IS SLIGHT
SO SLIGHT, THAT
. , .
ClltCUS IN PERSPECTIVE
^
ONE LAST riPBir ABOUT THE SPHERE YOUR VIEW Of
:
IT ENDS WHERE YOUR CONE OF VISION TOUCHES THE

EDGE. THE WIDER THE CONE, THE LESS OF THE
SPHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE/
O
o
o
o
o
o
NOW WE COME TO THE CIRCLE UP-

DIVIDING IF YOU'VE ALREADY USED THE TWELVE-POINT
SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY NEED TO DO METHOD TO CONSTRUCT THE ELLIPSE, THOSE
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. TWELVE POINTS WILL GIVE YOU TWELVE EQUAL
SLlCES-HANDY FOR DRAWING CLOCKS/
7
^
AMY PERSPECTIVE SQUARE AND ITS FOR UNUSUAL YOU MAY HAVE TO
DIVISIONS,
diagonals will Give you eight RESORT TO THE DREADED FLOORPLAN/
EQUAL DIVISIONS.
1^1 PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

PLACE IT DIRECTLY UNDER
YOUR PERSPECTIVE CIRCLE.
— —
DRAW' VERTICAL LINES Ai'i % THE PROCESS IS IDENTICAL

FROM THE EDGES UP TO A LINES BACK TO THE CENTRAL WITH UPRIGHT CIRCLES, ONLY
HORIZONTAL LINE DIRECTLY VANISHING POINT WILL INSTEAD OF A FLOORPLAN YOU
UNDER THE CIRCLE. ESTABLISH THE EDGES OF USE AN ELEVATION.
YOUR SLICES. THEN LINK
THEM UP TO THE CENTER.
DRAW A LINE UNDER THE ELLIPSE

PARALLEL TO THE HORIZON.
USE THE VANISHING POINT TO

transfer the divisions
FROM YOUR FLOORPLAN TO
YOUR ELLIPSE/
once vou have divisions prawn on the ellipse, you caw . . . AND AT LEAST MAKE A
EXTEND THEM TO PUT STRIPES ON THE CYLINDER OR CONE START OM MORE COMPLEX
CURVED SHAPES/
7
/
HOW TO DRAW AND AS TOLD YOU IN A PREVIOUS CHAPTER,

I
LATERAL STRIPES A PERSPECTIVE CIRCLE CAW HELP YOU

OW A CYLINDER: ROTATE AW OBJECT OR OPEN A DOOR/
DRAW A VERTICAL
LI WE FROM THE
HORIZON TO THE
BOTTOM EDGE
AND DIVIDE IT UP
EVENLY EACH
POINT ON THE LINE
LIES AT THE EDGE
OF AN ELLIPTICAL
CROSS SECTION.
THE MORE
VERTICAL LINES
YOU APR THE
EASIER IT IS TO
COMPLETE THE
ELLIPSES.
ONCE YOU'VE MASTERED THE CUBE, THE

SPHERE, THE CONE, AND THE CYLINDER,
YOU CAN DRAW VIRTUALLY AWY OBJECT
MADE BY MAW/

CHAPTER TEW
Tfiia BUKm mm\m

Perspective is of limited help in drawing as complex and irregular a shape as the
human form, and yet the help it provides is invaluable. Most artists who hope to
make a living at their art need to be good at drawing people, and most are
happy to study the figure without incentive. Yet very few illustrators can make a
career out of the figure alone (girlie artists like Vargas and their beefcake
equivalents like Tom of Finland are the great exceptions), and the requirements
of clients and of telling a story mean that your character must sit in chairs, climb
stairs, drive cars, and talk on the telephone, all situations that require perspective.
Getting perspective right in the human figure requires a solid command of
foreshortening, if your characters are to fit you draw
plausibly within the settings
for them. The angle you take on the scene must match the foreshortening you
draw into your figures, if they are not to seem to float free of gravity, Awareness
of perspective will inevitably make the job of drawing the figure harder not
easier at first. But the results, in the form of immeasurably more convincing
drawings, will be well worth it.
FOR THIS CHAPTER, MUGG, WE'RE GOING
ON A UTTLE TRfP
WHERE TO?
SAV, DAVID, WHAT CHAPTER

IS THIS
ABOUT, ANYWAY?
ffil PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

—
AMD TO STUDY THAT, WE'VE GOT TO

STRIP DOV/M TOR ACTION/
DO YOU
SEE, DAVID,
THlWK MY MOTHER'S
SOWNA SEE THIS?
1 6
J ‘
i
!
well,
WHEN IN ROME
!
!
T~
r
i
s
f / %
Oh, LOOK, THERE'S A SAME

OF VOLLEYBALL/
THE HUMAN FIGURE

WOTfCe HOW THE EVE LEVELS OF ALL BUF CROUCH POWW A BIT AND NOTICE THAT
THE PLAYERS ARE MORE OR LESS AT THE HORIZON PASSES THROUGH EVERYOWE'S
THE HORIZON, NAVEL/
CLIMB A TREE AWP YOU'LL SEE EVERYOWE'S BUT THEM GET POWW REAL LOW, LIKE IW
HEAP IS BELOW THE HORIZOW/ THIS TRENCH, AMD YOU'LL SEE THE HORJZOW
—
GOIWG THROUGH EVERYOWE'S ANKLES/
PIPW'T WE PEAL WITH ALL THIS (W THE PIP ALSO FELL YOU HOW YOU CAW USE
I
HORJZOW CHAPTER, DAVIP? OWE FIGURE TO CREATE MORE AWYWHERE

IW THE SCENE?
PERSPECTIVE) FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

GOOD, THEN WE CAW START TO PEAL WITH
THE REAL TOUGH WUT IN DRAWING THE
FIGURE (N PERSPECTIVE-
FORESHORTENING/
AND THIS YOUR BODY, FORESHORTENED.

IS
HOW CAN PERSPECTIVE HELP US GET

FROM THAT TO THIS?
WELL, A KIND OF LOOSE AND GENERAL

IN ITS LIKE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A BLOCK
WAY A BOX CAM SHOW YOU THE LIMITS OF MARBLE AMP A STATUE. IT CAN PROVIDE A
OF THE SPACE A BODY CAN OCCUPY. STRUCTURE AROUND THE BODY, BUT IT CANT
DESCRIBE THE COMPLEXITY WITHIN/
THE HUMAN FIGURE ^

SEVERAL ARTISTS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO BUT WHAT THAT USUALLY SETS YOU INTO IS
PEAL WITH THE COMPLEXITY BY BREAKING MYRIAD VARIETIES OF THREE -POINT
THE BODY DOWN INTO BLOCKS. PERSPECTJVE-REMEMBER HOW EAST THAT IS?
WHAT WE REALLY WANT IS SOME SYSTEM

FOR DRAWING THE FIGURE, WITH ALL ITS
CURVES IN THE ROUND/
THEN DRAW A TWO-POINT PERSPECTIVE OF DRAW YOUR TWO VIEWS ONTO THE WALLS
TWO WALLS MEETING AT RIGHT ANGLES. AS IF THEY WERE POSTERS IN PERSPECTIVE,
USING THE GRID METHOD TO TRANSFER THEM.

NOW, RUM LlM&S FORWARD FROM EACH TRY IT— IT REALLY WORKS/
VANISHING POlHT UP THROUGH THE FEAT! IRES.
WHERE MATCHING FEATURES LINK UP IS WHERE
THE FEATURE IS LOCATEP IN THE ROUND.
OF COURSE, IT MAY TAKE YOU ALL PAY PEOPLE (AND ANIMALS AS WELL) ARE MUCH
TO TRANSFER THOSE DARNED FRONT AND MORE COMPLEX AMP CONVOLUTED FORMS
PROFILE VIEWS INTO PERSPECTIVE AND THAN THE BLOCKY OBJECTS BASED ON THE
THEN LINK THEM UP/ CUBE. WHAT THEY RESEMBLE MORE ARE , . .
, . , CIRCLES IN PERSPECTIVE/ TRUE IN A LOOSE

OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS ONLY
SENSE, BUT THE HUMAN FORM IS BASICALLY
MADE UP OF STACKED CIRCLES/
Atim.* 5S.fiJi.JjmL.
THE HUMAN FIGURE

©
of stacked circles, the
and, like a pile
LAYERS Of THE HUMAN FIGURE LOOK
DIFFERENT ABOVE AND BELOV THE HORIZON/
. OVERLAPPING RINGS
. , IN VANISHING POINTS AREN'T OF MUCH HELP
A PERSPECTIVE VIEW/ EXCEPT IN PLACING PAIRED PEATURES-
EYES, EARS, NOSTRILS, KNEES, NIPPLES, ETC.
THE SKULL ROUGHLY SPHERICAL, SO

IS THE BREASTS CAN BE SPHERICAL OR CONICAL
ITS BASIC SHAPE DOESN'T CHANGE MUCH, OR WHATEVER, DEPENDING ON YOUR TASTE.
HOWEVER IT'S TURNED.

ARMS AMD LESS LOOK A LOT LIKE
SAUSAGES-SKlNNIER whew seen weap-
on OR IN PROFILE , . ,
OPPLY ENOUGH, THE NOSE IS SEVERELY

FORESHORTENED WHEN SEEN FRONTALLY-
ITS SHAPE IS EASIER TO SEE IN PROFILE,
TME BODY WILL TAKE ON A MORE

FORESHORTEWER SQUAT* APPEARANCE
WHEN SEEN FROM ABOVE
THE HUMAN FIGURE ^

OF COURSE, THIS ALL CHANGES WHEW THE
BODY BENDS OVER-THEN VOU WEEP TO PRAW
A NEW SET Or RINGS/
BY WORKING OUT DEPTH MEASUREMENTS IN PERSPECTIVE ELLIPSES CAW BE USED TO

SPACE, YOU CAW DETERMINE HOW MUCH ROOM TRACK THE MOTIONS OF ARMS AND LEGS.
YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO PLACE FIGURES IN/
j#±V*tp V*i->v?-cx:r:
YOUR FINGERS, E /TENDED, LIE ROUGHLY ON BUT GENERAL, PERSPECTIVE CAN OWLY
IN
A CIRCLE, WHICH FORESHORTENS TO AW LOOSELY GUIDE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE
ELLIPSE IN PERSPECTIVE. FIGURE. THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR STUDY
AND OBSERVATION

. UNLESS ITS GOOD SCRAP/ THERE ARE MANY
, .
THEY'RETHERE FOR THE COPYING,
BOOKS AVAILABLE FULL OF PHOTOGRAPHS SO GO AHEAD/
SHOWING MODELS IN ALL SORT'S OF POSES.
ALSO, NEARLY EVERY WORKING ARTIST KEEPS

A FILE OF PICTURES, SHOWING INTERESTING
POSES TAKEN FROM A VARIETY OF ANGLES,
THE HONEST ONES ADMIT IT/
. BUT WITH THE ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE

. .
OF RENDERING THE FOLDS IN CLOTHING. OF

COURSE, THIS IS A PROBLEM HAVING LITTLE
TO DO WITH PERSPECTIVE . . .
THE HUMAN FIGURE

CHAPTER ELEVEN
I enjoy the work of constructing perspective, but I’m weird. I think most artists
would be happy for their pictures to be correctly in perspective, but dread what
they see as the tedious labor of setting it up. And, of course, many working
artists simply don't have the time. For them, have provided a few hints for
I
saving time, and also drawing space, while still arriving at a plausible result. I have
also included a number of perspective grids that provide a loose framework of
monkey bars extending into space. With a little imagination, these can be used as
the basis for sketches for any scene you need to draw, interior or exterior; with
no need for any construction at all.
While certainly hope this book helps many artists learn to construct
I
perspective for themselves, will also be content if artists value it as a book of

I
perspective grids with a long, long set of instructions.

r
NOW, MUGS, WE COME TO THE CHAPTER IN
THE BOOK THAT EVERYONE'S GOING TO
TURN TO FIRST/
AND THAT BEING?
YOU MIGHT HAVE TOLP ME IW
THE FIRST CHAPTER.
THEN THIS WOULD HAVE

BEEN OWE SHORT BOOK.
**>
\f
CONNECT THE DOTS AMP YOU HAVE

A PRETTY CONVINCING TWO-POINT
PERSPECTIVE,
SHORTCUTS TO PERSPECTIVE
THE .SAME TRICK WITH SCALEP LIWES CAW BE POWE IW THREE-POIWT-
THOUGH TO AVOID COWFUSIOW YOU OUGHT TO USE THREE COLORS,
AWD WE OWLY HAVE TWO/
iff) PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

B
A CAMERA?
IT'S A HANDY
NO, IT SAVES PERSPECTIVE
SPACE. BUT THIS
SHORTCUT/
_saves orn.
VOTE THE PATTERNED UNOLEUM ON THE TRACING OVER THE LINOLEUM, WE GET A
FLOOR OF THIS PICTURE-IT'S GOING TO PERFECT SQUARE GRID.
COME IN HANDY
THERE AREN'T MANY VERTICAL LINES, BUT WITH ENOUGH CRISSCROSSING PERSPECTIVE
THE ONES THERE ARE CAM BE JOINED UP TO LINES, YOU CAN LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE
SHOW US WHERE THE NADIR IS, OVER AND PUT IN AN ENTIRELY NEW
BACKGROUND/
f-
ANP THERE YOU HAVE IT— THREE-POfWT
PERSPECTIVE WITHOUT VANISHING POINTS/
IFVOU WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE IN ONE-

POIMT PERSPECTIVE, YOU NEED TO POINT
THE CAMERA DIRECTLY AT ONE WALL-
AIM IT A BIT TO THE SIDE ANP WHAT YOU
HAVE IS TWO-POINT/
LOOK AT JUST ABOUT ANY SNAPSHOT IN YOUR

FAMILY ALBUM. UNLESS THE PHOTOGRAPHER
USED A TRIPOD, CHANCES
ARE YOU'LL SEE
CONVERGENCE IN
ALL
PERSPECTIVE’ FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

r • 1 - -
HEY THIS LOOKS LIKE THE STUFF, DAVID/ WOT MUCH TO \T, MUGG-SIMPLY PUT
SHOW ME HOW TO USE IT/ TRACING PAPER OVER THE GRAPH
AND START WORKING/
WITHOUT VANISHING POINTS, YOU NEED TO

GUESS AT THE DIRECTION OF ANY LINE NOT
ALREADY ON THE GRAPH. IF A LIME YOU APP
BY EYE POESWT CROSS ANY LIME GOING IN
THE SAME DIRECTION, IT'S PROBABLY OK.
PRECISE MEASUREMENT'S CAN ONLY BE MADE RUN A LINE ALONG THE FLOOR TO THE
ON THE WALLS AND THE FLOOR. IF YOU'D SPOT YOU WANT IT AT
LIKE TO PUT AN OBJECT INTO THE MIDDLE OF
THE ROOM, FIRST DRAW IT ON THE WALL.
THEN BUILD A VERTICAL LINE OFF THE A HORIZONTAL LINE FROM THE WALL WILL
FLOOR, TRYING TO KEEP IT IN LINE WITH GIVE YOU ITS HEIGHT ANp YOU'RE READY
THE OTHER VERTICALS. TO DRAW IT IN.
_
SO, WHERE DO GO TO BUY THESE
I
MIRACULOUS GRIDS, DAVID? WELL, YOU COULD

SAVE YOUR MONEY ANP
AN ART SUPPLY STORE, JUST USE THE GRIPS
PARTICULARLY ONE SPECIALIZING STARTING ON THE NEXT PAGE/
IN ARCHITECTURAL ANP
ENGINEERING PRAWIMG,

—
Sc /
~
t “*rrr s
/7
:
p
-H
X _ \
! / /
l.
\ \ J
J\l ^
-i„L_
/
a \U
JKfflliH
\
X —
\
——^ \
SHORTCUTS TO PERSPECTIVE ^
HERE'S A 4-5’ TWO-POINT.

,
%o'/t>o' rwo-poiwr , .
SHORTCUTS TO PBtSFECTIVC
AND . . . WHAT THE UELl-S’/SS’,

HERE'S AW EQUILATERAL THREE-POlWr VIEW
AMP A MORE RAWPOM, ASVMMErRI CAL THREE -POINT", WHICH CAM BE USEP AMY OF THREE WAYS.
^ PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMK EOOK ARTISTS

SO THESE GRIPS WILL KEEP VOU BUSY UNTIL I BELIEVE IT POES. HERE'S YOUR
THE SEQUEL TO THIS BOOK COMES OUT CERTIFICATE OF PERSPECTOLO&Y TO
PROVE IT ME, I'P BETTER BE 601 UG/
TO THE VANISHING POINT MUGG. I HAVE A
(Jl PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

1 1 1 1
mmi
Atmospheric perspective, 29-30, 3 Foreshortening, 28-29, 3 t 136, 1
45, 149, 153, 157
Axes
long, \ 35, 137, 138, 139, 141 Graph paper 44—45,, 133, 1
65—66, See ofeo Grids
short 1 35, 1 40, 1 42 Gravity line, 120, 122
Grids, 1 60, 1
63, 1 65-66, 1 74
Binocular vision, 30 and circles, 1 73
Blocks, 1
53—55 and human figure, 154
Boxes, 6 -70, 72-83,

1
1 19, 153-55, 165 in one-point perspective, 75, 117, 167
Brunelleschi, 46 in three-point perspective, I 15-19, 171-72
in two-point perspective, 1 17-19, I
68—70
Camera, 45, 1 63, J 64 See a/so Floorplans; Graph paper; Monkey bars;
Center of vision Squares

and circles, 130, 136, 137, 142, 145, 147
in one-point perspective, 85, HO Hogarth, Burne, 61
and shortcuts, 1 67 Horizon, 46-60, 70
and 30-3 133, 36—37, 38 39 —40,
in three-point perspective, 110, 114, 120, 125 circles, 1 1 ,
1 1
f 1
in two-point perspective, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 141, 142, !47 148 t
105, 106, M0 and human figure, 52, 1

52, 156
Circles, 85, 100, 126-48, 154-58, 173 in one-point perpsective, 83, 86, 88, 90
Compass, 10!, 120, 122 and shortcuts, 161-62, 164

Concentric circles, 1 36 in three-point perspective, 115, H7, 119, 120,
Cone of vision 121, 122, 125
146 in two-point perspective, 101, 102, 104, 107, 15

and circles, 144, 145,
I
in one-point perspective, 7 ! ,
84-87, 1 04 Human figure, 149-59
and shortcuts, 1 67 Hyperbolas, 129, 132, 133, 137, 138-39, 140, 141
in three-point perspective, !20, 12!

in two-point perspective, 94, 103, 104 Image size, 42-44
Cones, 128, 143, 148, 156
Conic sections, 129-30, 144 Lateral stripes, 148
Convergence, 27, 31, 53, 117 Lines
Cubes, 61-70, 72-83, 00- 1, 1 104, 107, 110, 148 gravity, 120
Cylinders, 128, 143, 148 parallel. See Parallel lines
Long axes, 135, 137, 138, 139, 141
Depth cues, 1 7-3 I
Diminution, 17,21 -22, 30, 52 McCloud, Scott, 7
Distance, 16, ! 8-31 78 ,

Monkey bars, 64-70, 1 60, See of so Grids
of picture plane, 39, 43

Doblinjay, 126 Nadir, 65, 90, 120, 121, 131, 163
Elevations, 147 One-point perspective, 7 -90, 104, 1

1 10, 1 1 I, 1 14,
Ellipses, 126, 129-30, 131, 133^2, 143, 144, 145, 125
1
47—48, 158 and circles, 1 3
Escher M, C, 109 shortcuts to, 1 64, 1 67

Overlap, 1 7, 23-24, 26, 3
Floorplans, i
00—4, 103, 105, 120, 121, 122, 146-47.
See ofeo Grids; Squares Parabolas, 1 29, ! 32, 1 33, 1 37
INDEX
^
1
Parallel lines, 1 7, 58, 59, 66-67, 68-69, 74, 1 64 in two-point perspective, 1 00, 1 0 f
Perspective Stripes, lateral, 148

definition of, 14, 16
one-point 71-90, 104, 1

10, 1 1 I, I 14, 125, 131 Templates, 133, 134, 138
shortcuts to, I
60-74 Three-point perspective, 109-25
three-point 109-25, 142, 147, 154 circles in, 1
42, 1 47
two-point, 91-108, 110, III, I 14, I 15, 116-18, and human figure, 154
125 shortcuts to, 1 62, 164, 171-72
Perspective; A New System for Designers (Doblin), Tom of Finland, 1 49
1 26 Triangles, right, 1 00, 1 02
Picture plane, 32-45, 63 Tripod, 164
and circles, 128, 138, 139, 144 Twelve-point method, 126, 141, 146
object on, 43—44 Two-point perspective, 9 1-108, 110, I II, M4, 115,
in one-point perspective, 82-83, 84 I 16-18, 125
in two-point perspective, 1 0 circles in, 1 40-42, 1 47
Protractor; 85 f 105, 121, 1 22 and human figure, 154-55
shortcuts to, I 6 1-62, 1 64, I
68-70
Quadrants, ellipse, 135, 136
Understanding Comics (McCloud), 7
Right triangles, 1
00, 102
Ruler; 101 Vanishing point(s), 17,46-60
and circles, 141-42, 147
Short axes, 1 35, 1 40, 1
42 and cubes, 65-66
Size and human figure, 155, 156
distance and f 19-21, 25-26, 27 in one-point perspective, 7 1
, 74, 75, 79, 82-83,
picture plane and, 42-44 85, 86, 87, 88, 90
Spheres, 128, 144-46, 156 and shortcuts, 1 62, 1 64, 1 65
Squares in three-point perspective, 109, I
10, I 12-14,
circles and, 146 116-17, I 19-20, 121, 122, 125
in one-point perspective, 79-80, 82, 89 in two-point perspective, 93, 94, 95, 99, 1 00,
in three-point perspective, 22 1
101, 104-8
in two-point perspective, 100, lot, 102—4, 107 Vargas, 149
See also Roorplans; Grids
Station point 4 -42 f
X method 8C48 1; I 18, 1 26, 1 34, 1 63
and circles, 1 39
In one-point perspective, 82 Zenith, 65, 90
in three-point perspective, 120, 121-22, 125

$ 9.95
1
ART INSTRUCTION/DRAWING
USA
Join David and Mugs on

Their Adventures in Perspective!
Acclaimed artist and autobiographical cartoonist David Chelsea and his hollow-
headed pupil Mugg together explore the man/ aspects of perspective, the art of
rendering the visual effect of distance on objects. In an entertaining, step-by-step
comic strip format, David and Mugg demonstrate basic concepts of perspective
by constructing vivid, spectacular landscapes and architectural interiors. Though
designed with the beginning artist in mind, Perspective/ for Comic Book Artists will
also be useful to working professionals looking to brush up on their skills.
"This is a welcome, exhaustive introduction to the David Chelsea is a cartoonist

underlying structure of any drawing. It’s like a lesson in and illustrator who has
perspective from Windsor McCay. It’s about time we had a contributed work to The New
very human guide like this. Even old pros will use it.” York Times, Reader’s Digest, and
—Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit Spy magazine, and his
and author of Comics and Sequential Art caricatures are now a regular
feature of The New York
“Perspective is the power to create worlds. Now, thanks Observer. He is also the author
to David Chelsea’s Perspective/ for Comic Book Artists, you of two graphic novels, David
can make that power your own. Don’t miss this chance to Che/sea in Love and We/come to
master in a day what others have taken years to tearn.You the Zone. He lives with his wife
will never find a better book on this subject." Eve and son Benjamin in a large
—Scott McCloud, creator of Zot! house in Portland, Oregon.

and author of Understanding Comics
ISBN 0-8230-056?-*
,p
176 pages, 7 X I0 {1 7.0 x 25.4 cm), 5 1 9 95 >
Watson-Guptill Publications 128 btatk-and-w+iite and
1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036 40 two-color illustrations, index.
Cover design by Jay Anning

Printed in the USA Cover illustration by David Chelsea

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HOWTO h\\Tp

WATSON GUPriLL PUBUCATIOWS/NEW YORK

Senior Edrtor: Candace Raney

Copyright © 1997 by David Celsi

First published in 1997 by Watson-Guptill Publications,

1515 Broadway New York; N Y. 10036

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

professional look in your artwork/David Chelsea,

recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems —without written

Manufactured in the United States of America

First printing, 1997

S THE PICTURE PLANE 32

4 THE HORIZON AND THE VANISHING POINT 46

8 THREE-POINT PERSPECTIVE 109

9 CIRCLES IN PERSPECTIVE 126

U® THE HUMAN FIGURE 149

HU SHORTCUTS TO PERSPECTIVE 160

frame after frame, usually in a hurry, it often means resorting to one's

entire chapter on three-point perspective, which is used to construct those

by Scott McCloud's pioneering Understanding Comics, a long essay on the art of

Why bother to learn perspective at ali? Many illustrators and cartoonists, of

draw chairs, fruit bowls, and doghouses. Without an understanding of

perspective, each object we attempt to draw becomes a unique new problem,

attention at a party than one who hasn't.

PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

HI, CAME AS QUICK AS COULD.

0 PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

WITH PERSPECTIVE, YOU CAN YOU CAN ACCURATELY

0 PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

INTHE MOVIES, YOU CAN SEEM TO BE HAVING

... OR BELOW. PERSPECTIVE IS

IT CAW ALSO BE USED TO CREATE A WORLD THIS, PERSPECTIVE,

BEFORE IMPART TO YOU MY KNOWLEDGE OF

PERSPECTIVE, YOU MUST SWEAR NEVER TO

^ PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

Upon hearing the word

simulate the third dimension that may seem so obvious as to be overlooked.

as a child, crayon clutched in hand, before I managed to draw Fred Flintstone

standing in front of his car

THE FIRST THING GOING TO TELL YOU

Q PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

ABOUT THE SAME SIZE, RIGHT? and that; pn fact; he's a

NOT ONLY IS MR. DJSTANTMAN NOT SMALL, APPARENT SIZE

SEE YOU AT ALL.

PERSPECTIVE FOR COMIC

MUGG, YOUR VIEW THROUGH THE

0 PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

YES,OVERLAP THE PRINCIPLE THAT TELLS

MR. DlSTANTMAN ACTION FIGURE HUNS ON A

SO OVERLAP ALWAYS TELLS YOU WHICH ^

ON THE PLANET KWONK, EVERYTHING IS BUT ENOUGH ABOUT OVERLAP-TAKE ANOTHER^

0 PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

STRETCHED OUT BEHIND HIM.

SO, WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE WAY

WITH MY HAWP 3 FEET AWAY FROM YOUR

EYE, AWP THE OTHER HAWD STRETCHED

Q PERSPECTIVE TOR COMIC

NOW, LET'S EXAMINE AW EFFECT THAT IS WATCH WHAT HAPPENS AS MR.

ROTATE IT SOME MORE, AND THE TUBE

T CLOSER UP FORESHORTENING AND

THE FORESHORTENED SECTIONS GET

© PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS

WELL, YOU THINK THAT'S BAD, TAKE A