Proko - Assignment - 5 Tricks to Make Your Drawings Look 3D

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Assignment - 5 Tricks to Make Your Drawings Look 3D

by Marshall Vandruff in The Perspective Course

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The Perspective CourseSelected 2 parts (105 lessons)

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Favorite Image #3 John Singer Sargent's Muddy Alligators is a painting that I want to inject straight into my veins. This is one that I want to attempt to do a complete master study on in 2025 so that I can understand it as fully as possible. Until then, this analysis will have to suffice. Form Analysis: Convergence 2/5 While I don't think Sargent drew out a grid for this piece, he was very aware of where the horizon line was and made sure to keep it in mind when working out the geometry of the alligators. Overlapping Within Shapes 5/5 At least for the pieces I've been studying, all the masters lean pretty hard on this one. The parts of figures overlap as necessary to occupy the space that are in correctly. Foreshortening 5/5 All the alligators are foreshortened to accommodate the vantage point of the viewer. Every figure is masterfully placed and rendered in perspective. Value Analysis: Atmosphere 2/5 Sargent does use a bit of atmospheric perspective, but it's way in the background behind the trees. That said, the value arrangement of the painting is absolutely brilliant--an absolute master class of composition. Shape Analysis Overlapping 5/5 Sargent intertwined the alligators and landscape in order go create a believable sense of depth. Interestingly, the forward most alligator doesn't overlap any of the other alligator, but it does overlap the area where the land meets the water. Diminution 4/5 The alligators do decrease in size as they go into the distance. The one exception is the alligator that's closest to the viewer. This reads as an alligator that isn't smaller because it's farther away from us than the other alligators it simply reads as a smaller alligator. Sargent does this by firmly establishing the ground plane and then placing the smaller gator correctly on it so that it reads as closer than the giant gator behind it.

LESSON NOTES

Creating depth on a flat piece of paper is a fundamental challenge in art. To trick the eye into seeing a third dimension, you can use five key techniques:

Diminution

Things get smaller as they go away. Objects appear smaller the farther they are from the viewer. Using size to indicate distance makes elements seem more distant. Remember, closer equals bigger, farther equals smaller.

Convergence

Parallel lines meet at vanishing points. When lines recede into space, they converge at a point on the horizon. This is the basis of one-point, two-point, or even multiple-point perspective. Convergence helps you lay out scenes with depth by aligning lines toward vanishing points.

Foreshortening

Looking along a thing changes its shape. A long object appears shorter when one end is closer to you. Foreshortening can be tricky, but mastering it adds a convincing sense of three-dimensionality to your drawings. Practice drawing objects from different angles to understand how their proportions change.

Overlap

Close covers distant. Overlapping elements show which objects are in front and which are behind. This simple trick creates depth instinctively. It's widely used, from children's drawings to cartoons, and is essential for depicting figures and natural forms.

Atmosphere

Distant things fade. Also known as aerial perspective, this technique uses the effects of air and atmosphere. Distant elements may appear lighter, darker, bluer, or grayer. Adjusting tones and colors can enhance the sense of depth in your artwork.

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Refer to this list when composing your drawings. You don't have to use every trick in each piece. Sometimes, adding or removing one can improve your design. Experiment to find what works best for your art.

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ASSIGNMENTS

Review Your Favorite Images: Go through your collection of favorite images.
Evaluate Depth Techniques: Use a 1 to 5 scale to rate how well each image applies to each of the five depth tricks:
- Diminution (smaller objects appear farther away),
- Convergence (parallel lines meet at vanishing points),
- Foreshortening (objects look shorter when viewed from an angle),
- Overlap (closer objects cover parts of farther ones),
- Atmosphere (distant objects fade or change color due to air or light).
Share Your Analysis: Post your evaluations below.
Optional Inspiration: Look at old comic strips to see how cartoonists use perspective for inspiration and give them a rating.

This exercise will help deepen your understanding of how these techniques are used to create the illusion of depth on a flat surface.

Deadline - submit by Dec 04, 2024 for a chance to be in the critique video!

Gloria Wickman

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Image 1 (Charles-Louis Clerisseau): Diminution: 2 further things are slightly smaller but its mostly very restrained. The nearer figures aren't much bigger than those further away. Convergence: 4 There are very strong convergence lines going off the page to the right to keep the columns and doorways aligned properly Foreshortening: 1 no extreme examples of foreshortening Overlap: 4 Sections of the interior overlap each other and the figures do as well Atmosphere: 1 the image doesn't really have any strong atmospheric perspective Image 2 (Charles-Louis Clerisseau) Diminution: 5 Buildings in the distance are noticeably much smaller than those in the foreground. Convergence: 3 Convergence most visible on the columns of the buildings Foreshortening: 2 Visible on broken column. Overlap: 4 strong overlap with the foreground buildings and figures and the more distant background buildings and scenery Atmosphere: 4 Strong fade to blue-gray haze on the most distant parts of the image. Image 3 (Giovanni Battista Piranesi) Diminution: 4 Figures further away are much smaller than those nearer. Convergence: 5 Tons of convergence on the columns both going back straight and on the rounded coliseum shapes. Foreshortening: 3 Some noticeable foreshortening on the protrusions from the tour on the upper left especially. Overlap: 5 lots of overlaps separating foreground, midground and background. Atmosphere: 5 image fades significantly to the parts furthest in the back Image 4 (Giovanni Battista Piranesi) Diminution: 5 The figures in the foreground are several times bigger than those in the furthest parts of the image. Convergence: 5 the street convergences rapidly to a point that is hidden behind the wall of the midground. Foreshortening: 3 Most noticeable on the slanting roof on the left side of the page Overlap: 3 some overlap of figures and of the wall with the more distant parts of image but many places have no overlap and rely on the other methods above to convey depth. Atmosphere: 2 Some slight atmospherics but less pronounced than in the other image by Piranesi.