Silverpoint

Two-point perspective

Two-point perspective of a building corner: the near vertical edge is tallest, each face recedes to its own vanishing point far off the page on the eye-level lineto VP left,off the pageto VP right,off the pagenearest edge: tallest, darkestUse it when you see a corner. The two VPs are usually FAR apart, often both off thepaper. That is normal.If both VPs fit on your page, your building will look like a toy seen through a fish-eye lens.
FigureTwo-point perspective
FoundationLine

Two-point perspective

A building seen at its corner

Draw a building corner with each face receding to its own vanishing point, both off the page.

Difficulty
Time
about 1 h
You draw with
2H, HB
Two-point perspectiveEye levelSighting angles

Why this one

  • Unit 4 of the program: Line: the Draughtsman's Half.
  • A building corner whose two faces clearly recede in opposite directions, with vanishing points you never needed to see.

From your kit

The whole kit →
  1. 1Grafwood 2H, HB 2H, HB for layout and line. Long points from the Blackwing on everything up to B.
  2. 2Kneaded eraser and the Mono Zero press-and-lift corrections only; the Mono Zero for a single sharp light.
  3. 3Alpha sketchbook 9 x 6 draw at the book's size and keep the proportions; date the page.
In general, this study asks for
  • Drawing pad
  • 2H, HB
  • A photo of a building seen at a corner

Watch first

All videos →

A street in one point from a blank page. The Old College Wynd set-up.

YouTube
How to draw using 1-point perspectiveCircle Line Art School · The shortest clean explanation of the vanishing point.Proportion: sighting anglesDrawing Fundamentals · Sighting angles with a pencil against level and plumb.

The plan

4 stages · ~56 min
  1. 1

    Eye level and near corner

    17 min

    Eye-level line across the sheet. The building's near vertical corner as a plumb line of the right height. That corner is the tallest edge on the page and will carry the heaviest line.

    Two-point perspective of a building corner: the near vertical edge is tallest, each face recedes to its own vanishing point far off the page on the eye-level lineto VP left,off the pageto VP right,off the pagenearest edge: tallest, darkestUse it when you see a corner. The two VPs are usually FAR apart, often both off thepaper. That is normal.If both VPs fit on your page, your building will look like a toy seen through a fish-eye lens.
    FigureTwo faces, two vanishing points, both off the page.
    Checklist0 / 1
  2. 2

    Sight the four slopes

    17 min

    Sight the top edge of the left face and draw it from the corner. Sight the bottom edge of the left face. Same for the right face. Four sighted lines. Above the eye level they slope down away from you; below it, up. If the vanishing points land on your paper, your angles are too steep; re-sight.

    Checklist0 / 1
  3. 3

    Fill the faces

    17 min

    Windows and doors sit between the top and bottom slopes of each face. Place them by eye for now (next session constructs them properly). Give the near corner the heaviest line, the lit face the lightest edges. Look at Cotman's keep: two faces, two directions, the near edge the firmest line in the drawing.

    A Castle in Normandy, Cotman, c. 1800–1842
    Cleveland Museum of Art

    Cotman, A Castle in Normandy, c. 1800–1842. graphite.

    Cotman, A Castle in Normandy. The keep seen at its corner, each face receding its own way.

    The Cleveland Museum of Art · Dudley P. Allen Fund

    Checklist0 / 1
  4. 4

    Self-check

    5 min

    Tick each item honestly. If one is a no, the session is not finished; go back to that step.

    Checklist0 / 3

What it should look like

  • A building corner whose two faces clearly recede in opposite directions, with vanishing points you never needed to see.

Where it goes wrong

  • Both vanishing points on the page. Convenience. Re-sight the slopes. They are shallower than you drew.

Log this session

Start the clock when you pick up the pencil. Stop it when you put it down. Log it. Every session counts toward the box.

00:00of ~60 min

Status

How did it go?

Up nextConvergence off the page and dividing bays