3 Point Perspective

Can you take a guess at what we'll be discussing this week? If you cheat and look at the title, we can't be friends anymore. I'm joking, we're totally friends.

Please don't leave me.

Know your memes.

Here we have the rules again, slightly altered from the previous incarnations to apply to three point:

1. Objects closer to the viewer appear larger.
2. All parallel lines intersect at a vanishing point.
3. There is more than one vanishing point.
4. The point of view is no longer facing the horizon.

Since the viewer doesn't face the horizon line, three point perspective is largely for extreme up and extreme down shots, but it can also add a subtle dynamic to indoor scenes. However, since three point is more work than two point, you might as well get the most bang for your buck and do an X-TREME angle.

Image found through Google Images (then drawn on)

Here's a good example of an up angle. You look UP at the third vanishing point. The horizon line and the horizon line's vanishing points need not even appear in the image.

Image found through Google Images (then drawn on)

And now a down angle. You look DOWN at the third vanishing point; the horizon line and its vanishing points aren't in the image, and here we can see that the horizon line doesn't even need to be in line with the image's edges. Really, this image is just a series of vanishing points.

Image found through Google Images (then drawn on)

As you can see here, a more subtle three point perspective can be a little... well, like a ballet. Far more complex than it looks at first glance, but the technical skill required to make it look like a piece of cake?

How about I attempt all three in my thumbnails?

Perspective 3: The Re-perspectivening

Are you intimidated? Good. That means I can simplify this in a way that will blow your mind wide open and make me seem knowledgeable and cool despite my shortcomings in the subject matter.

If you can't tell, I really like cheating to make it look like I know what I'm doing.

Here, I really fudged it; even the hole should be in perspective. There is a lot wrong with this thumbnail. The perspective here is entirely... well, wrong, for the composition, because there is a horizon line here where it's not supposed to be. Whose fault is this? Entirely my own.

This is what we call a counter-example, my friends.

And again, a good counter-example. Reference your shit. Seriously. It can be really obvious if you don't know what you're doing, and can't stick plants or other things in the way.

Now, go forth. Draw, young grasshopper, using these perspective tips.