© Taylor & Francis Group
© Taylor & Francis Group
SIMPLIFYING PERSPECTIVE Quick Tip - Measuring Height When Sketching
© Taylor & Francis Group
The horizon line represents the viewer’s eye level. We can give this a specific value - it can be made to represent whatever height you want it to be. Here, I’ve decided it represents an eye level of four feet.
4
4
This means that anything that ends at the horizon line will be four feet tall, assuming it’s on the ground.
© Taylor & Francis Group
4
4
4
. It doesn’t matter if what we draw is near or far. It can even be cropped off the page. Here, each object represented is four foot tall because they each end at the horizon line.
?
We can use this information to measure almost anything. Above is a line that’s taller than eye level. We have everything we need to figure out how tall it actually is.
© Taylor & Francis Group
?
4
We already know that eye level is four foot high, and we know where the object is sitting on the ground.
?
4
If we divide the distance from eye level to the ground plane into four equal pieces, we’ll know what one foot looks like on this object. This is useful!
© Taylor & Francis Group
5
4
Once you have a singular unit of measure, you can measure the height of almost anything. Now we can measure above the horizon line. Our mystery line is five foot tall.
5
6
3
A word of caution - we only know what one foot looks like at that specific location. To measure something that’s either in front of or behind our initial object, you’ll have to repeat the technique for each new area.
© Taylor & Francis Group
This was just one of the many methods you can use to control height in a picture. It’s a great technique for figures, whether you’re quick-sketching stick figures or working on a more finished drawing. It’s not obvious, but perspective is full of fast and useful tricks that can help you get the drawing you want. Hopefully this lesson and the ones that preceeded it have helped you gain a better understanding of what perspective has to offer. We’ve barely scratched the surface!
For more information, visit: www.simplifyingperspective.com
© Robert Pastrana
SIMPLIFYING PERSPECTIVE Quick Tip - Measuring Height When Sketching
© Taylor & Francis Group
The horizon line represents the viewer’s eye level. We can give this a specific value - it can be made to represent whatever height you want it to be. Here, I’ve decided it represents an eye level of four feet.
4
4
This means that anything that ends at the horizon line will be four feet tall, assuming it’s on the ground.
© Taylor & Francis Group
4
4
4
. It doesn’t matter if what we draw is near or far. It can even be cropped off the page. Here, each object represented is four foot tall because they each end at the horizon line.
?
We can use this information to measure almost anything. Above is a line that’s taller than eye level. We have everything we need to figure out how tall it actually is.
© Taylor & Francis Group
?
4
We already know that eye level is four foot high, and we know where the object is sitting on the ground.
?
4
If we divide the distance from eye level to the ground plane into four equal pieces, we’ll know what one foot looks like on this object. This is useful!
© Taylor & Francis Group
5
4
Once you have a singular unit of measure, you can measure the height of almost anything. Now we can measure above the horizon line. Our mystery line is five foot tall.
5
6
3
A word of caution - we only know what one foot looks like at that specific location. To measure something that’s either in front of or behind our initial object, you’ll have to repeat the technique for each new area.
© Taylor & Francis Group
This was just one of the many methods you can use to control height in a picture. It’s a great technique for figures, whether you’re quick-sketching stick figures or working on a more finished drawing. It’s not obvious, but perspective is full of fast and useful tricks that can help you get the drawing you want. Hopefully this lesson and the ones that preceeded it have helped you gain a better understanding of what perspective has to offer. We’ve barely scratched the surface!
For more information, visit: www.simplifyingperspective.com
© Robert Pastrana
