How to Draw Using One Point Perspective

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Are you excited to learn how to draw? Learning how to draw using a one-point perspective is one of the many rules I will be covering so you can enhance your drawing skills. Understanding these basic rules will help you to draw what you see.

How To Draw Using One Point Perspective

You will not need a lot of drawing supplies for this drawing tutorial. All you are going to need is a graphite pencil, ruler, eraser, and paper. 

Inexpensive printing paper will work fine for this practice.

Drawing Tools You Will Find In My Studio

Below is a list of all the materials I use for my drawings. I purchase all of my drawing supplies online at Blick Art Materials.

Drawing Paper

• Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads 9″ x 12″ Smooth 
• Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads 9″ x 12″ Velum 

Blending

• Tortillons
• Loew-Cornell Blending Stumps

Pencils

• Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencil
• Blick Studio Drawing Pencils
• Pentel Graph Gear 500 Pencil

Value Finder

• Gray Scale and Value Finder

Erasers

• General’s Factis Magic Black Eraser
• Tombow Mono Zero Refillable Eraser
• Prismacolor Kneaded Rubber Erasers
• Alvin Dry Cleaning Pad

Extras

• General’s The Miser Pencil Extender
• Sandpaper Block
• Westcott Wooden Dusting Brush

What Is One Point Perspective

One point perspective is a linear perspective that utilizes a single vanishing point on a horizon line. This drawing method shows how things appear to get smaller as they get further away and creates a three-dimensional, realistic look on a two-dimensional surface.

Drawing in a one-point perspective is a technique used when a subject is viewed from the front, like a building or cube. This technique is also used when looking down something long like a railroad track or a road.

Rules of Perspective

Surfaces that directly face the viewer will appear as their true shape that is not distorted. These shapes are typically drawn with horizontal and vertical lines.
For example, observe the painting and the front of the table in the example below.

The surfaces that travel away from the viewer go towards a single vanishing point located on the horizon line. The vanishing point is located directly in front of the viewer’s eyes. The horizon line is also known as an “eye level” line.

In the example below, surfaces that travel towards the vanishing point will be the table’s top, the sides of the table’s legs, the walls, ceiling, floor, and door.

Horizon Line

The horizon line is sometimes described as a line that divides the ground from the ski. However, the horizon line does not always represent the separation of the ski and ground. For example, the image above is of a room. There is no ski or ground but there is still a horizon line. The horizon line represents eye level.

The horizon line will give a perspective of someone’s point of view from eye level.

The drawing below will give you an example of what a viewer would see if they were looking at the front of an object.

If the object is below eye level, the viewer would be able to see the front, top, and side of the object.

If the object is higher than eye level, the viewer would be able to see the front, bottom, and side of the object.

If the object is eye level, the viewer would be able to see the object’s front and side.

Vanishing Point And Orthogonal

A dot that is placed on a horizon line is called a vanishing point. All of the lines of a subject will recede back to the vanishing point. This is also known as the place where objects begin to disappear in the distance. the lines that recede from the corners of an object are called the orthogonal (the sides of the object).

Why Use One Point Perspective

Using and understanding one point, two-point and three-point perspective drawing will help you draw realistic drawings from real-life subjects or reference images. You will be able to see the depth of an object and have an understanding of how light reacts to the surface which will create the illusion of space and form on a two-dimensional surface.

How To Draw Using One Point Perspective Basics

Start by drawing cubes. Once you are comfortable with this, you can start drawing more complex objects using the one-point perspective drawing method.

• Draw a horizon line.
• Place a vanishing point on the horizon line.
• Draw a box.
• Connect all corners of a box to the vanishing point.
• Draw a smaller box that connects to each line drawn from the previous step.
• Erase any unwanted lines.
• Now you have a three-dimensional cube that is proportionally correct.

Final Thoughts On How To Draw One-Perspective

• Draw a horizontal line for the horizon.
• Draw a cube or rectangle and connect the corners with straight lines to the single point on the horizon.
• Erase any unwanted lines.

Would you like to sell your drawings online?

Visit How To Sell Drawings Online And Make Money to learn how to get started.

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