AERIAL PERSPECTIVE and PROBLEM SOLVING

One of the things I'd hope to demonstrate in the previous posts

was the importance of perspective, both linear and aerial.

Linear perspectiveis simply how it looks as it becomes more distant in terms of line and size.

It involves finding the horizon line, vanishing points, and lines of perspective.

Aerial perspective…

Is simply how the atmosphere affects the light as we look at an object in the

distance. The particles in the air diffuse the light, creating efffects such as fog

or distance.

Aerial perspective, or atmospheric perspective, refers to the effect the

atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as viewed from a distance. As the distance

between an object and a viewer increases, the contrastbetween the object and its background decreases, and the contrast of any markings

or details within the object also decreases. The colours of the object also become less

saturatedand shift toward the background colour, which is usually bluish, but may be some

other colour under certain conditions (for instance, reddish around sunrise or sunset).

Creating depth through aerial (atmospheric) perspective

1. Texture–things up close will have more texture

2. Value– things farther away will have lighter (higher) value

3. Clarity–things in distance have less detail, blurrier edges

4. Color temperature/saturation–things in distance seem bluer, cooler versions

5. of the local color, and less saturated (or less pure looking)

6. Contrast decreases as distance increases

Through linear perspective (Which is how the eye views lines and rows in

distance)

1. Putting one object in front of another makes it look closer

2. Making one object larger - makes it look closer

3. Putting an object above another on the paper makes it look farther away

4. Following vanishing point lines

In this painting I tried to show that making the more distant building cooler (purple or blue) and less distinct make them look distant. I made the buildings warmer as they got closer. The windows were less distinct as they receded in the distance. We made less detail in the distance. Objects were more hard edged as they got closer, and color was more saturated. 

Look at your own picture to see if you can use some of these principles to create a feeling of depth. Ask yourself:

1. Do I have more texture in the foreground?

2. Are my most saturated colors in the foreground and at point of interest?

3. Do I have more contrast in the foreground less in the background?

4. Are my colors cooler (more blue) and more dull in the background?

5. Are my lines harder in the foreground softer in the back?

6. Are my values stronger in the foreground, less in the background?

Perspective: More about the Gas Light painting

 

Here is where we left off on the last post. You can see that I masked the part of the brick street area that would be lit up by the lamp above. I wanted to be careful to maintain some of the lines of perspective with the bricks. Otherwise it would not look like a street, but a wall. (See how the spaces between bricks make rough lines in the same perspective as the rest of the picture)

I used Moonglow and French ultramarine for the next step.  (You can make a similar color with adding a little burnt sienna to purple) I picked Moonglow because it has a little granulation, which adds to the feeling of distance. I wet all the paper with a large mop brush, then working top to bottom, added Moonglow, avoiding the yellow areas of light. As I got down to the street pavement, I added French ultramarine to the mix to create all the cracks and shadows. I faded out to the sides where less light would be. As it dried, I dripped water in spots to get a little texture. Then I let it all dry. 

I removed the masking fluid from the brick/street car rails. At first, the miskit took off a lot of the color.

I just added oranges and reds where I wanted some attention.

Below shows several steps. 1. I painted the buildings across the street, cooler (light purple) for those farthest away, and warming up the color gradually toward the nearest buildings. 2. I added in the windows, with the closest ones more sharply in focus, and the furthest windows very indistinct. All the while, being careful to keep them on the perspective lines. 3. I painted the darker and warmer browns of the foreground building. 4. I painted the lamppost and the more distant posts. 5. I added in some details just for fun: the purple awning across the street, the balcony, etc. 6. I added in some people. 

I didn't like how yellow the sidewalk was, so I washed over it with burnt umber. I darkened the forground building with a warmer brown and darkened the shadow above the doorway. I added more shadow behind the couple walking. See how the lamp post looks like it is floating? I added a shadow to that.  And I strengthened the shadow of the curb line. 

Here is a closer look at the figures I added. A couple on the left and a pregnant lady crossing the street. I also added some "cracks" in the sidewalks to emphasize the perspective.

You can see I played with some color here. I really like ultramarine turquoise, and I put it in the shadows.

See above the doorway, in the street, and along the curb. I also put a bit in the store windows. I tried to strengthen the perspective lines by creating a shadow for the lamp post (which also anchored it to the ground), and darkening the shadow of the building from sidewalk clear across the brick street. 

TOOLS FOR PERSPECTIVE

One handy tool for drawing buildings is an angle finder. It looks like two rulers connected at the ends. It does two main things. First, It helps you keep your vertical lines at a 90 degree angle when you are drawing. You won't end up with some of your buildings looking as if they are going to fall over.

Second it helps to find the angle or pitch of a rooftop, line of windows, sidewalk, street, etc.

You just line it up with your reference (or plein aire live reference) and figure the angle, then copy that angle onto your paper or canvas. This is one I got for my birthday...plastic, lightweight, flexible. It's actually a goniometer, used in physical therapy to measure the flexibility of a joint. 

https://www.amazon.com/Westcott-Protractor-Measuring-Tool-GO-180/dp/B01HF9PEA4/ref=asc_df_B01HF9PEA4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194899782153&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15941696707818179431&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016422&hvtargid=pla-313834343689&th=1

If this were my reference, and I wanted to correctly duplicate the angle of the roof, I set the center

on the apex, then pull the angle finder apart until the center lines match the lines on the roof.

Then I place the angle finder on my drawing and simply draw that angle for my roof.

If I want to be sure all my vertical lines are correct, I just line up the bottom of the angle finder on the bottom of the paper (or any horizontal line), set it for 90 degrees, and all my lines will be 90 degrees.

(sides of buildings, trees, telephone poles, fence posts, etc.)

This is really handy for me bc my bifocals sometimes mess up my sense of perspective.

JUST BRAG:

Here is Jackie's final painting from a tutorial by Paul Clark. She added the figures in afterward and some other details. It looks great!

Finding your lines of perspective

Jackie sent me this drawing from Paul Clark and asked how to find the perspective.

Several things throw you off. First, the porch and balcony on the right is at an odd angle from

the rest of the house. It runs diagonally between the walls, so you can't use that for perspective.

Second, the vanishing points on the left and right are off the page.

The solution to that is to tape a clean sheet of paper on the left and on right of the picture.

Use only lines that would run parallel...such as the roof lines...and those that would be perpendicular,

such as the walls that come to 90 degree angles.

In red pencil, I followed the lines of the house where it meets the ground. With a ruler I drew a line to the left and off the page. I used the line under the window (the one on the right) and drew left again. In blue, I followed the line of the back of the roof (top left) and those of the adjacent roof. Where all those lines met is the left vanishing point. 

For the right vanishing point, I followed the roof lines and also the line under the top left windows, marking those in blue. For the lines below the horizon, I followed the ground lines of the walls in red. Where all these met on the right was the right vanishing point. Drawing a green line left to right gives me the horizon line (in green) 

Of course, this was a sketch, not a graphed rendering, so it might be off a little. A more intuitive way to find the horizon line would be to look for where the lines look perfectly horizontal. Make any adult heads at the height where they could go through a doorway or look into a window. 

Starting the foggy gas light painting:

Before I did anything else, I painted in lights where light might be coming out from a window or emanating from a gas light. The light on the left is not in the picture, but you would see light shining down below it onto the brick, sidewalk, and parts of the building. This picture looks more orange than it actually is. It is a combination of yellows and some orange. I made sure to color in the bricks with a wash that had a little stronger color in them. 

You don't have to do the next step, but I found it helpful, if a bit tedious. I used miskit to mask off the trolley tracks, centers of the lights, and tops of some of the bricks. I masked them off in a pattern of sorts, leaving the space between the bricks with no miskit on them. I will, after it dries, paint it in with blues and shadows to make the cracks between the bricks. 

You can, of course, paint the cracks in little by little, but I prefer the masking method. 

Putting figures into a painting: part 1

 

Why put figures in your landscape?

I'm not talking about people as the main focus, but "incidental" figures, small ones that help to make the painting more interesting. People add figures to landscapes for several reasons:

1. To show scale. Adding a person next to a car or building or tree helps to show how large or small that object is. 

2. To add movement and interest. No matter the size, the viewer will look at a person in a painting. It just naturally draws attention. It can add a spot of color in an otherwise neutral painting. 

3. To personalize a painting, or to tell a story. The body language of figures can tell how you feel about the place you are painting. Their clothing can tell what the season is. A figure walking briskly tells that this is a busy place; a figure strolling with his dog says it's a pleasant place for a walk. 

4. To draw attention to a place of particular interest. 

The importance of perspective when adding figures.

Since adding a figure, even if unimportant, will draw attention, the proportion needs to be correct or it will detract rather than add to the picture. The size of the figure should be proportional to the size of buildings (or trees, lamp posts, or other objects). To do that we find the horizon line and other lines of perspective that will give us clues as to what size to make it and where to place it.

FINDING THE HORIZON LINE

This is easier than you think. Another way of saying horizon line is "eye level," YOUR eye level. If painting outside, trees or buildings may block your actual "horizon," but you can find it by putting a ruler or piece of paper across your own eyes. Everything you see at that line is the horizon. Everything above is above your eye level or horizon. 

In a reference photo, look for three things:

1. Windows, doors, trees, and other objects that you allow you to guess how tall you would be if you stood next to it. 

2. Sidewalks or buildings that look like they will converge. If you continued the angle they are on, they should meet at the horizon line.

3. Straight horizontal lines on buildings. Any windows or doors or lines of stone that are above your eye level will angle up; those below your eye level angle down; those at eye level will look perfectly straight and horizontal. 

How to find the horizon line on reference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HfIU5lp-0I

FIGURES ON THE SAME LEVEL OR PLANE

Here is a fact I never realized until a few years ago:  ALL HEADS of standing figures will appear to be at or near your eye level, or horizon line. (some a bit shorter or taller) It is the FEET that change position as they get more distant. This is discounting hills, ramps, or stairs, where some may be higher or lower than your eye level. 

Look at this picture. The simple perspective makes it easier to understand.

This is a one point perspective...notice how the buildings and sidewalks all converge at the arch in the distance...that point is the horizon line (which extends from left to right across the page) and the vanishing point. Notice how most of the heads are nearly at the same level, with the exception of figures that are sitting and one quite tall one in the front. A child or shorter person would be below that line; taller person slightly above it. Notice how the more distant, the higher the feet are on the page, not the heads.

Now look at this one.

Using that same principle, see if you could draw another figure into the sketch. Your clues are:

1. The middle of the counter has a straight line from left to right, indicating that part of the meat case is the horizon line.

2. The two women have their eyes just about on that horizon line.

3. The two front figures are lower, but they are kneeling.

4. The clerks behind the counter must be standing on a higher surface to be so much higher than the customers.

5. The other lines in the meat case would eventually converge to a vanishing point outside the page if they continued.

Eric Yi Lin—simple perspective explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIvHjb8QXio&t=45s

ADDING THE FIGURE

You can decide where you want a figure to be in several ways. You can draw a figure on tracing paper, then move it around on the painting to see where it would fit best. Or you can decide where you want it, make a note of where the head and feet would touch, then lightly make those reference marks on the picture. You should practice on another piece of paper what poses you would like. Some people prefer to sketch in basics, such as body pose, clothing, etc.

Here is Eric Yi Lin's take on adding figures to existing paintings:

Eric Yi Lin adding figures to existing painting (34 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU9YS6g6ae0

Paul Clark adding figures, simplifying form

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RODIscP_YKU

5 METHODS FOR PAINTING FIGURE

1. The "carrot" method. This is where you make a small oval for the head, then loosely paint a carrot shape. Then add details, such as hat, hair, stripes, and shadow on clothing. Add a shadow from foot to the side to connect the figure to the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA80ZtEZuPs

2. The BLOB method. Make a series of shapes with your brush to indicate torso. Then consider what pose those shapes might suggest. Add trousers, shorts, a skirt, a tutu, or whatever you like for the bottom and legs. Allow some of the wet colors to "melt" together. Add a small oval head; tilt it different ways to indicate which way the person is looking. Add hats, backbacks, purses, briefcase, a leash and a dog, a child's hand. This is like finding shapes in clouds, and fun to do.

3. The 8 head method. 

I like this method because it helps me keep track of where a waist or elbow would bend, and where the legs would start. Find the top of the head and bottom of body. Make a small line to cut that in half. Then draw 8 "heads" in a vertical column to indicate the height of a person. (4 heads above your midline; 4 heads below)

The first oval is the head. Three heads down is the waist. Four heads down is the hip area.

The legs go after that. I usually put an X where the knee would be, in case I want a figure with a bent knee. Then I pretty much proceed with the carrot method, except I'm paying attention to those areas, such as waist, elbow, and knees. (marked in the picture below)

4. The 3 Basic Shape Method

This is a lot like the blob method, but more purposeful. You paint a loose rectangle for the torso, a long triangle to indicate the hip and one leg, and a head.Then add details.

5. Sketching in...just lightly sketching the figure.  Below left you can see a figure loosely sketched and painting the background around her. The bottom 4 pictures are "blobs"; 

The top figures are done with combining 8 heads with carrot methods. Notice that everyone standing in that line will fit through the door painted to the left because the perspective is correct. 

Here is Liron Yankonski showing more realistic small figures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq3RXl2NRiY

Here are some hints from painters who add figures to paintings:

1. Disconnect the heads at first, and make them smaller than you think you want.

You can always make them bigger with hair, a hat, scarf, etc. This is the #1 mistake of people painting figures...too large a head.

2. Add shadows on clothing and cast shadow to anchor them to the ground.

3. "Melt" colors in clothing and skin together.

4. Add details...not in face, but in clothing, etc.

5. You generally don't need feet. The cast shadow usually takes care of the illusion of feet.

6. Practice poses.

7. If you are planning a figure with white clothing against a dark background, just paint around the white in a "ghost shape" to be painted later. You don't need to miskit out or carefully work around a definite shape.

8. You don't have to plan much if it will be a dark shape against a lighter background, since you can paint dark over light.

9. Use tracing paper to decide where to place a figure and how large you want it to be. 

Practice:

Just have fun painting these. Look for photographs or pictures from magazines (National Geo is always a good source.) Try figures in all positions. You are probably doing much better than you think, so step away from it for a bit, then look again. 

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