Two point perspective

In urban and rural landscapes it’s very difficult find objects with one side parallel to projection plane. They are almost always divergent in respect to it. The perspective helps the artists also in these situations, helping to create space and volume in very compelling way. In order to do that a new kind of perspective must be used and its name is “two point perspective”. While in the one point perspective lines converge towards a central vanishing point, in the two point perspective there are two lateral vanishing points at same distance from the central one. All lines will converge towards these two points. In the article Perspective The terminology I explained that the perspective lines that depart from the observer and reach the lateral vanishing points are at an angle of 45 °. However, it is possible also have a two point perspective 30/60, 40/50, etc. The important thing is that the two angles form an angle of 90 degrees. Let us now see a representation of a cube in two point perspective. I start drawing the horizon line with the vanishing points equidistant from the central vanishing point. Then, I draw the edge AB of the cube slightly to the right of the central vanishing point.

Starting from points A and B I draw the perspective lines towards the two lateral vanishing points and then I draw the edges CD and EF.

I combine C and E with the two vanishing points and magically our cube appears.

Let’s consider another two point perspective exercise with a slightly more complex object: a house. I draw the horizon line as usual, the vanishing points and the edge AB of the house.

I join the points A and B with the lateral vanishing points. I then draw the segment CD with C and D placed on the perspective lines that go from A and B to PFS. Similarly, I draw the segment EF. I then combine CD and EF with lateral vanishing points and I get the segment GH. At this point I draw the diagonals of the rectangles ABCD and EFGH in order to locate the center. Then I choose the top of the house I and I join it to the points A and D and then to the vanishing point PFS.

Finally, I improve the look of the house by protruding a little the roof and drawing a door on the front side of the house and windows on the lateral side.