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My personal favorite group of drawings are perspective drawings. They allow a nonartist and artist alike the ability to draw a representative view of an object. A reader of prints may not see a perspective drawing very often, but I think he will appreciate the descriptive information it offers.

Perspective Drawings

Last month's discussion centered on pictorial drawings. This month we will cover a group of drawings that truly describes an object as your eye would view it. Called perspective drawings, they are used mainly for illustrative purposes; however, their use as a descriptive drawing in manufacturing environments should not be overlooked.

A perspective drawing is a form of pictorial drawing. A perspective drawing utilizes either one, two or three points to where the receding lines will vanish. These vanishing points are placed along a horizontal line called a horizon line. No longer will the receding lines be parallel to each other as in oblique or isometric drawings.

Where are they used?

Perspective drawings may be drawn as impressive artistic renderings to show landscapes or large structures. They can also be used to show a realistic representation of machine parts or layouts of architectural furnishings in a room. Perspective drawings are more difficult and take more time to draw and are not used as extensively as they might be.

What are they?

There are three types of perspective drawings commonly used in the wood products field. A single vanishing point perspective drawing is called a parallel perspective drawing. In this drawing, the front face is drawn to an appropriate size and shape. The receding lines are then drawn to a single vanishing point on the horizon line. The horizon line (HL) may be located above, below or at any other location on the drawing. The vertical lines and horizontal lines are drawn normally and all receding lines are drawn to the vanishing point. Each vanishing point location will produce a different and interesting view of the item. It is best to practice to learn the best locations for vanishing points for the best depiction of the part.

A two-point perspective drawing is called an angular perspective drawing. In this drawing only the vertical lines are drawn vertically. The horizontal and depth and length receding lines are drawn to the vanishing points located on the horizon line. The front view is no longer true in shape, but is now drawn in an isometric configuration. Again the location of the horizon line and vanishing points on the line will provide many different "looks" of the part.

A three-point perspective drawing is called an oblique perspective drawing. Now, vertical lines are drawn to the third vanishing point, not located on the horizon line. Best used for drawing tall objects such as buildings, three point perspectives are the most difficult and realistic of the three perspectives. Noting its best use may be to show a particular viewpoint of a tall object such as a building; its use in the wood products industry is limited. For architectural use, a three point perspective can be widely used for unusual artistic renderings.