Perspective Drawing Basics
Perspective Drawing Basics The theory Rays of light and the eye Why does a tree that is 30 feet away appear smaller than one that is only 15 feet away? In order to explain this phenomenon, we first need to use a simple model to understand how our eyes work. We perceive our surroundings through rays of light that enter our eyes. These always meet the same point in our eye, where they are then refracted and projected onto our retina. Because of this, the rays of light from a tree that is further away reach our eyes at a sharper angle than a tree that is directly in front of us. As a result, we get a mirror image on the retina: A small tree and a large tree. After our brain processes this information, it turns the picture right side up and knows that one of the trees is further away. A painted picture, however, cannot transport light rays to our eyes at different angles. That’s why it’s necessary for us to create our drawing how it is perceived after it’s processed by our eyes. Pers...