We were simply drawing boxes in class, putting them in positions that require two vanishing points. One of the students suddenly exclaimed, “It’s shocking!” Shocking is not usually a word associated with the art I do or teach. She was referring to the surprising realization that things radically change when we change our viewpoint.
Let’s take a simple rectangular box as an example. The dimensions might be five inches long by 3 inches wide, by two inches deep. Drawing the box squarely in front of you, using one point perspective, the width and the height will stay the same. Depending upon your vantage point, the depth dimension will change.
Now, let’s put the box on the table, and turn it away from you so that both the width and the depth are in perspective. The five inch width will change depending upon its location. It might change so much that the five inch width will appear less than the two inch depth. That was the shocking discovery my student made.
“When you change the way you look at things, the thing you’re looking at changes.“
Love to Draw 