CAPTAIN PERSPECTIVE'S CHECKLIST
at
Twelve Mile High.
These are activities that involve your body; you must DO them.
It is not sufficient to simply read them and imagine doing them. We will
be doing most of them as a group in the studio/classroom.
Do these strictly in order. Do not proceed to the next one until you
have completed (and understand) the preceding one. If you have questions
regarding an activity, stop. Bring your work and your question to
class. Do not skip ahead unless you are certain you know what you
are doing.
As always, SAVE ALL WORK!
If you are experiencing difficulty with these activities and concepts
or are unable to attend class regularly, get anxious!
Run, don't walk, to your nearest art supply store (not a bookstore) and
buy a manual on perspective for the artist. Get a simple book with
lots of easily understood illustrations. Walter Foster publishes
a nice one, but there are others. Don't spend over ten dollars. Don't
buy something that has complicated chart-like drawings or words like "isometric
projection" or "orthogonal views." Start with the forward and read this
book. If you encounter something you don't understand, bring it to class.
Caveat: Falling behind in perspective is perilous.
1. Lose a dollar betting the Professor you can't be fooled by the Mueller-Lyer
illusion.
2. On newsprint, draw the top of a drawing board (or your pad of white
paper) resting on top of a stool. Make the image about the size of
your hand. Cut this image out, preserving both the hole and the cut-out
shape of drawn image. Shutting one eye, attempt to eclipse the board
top with this paper image-shape, being careful to hold it in a vertical
position Modify this shape by cutting its edges until it conforms to the
board top's image. Observe and reflect on discrepancy between your initial
estimate of the board's image shape (paper shape hole) and the actual,
accurate board's image shape (trimmed paper shape).
3. Demonstrate your understanding of the concept of parallel:
Lay a stick parallel to any given edge.
4. Lay one stick thru any point, parallel to any given edge.
5. Demonstrate your understanding of the concept of perpendicular
: Lay a stick perpendicular to any given edge.
6. Demonstrate your understanding of the concept of vertical: Position
one stick vertical.
7. Demonstrate your understanding of the concept of horizontal:
Position
one stick horizontal.
8. From C Building 3rd floor landing , observe relationship of the
distant horizon to your eye level .
9. Find the Vanishing Point (V.P.) for the mortar lines between the
bricks of the side walls and cover it with the thumb of your hand
holding a 3 foot stick. Revolve the stick until it coincides with the mortar
lines above and below eye level.
10. At C building but one floor below. having just exited the east
door and looking straight ahead (east), place your thumb holding the stick
over the vanishing point of the quadrangle's colonnade (define).
Revolve the stick until it coincides with the top (ceiling's) edge.
Next, revolve the stick until it coincides with the bottom (sidewalk's)
edges of the colonnade.
11. Repeat, looking south from the same view point.
12. Observe relationship of these two V.P.'s.
13. Place thumb holding stick over V.P. at quadrangle's colonnade,
looking south from C Building. Revolve stick until it coincides with
top and bottom of the large square corner pier right next to you (northwest
corner of the quadrangle). From this same viewpoint, look east and place
thumb holding stick over this southern V.P. Revolve stick until
it coincides with top and bottom of the large square corner pier.
14. View "Captain Perspective" video.
15. After observing real railroad tracks, draw
a view of tracks and telephone poles from a standing viewpoint from
between the rails.
(photo: Gayle Fradori)
Captain Perspective, alfresco in downtown Warren, Michigan, pointing
out the vanishing point of the Groesbeck railroad tracks.
16. Draw a view down the tracks and telephone poles from along
side of the rails.
17. Find five photographs from magazines that depict parallel
edges which recede into the scene. With pencil or marker, trace edges to
V.P.. Also, indicate horizon.
18. With your back to the east wall, sit on the floor and draw three
parallel sticks lieing east/west on the floor in front of you. Include
in your drawing two vertical sticks with your eye level indicated on them
with tape. Include the west wall and the horizon visible out
the west windows.
19. Identify three sets of parallel edges in a cube or rectangular
prism, observing which are horizontal and which are vertical.
20. Find the six V.P.s for any given cube.
21. Distinguish a so-called "one point view" from a "two point view."
22. Understand the meaning of the statement: "TO SEE THE VANISHING
POINT FOR A LINE, I LOOK PARALLEL TO THAT LINE." Memorize it.
23. From three different viewpoints, find the four horizontal V.P.s
of a drawing board sitting square with the room .
24. Draw a tower of neatly stacked blocks that rise from the floor
to above your eye level.
25. Memorize the steps: 1. Make a three second sketch. 2. Find eye
level in reality, then relative to the sketch. 3. Find vanishing
points in reality, then on (or off) your paper. 4.. Draw the objects, measuring
heights of images in terms of their widths.
26. Draw a tower of blocks that rise from the floor to above your eye
level that contain blocks turned 45 degrees from one another.
27. Draw a pile of blocks that rise from the floor to above your eye
level that contain blocks turned 30 degrees from one another.
28. Draw a room in your house from a viewpoint square with the room..
Include some ceiling and floor.
29. Draw the corner of the same room form a viewpoint looking into
the corner..Include some ceiling and floor.
30. Draw your kitchen.
31. Draw six cans on a table, three on their base, three on their sides
pointing in
directions.
32. Scribble zooming tubes.
33. Draw a vinyl LP phonograph record from an angle observing the complex
relationship of elipses representing concentric circles..
34. Draw a peak roof.
35. Draw Superwoman's (or Superman's) view (looking down) of
a city.
36. Draw a view of a real scene from an impractical viewpoint.
e.g.
A fly in the ceiling's corner.
