two point perspective Archives - INESE'S ART STUDIO

How to use sketching and drawing to improve our brain fitness

Manually created sketches and drawings can really help. I will try to explain how and why we should use this approach to improve the brain fitness and cognitive abilities.

Manual sketching, drawing or painting when done from real scenes and subjects use our brain efficiently, create new neurons and signal pathways since these activities are challenging, interesting, new every time, rewarding and pleasurable. When done in a group, it also gives one chance to communicate, learn new skills and achieve real meditative state of mind which in turn relaxes and calms.

I am somebody who always reminds: use your brain, keep it flexible, well-functioning and young. Therefore, I am always inviting people to join our drawing, sketching and pen and watercolor classes. There is nothing to lose, plenty to gain.

Artificial intelligence and human brain capacity

The artificial intelligence progresses very fast. It feels there is some new gadget, device or app every day. Artificial intelligence is supposed to make our life easier and more comfortable. We are required to memorize less, to decide less, to search our personal brain storage less because everything is on the internet. We do not have any need to remember or write down things that are important, and we are actually losing the specific ability and muscle groups to use our hand for manual writing or drawing. Fine and extremely accurate movements still matter, so does our ability to perform them. However, the performance of our brain is the factor that matters most.

What happens to our own intelligence?

As somebody who works with people and teaches, I can see that the human intelligence suffers actually a lot. Just in the last 5 years while everybody has been actively using mobile devices, I have noticed significant decrease in attention span, focusing ability, memory and ability to make decisions. All these features are significant brain and cognitive function markers. It feels that AI has a huge boost, but the human intelligence cannot keep up with it. People are getting forgetful, losing focus and their decision-making skills.

Manual drawing and sketching as prevention of memory loss

One of things we still can do, do easily and everywhere is drawing and painting manually by using our own visual perception. We should try no to depend on any devices while engaging in this activity. That is recognized as one of the best ways of keeping our brain sharp and flexible and cognitive function well performing.

Potential benefits

One to two times a week drawing outdoors is beneficial in all possible ways. Who knows that better than me? Time flies and I have created something to show for while being outside and enjoying nature. Small backyard birds are also an excellent subject: lovely, friendly and always around. It might be not that easy to always catch the right view of a bird, but still, – nobody is going to judge. If it comes out great, share it, if it requires more practicing, keep it as a learning experience. And enjoy your memory boost!

It is not that everybody is going to get involved in serious and time-consuming research or high difficulty grade studies which certainly are memory boost, brain flexibility and power. Language learning is a fantastic way of making brain younger again, but it is a very lengthy process before one can really see good results. I know that, too, because I speak at a native level 4 languages. Each one requires a lot of additional work and studies. That is a life-long process.

Overcoming fear of getting involved with a new activity

Much faster and simpler, as well as much easier memory boost is drawing and sketching. Some people start keeping an art journal if they prefer small forms, and that is such an adventure on its own. That, too, will be your memory boost.

Some people worry that they need to do a lot of preparation work before they engage in either drawing or sketching. That is not true. One has to start somewhere, and that is an excellent starting point – from zero. It means actually that there is a whole lot to explore, find out and enjoy. The only thing one should be not hoping for is to become a master within a few hours or days. Years might sound just about right, but who says one has to be a master or professional in order to draw, sketch and paint? I know fellow bloggers who do it for their own pleasure or to have good time.

Some of my pen and watercolor paintings that deal with perspective lines and involve man-made structures

Buildings make a superb subject!

We start with drawing, and I intend to publish guiding materials for drawing and sketching.

Here: making the drawing more visible with washes

This pen and watercolor painting is ready!

The pencil helplines are erased, but using them makes creation of black pen drawing easy.

More watercolor washes, here and there, and the painting is ready

My advice is: just do it! Along with creating art, it will serve as memory boost. After a while, you might have a new attitude towards many things, as well as see how well this is working for you. Good luck!

Link to drawing: Engage in drawing and watercolor

Link to art classes: Application for art classes

Purpose of linear perspective in painting

Perspective in art is much easier to implement than perspective in life. In fact, there is nothing much to it as far as we are aware of how it works and what it does for a painting or drawing. Linear perspective creates depth and dimension in any drawing and painting which deals with suitable subject. Traditional linear perspective uses size, overlap of objects and their placement in composition, as well as convergence of lines.

Black pen drawing of simplified 2-point perspective building

Where to use it

If you love landscape, street scenes, rural scenes with farms and barns, simple roads, streams or rivers and so forth, you will need to implement linear and atmospheric perspective because they both contribute to dimension and volume of your painting. You will also use color values accordingly to perspective principles. If you are drawing and painting outdoors, you are most likely applying some perspective already.

Old countryside house in pen and watercolor, 18 x 12 in or 46 x 30.5 cm

Vanishing points and front view

Some people are confused: how many vanishing points to use: 1, 2 or even more? The answer is that will depend on the placement of your shapes and forms on different planes. 1-point perspective uses 1 vanishing point on the horizon or reference line. Horizon line can be called eye-level, but I like to call it reference line. You have to remember that vertical lines are parallel to the sides of your paper (if it’s straight) to make look building stand up correctly. Horizontal line creates 90 degree angle with the vertical line in front view. Horizontal lines of front view are parallel to the bottom and top of your paper. Therefore, in 1-point perspective, the straight lines at the bottom of your building and corresponding lines higher up will always create a 90 degree angle with the vertical line.

1-point perspective in landscape

Most often, we use 1-point perspective with roads, streams, tree and fence lines and buildings on both or one side of a road, that is, with views where something disappears in the distance. That creates an easy perceivable and visually attractive composition which is a breeze to create. In 1-point perspective, all lines which lead into distance, meet in the vanishing point. The front angles of the building on the respective plane are 90 degree angles. It sounds more complicated than it is when you draw it. Start with closest end of the building, drawing a rectangle. Connect the points on one vertical line (in my case the left side where I mark height of any element) to the vanishing point.

Barn, road, watercolor painting and pen drawing

Pen and watercolor wash of barn, 16 x 12 in or 41 x 30.5 cm

2-point perspective uses respectively 2 vanishing points.

Drawing, house, two point perspective drawing, pencil drawing

My drawing of neighbor’s house

Plein-air drawing, 2-point perspective. Photo does not show all lines correctly since camera draws the front edge closer. To draw it correctly, vanishing points on reference line are placed outside the drawing. That we do always when the subject is large. I usually draw intuitively since I know where approximately these lines meet and where the vanishing points are. Starting out? Mark up vanishing points on each side and connect with respective points on vertical lines. I teach this all in my private classes because it is simply not easy to describe.

Building,, 2-point perspective in watercolor and line

Pen and watercolor 2-point perspective sketch, it was mostly done outdoors, since this building is next to my studio entrance.

Many buildings in a landscape or street scene

When drawing close-ups of buildings or placing many scattered buildings in composition, we use rather 2-point (angular) perspective. We use drawing separate buildings most often 2 vanishing points. We adjust the eye level or reference line placement as needed. It can be higher or lower depending on your view. We can move it up or down, and we should use this feature in our favor. That will allow achieving plenty of depth and dimension.

3 vanishing points in one-point or two-point perspective

When some buildings are close, some distant or scattered all around, you could use 3 vanishing points. It does not mean that your drawing becomes extremely complex. It means that you will have freedom to place things in your composition wherever you want them.

Where to place rooftop?

Often, demo drawings that involve 2-point perspective do not explain that the rooftop line runs through one vanishing point. That was also the most confusing part for students since they had a problem placing the roofline where it belongs. Please enjoy the recent paintings and sketches which involve perspective. I will prepare online materials for understanding better how to create linear perspective in drawing or painting.

Watercolor sketch, line and watercolor landscape, one point perspective

Perpendicular and parallel lines

The most important aspect is to understand what lines are perpendicular, what parallel, what is obtuse angle, right angle and acute angle. Remembering basics of geometry is really helpful because perspective in drawing is simply achieved once you know how to create it. I am posting some of my recent works that involve creating perspective to illustrate the concept.

Watercolor, perspective, painting by Inese Poga

Uphill, watercolor painting of rural house, size of this painting is 21.5 x 16.5 in or 54.5 x 42 cm

Outdoor painting

Many drawings, sketches and watercolor paintings are done outdoors or plein-air. Perspective is an important part of any painting, sketch or drawing which displays buildings, street views, roads, fences, bridges and similar subjects. Learning how to create perspective is not difficult or overwhelming. You really need to master perspective if you ever do a realistic painting or drawing with buildings and man-made structures.

More about this: Power of line

and how to start sketching: How to start sketching

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Art collections by Inese Poga