One Point Perspective - Student Examples!

Starry Night

Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh, is a very kid friendly artwork.  It can be used to teach some of the basics of landscape (horizon line, foreground, middle ground, background) and also for teaching about using our imaginations.  Did you know that the village nestled quietly beneath that windy night sky does not actually exist?  Vincent made up the picture from his own imagination!

My first grade students created their own 'starry night' paintings using oil pastels.  I wasn't interested in getting a room full of Van Gogh look alike paintings.  However, you can tell from the similarities amongst the designs that I did do an example drawing on the board.  Example drawings are a catch 22.  You need to show the students what to do, but then you end up with a room full of the exact same image.  That is one I am still working on.

Still Life Assignment

All classes in grades 4 through 6th work on this simple still life assignment.  Each year the students get older, you can see improvement in their work.

The goal of this assignment is to draw the objects in correct proportion in relation to each other, then shade them as accurately as possible to make them look 3-D.

Here are some examples of the best of the student work!

5th grade - One point perspective

The visual art element of space means to create a feeling of depth in an artwork.  When you are working with a flat piece of paper, it is good to know all the techniques that make it possible to create the illusion of depth.  This week, the 5th grade classes are going to work on the concept of one point perspective.  But to do so, we need to know some vocabulary.

HORIZON LINE

A level line where water or land seems to end and the sky begins. (most definitions are courtesy of http://www.artlex.com/)

VANISHING POINT

The point at which objects moving away from you (getting smaller and smaller) appear to vanish.  This point is usually found on the horizon line.  There are an infinite number of vanishing points.

HORIZONTAL

Straight and flat across, parallel to the horizon. Notice the similarity between horizon line and horizontal?

VERTICAL

The direction going straight up and down; the opposite of (or perpendicular to) horizontal.

PARALLEL

Two or more straight lines or edges on the same plane that do not intersect.  That means they never touch or cross.

PERPENDICULAR

Intersecting at or forming right angles.  A right angle is a 90* angle.

Okay!  So, right now you are probably thinking to yourself, 'is this an art lesson, or a math class?!?'

It is both!  Besides knowing about art, an artist needs to be a mathmatician, a scientist, and an historian!  Being a musician wouldn't hurt, either.  So pay attention in your other subjects.  It will help you in art!

Alright, back to the lesson.

ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE drawing means that all of the objects in the picture are lined up with only one vanishing point.  Imagine looking down a long hallway...

Everything seems to come to one point in the center.

To create this effect, draw a horizon line and put one dot somewhere in or near the middle.  Use this vanishing point to connect all vertical and horizontal objects to the horizon line.  See the image below.

You can draw houses, cars, roads, or any other 3-D object using this techinque!  Make sure your vertical and horizontal lines are not leaning.  This will take some practice.

In class, we will be creating a 'dream room' using one point perspective!

6th grade Self Portraits - Student Work