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Perspective for Artists
"A truly admirable book." — Bookman's Journal and Print Collector
"As a book of reference to the practicing artists who wants to solve some particular difficulty, the book could hardly be bettered." — Field
Rex Vicat Cole makes learning about perspective an enjoyable and fascinating pursuit in this clearly written and profusely illustrated book. Over 390 diagrams illustrate every aspect of the text, and more than 80 illustrations reproduce drawings and paintings — by old masters and by the author — that indicate how perspective is utilized in practice. The book is so well illustrated that many perspective problems can be answered without reference to the text at all.
The text itself clarifies the theory of perspective and offers numerous practice exercises. Among the topics covered are the principle of perspective in theory, the rules of perspective and their application, depths, the use of plans in sketching foreshortened surfaces, inclined planes, the circle, arches, how to draw curves by straight lines, perspective of the sky and sea, perspective of shadows, and more. Two additional sections cover perspective in the history of art and mechanical perspective.
A noted landscape painter and art instructor, Mr. Cole combines common sense with an understanding of Nature's laws to make perspective a subject that every artist can approach with confidence. Art students will also find this book extremely valuable.
"As a book of reference to the practicing artists who wants to solve some particular difficulty, the book could hardly be bettered." — Field
Rex Vicat Cole makes learning about perspective an enjoyable and fascinating pursuit in this clearly written and profusely illustrated book. Over 390 diagrams illustrate every aspect of the text, and more than 80 illustrations reproduce drawings and paintings — by old masters and by the author — that indicate how perspective is utilized in practice. The book is so well illustrated that many perspective problems can be answered without reference to the text at all.
The text itself clarifies the theory of perspective and offers numerous practice exercises. Among the topics covered are the principle of perspective in theory, the rules of perspective and their application, depths, the use of plans in sketching foreshortened surfaces, inclined planes, the circle, arches, how to draw curves by straight lines, perspective of the sky and sea, perspective of shadows, and more. Two additional sections cover perspective in the history of art and mechanical perspective.
A noted landscape painter and art instructor, Mr. Cole combines common sense with an understanding of Nature's laws to make perspective a subject that every artist can approach with confidence. Art students will also find this book extremely valuable.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 5, 2017
Tldr: Difficult but worthwhile.
I would only suggest this to artists who already have a basic understanding of perspective. The book is difficult to read: the text is very dense, the formatting makes it hard to find important information, and the images are rarely next to the text that talks about them.
However, this book has so many good tricks! I turn to it when I need to problem-solve something specific, like buildings along a road going uphill. And like I said, I use a bunch of Cole's tricks when sketching freehand. As a traditional artist, it's extremely valuable to be able to solve perspective problems without needing a huge space.
Useful Tips (Incomplete)
Relation of horizon to viewer: 24
Place horizon lower on the figures (in Rubens' case, at waist-level) to make them seem important even though they are low on the canvas: 26
If the vanishing points are out of the picture frame, you can draw a small version and then scale it to full size: 32
Scales for measuring width and height: 38
Demo of how to project figures in space, including uphill: Figure 48, page 40
Shortcut for figuring out the height of figures if their heads or feet are on the horizon line: 41
Shortcut for placing figures on, above, or below the horizon: 42
Using figures to calculate the height of other objects: 42
I would only suggest this to artists who already have a basic understanding of perspective. The book is difficult to read: the text is very dense, the formatting makes it hard to find important information, and the images are rarely next to the text that talks about them.
However, this book has so many good tricks! I turn to it when I need to problem-solve something specific, like buildings along a road going uphill. And like I said, I use a bunch of Cole's tricks when sketching freehand. As a traditional artist, it's extremely valuable to be able to solve perspective problems without needing a huge space.
Useful Tips (Incomplete)
Relation of horizon to viewer: 24
Place horizon lower on the figures (in Rubens' case, at waist-level) to make them seem important even though they are low on the canvas: 26
If the vanishing points are out of the picture frame, you can draw a small version and then scale it to full size: 32
Scales for measuring width and height: 38
Demo of how to project figures in space, including uphill: Figure 48, page 40
Shortcut for figuring out the height of figures if their heads or feet are on the horizon line: 41
Shortcut for placing figures on, above, or below the horizon: 42
Using figures to calculate the height of other objects: 42
October 11, 2019
Fabulous and in depth, but make sure you do all the exercises, or the book will seem dry rather than enlightening. It's packed with useful information, and builds in a natural manner.
March 20, 2014
I've long searched for a book that could explain linear perspective in a comprehensible way, and this was the first book that did so for me, without becoming overly scientific or boring. Cole's illustrations really help in that regard. In fact, I found it useful to copy many of them into a reference sketchbook.
What I was not expecting, and was pleasantly surprised to find, were the discussions on the perpsective of shadows and reflections, on how to draw winding roads, uphill/downhill views, tiles, architectural features, etc. using basic geometric principles.
What I was not expecting, and was pleasantly surprised to find, were the discussions on the perpsective of shadows and reflections, on how to draw winding roads, uphill/downhill views, tiles, architectural features, etc. using basic geometric principles.
November 14, 2016
A classic that expertly lays out the core concepts and techniques for perspective, arguably one of the trickiest elements of illustration (other than hands, if you're me!).
The style of writing is a bit dated, but the lessons to be learned are completely fascinating for those looking to expand their horizons in the craft. I will probably read this book more than once.
It's pretty much a steal on Amazon!
The style of writing is a bit dated, but the lessons to be learned are completely fascinating for those looking to expand their horizons in the craft. I will probably read this book more than once.
It's pretty much a steal on Amazon!
September 22, 2012
A fairly comprehensive book on perspective. It is well illustrated with excellent explanations. Like most Dover books, the illustrations tend to have an "old" look to them, but this doesn't detract from the instruction presented within.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews