Architectural Perspective Drawing
Learn to draw buildings and interiors in convincing perspective by hand.
About this course
Learn to draw buildings and interiors in convincing perspective by hand. Over three days you will build a solid understanding of the horizon line and vanishing points, then construct one-, two- and three-point perspectives of rooms, facades and tall structures.
You will also practise measuring depth, drawing curves and stairs, casting shadows and adding people and planting at the right scale. The course ends with a presentation sketch developed from a plan, giving you a method you can use straight away on real projects.
What you'll learn
- Explain how the horizon line, vanishing points and station point control a perspective view
- Construct accurate one-point perspectives of interiors and street scenes
- Draw two-point perspectives of buildings and furnished rooms
- Apply three-point perspective to tall structures and dramatic viewpoints
- Measure depth and divide space correctly using diagonals and measuring lines
- Add shade, shadow and human figures at a believable scale
- Produce a finished freehand perspective sketch ready to present to a client
Curriculum
- How the eye perceives depth
- Horizon line and eye level
- Picture plane, station point and cone of vision
- Choosing a viewpoint for an architectural subject
- Pencils, fineliners and paper choices
- Controlling line weight and confidence
- Freehand straight lines and guided lines
- Warm-up exercises for architectural sketching
- Single vanishing point construction
- Drawing a room interior from the front
- Corridors, streets and colonnades
- Placing doors, windows and openings
- Positioning two vanishing points
- Drawing a building from its corner
- Avoiding distortion near the edges of the view
- Furnishing a room in two-point perspective
- Adding the third vanishing point
- Worm's-eye views of tall buildings
- Bird's-eye views of sites and blocks
- Judging when three-point perspective is worth using
- Dividing space with diagonals
- Repeating equal elements such as tiles and columns
- Measuring lines and scale references
- Transferring dimensions from a plan
- Ellipses in perspective
- Arches, vaults and domes
- Stairs and sloping surfaces
- Inclined planes and roofs
- Light direction and shadow casting
- Tonal values and hatching
- Shadows of simple volumes
- Reflections on floors and glass
- Scaling human figures to the eye level
- Trees, planting and landscape elements
- Vehicles and street furniture
- Composing foreground, middle ground and background
- Developing a perspective from a given plan
- Refining linework and adding tone
- Adding colour washes or markers
- Group critique and feedback
Who it's for
Interior designers, architecture students, draughtspeople and design enthusiasts who want to sketch spaces in accurate perspective.
Before you start
- Basic freehand drawing skills
- Familiarity with reading simple architectural plans is helpful
Part of these Alalamia diplomas
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