Two-Point Perspective

Exterior View

Start with your horizon line. Place two vanishing points at the end of the horizon line. Make these two point as wide as humanly possible. In two-point perspective, imagine that you are using your peripheral vision. The vanishing points will be where your peripheral vision ends.

To draw a simple box, start by determining the height of your box. To make this, simply draw a vertical line wherever you’d like your box to be. This line will serve as the front corner of your box. Remember, in two-point perspective, we are always looking at the corners of objects.

Now, using a ruler, draw four orthogonals (do you remember what these are?) from your vertical line---two on top, two on bottom. Two lines will go to each of your two points. Your drawing should look like the example below. Does it? Right on.

Now, let’s determine the width of your box. It’s really easy. Just drop down two more vertical lines in between the orthogonals.

Now this part looks tricky, but it’s really not. From the top of your left vertical line, draw another orthogonal to the right vanishing point. From the right vertical line, draw an orthogonal to the left vanishing point. This will form the top of your box. Because this is below the horizon line, we need to be able to see the top of the box. Then all you need to do is darken in the top lines for your box.

Like this.

Then, if you want to make it look nice and clean, just erase all of the orthogonals. Doesn’t this look nice? I think it does. Well done, grasshopper. You’re awesome.

But what if we want our box to be really tall? For example, what if the box went above the horizon line? Let’s try it. Start with the same vertical line, only this time, make sure it goes both below and above the horizon line.

Draw the four orthogonals just like before.

Once again, to determine the width, just drop the two vertical lines in between your orthogonals like so.

And we’re done! Wasn’t that easy? We don’t have to make any more lines for the top because we can’t see it. Just darken in the lines for your tall box and then go ahead and erase the orthogonals. You can also erase where the horizon line cuts through our object.

Like so.

But wait…what if I have an object that is not a perfect cube? What if part of the object is below and another part is above the horizon line? Well young grasshopper, start with your vertical line that is below the horizon line.

Only this time, instead of drawing four orthogonals, just draw two that go to the same point. Mine are going to the right. Why don’t you go ahead and make yours go the same way.

Now, all that you’ll need to do is drop one vertical line down. You see, we’re only working on one side right now.

Go ahead and draw a third orthogonal from the bottom to the left point.

Now the real fun begins. You need to decide how tall your object is going to be. We’ll pick the height by bringing up a vertical line from the left. This is going to be the back of our object.

Ya know what? Let’s go ahead and finish the front. Just darken in the lines.

Let’s get a little crazy. You’re going to need to make a cube shape out of the front. Go ahead and draw a temporary left vertical line, and then draw the top of the box.

And so we don’t get confused, go on and darken the top of the cube object. But don’t darken the left vertical line you just drew.

I know this looks confusing, but stay with me. That temporary vertical line that you just drew? Remember him? Extend him up until he would intersect the left orthogonal drawn from the first tall vertical line. Then draw a second orthogonal down to the right side. To get the back right side vertical line, find the top corner of your cube and draw a vertical line until it intersects the right side orthogonal. That wasn’t too confusing was it? I hope not.

Now just darken the top lines, erase all the other lines, and you’ll have a big “L” shaped object.

Like this.

And that's all there is to it. Almost every complex object can be constructed with simple "cube" shapes.