Perspective: Parallel perspective - an interior view

My first instinct, rightly or wrongly, is to try to draw what I see in front of me rather that applying theories, though always with a sense of anxiety – “will I get it right or not?”. From Parts 1 and 2 of the course however, it has become clear to me that perspective is one of my weaknesses - I have struggled with some objects, especially when there are straight lines, and become confused sometimes as to whether lines slope downwards or upwards.

In researching and trying to understand the theory of perspective a friend suggested a book called “Successful Drawing” by Andrew Looming, which I found very helpful and having done some exercises from the book I feel that I’m on the right track now

For the exercise I first did a sketch of Room 29 in the National Gallery and was very surprised to see how far out my drawing was from the correct receding lines to the vanishing point. I didn’t unfortunately have time to do the second part as the gallery was closing

A few days later I went to the Spike Heritage Centre in Guildford, which has an interesting corridor in which to try the exercise again - this time trying to identify first my vanishing points and underline my parallel lines, and though I didn’t use a ruler I did manage to get the proportions and perspectives right so I was much happier with the result.

As further practice on perspective, including curves and irregular shapes, I did a sketch from a photo I took a few months ago in Peru outside my mother’s house. I love this view of the right hand side of the street where my mum and two of her friend were sitting chatting, but found it very challenging to get the proportion and perspective of the chairs and bodies. I neglected the left side, where the lines of the side gardens and the left side of the street should be receding to the same vanishing point - but aren’t.

Exercises from “Successful Drawing” by Andrew Looming,

Reference:

A Loomis, 2012, Successful Drawing, Titian Publishing group