This lesson is designed to further students’ knowledge of 3D figures and views of them from different perspectives.
Objectives
- We will develop our spatial ability and be able to interpret 3D drawings more meaningfully.
- We will be able to describe perspective seen in a drawing.
- We will be able to contrast perspective with non-perspective drawings.
- We will be able to draw using perspective, in particular, one-point perspective.
- Given a 3D drawing of an object, we will be able to draw it from three different perspectives.
- Given three views of an object, we will be able to identify and create a 3D drawing of the object.
Assessment
- Participation in class discussions
- Was It As Close As That? worksheet
- Linear Perspective worksheet
- One-Point Perspective drawing
Time Required
1 hour
Materials/Resources Needed
- Document camera/projector
- Art images (linked below in the activities)
- Perspective Comparison
- One Point Perspective
- Activity pages (1–4)
- Rulers
- Paper
- Pencil
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Activity One: Was It As Close As That?
NOTE: All pages referenced below are linked above in Materials/Resources Needed as “Activity pages.”
- Project Charles Munday’s Was It As Close As That?. Ask students to discuss what they see and how they interpret the artwork. Allow time for students to analyze and get a sense of what the artist has accomplished. Help students to identify that the artwork utilizes one-point perspective, meaning that objects appear to get smaller as they get further away, converging towards a single point in the background.
- Provide students with the Was It As Close As That? worksheet (activity page 1) and ask them to complete the questions. Discuss the answers as a class or collect papers.
Activity Two: Linear Perspective
- While still projecting Munday’s artwork, ask students to pay attention to the tile floor. Ask students to consider how the tile floor would look if it were being viewed from directly above, without perspective.
- Provide students with the Linear Perspective worksheet (activity page 2) and ask them to draw the tile floor on their grid paper as it would appear from directly above, without perspective. Remind them to use the same number of units as they see in Munday’s tile floor.
- When students are finished, show them the Perspective Comparison. Their drawings should look like the example on top without perspective. The contrast is striking and shows the strong effect of linear perspective. Collect papers.
Activity Three: One Point Perspective
- Project Munday’s artwork again and illustrate (on a white board or Smart board, if possible) the lines of perspective by drawing continuing lines from the tile floor to show how they will eventually converge at one central point.
- Project One Point Perspective. Ask students to describe what they see. Point out the lines of perspective moving towards one point in the distance. Prompt students to identify any parallel lines (horizon line, sidewalk, windows). Provide students with blank paper and rulers and ask them to make their own original drawing with just pencil using one-point perspective. They can use the example to guide them, but they should create a different drawing. Ask students to share their drawings with the class.