How to draw background using perspective

How to draw background using perspective.  Here is a short tutorial on environmental concept sketch using one point perspective. Like I said before that I am going to do more environmental speed paintings (quick color sketches). Environmental involving perspective is probably one of the area I want to really be good at since I have not done a lot of them.


So far we have the following tutorials: Draw and paint Environmental concept Sand Valley, Drawing and painting environmental concept Magma Fall, Draw and paint landscape mountain rock, and Environmental concept tutorial Ice-Scape.  All the above are environmental concept sketches and paintings.  You can pick any video tutorials you like to see.

This one is a city at night study using one point perspective, it took me about an hour and a half painting and probably about a few more hours ref research and thinking. Like I usually do, I am focusing on the big shape first and foremost and line them up with perspective grid I drew up. After I got all the big shapes or elements in place, then I begin to work on rough detail to identify what kind of objects they are such as buildings etc. Here is the city at night quick color sketch.

One-Point Perspective.
One vanishing point is typically used for roads, railway tracks, hallways, or buildings viewed so that the front is directly facing the viewer. Any objects that are made up of lines either directly parallel with the viewer's line of sight or directly perpendicular (the railroad slats) can be represented with one-point perspective.

One-point perspective exists when the painting plate (also known as the picture plane) is parallel to two axes of a rectilinear (or Cartesian) scene — a scene which is composed entirely of linear elements that intersect only at right angles. If one axis is parallel with the picture plane, then all elements are either parallel to the painting plate (either horizontally or vertically) or perpendicular to it. All elements that are parallel to the painting plate are drawn as parallel lines. All elements that are perpendicular to the painting plate converge at a single point (a vanishing point) on the horizon.

Here is a sample of the one point perspective grid I used.

Here are step by step City environmental study tutorial:

Below as you will see, I move the horizontal line to the higher position, very close to the top boarder. As a result, the perspective will create a bird eye view camera angle image (looking from above). Then I placed the vanishing point is on the top right corner area instead of closer to the middle because it creates more interesting composition to the overall piece.



Here is the final speed painting image

For bigger image here: City night environment tutorial

Enjoy the tutorial! =)

More full length video tutorials