♦♦ [ART] Your Eye Level Sets the Bar: A Quick Guide to Reliable Perspective

Perspective seems hard, but doubly so when you can't find the horizon line. Hint: It's right in front of your eyes.

Recently, I worked with a student on a drawing for a scene at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza. They wanted to draw a car circling that magnificent arch, and despite my background in industrial design, I found myself momentarily stumped. How should I quickly establish the correct perspective for a car in that space? All the reference photos were too complex. Even with experience drawing vehicles, I needed a reliable way to rough in a car's basic form so it would sit convincingly in the scene—solidly on the ground and appropriately scaled. Easy, I thought. Then, I had to teach it.

That moment of uncertainty led me to reflect on something crucial: We all need a dependable process—a mental checklist we can run through when facing any perspective challenge. After the session, I realized there are two fundamental questions we need to answer before diving into any perspective drawing. Master these, and you'll never feel that overwhelming moment of perspective panic again.

Question 1: Where Is Your Viewer's Eye Level?