Aerial Perspective - Drawing Atmospheric Perspective

What is Aerial Perspective?

S Tschantz, licensed to About.com, Inc.

The purpose of using aerial perspective is to give our drawings depth and reality, whether they are based on a real place or from our imaginations. To do this, we must understand what happens in real life. What do we see when we view a real landscape? Features and objects appear lighter and less detailed as they recede into the distance. They also appear to lose color, or saturation, fading into the background. This color is normally blue, but can be red or even golden yellow, depending on the time of day and atmospheric conditions.

• Renaissance Perspective
• What is Aerial Perspective?
• Drawing Aerial Perspective
• What does Aerial Perspective look like?
• Observe the Horizon
• Drawing Aerial Perspective: Begin with the Distance
• Developing the Drawing
• Drawing the Foreground and Final Details
• Aerial Perspective Is Not Aerial Landscape
• Explore!