2-Point Perspective Project

In our Drawing and Imaging class, Professor Paul Corio introduced a two point perspective project that should consist of a building-like structure that starts with pencil, paper (18×24″), and a ruler. I began with a vertical line down the middle of the page, and drew 2 parallel planes that should imply walls of a building. From there, I extruded blocks from the “main building” and removed box shapes from the walls.

With inspiration from Salvator Dali and art installations such as Felice Varini, I chose to make the piece eye-catching by use of illusion.

(Felice Varini installation, “Encerclement à dix,” Chapelle Jeanne d’Arc/Centre d’Art Contemporain, Thouars, France, 1999.)

Next, with direction from Professor Corio, I took the picture (above) into Illustrator to trace each line to bring it to digital-life. This is also the medium in experimenting with color choice. Idealistically, I’d have experimented with different color pairings and effects, but I didn’t yet have a good grip on Adobe Applications features. And so, I paint bucket-ed my structure until I exhausted combinations of green and purple (just because it’s a combination that pleases my eye).

When everyone in the class had hung up their projects on the classroom wall for critique, and I stepped back from it, I was suddenly very displeased with mine. I recognized that I had to experiment a bit more with different colors. For the remainder of class, I tried again to find a palette. Professor Corio expressed his appreciation in a monochrome painting, and considering how much respect his judgement, I rendered a green monochrome building and loved it. It was then that i realized monochrome was best for the many different shades in the piece. So, immediately, I started mixing the green, for the final stage of the project.

Very diligent in taping, mixing, and stroking, I brought the digital, to physical dimensions, with a few changes that I made as I went. Choosing the shade for each plane was a challenge, as it’s an illusion even to myself, but I’m content in that aspect. The colors, green and a soft blue violet, I find myself gravitating towards in my art in general. When I completed filling in all the shapes, I decided to give the piece a little disruption by painting a contrasting frame. I’m not a huge fan of contrasting, bright colors, but I intended for the frame to function like a key hole, to keep your vision confined to the structure.