Birds Eye View Drawing Easy

Looking down A birdseye view

Understanding perspective is very important if you want to create height or depth in your drawing. The term used to describe a scene viewed from above is called a bird's-eye view. The term comes from the fact that the viewer's angle and perspective is the same as a bird's if it were flying high up in the air over the object. That doesn't mean you have to draw the scene as if you're a half mile up in the sky; it just means that you're looking down at the objects you're drawing.

Figure 12-14:

The chair, table, and lamp in three-point perspective.

Figure 12-14:

The chair, table, and lamp in three-point perspective.

Three Point Perspective Lamp

Things drawn in a bird's-eye view fall into the three-point perspective category and, if done correctly, can look extreme and very dramatic. The bird's-eye view differs from this chapter's previous examples of three-point perspective simply because the object is viewed from directly (or nearly directly) above.

To draw things from this perspective, make sure that the top of the object is the area that's most visible. Because the angle is so dramatic, the vanishing point moving toward the third horizon line disappears below the object, and that vanishing point isn't visible from this angle. For an example, look at Figure 12-15. The bird's-eye view of the refrigerator is much more dramatic than a straight-on view. The area most visible is the top, and you can barely see the sides. Notice how you can see the milk and other food items on the shelves and on the inside of the open door.

You can also draw other elements from a bird's-eye view. Figure 12-16 shows an example of a utility truck. Chapter 9 explains how to draw a basic truck. Drawing it from a bird's-eye view creates a drawing that's more visually interesting than other angles or views. The truck on the right is more of a box shape, and the roof, hood, and truck bed are the areas that are most visible.

When you're attempting to draw from a bird-eye view, it may be helpful to use a prop, like a toy truck, so that you can see how the vehicle looks from this viewpoint. Notice that the top of the truck's roof is most visible, along with the bed of the truck. The right door is barely visible, and you can see just a sliver of the back window on the cab of the truck and the tailgate. If you didn't make these areas just slightly visible, the perspective wouldn't look correct. The key is to study the object you're drawing from the correct perspective to be sure what you're drawing is correct, from a perspective point of view. This angle is dramatic; it adds interest to the object and allows you more ways to tell a story.

Figure 12-15:

The refrigerator from a bird's-eye view.

Figure 12-16:

A truck from the front and from a bird's-eye view.

Figure 12-15:

The refrigerator from a bird's-eye view.

Birds Eye View Pictures