Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you? I hope you're feeling great.

My name is Miss Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm really pleased about that because I'm so excited about our subject matter today.

We'll be looking at technical drawing techniques.

Our lesson is called "Technical Drawing Techniques to Communicate Ideas." The lesson comes from the unit of work: "Being Curious About Spatial Design and Architecture." So I hope you're feeling curious.

I hope you've got some focus, energy, and enthusiasm.

And if you have all of that, I think we're ready to begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is: "I can produce a drawing that creates the illusion of depth and space in architectural design." We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them: "perspective drawing," "vanishing point," and "horizon line." So what do these words mean? Well, perspective drawing is a technique used to show depth and space by making objects appear smaller as they get further away.

Vanishing point: the spot on the horizon where all diagonal lines appear to meet in a perspective drawing.

And horizon line: a horizontal line that represents the viewer's eye level in a drawing.

These are our keywords.

Let's look out and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called "Technical Drawing Techniques to Communicate Ideas," and it has two learning cycles.

First of all, learn the basics of one- and two-point perspective.

And next, create a building drawing using perspective.

Let's begin by learning the basics of one- and two-point perspective.

And your practical outcomes might look like this.

Oh, my goodness, take a look at these drawings.

Really fantastic perspective.

So here's a question for you: How do artists and architects show space and depth in their drawings? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Here's Lucas: "The artist has used perspective to show the building's shape and size." And Sam: "There's more detail in the buildings at the front of the painting and less as it goes further away.

The further away the building is, the smaller it is in the painting." Fantastic observations.

Perspective drawing is a technique used to show depth and space in drawings.

Closer objects appear larger and more detailed.

Objects further away appear smaller and less detailed.

There are different types of perspective drawing, each with its own set of rules for creating depth, including: one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and three-point perspective.

Perspective is important in architectural drawings because: It shows how a building will actually look in real life from a particular viewpoint.

It helps clients understand and visualise the architect's ideas.

It helps communicate depth, space, and scale of the building clearly.

Let's have a check for understanding: True or false? Architects use perspective in their drawings to show how a building will look from a specific viewpoint.

Pause here and share.

Is this true or false? What do you think? Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: Perspective helps architecture show depth and scale so others can understand what the building will look like in real life.

Artists use perspective in different ways, including: Stephen Wiltshire is a British artist whose cityscape drawings are created entirely from memory.

After observing a city briefly, he can reproduce its buildings in detail.

He uses perspective to show depth, proportion, and the scale of the architecture.

John Virtue is known for his dramatic black-and-white paintings of cities.

Rather than focusing on detail, he uses loose brushwork and bold, expressive lines to capture the scale and energy of the place.

He uses dramatic perspective to emphasise the scale and atmosphere.

So how do we draw using perspective? Perspective drawing needs a horizon line and a vanishing point.

The horizon line represents the viewer's eye level in a perspective drawing.

The vanishing point is the spot on the horizon line where all diagonal lines appear to meet in a perspective drawing.

One-point perspective: This is where all the lines lead to one vanishing point on the horizon line.

One-point perspective helps show depth in street scenes or in a corridor.

Interior designers can also use one-point perspective to show what a room will look like.

Check for understanding: Where is the vanishing point? Pause here and share with someone where you think it is in this drawing.

Well done if you selected right there in the middle.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: The vanishing point is where all of the diagonal lines meet.

This gives the illusion of depth in a drawing.

So let's have a go at "I do, you do" with street drawing using one-point perspective.

So here you can see my drawing building up.

There's my horizon line.

There's my vanishing point.

And here you can see my lines coming in towards the vanishing point.

As I build this drawing up, remember to add a vanishing point and ensure that your diagonal lines meet this point.

So that's my drawing: one-point perspective.

And now, over to you.

Pause here while you have a go at creating a drawing using one-point perspective.

Okay, so how did you get on with that? This is looking good.

And here's Aisha: "I've used one-point perspective to draw my street.

I've added a door and windows with all the diagonal lines going back to the vanishing point." Great job.

And now we're onto two-point perspective: A way of drawing objects so they appear 3D, with all the sides receding towards two vanishing points on the horizon.

Two-point perspective creates volume and depth in a drawing.

Architects will often use two-point perspective to show what a building will look like.

How to draw using two-point perspective.

So first, you draw a horizontal line across the middle of your page.

This is your horizon line.

Add two vanishing points, one towards each end of the line.

So we've got vanishing point one and vanishing point two.

Add a vertical line in the centre of the horizon line.

This will become the front corner of the building.

Draw lines to each vanishing point from the top and bottom of the central line.

Add two more vertical lines to show the edges of the building.

These vertical lines must be parallel to each other.

Go over the outside lines of the building in pencil or fine liner.

Pencil construction lines can now be erased.

Let's have a check for understanding: True or false? In two-point perspective, all vertical lines go to a vanishing point.

Pause here and decide, true or false? Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: In two-point perspective, only diagonal lines go to vanishing points.

Vertical lines stay straight up and down.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to create a two-point perspective drawing.

So first of all, draw a horizon line.

This is a straight line across your page, showing eye level.

Next, add two vanishing points.

Place one on the far left and one on the far right of the horizon line.

Draw the corner of your building: a vertical line.

Start with a straight vertical line between the vanishing points.

This is the corner edge of your building.

Draw guidelines to vanishing points from the top and bottom of the vertical line.

Draw lines going to each vanishing point.

These form the top and bottom edges of the building.

Decide the building's width.

Choose where to end each side of the building by drawing vertical lines between the angled guidelines.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of creating a two-point perspective drawing.

I'll see you when you're finished.

All right, great to be back with you.

Look at this fantastic two-point perspective drawing of a building.

Well done, Izzy.

She says, "I've used two-point perspective to create a 3D cube.

I've then added windows and a door to make it into a building." It's looking great.

I love how all those diagonal lines are reaching out to the vanishing points.

And here's Jun: "I've extended my building to make a street corner with buildings of different heights.

I had to be accurate with my drawing to make sure that all my diagonal lines reached to the vanishing points." And now we're onto our next learning cycle: Create a building drawing using perspective.

Architects don't always have to draw concise and technically accurate drawings.

Often, they will prefer to give clients a more expressive and emotive view of a building design.

Adding personal style can help to bring a concept or idea to life, giving the client an idea of the feeling of the building.

Pause here and share with someone, what feeling are you getting from this building design? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

It feels quite exciting.

Simple nature.

Naturey and bold.

Architects often sketch freely to explore ideas.

Perspective drawings don't have to be perfect to show something powerful.

Architects use perspective drawings to: explore space, mood, and structure.

Add texture, colour, or collage to bring their ideas to life.

Artists and architects can use expression and emotion to show the energy and feeling of a building.

Jeanette Barnes creates dynamic, fast-moving drawings of urban spaces.

She works on location, capturing the energy.

Her use of layered perspective gives a sense of movement and depth, showing how cities constantly change.

Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao uses collage to explore texture, colour, and emotion in her architectural designs.

Her collages mix hand drawing, photos, and materials to suggest how a space might feel, not just look.

She uses perspective loosely to create depth while keeping the focus on the human experience.

Check for understanding: True or false? Perspective drawings must always be neat and exact to show creativity.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: Creative perspective drawings can include loose, expressive lines, textures, or collage.

They don't have to be perfect.

Adding personal style helps bring the design to life.

Architecture firms often use creative drawing techniques to help clients visualise and connect with their design ideas.

Foster + Partners is a global architecture firm known for creative and sustainable designs like the Gherkin and Apple Park.

They use both hand drawing and digital tools to explore and share their design ideas.

Drawing helps them think creatively and bring new ideas to life.

IBUKU is a team of designers and architects in Bali who create buildings using bamboo in creative and sustainable ways.

Their drawings often use loose, expressive techniques like watercolour to show the feeling of a building, not just the technical details.

Check for understanding: Which of these best describes an expressive architectural drawing? Is it A: A neat, perfectly ruled technical drawing? B: A quick sketch with scribbles and no meaning? Or C: A drawing that shows ideas using bold lines, tone, or collage? Pause here while you decide which of these best describes an expressive architectural drawing.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, it's a drawing that shows ideas using bold lines, tone, or collage.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Expressive drawings explore ideas using mark-making, layering, and texture.

They help communicate atmosphere, not just structure.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to create a creative building design using two-point perspective.

You should: Draw the horizon line and add two vanishing points.

Draw the first vertical line and follow back to each vanishing point, add two more verticals.

Add additional boxes to build up your structure.

Think about how to combine the boxes in a creative way.

And then you can go over the lines of your building in a fine liner and rub out the pencil drawings that you used for the construction.

Pause here while you have a go at this task, creating a creative building design using two-point perspective.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Enjoy your task.

It is great to be back with you.

How did you get on with creating a creative building design using two-point perspective? Perhaps you created something wonderful like this.

Here's Jun: "I've based my design on a number four.

I think this makes it an interesting building with an unusual design.

I've used perspective to get the different sections of the building working together." And here's Alex: "My perspective drawing is made from three boxes stacked together.

I've drawn two large openings into them to show windows.

All the diagonal lines lead back to the two different vanishing points.

The horizon line is low in the drawing to make the building feel tall and imposing.

For the next part of your task, I'd like you to add colour and detail to your perspective drawing.

Use a range of different materials to add detail and mood to the drawing: Pencil or charcoal.

Paint or pens.

Collage can be used to add different texture or pattern.

Small stickers or stencils could be used for some extra expression.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task, adding colour and detail to your perspective drawing, bringing detail and mood to your drawing.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with adding colour and detail to your perspective drawing? Perhaps you created something wonderful like this.

So expressive, so colourful.

Let's hear from Jacob: "I've added colour and detail by using coloured pencils.

I've been able to change the tone and create different textures to the walls." Here's Alex: "I've used expressive lines in my perspective drawing.

These show different textures on the walls of the building.

I've added detail to the top of the building and, using red coloured pencil, highlighted a feature of the long opening inside of the building." I love that detail; it really stands out.

And here's Jun: "I've created lots of detail and textures in my perspective drawing.

I've used collage of the tree and mountain to set the building in its landscape.

I like the different patterns and colours that I've used on the building.

It makes the mood of the building fun." It really does, yes.

And finally, I'd like you to reflect on your perspective drawing.

Use these questions to help you reflect on your work.

What purpose do you think your building design would suit? How have you used pattern or colour to help communicate your design? Are there any key features in your perspective drawing, and how have you highlighted them? So pause here while you use these questions to reflect on your perspective drawing.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with reflecting on your perspective drawing? Here is Jacob: "I've stacked three boxes at different angles to create the basis for my building perspective drawing.

I think this is an effective way of creating an interesting building.

The bright colours would make it eye-catching in the street.

The figures I've included help to give the building scale.

Here's Sofia: "Alex has used very expressive marks with his pen when he added detail to his perspective drawing.

It makes the building look dramatic and gives the building energy.

The colour of the glass in the red window really help it become a feature." And here's Jun: "I've used a mixture of collage papers from magazines and coloured papers, letter stickers, stencils, along with pens, to create a vibrant and fun perspective drawing.

I think the building is quite large in scale and would be an inspiring place to go to school!" Oh, my! Wouldn't it just? And now I'd like you to share with each other your perspective drawings and offer each other some feedback, as we saw earlier, Sofia giving that wonderful feedback to Alex.

So share your drawings and offer each other some feedback on your final perspective drawings.

Pause here while you do this, and I'll see you when you're finished.

Thanks for offering each other some feedback on these wonderful perspective drawings.

In our lesson "Technical Drawing Techniques to Communicate Ideas," we've covered the following: Perspective drawings help artists and architects show how a building or object would look in real life.

Using a vanishing point on a horizon line makes the drawings appear 3D and realistic, communicating depth, space, and viewpoint clearly in our designs.

Design ideas can be brought to life by adding colour, texture, or mood through expressive lines, bold mark-making, or collage.

This helps make the drawing feel more creative and full of character while still using perspective to show space.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I loved your perspective drawings and your particular takes on these buildings that you've created, adding in that extra colour, texture, and being expressive with your final creations.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I've really enjoyed teaching you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.