Cityscape with Inclined Planes

• Two visible sides of a street
• The transferring of heights in depth (Lamposts, garbage cans, parking meters, etc.)  This must be repeated at least three times in the environment and cannot be organic forms such as trees or shrubs.
• Multiple figures on each street
• Integration of a simple vehicle
• At least TWO Ascending or Descending planes on the main diminishing street that are VISIBLE in the image and reasonably close to the picture plane.  These planes are in addition to any level planes of the road (if there are any).

METHOD: BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP
PROBLEM:  To portray a section of a city in one point perspective—and from imagination. Some of the sidewalks, and adjoining roadways, of said city should be tilted planes: either ascending or descending planes.

• The city should be invented, and of your own design. This means that you need a concept first. But it does not preclude looking at reference for inspiration.
• You want to consider the nature of the city that you want to portray, and, in particular, the nature of the section of a particular neighborhood that you will draw.
• This involves thought about commercial versus residential space, or a combination of the two; socio-economic status of the neighborhood; age and style of the architecture; the consistency, or eclecticism, of the various built structures, etc.
• As visual problem solvers, we often begin by brainstorming, through words and drawings. So we will begin to do both before we even consider the final drawing.

1.     Write down as many particulars about the neighborhood you hope to portray. Adjectives, as well as nouns, should be jotted down (e.g.; aging buildings, stodgy, working class, moderately high structures—no more than six floors; location of dominant area; primarily steel and glass; awnings, etc.).
2.     Place a "window" on your paper that measures 9" high and 16" wide or 11" x 20" (if you want to work larger).
5.     Locate the approximate height of your horizon/eye level. How much of your drawing will reside above it and how much below? 

• Always start from the ground up: Sketch rectangles first, rectangles that represent the streets, as well as those sections of street that buildings will stand on. (Don’t forget sidewalks and curbs.)

6.     With your t-square, lightly draw in the eye level for reference and mark the location of the Vanishing Point (VP), considering its height and position laterally.
7.     Again, with your instruments, block in the location of the sidewalks and their curbs. Then establish the locations of  the foundations of the buildings. 
8.     Remember that your cityscape must have tilted planes. So, decide how far the sidewalk will continue as a flat, horizontal plane until it angles upward, downward, or both.

• Remember that the vanishing points for the tilted planes of the streets must be located on a vertical line perpendicular to the horizon line and emanating from the original vanishing point; inclined planes have ascending vanishing points on this vertical line, whereas declined planes have descending vanishing points on this vertical line.
• However, the only lines of the buildings that will trace up, or down, to this auxiliary vanishing points are those lines that reside on the sidewalk: the bottom line of the building and the bottom line of the door. All other receding horizontal lines must be traced back to the original vanishing point on the horizon.

• continue to implement alternating and repeating patterns in perspective
• continue to place the human form in perspective while maintaining consistent scale with surroundings
• learn how to create ascending and descending planes
• learn how to create and integrate a simple vehicle
• continue reviewing the box theory of perspective
• how to maintain consistent proportions throughout an image
• station point, field of focus
• convergence, diminution and foreshortening