Enchant Your Students with Two-Point Perspective Castle Drawings!
Easily introduce Two-Point Perspective by following the steps in this “Medieval Castle” drawing tutorial! Help your students to unlock their creative drawing potential and build their self-confidence!
This tutorial is dedicated to introducing fundamental Perspective Drawing to assist students in grades 5-12 to render accurate 3-D forms.
Let’s learn the basics! Follow these steps to draw a 2-Point Perspective Castle from a Worm’s Eye View!
Step One: Horizon Line with 2 Vanishing Points
- Start by drawing a horizon line across the lower portion of your paper. Position 2 vanishing points at both ends of the horizon line.
- Draw a vertical line that extends slightly below the horizon line and above the horizon line as shown. Notice that this line extends about halfway up the length of the paper.
Step Two: Add Orthogonal Lines
- Draw lines from the top of and bottom of the vertical line to each vanishing point. These lines are called orthogonal lines.
- As the orthogonal lines converge together the effect “tricks” our brain into thinking that there is space and distance on flat paper!
- Perspective drawing creates an optical illusion that helps artists draw shapes to look like 3-dimensional forms!
Step Three: Add 2 vertical lines to create the end of your emerging castle
- Decide where you would like to end the back of your castle. Draw 2 vertical lines and erase the extra orthogonal lines that you don’t need.
- We have created the illusion of a 3-d building sitting on the ground!
- Make sure that all of your vertical lines are actually vertical and not slanted so your building appears to be standing up straight and tall!.
Check your lines using this Helpful Tip!
To make sure that your lines are actually vertical try this trick with your ruler:
Line up the straight edge of your ruler with the straight edge of your paper. This will result in an accurate vertical line!
Step Four: Start a tall tower!
- Add an offset vertical line to start a tower.
- Use your ruler to draw an orthogonal line from the top of this line to each vanishing point.
Step Five: Begin Drawing 3 Towers
- Draw 4 more vertical lines at the back of your castle to start 2 more towers as shown above.
- Make sure you use your ruler trick to draw these lines accurately vertical!
Step Six: Complete Drawing the Castle Towers
- Draw 2 lines to each vanishing point to add the top of the tower
- Next, finish drawing the rest of the back towers as shown above.
Step Seven: Draw Vertical Crenualtions Using Guidelines
- Add guidelines. Draw at least 5 vertical lines on each side to start the crenulations
- You might only be able to fit 2 vertical lines on narrow towers.
An easier variation for the towers is to add cone shapes to look like turrets!
Step Eight: Add Doors and Windows!
- Important! Use the vanishing points to line up the tops and bottoms of windows to make the windows and doors look attached to the walls of your castle.
- Also, make sure the sides of your windows and doors are drawn vertically!
Hey Teachers!* If you would like more information and resources on drawing castles with value shading and implied textures take a look at my TPT Listing!
Two-Point Perspective! How to Draw Castles with Textures Handouts & Worksheets!
More Information for Teachers!
⭐ How to Use this Lesson within a Drawing Unit:
Use this lesson as the final drawing lesson to finish a 6-week Drawing Unit!
For example:
•Week 1: Introduce the Art Elements, especially Space and Value Shading Practices
•Week 2: Introduce One-Point Perspective with a Name Design Lesson or Op Art!
•Week 3: Deepen understanding with a One-point Perspective Still Life Object Drawing lesson with
light source and shadows.
•Week 4: Introduce 2 Point-Perspective Techniques with Lettering or a Birdhouse practice
•Weeks 5-6: Finish with an amazing “Castle Challenge” Drawing as a final project with value shading
application!
If you would like to make this a seasonal project you also could combine my Spooky Towns Product resources with the castle resource to make spooky, haunted castles too!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Thanks for stopping by!
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