Drawing Ellipses in Perspective

[New Masters Academy]

In this lesson, instructor Erik Olson will introduce you to drawing ellipses in perspective. You will explore the eight-point method for drawing an ellipse, then practice it on cylinders and other similar objects. Erik will lecture on the restrictions of the cone of view, giving you greater insight into its principles.

This lesson belongs to the course Perspective I. In this 12-week course, master draftsperson Erik Olson will guide you through the foundations of linear perspective. You will learn how to measure, plot, and problem solve using the principles of perspective. Then, Erik will teach you how to interpret perspective from photography and masterworks. You will explore how the Old Masters utilized perspective as a tool for visual communication. After completing this course, you will build a solid understanding of perspective that allows you to draft complex scenes and objects.

Throughout this course, you’ll have access to the NMA community for feedback and critiques to improve your work as you progress.

[Betty Ng]

What does the angle of an ellipse in an ellipse guide mean?  Erik said that 0 degree was a horizontal line and 90 degree was a circle.  Is the angle he referred to the angle between the eye line and the plane containing a circle that the viewer is looking at?  It is not an actual angle of the ellipse.  Is this interpretation correct?

[Daniel Daigle]

It is the angle that the circle rotates around the x axis.
Imagine you have a coin in front of your eye and it is laying flat. you will only see the edge, which in this case we will represent by a horizontal line _. now imagine you rotate the far side of that coin upwards by 90 degrees. you will now see the entire coin as a circle |.
lets us <) to represent your eye looking towards the right ->
and a line _ / |   to represent the side of a coin

<)     ->      __        flat line, coin at 0 degrees
vs
<)    ->       |           circle, coin at 90 degrees
vs
<)    ->       /           ellipse, coin rotated to 1-89 degrees

in this view we only see the side of the coin, but the eye sees the face of the coin rotating between its flat side to elipse, to circle

i hope this helps

[Betty Ng]

Thank you Daniel for the detailed and clear explanation.  This helps a lot in understanding Erik’s  drawings and descriptions <span style=”font-size: 16px;”>in the lessons.  Many thanks, Betty</span>

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