Perspective Projection by Descriptive Geometry: A Manual for the Artist - 2nd Edition - by Wade Meyers
Revised and Expanded!
This manual offers the representational artist a long overdue and user-friendly approach towards learning the fundamentals of Perspective Projection by Descriptive Geometry (DG). DG has been (or was) around for many years in the technical drawing world, but has been a mystery to most artists not because the concepts are overly difficult to understand, but due to a lack of people who fully understand the process as it relates to fine art, and are willing to teach it or write about the subject outside of the typical formal academic setting.
DG allows the artist to obtain perspective views on paper of three-dimensional objects from any angle and elevation with great accuracy. In short, you are no longer a slave to photography! DG will give you an accurate, in proper perspective, 'chassis' from which you, the artist, can flesh out the details. We not only describe how to plot these projections, but most importantly we put you in the right mindset, i.e., the surface of your artwork is really meant to be a 'window', with the elements of your work 'beyond' in the distance. As the image size of an object on the surface of your painting or drawing changes, so does the perspective view (projection) of that object since the airplane, for example, is now closer or farther away from the viewer's eye. The author honed his teaching skills as an active Certificated Flight Instructor, and is now a full-time professional artist concentrating on historical aviation subjects.
The manual is geared towards the aviation artist, but the basic principles actually apply to any 3D - or 2D - object (or combination of the two) you wish to depict. Wade offers a relaxed non-technical writing style that engages the student by explaining, in a building block approach, everything you will need to know to start creating your own perspective projections.
This manual features over 80 hand-drawn (just like you will do it) diagrams and photographs by the author illustrating each concept discussed. Most of the illustrations are full-page figures, and some are large 11 x 17 in. diagrams to allow maximum size and clarity, including a number of real world perspective projections used in the creation of the author's aviation art. The manual is self-published by the artist/author.
The manual is presented in an 8.5 x 11 in. format, personally bound by the author in a comb binder with protective card outer covers. To better help you study the concepts, all of the 11 x 17 in. diagrams are included loose (not bound) in folders.
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A review of the 1st Edition by Dan Knopp at the Automotive Art Review blog -
"'Perspective Projection by Descriptive Geometry' is a mouthful of a title, and it may take a little reading for right-brain artists to get what it's about. Bear with me, and I'll do my best to explain it. The author, Wade Meyers, a signature member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, has done a great service to artists by putting this manual together.
First, I know this is "Automotive Art Review", so I have to explain why I am reviewing a book with aviation art on the cover. Quite simply, there are a lot of automotive artists selling their work who really need to study this method, and there isn't a book that I know of that teaches it specifically to automotive artists. At any rate, the idea is not at all new, nor is it just for aviation art. In fact, it is used by other artists for such subjects as landscape and still life.
Give a critical eye to automotive art you may see on the internet or at car shows. The ones that I see that most point out the problem this book addresses are typically prints of numerous muscle cars parked around a vintage diner or gas station. Works with single cars in them also suffer, but the effect is pronounced by having multiple cars sitting around at different angles. It looks as if photos of cars were taken from different vantage points, through camera lenses of differing aspects, and pasted into one scene. They just don't match up. Sometimes the Corvette ends up being larger than the Cadillac in front of it, or if perspective lines were drawn over the print you would have cars in full view which should be half buried in the ground. Now part of the problem comes from working from photographs, as all camera lenses distort perspective. But mostly it's a matter of not putting the scene together correctly as a whole before putting the brush to paint.
So why do automotive artists need a book that teaches how to paint aircraft in the sky?
Have you ever looked at a painting or even a print by a fine aviation artist and thought "How does he do that?" How does he make it look so real you feel you have somehow walked into the scene and time stands still as your surroundings fade away? That is what you want people to feel when they look at your work, and this book tells you how to get there. As I said before, it could be difficult for the right-brainer to get it, but I read it through once and it's as if a light came on. Now I know how they do it. No doubt there are artists who instinctively paint cars and they come out looking perfect, and there are a lot of fine automotive artists out there. I hope to review some of their works here someday. But I'm definitely not in that league, and this book shows me one of the reasons why.
Perspective projection by descriptive geometry is the way to make a scene look right, rather than pasted together. If you are an artist striving to do better, this manual is a bargain. Although understanding the philosophy may give your artwork a bit of a boost right off, you will need to practice what is outlined in this manual and work at it to master it. In other words, the manual doesn't cost much, but you'll have to invest some time and work at it to get your work to a higher level. If you aren't one of those gifted instinctual artists, you'll flounder for years without instruction like this."
C O N T E N T S
Introduction
I. Perspective In My Art, or How I Learned To Love Math!
II. Is D. G. Done That Way Because That's The Way It Is?
III. Why This Manual?
SECTION ONE – LAYING THE FOUNDATION
Module I: The View From Above
a. Elements to be Considered When Planning All Descriptive Geometry Projections
Module II: The Aircraft Plot Planner and the "Jet" Sample Airplane
Module III: A Guide to Setting up the Azimuth and Elevation Plots
a. Selecting the Plan Views for the Layouts
b. Arranging the Final DG Layout
Module IV: A Typical Final DG Plot – All Elements Explained
a. Plotting Points of Interest – Step by Step
b. Tools of the Trade
SECTION TWO – BASIC PLOTTING
Module V: Our First Plot - A Simple Box
a. Rough Sketch for position and size of all elements
b. Azimuth Layout
c. Elevation Layout
d. Let's Plot!
e. Sizing and Positioning the Projection on Your Canvas
Module VI: Single-Ship Plots
a. Front Quarter View
1. The Rule of Bank vs. Pitch Plotting
2. Relationship to Horizon
b. Rear Quarter View (One-Man Air Force – P-51B)
c. Direct Side View (Single-Point Perspective)
1. Introducing Points of Interest Above and Below Eye Level
Module VII: Multi-Ship Plots
a. The Dogfight Approach
1. No Specific aspect relationship between the aircraft required
2. Positioning according to the Rough Sketch
Module VIII: Cut-Off Views
a. 1/12th Scale? – Your Choice
SECTION THREE – PLOTTING LANDSCAPE DETAILS
Module IX: Plotting Landscape from a Specific Distance and Altitude
a. Runway Only
b. Runway and Building Details
c. Large Aircraft Formations in the distance
Module X: Bringing it All Together – Integrating Aircraft and Background Details
a. Keep the Viewing Position Constant in All Plots!
b. Aircraft Circling Past the Numbers - From the Wing Position
SECTION FOUR – ADVANCED PLOTTING & ALTERNATIVE METHODS
A. Introducing the Yaw, Pitch, and Roll plots
B. Four-ship peel off (step by step plot)
C. Two-ship landing on a runway - specific attitudes and distances in relation to the runway surface and direction
D. Single taildragger aircraft and viewer on the ground
E. Two Corsairs Taxiing Out for a Patrol
APPENDIX I – FULL DG PLOTS. EXAMPLES BY THE AUTHOR
A. AT-38C – Rear Quarter High
B. F-4E – Front Quarter High
C. Airfield Plot of Runway and Hangars
D. AT-38C – Rear High
E. A-10 - Front Quarter Low
F. P-51B - Side View Taking Off
G. P-51D - Front Quarter Level
APPENDIX II – PHOTOGRAPHING MODELS CORRECTLY
1. F/A-18F Super Hornet
2. B-24D Liberator
3. P-47M
4. After the Photography Sessions - refining the drawing (P-51B cockpit example)
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