I really like this method of drawing a three-quarter back view of the human head.

I first started using this technique 1-2 years ago and don’t remember whether I saw it somewhere, was inspired by a diagram or illustration, or invented it myself. If you know where it’s from let me know. I also use it as a great artistic warm-up to raise my motivation and get positive vibes before a drawing session.

Here are some brief notes on the various steps:

1. S shape, vertically stretched and quite subtle.

2. Each of the two horizontal curves cross the S curve about 1/3 closer to the left than right;
the higher new curve crosses the S shape at the S shape’s leftmost point (approximately);
the lower new curve crosses the S shape at the S shape’s rightmost point (approximately).

3. Sketch top and left part of a circle.

4. Add basic neck and shoulder lines.

5. Add the jaw line and the curve of the face to join the top part of the circle from the step 3. Arrows show recommended drawing directions.
You can partially erase the construction lines from steps 1 and 2. but these curves are still useful as they help show the form of the head and neck.

6. Added a C shape for the ear and a small horizontal line representing the chin edge – see inside of red dotted circle.

7. Erased a small notch for the eye socket and added suggestion of an eyelash.

8. Filled in the head area with basic skin color.

9. Dotted red line indicates the hairline for drawing in the hair later.

Did you find this technique useful? Post your comments below!

“Street scene” by Theo Prins

Having looked at what is atmospheric perspective and the factors that affect its strength in the previous two posts, here are 8 essential benefits that it can bring to your artworks and photos:

(Reminder: aerial perspective and atmospheric perspective are the same thing and are used interchangeably.)

1. Painters can save time

Check out how Theo Prins painted the crowds of people as silhouettes in the beautiful painting “Street scene” above. Aerial perspective decreases contrast and saturation with distance and therefore detail too is reduced with distance. Painters can take advantage of this and paint distant background objects in less detail which is much faster than having to paint everything in full. This technique applies to anything that is reasonably far away or in the background, like trees, forests, mountains, buildings, cities, and so on.

In the distance, silhouettes and indications of detail are often sufficient to get across the message, story and drama of your piece. Focus detail where it’s needed and simplify where it isn’t. Less is more.

2. Mood control

“Waterfall city” by Theo Prins

Atmospheric perspective is called ‘atmospheric’ for a reason. It can create and enhance mood, be it a creepy swamp, mysterious mountaintop castle, or epic vistas. As an artist controlling the effect, you can manipulate the mood of your image which can help you tell a story.

3. Make images more visually interesting and exciting.

“To the mothership” by Theo Prins

4. Viewer participation

When some things aren’t fully visible and clear, especially in the distance where contrast is low, this invites viewers to actively engage with the image by trying to fill in the missing information in their imagination.

5. Added sense and perception of depth

Rafts by w00kie

Aerial perspective tends to make closer objects darker in value (tone) than things farther away. This makes images easier to read.

6. Dramatic layering effect

“Organic valley” by Andrée Wallin

Aerial perspective creates separation between foreground and background elements in a scene, producing a dramatic layering effect.

7. Visual communication tool

“Morning Sun” by Theo Prins

The extent and color of the atmospheric perspective effect gives viewers clues about the environmental conditions and time of day in the image. For example, you don’t need to read the title of Theo’s “Morning Sun” painting to know that it’s a very humid dawn environment – the low sun and yellows and greens of the aerial perspective tell the story. Another example is a snow-filled vista that is obviously cold, but when you add some freezing fog hugging the ground it feels super-cold. Other examples: pollution vs clean air, rainy vs clear.

8. Compositional tool

“Exploring” by Andrée Wallin

Use aerial perspective as a compositional tool to focus the viewer’s attention on the image’s focal point. Non-focal regions can be pushed farther back into the distance by reducing their contrast and saturation. In Andrée Wallin’s painting “Exploring” (above), the buildings of the background are in haze, giving them less prominence compositionally while leading the viewer’s gaze to the robot at the focal point.

Related Articles:
What Is Atmospheric Perspective
5 Factors That Affect Atmospheric Perspective

Smog over Arequipa, Peru. Photo by Gustavo Madico

Continuing with the atmospheric perspective theme, this post takes a quick visual tour of 5 different factors that affect the strength of aerial perspective.

1. Pollution

Smog over Shinjuku, Tokyo. Photo by Ville Miettinen

Smoggy industrial cities have more dust, soot and other sun-scattering particles in the air causing stronger atmospheric perspective effects compared to smog-free  locations. With air pollution, the aerial perspective effect tends to be strongest near the ground, like a yellowish ground fog that rises up to several hundred meters from the Earth’s surface.

2. Time of Day

“Morning Shadows” Photo by atomicjeep

Atmospheric perspective is at its most spectacular at dawn or dusk. When the sun is low in the sky, sunlight produces an array of rich and varied colors in the atmosphere – reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. Distant objects take on these colors making the view more interesting than at other times of the day. Other lighting effects may come into play, like light rays or Jacob’s ladders.

3. Humidity, Fog and Mist

Barranco Valley, Kilimanjaro. Photo by Stig Nygaard

Humidity, fog and mist all magnify the aerial perspective effect due to water particles suspended in the air that scatter light. Typical examples are humid, steamy jungles and cold misty mountains. The mist in the photo above gives it depth and a sense of mystery.

4. Storms and Rain

Photo by Tony Hisgett

Storms and rain reduce visibility but their effect on atmospheric perspective may be less uniform and more random than in calm weather. When viewing a large sweeping vista, visibility may vary throughout the scene. For example, some regions in the image may experience heavy rain and a strong aerial perspective effect while others could be in full sunlight. The photo above of a storm over Lake Peyto, Canada shows how the aerial perspective effect on the mountain at right is strengthened by a descending curtain of rain.

5. Wind and Dust

Sydney dust storm. Photo by Kat Clay

Regions where there’s a lot of dust or sand on the ground can get strong aerial perspective during and after strong winds pick up the particles into the air. Distant objects would be tinted with the dust color as can be seen in the above photo taken after the 2009 dust storm in Sydney, Australia. The haze is tinted red due to the red sand that characterizes Australia’s deserts.

Related Posts:
What Is Atmospheric Perspective?
8 Benefits of Atmospheric Perspective

Photo by Hans-Peter

Atmospheric perspective – also called aerial perspective – is the effect you get when far away objects take on the colors of atmospheric haze.

Read on to discover eight of the most important things you need to know about atmospheric perspective:

(1) Objects’ saturation decreases with distance.

Distant objects’ colors blend with and take on some of the atmosphere’s colors. So they lose their original color saturation and take on the atmosphere’s saturation. If you’re working in gray scale, then the more distant objects gradually acquire the value (tone) of the atmosphere with distance. The following 2 diagrams illustrate this point:

London skyscrapers tinted blue by the atmosphere.  Photo by Eyal Trachtman

Diagram based on photo by Hans-Peter

(2) Contrast decreases with distance.

Decreased saturation and contrast explain why it’s harder to see/resolve fine details for far away objects even through binoculars. Low contrast means that there isn’t much difference between the brightest and darkest areas. Low contrast does not mean blurred!

(3) Brightness increases with distance.

Have you noticed how in many movie scenes, anything near the camera is usually darker than what’s farther away? See if you can spot this next time you watch a movie. Film directors will often “smoke a set” with dry ice and then back-light the smoke to achieve an atmospheric effect, even for outside sets like jungles where lots of smoke is needed!

Diagram based on photo by Tony Hisgett.

The above diagram shows how aerial perspective affects contrast and brightness. Area 1. has maximum contrast between the land and lake with the land being almost black. By the time you reach area 5 the contrast is almost gone and brightness has increased.

(4) Edges remain sharp even when far away.

Look closely at the images in this post to convince yourself this is true, particularly at the edges of mountains. There are two exceptions to this rule:

a. You want to blur the background on purpose to create an out of focus effect (technically called camera lens depth of field effect).

b. Heat induced shimmering effect as in the desert mirage, looking through jet exhausts, and reflections above hot tarmac. This is caused by variations in atmospheric gas density acting as a lens between the viewer and the object.

(5) Atmospheric Perspective Is Even Visible at Night!

In this long exposure of Los Angeles you can see  the aerial perspective in the upper half of the frame.

(6) Atmospheric perspective appears in media other than air.

Examples include underwater and in the atmospheres of other planets and some moons.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

In this Mars vista taken by the rover Spirit, note the yellow-orange atmospheric color tinting the mountains in the distance.

(7) As the aerial perspective effect intensifies (e.g. heavy fog, pollution), the distance at which objects take on the atmosphere’s color and value decreases.

In other words closer objects become more affected by atmospheric haze as the effect intensifies.

(8) Atmospheric perspective may be weakened by strong lighting.

If there is extra lighting on something in the distance – for example due to the sun illuminating something through a break in the clouds – that lit object will regain more of its original contrast and saturation compared to unlit objects at a similar distance. Check out this amazing painting by Andrée Wallin:

“Another mountain” – Painting By Andrée Wallin.

Closeup view of the sunlit peak.

The mountaintop lit up by a ray of sunlight is visible in great detail compared to its darkened surroundings. The fog shrouded ship silhouette adds a sense of mystery to the piece. Studying Andrée’s painting it is clear he deeply understands aerial perspective and has applied this knowledge to impressive effect.

With these 8 points in mind,  try noticing the aerial perspective effect when you’re outside, in artists’ paintings, photographs, video games, in movies and on TV. It is an effect that is used often and adds mood, beauty, drama, and a cinematic quality to imagery.

This was the first in a series of articles about atmospheric perspective. Stay tuned for future posts that will cover other important aspects of this phenomenon.

Related Posts:
8 Benefits of Atmospheric Perspective
5 Factors That Affect Atmospheric Perspective

Image Credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

How come some images are great but others aren’t?

And how can you raise your works to the next level?

I invite you to join me on this journey as I set out to improve my own art skills and learn the secrets to making awesome imagery!