People in Places Chapter Notes | Arts (Kriti) Class 8 - New NCERT PDF Download

Introduction

Art has the power to appear both flat and full of depth. Through the technique of perspective, artists can make a simple surface look three-dimensional, giving a sense of distance and realism. By combining perspective with correct human proportions, drawings of people, buildings, and everyday scenes appear more natural and lifelike.

Perspective

• Perspective is a technique to show three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
• It creates an illusion where closer objects look bigger and have more details, and distant objects look smaller.
• Lines on either side of a road or railway tracks look as if they converge in the distance, though they are actually parallel.
• The horizon line matches the viewer’s eye level.
• Lines converge at a vanishing point, which is also at eye level.
• To visualise perspective:
  • Think of your eyeball as a circle with the centre as the vanishing point.
  • The horizontal line across the centre of the eye is the horizon line.
  • Other lines radiate from the centre in different directions.
• Three important things to draw in perspective:
  • Identify the horizon line at eye level in the scene.
  • Visualise the vanishing point.
  • Observe the angle of lines that converge at the vanishing point.
• Perspective helps in drawing buildings and monuments realistically.
  Example: In the Rani ki Vav Stepwell image, the lines of upper and lower storeys appear to converge at the vanishing point.
• In building interiors, lines of walls, ceilings, and floors also meet at the vanishing point.
• Once you understand perspective principles, you can draw simple objects from various angles.

Human Anatomy

• Anatomy refers to the structure of the human body.
• Body structure changes with age; some parts grow more than others.
• Proportions of body parts are expressed in ratios (e.g., head size compared to the rest of the body).
• Example ratios:
  • Parts equal to the head size: 1 : 1
  • Parts twice the head size: 1 : 2
  • Parts thrice the head size: 1 : 3
• The system of measuring body proportions has been important in Indian painting and sculpture.
• Texts from the Shilpa Shastra describe ratios for divine beings, royalty, warriors, children, animals, and mythological beings.
• This system is called the Tālamāna Paddhati:
  • One tāla equals the length of an adult hand from the bottom of the wrist to the tip of the middle finger.

Body Positions and Postures

• After drawing standing figures, observe proportions in other postures such as sitting, bending, lying, and squatting.
• Ask friends or family to pose in different positions for observation and drawing.
• Share drawings with them and explain what you learned about body proportions.

Composition in Perspective

• Plan the layout by making preparatory sketches.
• Include foreground, middleground, and background elements.
• Mark the horizon line and vanishing point.
• Draw human figures at different distances.
• Ensure figures are proportionate to the setting.
• Add other elements such as furniture, objects, trees, roads, vehicles, and buildings.
• Choose one layout and make a final artwork.
• Colouring:
  • Use any medium such as colour pencils, pastels, crayons, watercolours, poster colours, acrylic colours, or natural colours.
  • Choose colours based on season, time of day, or mood.
  • Experiment with combinations in preparatory sketches.
• Title your artwork based on your ideas, inspirations, and memories.