How do you set up this... ARRRRGH!!!

MagicToaster

I'm a terrible illustrator. Seriously, I don't know the first thing about setting up a background.

This is a draft for a project I'd like to do for work but it requires alot of background work. I tried setting up some guides but I'm not liking how this came about.



Its supposed to be about stress management, I wanted the enviorment to look very busy and cluttered, thus the reason why all the elements are close together. I also wanted to set up the vanishing point on the guy's head so that all the attention (stress) goes to him...

My question is... how do you go about setting up a scene like this? I have no clue.


Someone help.

Lly

It's too obviously a 1 point perspective set up. Try blocking the never ending corridor with another row of desks or a wall or something. Or get a photo of an office and use a ref.

MEADONE

Remember that part is Jaws where the sheriff (what's his name) notices there's a shark in the water and the background sorta smoshes up against him, same thing in Vertigo where Jimmy Stewart is trying to climb the bell tower. Its sorta of a complicated camera movemet but it works wonders to signify mental stress.

I dont know if it possible to capture that in a still frame but perhaps it is.
And if anything, I think the background being a bit warped, stretched and smashed up against this guy might work.

DarkPrimus

What crazy moon language is that guy speaking?

Lly

I'm glad someone else drew a blank. I reckon he's on meadonine .... haw haw haw.

Rye

MEADONE wrote:

Remember that part is Jaws where the sheriff (what's his name) notices there's a shark in the water and the background sorta smoshes up against him, same thing in Vertigo where Jimmy Stewart is trying to climb the bell tower. Its sorta of a complicated camera movemet but it works wonders to signify mental stress.

I dont know if it possible to capture that in a still frame but perhaps it is.
And if anything, I think the background being a bit warped, stretched and smashed up against this guy might work.

That camera trick is accomplished by tracking IN with a camera (literally moving toward the subject) while zooming out. The figure appears to stay in place while the background moves to a more extreme perspective. When you zoom in with a camera, it will flatten perspective a bit, so zooming it out brings the effect back in.

If I had to do the same project, I would exxaggerate (spelling) the stacks or paper and the desk in general. Make him seem so small and that everything around him is building up. This gives you an excuse to use 3 point perspective. 3 point perspective is the easiest way to make somethign seem massive and overwhelming.

here's a stupid mock up of what I mean. 5 min sketch. It doesn't have anything on the desk, but you get the idea. Hope this helps explain what I'm saying.

MagicToaster

Ok, someone needs to explain this 3 point perspective thing.

Sublimus

A quick GIS found this.

Rye

Our eyes see in a cone. Literally, the Cone of Vision. In our lives, we see 3 point perspective all the time. However, the thrid point is usually so high or low that we don't notice until we see something tall or massive or we look off the edge of a building. My 3rd vanishing point is lined up with the guy's head and is slightly off the page. My line work was sloppy, so not all the lines are rigidly following the frame work. This can work FOR you if it's done well and deliberately.

When you compress the two side vanishing points, it creates distortion in the cone of vision. We see things as if we're looking through a peep hole. So, the best way to distort the perspective is to bring the vanishing points closer together than normal.

If I were doing a perspective drawing for a building for a potential client, I would use a drawing board and set my vanishing points WAY off the edge of the paper. This way, the building will look like a normal photo or like you're actually looking at it.

Also, like I said before

Low horizon line = inferiority or belittling feeling.
High horizon line = power or superiority.

that's why my sketch, as crappy as it is, still gives the feeling of being overwhelmed. I could have worked more on the person's pose or facial expression, but I think you can come up with something.

Lly

Guys. You are talking about 5 point or curvilinear perspective (the one with the cool curvy lines). 3 Point perspective is just like 2 point except the verticals converge towards a point in the sky if they are above you, or the ground if they are below you, but are still straight.

edit: here's an illustration i did a while ago which shows guessed and less extreme 5 point perspective, just to add to Rye's excellent demonstration :P