Basics
Drawing Secrets revealed
VANTAGE P O INT B O N U S
M ATERIAL
SA R A H PA R K S
Cincinnati, Ohio
www.artistsnetwork.com
Inspiring emotion
Vantage Point
Images have a unique evocative potential; they can
inspire a broad range of emotions in a viewer and
much of that potential is harnessed by conscious
artistic choices. One interesting psychological effect
depends on the artist’s vantage point which heavily
influences the viewer’s viewpoint.
An artist may paint a portrait from a position below
the sitter so the viewer feels like he is looking up at
the subject, giving the impression of the subject’s
dominance. Beyond portraits, this is often applied to
a landscape or large still life: if you drew a skyscraper
or mountain from ground level, or a monumental
statue from below, your subject would emanate a
commanding weight and power.
However, if a subject was drawn or painted from
a higher vantage point, the viewer would be looking
The elephant’s majestic size and
power is communicated best with this
low viewpoint.
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down on the subject. Thus, the subject may appear
diminished in stature. This is often the case with
drawings or photographs of children but it could
easily be true of any subject viewed from a high
vantage point.
While a low vantage point can communicate
power, strength, timelessness, fear, admiration
or majesty about the subject, a higher vantage
point can communicate different things about the
subject: innocence, weakness, vulnerability, child-like
demeanor, laziness, cuteness or relaxation. Between
just two vantage points, the possible emotions you
can inspire in your viewer are numerous, depending
on how you treat your subject.
Vantage Point
This high viewpoint underscores the
dog’s adorability and need for direction.
Bonus Demonstration
Check out the Render Metal PDF for a
completely free step-by-step from the
deleted content of the book!
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