Mastering Perspective: How Artists Create Depth on a Flat Surface

Hold a ruler flat in front of your face and look along its length. The two long edges seem to meet in the distance — even though you know they are parallel. That visual trick is at the heart of perspective drawing. Artists have used it for over 500 years to fool your brain into seeing a flat canvas as a window into a three-dimensional world. Think about the last time you stood at the end of a long road or corridor. What did you notice happening to the edges as they got farther away? Keep that image in mind as we explore the rules behind it.