Hi, the photo to the right is of JOE DEMARCO, the original author of this web site.  Sadly, Joe passed away in January 2012 aged 94.  At Joe's request, control of this web site and the software referred to in it has passed to Peter G Nield in Manchester, U.K.

The text below and throughout this web site is, for the moment at least, much as Joe wrote it.  Joe's contact details have been replaced by Peter's.

WELCOME TO MY SITE. It's for artists who want to achieve convincing perspective in the objects they draw and paint. I have developed two methods for making perspective drawings. They are the Geometric Projector Method (GPM) and the Artist's Perspective Modeler (APM.) The methods are the culmination of my 60 years of experience as an artist, the result of observation, experimentation, study, teaching, and practical application. I'll try to explain them as simply as possible, step-by-step. I'll also provide explanations of the terms and procedures. If you still have questions, feel free to contact Peter at petergnield@talktalk.net. But first, a little background.

What is perspective, and who invented it?

"Perspective", as we call it, is a mathematical system for creating the illusion of space and distance on a flat picture plane. The system of linear perspective originated in Florence, Italy, where early in the 15th century, the artist and architect, Filippo Brunelleschi, carried out a series of optical experiments that led to a mathematical theory of perspective. Another major Renaissance figure, Genoa born architect and writer, Leon Battista Alberti, went to Florence, Italy, where he and Brunelleschi became friends. In about 1428, having seen his own theoretical work confirmed, Alberti was the first to write down rules of linear perspective for artists. Leonardo da Vinci probably learned Albertiís system while serving his apprenticeship. That was almost 600 years ago and the rules are still the same!

A brief description of the GPM and APM methods

GPM is a conventional drawing board method that I conceived in 1943. It's a highly effective tool for making accurate perspective drawings. It's favored by those who want to make their perspectives the old-fashioned way, with triangle and T-Square. GPM does not rely on the use of vanishing points that are frequently inaccessible on the average-size drawing board. However, they are inherent in the system. To learn more about this method, go to the GPM introduction.

APM applies the processing speed and power of your home computer to calculate mathematical equations derived from the proven GPM system. But don't let that put you off; your PC does all the math for you. In addition:

• It stores all of your input data for later recall and reuse to show your image at whatever viewing aspect you choose.
• At the touch of a button, it gives you a preview of the image on your screen.
• It enables you to change the viewing aspect also at the touch of a button.

To learn more about this method, go to the APM introduction.

Both systems are adaptable to any art genre that requires accurate perspective drawings. Because they provide a global range of viewing aspects, they are particularly suited to the needs of aviation artists, of which I am one. Aviation art more often than not embraces all three dimensions and covers not only vast regions of airspace, but land and sea as well. Both systems keep the artist "in the loop" and afford him/her the pride and pleasure of well-done hands-on drawing.

The GPM and APM systems and their operations are described elsewhere in this site. The object used to illustrate the systems is a simplified version of the Ryan NYP airplane, Spirit of St. Louis.

Requirements

To do the work you'll need specific equipment and supplies.

For GPM you'll need:

• A good set of General Arrangement drawings (Three-view)
• Graph Paper
• T-square
• Triangle
• Ruler

For APM you'll need the above items, plus:

• APM software
• Microsoft Excel
• Plotting program (optional)

 

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thank Tom Sollers for his work on this project; Alan Tuckey of Manchester, England for developing the Preview Plotter macros for the MS Excel version of APM; members of the Manchester Aviation Art Society for their advice and suggestions in the development of this material.