String lights zigzagging above a cafe street, bulbs shrinking to sparksNavy, orange, yellow, white. Give the near bulbs a pale glow ring and let the far ones merge into a line.
Sailboats scattered to the horizon, each smaller and grayerWhite, gray, teal, pale blue. Paint the near sail pure white and gray the rest toward the color of the water.
Desert buttes at three distances: red, dusty rose, then lavenderRed, rose, lavender, cream. Paint the far butte flat with no detail and put the cracks on the near one only.
Canal towpath beside still water, both edges meeting under a far footbridgeTan, olive, gray, pale blue. Paint path and water as two wedges and set the bridge small where they meet.
Dirt track between two wheat fields, both ruts closing to a pointOcher, tan, green, pale blue. Make the wheat strokes long at the bottom edge and mere dots by the horizon.
Fence posts and their blue shadows crossing snow to the skylineWhite, pale blue, brown, gray. Shorten every post and its shadow by the same step as the row runs back.
Garden path of square paving stones to a far blue doorGray, green, cream, blue. Paint the near stones as wide slabs with gaps and the far ones as thin lines.
Irrigation ditch running dead straight, a strip of sky in the waterBlue, green, ocher, white. Paint the water the color of the sky and pinch it to a thread at the horizon.
Long causeway over flat water to a low islandGray, teal, pale blue, white. Keep the island paler than the causeway so it sits far behind it.
Road over rolling hills, dipping out of sight and returning thinnerGray, green, ocher, pale blue. Paint the road three times, each piece narrower and paler than the one below.
Roadside mailboxes on posts, the last one a red dotRed, gray, straw yellow, blue. Paint each mailbox shorter, closer and duller than the one before it.
Rowboats pulled up along a shingle beach, shrinking down the shoreRed, blue, white, gray. Give the first boat planks and oars and paint the last as one curved stroke.
Sand track between two dunes to a thin strip of seaSand, cream, teal, white. Overlap the two dunes in front of the sea and leave the track as bare pale paint.
Streetlamps along an empty night road, pools of light shrinkingBlack, navy, yellow, orange. Paint each pool of light smaller, flatter and dimmer than the one nearer you.
Windrows of cut hay running across a field to one far treeStraw yellow, green, olive, blue. Paint the near rows thick and broken and the far rows as thin gold lines.
A one-point street 12
Alley of washing lines between tall houses, a bright gap at the endTerracotta, cream, blue, white. Paint the walls darker near you and the far gap the lightest spot of all.
Cobbled lane of shopfronts, striped awnings fading as they goRed, cream, gray, teal. Paint the first awning in full red and add white to the mix for each one after.
Colonnade with columns and their shadows striping the walkwayCream, ocher, violet, blue. Narrow the gap between columns each time, and the violet shadows with them.
Flower market street, buckets of color shrinking down both sidesPink, yellow, violet, gray. Dab the near buckets bloom by bloom and the far ones as single dots of color.
Open umbrellas strung above a street, shrinking to colored dotsRed, yellow, blue, green. Paint the near umbrellas with ribs and the far ones as single dots of a swab.
Pedestrian underpass with a bright square of daylight at the far endCharcoal, gray, white, pale yellow. Paint four dark wedges that meet around one small pale square.
Pergola walk hung with wisteria, posts closing toward a far benchViolet, lilac, green, cream. Dab the near blossom in violet and mix in white as the walk runs back.
Rainy night street, colored reflections stretching toward one pointBlack, magenta, cyan, yellow. Drag each reflection down the wet road, shorter the farther back it sits.
Row of townhouse doors in different colors, each narrower than the lastRed, yellow, teal, cream. Paint the nearest door widest and brightest and thin the rest to slivers.
Snowy village street, one line of footprints to a lit windowWhite, pale blue, navy, yellow. Space the footprints closer and paint them paler toward the window.
String lights zigzagging above a cafe street, bulbs shrinking to sparksNavy, orange, yellow, white. Give the near bulbs a pale glow ring and let the far ones merge into a line.
Tram rails running down a hill street to a slice of seaGray, cream, terracotta, teal. Paint the rails as two silver lines that almost touch before the sea.
A two-point corner 12
Bakery on a street corner at dusk, lit windows shrinking down both sidesNavy, ocher, yellow, cream. Paint the near corner tallest and let the window rows slope down either side.
Castle keep seen from its corner, walls dropping away on both sidesGray, cream, violet, green. Paint the stones large at the near corner and leave the far ends flat gray.
Cliff-top cottage, its corner toward you, sea behind both wallsWhite, gray, teal, green. Make one wall bright white and the other pale gray so the corner turns.
Farm stand of stacked crates, its near corner pointing at youBrown, red, orange, green. Dot fruit into the near crates and fill the far ones with one flat color each.
Fishing shack at the end of a quay, corner-on, nets on both wallsGray, teal, rust, cream. Paint the net floats large on the near edge and as plain dots toward each far end.
Greenhouse at night seen from its corner, lit from insideNavy, yellow, green, white. Paint the glass yellow, then the dark frame over it, with closer bars at each end.
Lifeguard tower on stilts seen from its corner on an empty beachWhite, red, sand, teal. Paint one side white and the other pale blue-gray, with a long shadow on the sand.
Red barn seen from its corner, the sunlit end brighter than the long sideBarn red, maroon, white, green. Paint the long wall with maroon and slant both roof edges away from you.
Roadside diner at night seen from its corner, a blank sign on the roofBlack, teal, red, yellow. Run one band of yellow window along each wall, narrowing as it leaves the corner.
Snowed-in cabin seen from its corner, a long blue shadow to one sideWhite, brown, pale blue, gray. Paint the shadow side of the cabin and its cast shadow in the same blue.
Treehouse among thick branches, two plank walls meeting at the near cornerBrown, ocher, two greens. Paint the leaves behind it pale and the leaves in front dark, across one wall.
Yellow house on a hill under a storm sky, one wall lit and one turned awayYellow, ocher, charcoal, green. Paint the lit wall pure yellow and the turned wall ocher against dark cloud.
Looking up 12
Climbing wall from the mat, colored holds shrinking toward the topGray, red, yellow, blue. Paint the lowest holds as fat blobs and the highest as dots of a swab.
Ferris wheel from directly beneath, spokes spreading to the rimNavy, red, yellow, white. Paint the near cars big at the bottom edge and the top cars as small dots.
Flagpole from its base, one plain red flag streaming overheadSky blue, white, gray, red. Taper the pole from a thick band at the bottom edge to a hairline at the flag.
Iron fire escape from the alley floor, landings stacked overhead like shelvesBrick red, black, gray, pale blue. Paint the near landing large and dark and each one above it smaller.
Kite far overhead, its string running up from the bottom cornerSky blue, white, red, yellow. Thin the string from a line to nothing and keep the kite small and bright.
Orchard ladder from its foot, rungs closing toward the leavesBrown, green, red, pale blue. Paint the bottom rung widest and space each rung above it a little closer.
Power pylon from between its feet, steel lattice shrinking to the tipGray, charcoal, white, sky blue. Paint the four legs thick at the corners and cross them thinner each level.
Stone vault from the floor, ribs meeting at one carved pointGray, cream, ocher, violet. Paint the ribs as curves that thin toward the center, with violet between them.
Street lamp seen from underneath, snowflakes growing as they drop toward youNavy, yellow, white, gray. Dot large soft flakes first, then small sharp ones up around the lamp.
Tower crane from the street, its arm crossing a patch of skyYellow, gray, white, blue. Paint the mast as a ladder of crosses, each one smaller, and the arm in one stroke.
Underside of a tall bridge, girders shrinking overheadRust, charcoal, gray, pale blue. Paint the near girders thick and rusty and the far ones thin and gray.
Windmill from the foot of its tower, one sail sweeping overheadWhite, cream, brown, blue. Taper the tower upward and let the nearest sail run off the top of the canvas.
Fading with distance 12
Beach umbrellas down a long shore, the last ones pale dotsRed, yellow, sand, pale blue. Paint the near umbrella in full color and add white and blue to each one after.
Birch trunks in fog: flecked white near you, gray ghosts behindCharcoal, gray, white. Paint the palest trunks first and overlap each darker row in front of them.
Desert buttes at three distances: red, dusty rose, then lavenderRed, rose, lavender, cream. Paint the far butte flat with no detail and put the cracks on the near one only.
Harbor cranes in sea mist, the nearest rust red and the rest gray shapesRust, gray, white, pale blue. Paint the far cranes first, almost the color of the mist, and the red one last.
Islands in a bay stepping back from green to blue-grayGreen, teal, blue, gray, white. Add blue and white to the green for each island farther out.
Lily pads on a pond: dinner plates near you, green freckles by the far bankGreen, teal, pink, pale blue. Paint three large pads with a notch each, then dots, then one green band.
Pebble beach: stones large at your feet, a gray blur by the waterGray, ocher, white, teal. Paint each near stone with a highlight and stipple the far ones with a dry brush.
Poppy field: red blobs near, pink dots far, under blue hillsRed, white, green, blue. Press the near poppies with a round brush and dot the far ones with a swab.
Sailboats scattered to the horizon, each smaller and grayerWhite, gray, teal, pale blue. Paint the near sail pure white and gray the rest toward the color of the water.
Sheep grazing up a long slope, woolly near you and white specks at the topWhite, cream, green, pale blue. Dab the near sheep with a sponge and dot the far ones with a swab.
Stone walls crisscrossing green hills, sharp near you and smudged far offGreen, gray, pale blue, white. Paint the near wall stone by stone and the far walls as soft gray lines.
Tea-green hills overlapping like waves, lighter with each layerDark green, green, mint, white. Start at the top with mint and overlap a darker hill below each time.
How it works
In linear perspective a thing looks smaller the farther away it is. Paint adds a second cue: distant things turn paler, less detailed and usually bluer. Each scene here leans on one or both.
Read the full guide
One point, two points or straight up
A road seen head-on runs to one vanishing point on the horizon, which sits at your eye level: Dirt track between two wheat fields, both ruts closing to a point is two lines and a sky. Face a building's corner and its walls run off to two points, as in Snowed-in cabin seen from its corner, a long blue shadow to one side. Look up and the uprights lean together too.
What paint adds to the lines
Fading with distance has a name, aerial perspective. To use it, mix white and a little blue into a color each time it steps back. Islands in a bay stepping back from green to blue-gray is nothing but that mix, repeated.
Paint the farthest thing first and work toward yourself, so each nearer shape overlaps the one behind it.
Questions and answers
What are some easy perspective painting ideas?
Sand track between two dunes to a thin strip of sea is two overlapping curves and a band of teal. Poppy field: red blobs near, pink dots far, under blue hills needs no straight line at all. Sixteen scenes are marked easy.
How do you show distance in a painting?
Shrink it, overlap it and fade it. Sheep grazing up a long slope, woolly near you and white specks at the top uses size and detail; Tea-green hills overlapping like waves, lighter with each layer uses overlap and color.
Do I need a ruler to paint in perspective?
Not for these. Each scene is judged by eye: sizes, overlaps and color shifts. For constructions ruled to marked vanishing points, use perspective drawing ideas, which gives the number of points and the horizon height for each.